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Photo by Ted Kirk, courtesy of The Appleseed Foundation FEATURES > Girls Confined to Youth Prisons in the United States > Sex-Segregated Schools: Separate and Unequal > Violation of Incarcerated Women's Civil Rights in NJ > Modern Slavery: Domestic Worker Abuse by Foreign Diplomats in the U.S. > Blog: Selene Kaye on Strip-Searching and Solitary Confinement of Girls in Prison > Blog: Nikki Anthony on Sex-Segregation in Kentucky Public School > Blog: Sandra Park on Fair Housing for Women > Report: A Blueprint for Meeting the Needs of Girls in TYC Custody > Major Supreme Court Decisions on Women's Rights About the Women's Rights Project Since 1972, the ACLU Women's Rights Project has worked to empower women and advance equality. Many people, before and since, have contributed to our effort: ACLU co-founders Jane Addams, Emily Greene Balch, Crystal Eastman, and Jeanette Rankin; Dorothy Kenyon and Pauli Murray, Board of Directors members; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, first Director of the Project; and numerous others. Demanding basic economic and social opportunities for all women — regardless of race, class, or national origin — WRP works to ensure that women and their families can enjoy the benefits of full equality and participation in every sphere of society. More About the WRP >> LEARN MORE > Women's Rights on the Agenda > A Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg > Leaders Through the Years > Project Reports:      2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 The Women's Rights Project focuses on four core areas: Employment WRP advocates on behalf of low-wage immigrant women workers, works to eliminate welfare disparities, and seeks to end workplace discrimination. Violence Against Women WRP is committed to advancing battered women's civil rights, assisting women in their efforts to keep themselves and their children safe, and challenging the housing and employment discrimination experienced by so many battered women, especially low-income and women of color. Criminal Justice WRP addresses the harms to women and girls caught up in the criminal and juvenile justice systems, including their conditions of confinement, and the impact of sentencing and incarceration policies on women and their children. Education WRP is dedicated to ensuring that public schools do not become sex-segregated and that girls and boys receive equal educational opportunities.

ACLU Challenges Solitary Confinement And Unwarranted Strip Searches Of Girls Held In Texas Youth Prison (6/12/2008)
AUSTIN, TX - The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas filed a class action lawsuit today on behalf of five girls – all of whom have histories of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse – held in the Brownwood State School. Brownwood is a "high security" youth prison located in central Texas and operated by the Texas Youth Commission (TYC), the state's juvenile corrections agency. The ACLU charges that TYC subjects the girls to unwarranted solitary confinement, routine strip searches and brutal physical force.

ACLU Represents Students In Challenge To Sex Segregation In Kentucky Public School (5/19/2008)
LOUISVILLE, KY - On behalf of five families, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Kentucky filed an amended complaint in federal court today charging that segregating classes by sex in Breckinridge County Middle School is illegal and discriminatory. The ACLU's lawsuit expands a previous lawsuit filed by a private attorney against the Breckinridge County School District and other county entities to include the U.S. Department of Education.

ACLU Disappointed in Senates Failure to Consider Fair Pay Legislation (4/23/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union expressed its extreme disappointment in the Senate’s failure to address H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The bill failed to garner the 60 votes necessary to avoid a filibuster and compel a floor vote. The goal of the Fair Pay Act was to restore the right of American workers to seek justice if they find themselves subject to wage discrimination, a right jeopardized by the 2007 Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear.

ACLU Urges Senate to Support Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (4/23/2008)
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union reiterated its strong support for H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which is being debated on the Senate floor today and is slated for a vote this evening. This legislation is aimed at restoring the right of American workers to seek justice if they find themselves subject to wage discrimination, a right jeopardized by the 2007 Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear.

Sex Segregation In Florida's Public Schools A Bad Move, Says ACLU (4/10/2008)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida sent a letter to Governor Charlie Crist yesterday strongly urging that he veto the Legislature's flawed plan, which would open the door to segregating students by sex in Florida's public schools.