ACLU: Wisconsinites Delivered a Pivotal Win for Abortion Access and Democracy

Wisconsinites Delivered a Pivotal Win for Abortion Access and Democracy

At the ACLU of Wisconsin, our focus recently turned to two electoral cycles: the gubernatorial election in November 2022, and the April 2023 state supreme court election. I’m proud to say that there were many lessons learned, capacity built, and positive outcomes that we are happy to share with our teammates in the ACLU universe.

The outcomes of this work include a crucial veto for defending against assaults on our rights and a pivotal turn towards a court that will protect abortion access and democracy.

The collapse of abortion rights in Wisconsin was devastatingly painful — almost too painful to comprehend fully — but it also reminded me that the ACLU exists for moments like these. Even in the most harrowing times, I know that my team will show up and fight alongside our allies. And we have. It is our shared strength, knowledge, resilience, and enduring commitment to operate in service to our communities that drives us forward.

State supreme courts can act as the last defense for our rights, and Wisconsin’s high court is poised, in the coming years, to make monumental decisions affecting voting rights, gerrymandering, the criminal legal system, abortion, and more. The stakes of Wisconsin’s spring supreme court race were clear, and we knew that educating voters was the crucial next step. With that clarity of vision, we — the ACLU and ACLU of Wisconsin — deployed a whole-of-organization approach to ensure every eligible voter had the tools, knowledge, and resources they needed to cast an informed vote.

ACLU of Wisconsin

ACLU of Wisconsin and the ACLU Join Forces To Empower Voters In State Supreme Court Election

The ACLU of Wisconsin and the ACLU launched a joint campaign to engage Wisconsin voters ahead of the state supreme court general election.

Our campaign focused on highlighting the candidates’ positions on abortion and worked to reach voters through radio advertisements on this issue, direct mail, door-to-door canvassing, community outreach, and social media. The ads reached 570,000 listeners over 10 times each. Abortion was the defining issue of this election, and these ads helped people across the state get to know each candidate’s views in their own words.

To educate even more voters, our team sent three flights of mail breaking down the candidates’ perspectives on abortion as well as voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and more, while we made calls, knocked on doors, talked one on one with voters, and recruited volunteers. In total, we engaged well over 100,000 additional people through these tactics, and those numbers grow even larger when factoring in other communication channels like social media, web traffic, and mass email communications.

After months of non-stop work, our ACLU staff joined with the rest of the country to await the outcome in Wisconsin on Election Day. From our office we watched the numbers climb to record-breaking turnout for a Wisconsin spring election that didn’t coincide with a presidential primary, and incredibly high engagement from young voters, women, and voters of color. This turnout was an emphatic declaration that Wisconsinites won’t tolerate attacks on our reproductive freedom.

I feel immense gratitude for all the people who poured themselves into the fight for a just future, resisting the worst impulses of our state, and showing up to support communities — especially those who have been historically excluded, advocating from the margins. Their passion and endless pursuit continue to give me strength. Together, we made sure that the peoples’ voice was heard in this vital election.

I hope that the countless hours Wisconsinites invested in getting out the vote will lead to a state supreme court that is steadfastly committed to defending our civil rights and civil liberties. In our enduring commitment to defending democracy, I’m inspired by the tireless effort, dedication, and determined spirit exhibited by so many people across Wisconsin during this critical race.

What you can do:

Defend Reproductive Freedom Now

Send your message

Published June 30, 2023 at 07:56PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/9dVL2Kn

ACLU: Wisconsinites Delivered a Pivotal Win for Abortion Access and Democracy

Wisconsinites Delivered a Pivotal Win for Abortion Access and Democracy

At the ACLU of Wisconsin, our focus recently turned to two electoral cycles: the gubernatorial election in November 2022, and the April 2023 state supreme court election. I’m proud to say that there were many lessons learned, capacity built, and positive outcomes that we are happy to share with our teammates in the ACLU universe.

The outcomes of this work include a crucial veto for defending against assaults on our rights and a pivotal turn towards a court that will protect abortion access and democracy.

The collapse of abortion rights in Wisconsin was devastatingly painful — almost too painful to comprehend fully — but it also reminded me that the ACLU exists for moments like these. Even in the most harrowing times, I know that my team will show up and fight alongside our allies. And we have. It is our shared strength, knowledge, resilience, and enduring commitment to operate in service to our communities that drives us forward.

State supreme courts can act as the last defense for our rights, and Wisconsin’s high court is poised, in the coming years, to make monumental decisions affecting voting rights, gerrymandering, the criminal legal system, abortion, and more. The stakes of Wisconsin’s spring supreme court race were clear, and we knew that educating voters was the crucial next step. With that clarity of vision, we — the ACLU and ACLU of Wisconsin — deployed a whole-of-organization approach to ensure every eligible voter had the tools, knowledge, and resources they needed to cast an informed vote.

ACLU of Wisconsin

ACLU of Wisconsin and the ACLU Join Forces To Empower Voters In State Supreme Court Election

The ACLU of Wisconsin and the ACLU launched a joint campaign to engage Wisconsin voters ahead of the state supreme court general election.

Our campaign focused on highlighting the candidates’ positions on abortion and worked to reach voters through radio advertisements on this issue, direct mail, door-to-door canvassing, community outreach, and social media. The ads reached 570,000 listeners over 10 times each. Abortion was the defining issue of this election, and these ads helped people across the state get to know each candidate’s views in their own words.

To educate even more voters, our team sent three flights of mail breaking down the candidates’ perspectives on abortion as well as voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and more, while we made calls, knocked on doors, talked one on one with voters, and recruited volunteers. In total, we engaged well over 100,000 additional people through these tactics, and those numbers grow even larger when factoring in other communication channels like social media, web traffic, and mass email communications.

After months of non-stop work, our ACLU staff joined with the rest of the country to await the outcome in Wisconsin on Election Day. From our office we watched the numbers climb to record-breaking turnout for a Wisconsin spring election that didn’t coincide with a presidential primary, and incredibly high engagement from young voters, women, and voters of color. This turnout was an emphatic declaration that Wisconsinites won’t tolerate attacks on our reproductive freedom.

I feel immense gratitude for all the people who poured themselves into the fight for a just future, resisting the worst impulses of our state, and showing up to support communities — especially those who have been historically excluded, advocating from the margins. Their passion and endless pursuit continue to give me strength. Together, we made sure that the peoples’ voice was heard in this vital election.

I hope that the countless hours Wisconsinites invested in getting out the vote will lead to a state supreme court that is steadfastly committed to defending our civil rights and civil liberties. In our enduring commitment to defending democracy, I’m inspired by the tireless effort, dedication, and determined spirit exhibited by so many people across Wisconsin during this critical race.

What you can do:

Defend Reproductive Freedom Now

Send your message

Published July 1, 2023 at 12:26AM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/djRbXpS

United Kingdom-Anguilla-British Overseas Territory: Technical Assistance Report-Modernization of the Customs Legislative Framework

United Kingdom-Anguilla-British Overseas Territory: Technical Assistance Report-Modernization of the Customs Legislative Framework
Published June 30, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Jordan: Sixth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility and Request for Modification of Performance Criteria-Press Release; and Staff Report

Jordan: Sixth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility and Request for Modification of Performance Criteria-Press Release; and Staff Report
Published June 30, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

ACLU: What Trans Youth Want You to Know

What Trans Youth Want You to Know

As Pride month comes to a close, the ACLU is shining the spotlight on those who are often at the center of harmful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and discourse: transgender youth.

Unfortunately, trans youth continue to face malicious attacks on their safety and dignity as lawmakers actively seek to invalidate and infringe upon their right to live and express themselves as they choose. With almost 500 anti-LGBTQ bills circulating across state legislatures nationwide, more than 25 percent of those bills attempt to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for trans kids, and nearly 50 percent prevent trans students from participating in sports or prohibit LGBTQ safe spaces or discussions of any kind in schools.

What trans kids need most as growing kids and adolescents is not more pressure to conform or change themselves, but endless support to continue to grow and thrive as they are.

In a recent episode of ACLU’s At Liberty podcast, we talk to three trans kids — Hobbes, Jayden, and Dylan — about their lives, their experiences, and their perspectives as part of the trans community.

Hobbes, a 16-year-old who’s passionate about advocacy and robotics, recently helped organize a trans prom in front of the U.S. Capitol, and has dreams of building a prosthetic in the next few years. Jayden, a 15-year-old from Illinois, plans to pursue a computer science degree so she can combine her love for art and technology to share meaningful stories. And Dylan, a 17-year-old who wants to be an educator, is a plaintiff in our Brandt v. Rutledge case, who fought and won the battle to protect transgender youth and their families’ right to access gender-affirming care in Arkansas.

These kids face challenging circumstances to live as who they truly are, and still, as At Liberty host Kendall Ciesemier puts it, “Trans kids are simply kids. We should listen to and embrace them as such.”

Here, they share their stories in their own words.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Credit: Victor Velter / Shutterstock

---

On finding supportive peers and community

Hobbes: “For me, my biggest supporter, my biggest advocate is my father. He was there for me since day one. You know, he’s constantly educating himself about everything within the transgender community, which I find is very, very admirable. A lot of people kind of just take whatever they’re given at face value and assume that how it is is fine and they’ll just move on with whatever they’re given. But my father will actively search out more information, find out how he can better support not just me, but the community as a whole. That’s kind of why he’s such a large advocate. It inspires me to be like him. He’s one of my role models. I just really love my dad.”

Jayden: “So typically when I go to school, I have a smaller support group of friends. They’re always there for me. But when I was younger, like in middle school, around the time when I came out, it was really difficult for me because all the teachers and all the people that I was friends with didn’t see me the way that I saw myself. And it was really difficult for me to try to get, you know, for me to try to get better. With everybody seeing me as the opposite gender, what I identified as, and I don’t think that they were doing it to hurt me. I think it was just difficult for them and they didn’t understand. But when I got to high school, I was able to change like high school districts because I moved out of the state I was in at the time. It was like a fresh start. It was so much easier for me because I introduced myself the way that I saw myself, and it was way easier. And the people who I am still friends with today are the ones that sort me out and were just there supporting each other.

“Last year, I think it was me and a bunch of friends. I had them come over so we could, like, have dinner. We were going to go to homecoming as a group together. And so I had them bring all their makeup and we ate food at my house and we got ready. And I didn’t have any at the time because I’m like, I don’t know how to use it. So they let me use their makeup and they made sure that I felt pretty and they made sure that I was confident in the way that I looked because they just cared about me.”

Dylan: “I’d say I was friends with all the guys, you know? Third or fourth grade, I grew up playing football outside at recess with them, and I was friends with most of those guys up until I came out. And that was kind of the turning point for them that they didn’t think that that was okay. And so I lost all of them.

“But then I gained so many more people who loved me and supported me unconditionally. And so I’ve got my group of friends, my best friend who just graduated has helped me through all these years of high school. And I am absolutely in awe of her. She grew up with a very different mindset until she met me and she’s become one of my biggest supporters. And I really look up to her for that because it takes a lot. You know, growing up in the South and growing up with a mindset where maybe that’s not okay for a lot of people, I’ve just become very close with a small group of people. But that’s fine with me, and they’re all very supportive teachers at my school.

“I have my principal. I love her with my entire heart. From the moment that I came to her one day and was like, ‘Hey, this is going on,’ she made it a point to check in with me all the time. If there was ever a situation that needed to be handled, she handled it right then and there.”

---

On seeking gender-affirming medical care in the face of legislative bans

Dylan: “We have had many conversations within my family about this. If for some reason I can’t get my hormones here in Arkansas, we would have to leave. And that is not going to be easy. My mom owns a small business here in town. I have a job. I’m going into my senior year, and my brother is going and starting his sophomore year. He’s been doing care for the past four years and really enjoys it, is really in love with his team. We have friends. Our entire family is in this town. And my mom is a single parent. It would be really hard to leave, but we would have to do it because to me, not getting it isn’t an option.

“I don’t think that that would end very well. Just because I know how happy I am now and the thought of having to lose that, I feel it would be way worse than it was when I never started it.”

Jayden: “Hearing about the trans health care ban that passed in Idaho was shocking because I didn’t know how a bill like this could come out in the first place.t It’s blatantly attacking trans people, and I don’t get how anybody could see it any other way. It’s either people refuse to see it for how it is or just don’t care. It was shocking. The moment that I saw that it was on the table in Idaho, I was really, really hoping that it wouldn’t happen. But, you know, part of me realized that this is something that we’re going to have to fight hard. It’s really harmful to think that the people who govern your state don’t have your best interest in mind, that they’re out there for everybody else who is in the majority and are willing to attack people in the minority in order to appease those in the majority.

“In the event that, you know, I’m not able to get the medication I need to … I’ve been on estrogen since, like, February I think. And I’ve talked to my doctor about this. We’re trying to come up with a plan. Worst case scenario … I can just go to Oregon to get that. But that’s still going to be rough. Because that means a whole, you know, changing of doctors and all those complications or whenever I need those refills, I need to go to Oregon to get them.”

Hobbes: “I’m fully aware of everything that’s happening in the country. And I feel the main thing, the main emotion I have is somewhat being overwhelmed, of being upset and frustrated because while it’s not happening directly to me, it’s happening to people in my community. You know, I connect to the both of you in the sense that when I started my hormone therapy, I felt a thousand times better than beforehand, right? I felt like I was finally able to open the door and start my way. Progress towards the person that I know I am and form that proper self. So to imagine, even just fathom the fact that in certain places they’re trying to or are actively barring other people from it and inhibiting your ability to feel yourself. It’s … it’s sort of malevolent. It hurts me to even just hear, you know, my heart goes out.

“It does also move me to the advocacy that I’ve been trying to get into. It moves me to know that when I helped to put on events like the trans prom, I’m not just doing it for the party guests, but I’m doing it for the message and the effect which it spreads, which will in turn help the entire community. It helps me stay motivated. It helps remind me exactly what I’m working for.”

---

On encouraging other trans kids in the community

Dylan: “I think that something that I have said since I started advocating, something that I end most interviews or speeches with, is you are not alone. I feel like people just need to hear that because for a while I thought that I was, until I realized I wasn’t. You are absolutely not alone. There are so many people willing to fight for you and that are fighting for you. So don’t for a second think that you’re alone.”

Hobbes: “Yeah. I have to say, I completely second that notion, and I feel like to add on to that, with all these people who are fighting and all these people who are constantly supporting I hope that one day in the future we will have a society in which saying that you are transgender is no different from saying that you are just a person, right? That one can identify themselves however they please without anyone casting a second glance.”

Jayden: “And I really hope that for those of you out there that are younger and you find yourself caught in the hurricane, that is the quote unquote “trans debate,” that you can find the eye of that hurricane and just learn to be yourself. Because, you know, as the recurring theme here, you’re not alone. And no matter how far you sink, there will always be someone there that is willing to lift you back up.”

You can listen to the full episode here.

Let Trans Kids Speak for Themselves

As legislatures across the country enact anti-LGBTQ bills, one group has taken center stage in our national conversation: trans youth. Of the 491 a...

Listen to this episode

What you can do:

Take the Pledge: Support Trans Youth Now

Take the pledge

Published June 30, 2023 at 08:55PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/g0oI2ni

ACLU: What Trans Youth Want You to Know

What Trans Youth Want You to Know

As Pride month comes to a close, the ACLU is shining the spotlight on those who are often at the center of harmful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and discourse: transgender youth.

Unfortunately, trans youth continue to face malicious attacks on their safety and dignity as lawmakers actively seek to invalidate and infringe upon their right to live and express themselves as they choose. With almost 500 anti-LGBTQ bills circulating across state legislatures nationwide, more than 25 percent of those bills attempt to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for trans kids, and nearly 50 percent prevent trans students from participating in sports or prohibit LGBTQ safe spaces or discussions of any kind in schools.

What trans kids need most as growing kids and adolescents is not more pressure to conform or change themselves, but endless support to continue to grow and thrive as they are.

In a recent episode of ACLU’s At Liberty podcast, we talk to three trans kids — Hobbes, Jayden, and Dylan — about their lives, their experiences, and their perspectives as part of the trans community.

Hobbes, a 16-year-old who’s passionate about advocacy and robotics, recently helped organize a trans prom in front of the U.S. Capitol, and has dreams of building a prosthetic in the next few years. Jayden, a 15-year-old from Illinois, plans to pursue a computer science degree so she can combine her love for art and technology to share meaningful stories. And Dylan, a 17-year-old who wants to be an educator, is a plaintiff in our Brandt v. Rutledge case, who fought and won the battle to protect transgender youth and their families’ right to access gender-affirming care in Arkansas.

These kids face challenging circumstances to live as who they truly are, and still, as At Liberty host Kendall Ciesemier puts it, “Trans kids are simply kids. We should listen to and embrace them as such.”

Here, they share their stories in their own words.

This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Credit: Victor Velter / Shutterstock

---

On finding supportive peers and community

Hobbes: “For me, my biggest supporter, my biggest advocate is my father. He was there for me since day one. You know, he’s constantly educating himself about everything within the transgender community, which I find is very, very admirable. A lot of people kind of just take whatever they’re given at face value and assume that how it is is fine and they’ll just move on with whatever they’re given. But my father will actively search out more information, find out how he can better support not just me, but the community as a whole. That’s kind of why he’s such a large advocate. It inspires me to be like him. He’s one of my role models. I just really love my dad.”

Jayden: “So typically when I go to school, I have a smaller support group of friends. They’re always there for me. But when I was younger, like in middle school, around the time when I came out, it was really difficult for me because all the teachers and all the people that I was friends with didn’t see me the way that I saw myself. And it was really difficult for me to try to get, you know, for me to try to get better. With everybody seeing me as the opposite gender, what I identified as, and I don’t think that they were doing it to hurt me. I think it was just difficult for them and they didn’t understand. But when I got to high school, I was able to change like high school districts because I moved out of the state I was in at the time. It was like a fresh start. It was so much easier for me because I introduced myself the way that I saw myself, and it was way easier. And the people who I am still friends with today are the ones that sort me out and were just there supporting each other.

“Last year, I think it was me and a bunch of friends. I had them come over so we could, like, have dinner. We were going to go to homecoming as a group together. And so I had them bring all their makeup and we ate food at my house and we got ready. And I didn’t have any at the time because I’m like, I don’t know how to use it. So they let me use their makeup and they made sure that I felt pretty and they made sure that I was confident in the way that I looked because they just cared about me.”

Dylan: “I’d say I was friends with all the guys, you know? Third or fourth grade, I grew up playing football outside at recess with them, and I was friends with most of those guys up until I came out. And that was kind of the turning point for them that they didn’t think that that was okay. And so I lost all of them.

“But then I gained so many more people who loved me and supported me unconditionally. And so I’ve got my group of friends, my best friend who just graduated has helped me through all these years of high school. And I am absolutely in awe of her. She grew up with a very different mindset until she met me and she’s become one of my biggest supporters. And I really look up to her for that because it takes a lot. You know, growing up in the South and growing up with a mindset where maybe that’s not okay for a lot of people, I’ve just become very close with a small group of people. But that’s fine with me, and they’re all very supportive teachers at my school.

“I have my principal. I love her with my entire heart. From the moment that I came to her one day and was like, ‘Hey, this is going on,’ she made it a point to check in with me all the time. If there was ever a situation that needed to be handled, she handled it right then and there.”

---

On seeking gender-affirming medical care in the face of legislative bans

Dylan: “We have had many conversations within my family about this. If for some reason I can’t get my hormones here in Arkansas, we would have to leave. And that is not going to be easy. My mom owns a small business here in town. I have a job. I’m going into my senior year, and my brother is going and starting his sophomore year. He’s been doing care for the past four years and really enjoys it, is really in love with his team. We have friends. Our entire family is in this town. And my mom is a single parent. It would be really hard to leave, but we would have to do it because to me, not getting it isn’t an option.

“I don’t think that that would end very well. Just because I know how happy I am now and the thought of having to lose that, I feel it would be way worse than it was when I never started it.”

Jayden: “Hearing about the trans health care ban that passed in Idaho was shocking because I didn’t know how a bill like this could come out in the first place.t It’s blatantly attacking trans people, and I don’t get how anybody could see it any other way. It’s either people refuse to see it for how it is or just don’t care. It was shocking. The moment that I saw that it was on the table in Idaho, I was really, really hoping that it wouldn’t happen. But, you know, part of me realized that this is something that we’re going to have to fight hard. It’s really harmful to think that the people who govern your state don’t have your best interest in mind, that they’re out there for everybody else who is in the majority and are willing to attack people in the minority in order to appease those in the majority.

“In the event that, you know, I’m not able to get the medication I need to … I’ve been on estrogen since, like, February I think. And I’ve talked to my doctor about this. We’re trying to come up with a plan. Worst case scenario … I can just go to Oregon to get that. But that’s still going to be rough. Because that means a whole, you know, changing of doctors and all those complications or whenever I need those refills, I need to go to Oregon to get them.”

Hobbes: “I’m fully aware of everything that’s happening in the country. And I feel the main thing, the main emotion I have is somewhat being overwhelmed, of being upset and frustrated because while it’s not happening directly to me, it’s happening to people in my community. You know, I connect to the both of you in the sense that when I started my hormone therapy, I felt a thousand times better than beforehand, right? I felt like I was finally able to open the door and start my way. Progress towards the person that I know I am and form that proper self. So to imagine, even just fathom the fact that in certain places they’re trying to or are actively barring other people from it and inhibiting your ability to feel yourself. It’s … it’s sort of malevolent. It hurts me to even just hear, you know, my heart goes out.

“It does also move me to the advocacy that I’ve been trying to get into. It moves me to know that when I helped to put on events like the trans prom, I’m not just doing it for the party guests, but I’m doing it for the message and the effect which it spreads, which will in turn help the entire community. It helps me stay motivated. It helps remind me exactly what I’m working for.”

---

On encouraging other trans kids in the community

Dylan: “I think that something that I have said since I started advocating, something that I end most interviews or speeches with, is you are not alone. I feel like people just need to hear that because for a while I thought that I was, until I realized I wasn’t. You are absolutely not alone. There are so many people willing to fight for you and that are fighting for you. So don’t for a second think that you’re alone.”

Hobbes: “Yeah. I have to say, I completely second that notion, and I feel like to add on to that, with all these people who are fighting and all these people who are constantly supporting I hope that one day in the future we will have a society in which saying that you are transgender is no different from saying that you are just a person, right? That one can identify themselves however they please without anyone casting a second glance.”

Jayden: “And I really hope that for those of you out there that are younger and you find yourself caught in the hurricane, that is the quote unquote “trans debate,” that you can find the eye of that hurricane and just learn to be yourself. Because, you know, as the recurring theme here, you’re not alone. And no matter how far you sink, there will always be someone there that is willing to lift you back up.”

You can listen to the full episode here.

Let Trans Kids Speak for Themselves

As legislatures across the country enact anti-LGBTQ bills, one group has taken center stage in our national conversation: trans youth. Of the 491 a...

Listen to this episode

What you can do:

Take the Pledge: Support Trans Youth Now

Take the pledge

Published June 30, 2023 at 04:25PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/d9ahwFb

Republic of Madagascar: Fourth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement and Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Modification of Performance Criteria-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Republic of Madagascar

Republic of Madagascar: Fourth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement and Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Modification of Performance Criteria-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Republic of Madagascar
Published June 29, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

ACLU: How Were Winning The Fight to Defend Trans Rights

How We’re Winning The Fight to Defend Trans Rights

“My mom and I wanted to fight this law not just to protect my health care, but also to ensure that transgender people like me can safely and fully live our truths,” said Dylan Brandt, one of our transgender youth clients in our challenge against Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming health care. “Transgender kids across the country are having their own futures threatened by laws like this one, and it’s up to all of us to speak out, fight back, and give them hope.”

As we wrap up Pride month, hope is what we at the ACLU have for the fight for trans rights. While we can be clear about the threats in front of us — from further restrictions on the rights of trans youth to increasing efforts to target the health care of trans adults — a string of early legal victories are highlighting how the ACLU, our nationwide affiliate network, and our allies across the LGBTQ rights movement are not only fighting back, but winning.

After a historic two-week trial in Little Rock last fall, a federal judge last week overturned the nation’s first categorical ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, finding the 2021 Arkansas law violated the rights of transgender youth under the Equal Protection Clause, their parents under the Due Process Clause, and the First Amendment rights of their medical providers.

“The evidence showed that the prohibited medical care improves the mental health and well-being of patients and that by prohibiting it,” wrote Judge James Moody, “the state undermined the interests it claims to be advancing.”

The critical victory comes as judges are unanimously blocking similar bills passed in other states, finding legal challenges against them likely to succeed on the merits. In challenges brought by the ACLU and our nationwide affiliate network, courts in Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky have blocked bans in those states, finding them openly discriminatory, unconstitutional, and dangerous to the very youth they claim to protect.

Judges in Alabama and Florida have blocked enforcement of bans targeting trans youth there, with the latter declaring “gender identity is real,” and denouncing the state for refusing to listen to parents of trans youth. In Oklahoma, we’ve secured a binding non-enforcement agreement with the state’s attorney general, preserving the legality of gender-affirming care in the Sooner State until the court can address our motion to bar enforcement of the law prior to trial.

Judges have also turned a harsh eye towards restrictions on drag performances, a new category of anti-LGBTQ bill harkening back to the cross-dressing laws the ACLU defeated decades ago. In a case brought by the ACLU and the ACLU of Utah, we successfully prevented officials in St. George, Utah from prohibiting drag performances from Southern Utah Drag Stars. Legislation targeting drag shows in Tennessee and Florida have likewise been blocked in private legal challenges brought by venues threatened by this unconstitutional restriction on their speech.

And we’re far from done. Well before their bans on gender-affirming care are set to take effect, we’re getting ready for hearings against laws passed this year in Idaho and Montana. In Texas, we’ll soon be joining a coalition of organizations challenging that state’s ban targeting the health care of tens of thousands of trans youth across the state — the largest population targeted by these laws yet.

American Civil Liberties Union

Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures

The ACLU is tracking attacks on LGBTQ rights and working with our national network of affiliates to support LGBTQ people everywhere.

Amid an onslaught of legislative attacks targeting their safety, their dignity, and their health care, transgender people are reasonably fearful about the direction of the country’s politics. While trans people were never collectively doing great — enduring higher rates of poverty, homelessness, violence, and suicide — the concerted effort by extremists across state and federal governments to turn us into political scapegoats has only added to the dehumanization many of us face across our lives.

Last year, we told you that hope was most necessary when it’s the hardest to muster, that the light of your joy burns brightest in the dark. While we recognize these legal victories are the earliest stages of a years-long effort to protect the rights of transgender people, they offer vital signs of hope for transgender people, our families, and our allies that the just world we all deserve is not only possible — it’s well within our reach.

What you can do:

Protect Trans Care Now

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Published June 29, 2023 at 05:53PM
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ACLU: How Were Winning The Fight to Defend Trans Rights

How We’re Winning The Fight to Defend Trans Rights

“My mom and I wanted to fight this law not just to protect my health care, but also to ensure that transgender people like me can safely and fully live our truths,” said Dylan Brandt, one of our transgender youth clients in our challenge against Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming health care. “Transgender kids across the country are having their own futures threatened by laws like this one, and it’s up to all of us to speak out, fight back, and give them hope.”

As we wrap up Pride month, hope is what we at the ACLU have for the fight for trans rights. While we can be clear about the threats in front of us — from further restrictions on the rights of trans youth to increasing efforts to target the health care of trans adults — a string of early legal victories are highlighting how the ACLU, our nationwide affiliate network, and our allies across the LGBTQ rights movement are not only fighting back, but winning.

After a historic two-week trial in Little Rock last fall, a federal judge last week overturned the nation’s first categorical ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, finding the 2021 Arkansas law violated the rights of transgender youth under the Equal Protection Clause, their parents under the Due Process Clause, and the First Amendment rights of their medical providers.

“The evidence showed that the prohibited medical care improves the mental health and well-being of patients and that by prohibiting it,” wrote Judge James Moody, “the state undermined the interests it claims to be advancing.”

The critical victory comes as judges are unanimously blocking similar bills passed in other states, finding legal challenges against them likely to succeed on the merits. In challenges brought by the ACLU and our nationwide affiliate network, courts in Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky have blocked bans in those states, finding them openly discriminatory, unconstitutional, and dangerous to the very youth they claim to protect.

Judges in Alabama and Florida have blocked enforcement of bans targeting trans youth there, with the latter declaring “gender identity is real,” and denouncing the state for refusing to listen to parents of trans youth. In Oklahoma, we’ve secured a binding non-enforcement agreement with the state’s attorney general, preserving the legality of gender-affirming care in the Sooner State until the court can address our motion to bar enforcement of the law prior to trial.

Judges have also turned a harsh eye towards restrictions on drag performances, a new category of anti-LGBTQ bill harkening back to the cross-dressing laws the ACLU defeated decades ago. In a case brought by the ACLU and the ACLU of Utah, we successfully prevented officials in St. George, Utah from prohibiting drag performances from Southern Utah Drag Stars. Legislation targeting drag shows in Tennessee and Florida have likewise been blocked in private legal challenges brought by venues threatened by this unconstitutional restriction on their speech.

And we’re far from done. Well before their bans on gender-affirming care are set to take effect, we’re getting ready for hearings against laws passed this year in Idaho and Montana. In Texas, we’ll soon be joining a coalition of organizations challenging that state’s ban targeting the health care of tens of thousands of trans youth across the state — the largest population targeted by these laws yet.

American Civil Liberties Union

Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures

The ACLU is tracking attacks on LGBTQ rights and working with our national network of affiliates to support LGBTQ people everywhere.

Amid an onslaught of legislative attacks targeting their safety, their dignity, and their health care, transgender people are reasonably fearful about the direction of the country’s politics. While trans people were never collectively doing great — enduring higher rates of poverty, homelessness, violence, and suicide — the concerted effort by extremists across state and federal governments to turn us into political scapegoats has only added to the dehumanization many of us face across our lives.

Last year, we told you that hope was most necessary when it’s the hardest to muster, that the light of your joy burns brightest in the dark. While we recognize these legal victories are the earliest stages of a years-long effort to protect the rights of transgender people, they offer vital signs of hope for transgender people, our families, and our allies that the just world we all deserve is not only possible — it’s well within our reach.

What you can do:

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Published June 29, 2023 at 10:23PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/Veu4NPJ

Republic of Croatia: Selected Issues

Republic of Croatia: Selected Issues
Published June 29, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Lebanon: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Lebanon

Lebanon: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Lebanon
Published June 29, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Republic of Fiji: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report

Republic of Fiji: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
Published June 28, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Jamaica: Technical Assistance Report-Climate Public Investment Management Assessment (C-PIMA)

Jamaica: Technical Assistance Report-Climate Public Investment Management Assessment (C-PIMA)
Published June 28, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Suriname: Second Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility Requests for Rephasing and Reduction of Access Waivers of nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Financing Assurances Review-Press Release; Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Staff Statement; and Statement by the Executive Director for Suriname

Suriname: Second Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for Rephasing and Reduction of Access, Waivers of nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Financing Assurances Review-Press Release; Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Staff Statement; and Statement by the Executive Director for Suriname
Published June 27, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Costa Rica: Fourth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility First Review Under the Resilience and Sustainability Arrangement Request for Modification of Reform Measure Under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility and Monetary Policy Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report

Costa Rica: Fourth Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, First Review Under the Resilience and Sustainability Arrangement, Request for Modification of Reform Measure Under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility, and Monetary Policy Consultation-Press Release; and Staff Report
Published June 27, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

ACLU: The Historic New Law Protecting Fairness for Pregnant Workers

The Historic New Law Protecting Fairness for Pregnant Workers

Today marks a historic moment in the lives of our nation’s pregnant workers: after more than a decade of advocacy on Capitol Hill, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), signed by President Biden in December 2022, goes into effect. PWFA mandates “reasonable accommodations” for pregnant workers unless providing them would impose an “undue hardship” on their employer. For millions of U.S. workers, the new law promises to assure they no longer will have to choose between their paycheck and a healthy pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a normal condition of employment; more than 80 percent of all working women will have at least one child during their lives. But existing legal protections have been glaringly insufficient for workers whose duties may conflict with pregnancy’s physical realities — such as cashiers (prolonged standing), nurses (repetitive heavy lifting), custodians (exposure to chemicals), and firefighters (battling potentially lethal blazes). Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), enacted in 1978, pregnant workers have been entitled to temporary job modifications only if their employer provides them to others “similar in their ability or inability to work.” That language long has been used to deny needed “accommodations” to pregnant workers, on the grounds that favored non-pregnant colleagues are insufficiently “similar.”

ACLU client Michelle Durham sued her employer after being given a discriminating ultimatum.

Credit: John Mofield

Even after the Supreme Court’s 2015 Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc. ruling clarified that employers must have a compelling reason for denying accommodations to pregnant workers while granting them to others, employers — and judges — continued to withhold them. One study found that more than two-thirds of workers brought PDA failure-to-accommodate claims after Young lost their court cases.

ACLU client Michelle Durham was one of them. In March 2015, Michelle learned that she was pregnant with her first child. Michelle’s doctor told her not to lift anything over 50 pounds; because Michelle’s job duties as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) regularly required that she lift patients and stretchers far heavier than that, she asked her employer, Rural/Metro Corporation — a company providing medical care to underserved communities — to temporarily reassign her.

What happened next derailed Michelle’s life, and propelled her into the spotlight as an advocate for pregnant workers’ rights. Rural/Metro gave Michelle an ultimatum: Keep lifting heavy loads in violation of her doctor’s orders or go on an unpaid leave of absence for 90 days — after which she would be fired unless she returned to work. With six months to go until her due date, Michelle was terrified; she desperately needed her paycheck.

As she later put it, testifying in support of PWFA before Congress, “I wouldn’t trade the experience of being [a] mom for anything. But I will never be able to get back those months before and after [my son] was born, when all I could think about was what I was losing by being pregnant — not what I was gaining.” Ultimately, Michelle left Rural/Metro rather than risk her pregnancy. She had to move in with her grandmother, racked up credit card debt, and incurred crushing hospital bills when she delivered her son.

After filing a lawsuit, Michelle ultimately reached a settlement with Rural/Metro that provided some relief for the hardship she had experienced. The bad news is that her legal battle took 7 years, in part due to a federal judge’s ruling that, under the PDA, Michelle was not “similar” to EMTs with occupational injuries. The ACLU won reversal of that decision on appeal, but the same judge reached a similarly erroneous conclusion at a later stage of the case.

As detailed in a new explainer on PWFA’s protections — co-authored by the ACLU and the Center for WorkLife Law — pregnant people needing accommodation no longer must identify “similar” non-pregnant co-workers. Modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers must grant pregnant workers an accommodation so long as it is “reasonable” and does not impose an “undue hardship” on the employer. Such clarity will aid workers and their employers alike in reaching mutually-agreeable solutions, with less cost and disruption — not to mention delay — than litigation.

As Michelle Durham put it before Congress, “Pregnant workers need to be able to point to the law, in real time, to make their employers do the right thing so that a long-fought lawsuit isn’t necessary.” She added, “My employer could have kept me on the job, but it didn’t — because it didn’t think it had to.” Starting today, Congress has left no doubt that they do.

We need you with us to keep fighting

Donate today

Published June 27, 2023 at 10:39PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/KVPNsib

ACLU: The Historic New Law Protecting Fairness for Pregnant Workers

The Historic New Law Protecting Fairness for Pregnant Workers

Today marks a historic moment in the lives of our nation’s pregnant workers: after more than a decade of advocacy on Capitol Hill, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), signed by President Biden in December 2022, goes into effect. PWFA mandates “reasonable accommodations” for pregnant workers unless providing them would impose an “undue hardship” on their employer. For millions of U.S. workers, the new law promises to assure they no longer will have to choose between their paycheck and a healthy pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a normal condition of employment; more than 80 percent of all working women will have at least one child during their lives. But existing legal protections have been glaringly insufficient for workers whose duties may conflict with pregnancy’s physical realities — such as cashiers (prolonged standing), nurses (repetitive heavy lifting), custodians (exposure to chemicals), and firefighters (battling potentially lethal blazes). Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), enacted in 1978, pregnant workers have been entitled to temporary job modifications only if their employer provides them to others “similar in their ability or inability to work.” That language long has been used to deny needed “accommodations” to pregnant workers, on the grounds that favored non-pregnant colleagues are insufficiently “similar.”

ACLU client Michelle Durham sued her employer after being given a discriminating ultimatum.

Credit: John Mofield

Even after the Supreme Court’s 2015 Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc. ruling clarified that employers must have a compelling reason for denying accommodations to pregnant workers while granting them to others, employers — and judges — continued to withhold them. One study found that more than two-thirds of workers brought PDA failure-to-accommodate claims after Young lost their court cases.

ACLU client Michelle Durham was one of them. In March 2015, Michelle learned that she was pregnant with her first child. Michelle’s doctor told her not to lift anything over 50 pounds; because Michelle’s job duties as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) regularly required that she lift patients and stretchers far heavier than that, she asked her employer, Rural/Metro Corporation — a company providing medical care to underserved communities — to temporarily reassign her.

What happened next derailed Michelle’s life, and propelled her into the spotlight as an advocate for pregnant workers’ rights. Rural/Metro gave Michelle an ultimatum: Keep lifting heavy loads in violation of her doctor’s orders or go on an unpaid leave of absence for 90 days — after which she would be fired unless she returned to work. With six months to go until her due date, Michelle was terrified; she desperately needed her paycheck.

As she later put it, testifying in support of PWFA before Congress, “I wouldn’t trade the experience of being [a] mom for anything. But I will never be able to get back those months before and after [my son] was born, when all I could think about was what I was losing by being pregnant — not what I was gaining.” Ultimately, Michelle left Rural/Metro rather than risk her pregnancy. She had to move in with her grandmother, racked up credit card debt, and incurred crushing hospital bills when she delivered her son.

After filing a lawsuit, Michelle ultimately reached a settlement with Rural/Metro that provided some relief for the hardship she had experienced. The bad news is that her legal battle took 7 years, in part due to a federal judge’s ruling that, under the PDA, Michelle was not “similar” to EMTs with occupational injuries. The ACLU won reversal of that decision on appeal, but the same judge reached a similarly erroneous conclusion at a later stage of the case.

As detailed in a new explainer on PWFA’s protections — co-authored by the ACLU and the Center for WorkLife Law — pregnant people needing accommodation no longer must identify “similar” non-pregnant co-workers. Modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers must grant pregnant workers an accommodation so long as it is “reasonable” and does not impose an “undue hardship” on the employer. Such clarity will aid workers and their employers alike in reaching mutually-agreeable solutions, with less cost and disruption — not to mention delay — than litigation.

As Michelle Durham put it before Congress, “Pregnant workers need to be able to point to the law, in real time, to make their employers do the right thing so that a long-fought lawsuit isn’t necessary.” She added, “My employer could have kept me on the job, but it didn’t — because it didn’t think it had to.” Starting today, Congress has left no doubt that they do.

We need you with us to keep fighting

Donate today

Published June 27, 2023 at 06:09PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/PKugQYw

Haiti: Second Review Under the Staff-Monitored Program-Press Release; and Staff Report

Haiti: Second Review Under the Staff-Monitored Program-Press Release; and Staff Report
Published June 26, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Denmark: Selected Issues

Denmark: Selected Issues
Published June 26, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

United Arab Emirates: Selected Issues

United Arab Emirates: Selected Issues
Published June 26, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Indonesia: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Indonesia

Indonesia: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Indonesia
Published June 25, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

Indonesia: Selected Issues

Indonesia: Selected Issues
Published June 25, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

ACLU: How We Are Protecting the Right to Vote on the Anniversary of Shelby v. Holder

How We Are Protecting the Right to Vote on the Anniversary of Shelby v. Holder

Ten years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered one of the most devastating blows to voting rights in our lifetime: Shelby County v. Holder. The ruling struck down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), which had successfully protected Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other marginalized voters for decades. In her dissent in that case, the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned that the court’s decision was “like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm.” Today, we are drenched in the downpour. Shelby County unleashed a torrent of voter suppression and other discriminatory voting laws unlike anything the country had seen in a generation.

The VRA provides many critical mechanisms for ensuring that people from racial and language minorities across the nation can exercise their fundamental right to vote without encountering discriminatory barriers. While the 15th Amendment was adopted in 1870 and — at least on paper — prohibited the denial of the right to vote on account of race or color, in reality, states and localities defiantly continued policies and practices designed to prevent Black and Brown voters from casting ballots.

This 10th anniversary of the devastating Shelby County decision confirms our collective need to double down on our efforts to fully restore the VRA to its full power, which Congress must do by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The VRA created strong, enforceable legal protections that rooted out many of these racist voter suppression tactics. As originally designed, it featured a crucial requirement known as “preclearance” that mandated that states and localities with long records of racially discriminatory voting practices seek federal approval before making any alterations to their voting laws. Unlike litigation, which occurs after a law is passed, preclearance uniquely curtailed racially discriminatory measures before they were implemented and could irreversibly taint an election.

One decade ago, the Supreme Court dismantled and gutted this crucial prophylactic measure. Now, even places with the most egregious records of racially discriminatory voting practices face an easier path to suppressing the vote of the most marginalized communities. On top of this, eight years after Shelby, the Supreme Court weakened another provision of the VRA — Section 2, a nationwide ban on voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or language — making court challenges to discriminatory tactics even harder. The Supreme Court fortunately bucked this trend in its recent decision, Allen v. Milligan, a case brought by the ACLU, the NAACP LDF, and partners. In Milligan, the court upheld a lower court’s ruling that Alabama’s congressional districts map violated Section 2 by diluting Black voting power. In doing so, the court is reaffirming Section 2’s protections against racial gerrymandering. However, while an important victory, this decision simply preserved what remains of the VRA and did nothing to address the previous blows the court dealt.

We will continue to challenge anti-voter laws and discriminatory voting practices in the courts. But our work does not end there. This 10th anniversary of the devastating Shelby County decision confirms our collective need to double down on our efforts to fully restore the VRA to its full power, which Congress must do by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Voters across the country still face arbitrary restrictions on absentee voting, bans on providing water to voters as they wait in hours-long lines, drop box limitations, polling site closures, gerrymandering, and other restrictive policies that disproportionately burden voters of color, voters with disabilities, and elderly voters, among others. As we head into another election year, we face an urgent need to grow and activate our collective power.

That’s why the ACLU, on this anniversary of Shelby County v. Holder, is launching a brand-new Democracy Defender program, powered by members like you across the country who want to join us on the front lines in our work to protect voting rights and end racially discriminatory voting practices.

The right to vote and our democracy face increasing attacks at the federal, state, and local levels. So, we must fight back at every level. Democracy Defenders will do just that. Supporters like you will work alongside us in some of the biggest voting rights battles across the country. Plus, we will keep you in the loop as we work together for equitable access to the ballot, to preserve the integrity of our electoral process, and in defense of the very foundations of our democracy.

We need you with us to keep fighting

Donate today

Published June 23, 2023 at 09:55PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/0UuqBMy

Kiribati: Selected Issues

Kiribati: Selected Issues
Published June 22, 2023 at 07:00AM
Read more at imf.org

ACLU: How We Are Protecting the Right to Vote on the Anniversary of Shelby v. Holder

How We Are Protecting the Right to Vote on the Anniversary of Shelby v. Holder

Ten years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered one of the most devastating blows to voting rights in our lifetime: Shelby County v. Holder. The ruling struck down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), which had successfully protected Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other marginalized voters for decades. In her dissent in that case, the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned that the court’s decision was “like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm.” Today, we are drenched in the downpour. Shelby County unleashed a torrent of voter suppression and other discriminatory voting laws unlike anything the country had seen in a generation.

The VRA provides many critical mechanisms for ensuring that people from racial and language minorities across the nation can exercise their fundamental right to vote without encountering discriminatory barriers. While the 15th Amendment was adopted in 1870 and — at least on paper — prohibited the denial of the right to vote on account of race or color, in reality, states and localities defiantly continued policies and practices designed to prevent Black and Brown voters from casting ballots.

This 10th anniversary of the devastating Shelby County decision confirms our collective need to double down on our efforts to fully restore the VRA to its full power, which Congress must do by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The VRA created strong, enforceable legal protections that rooted out many of these racist voter suppression tactics. As originally designed, it featured a crucial requirement known as “preclearance” that mandated that states and localities with long records of racially discriminatory voting practices seek federal approval before making any alterations to their voting laws. Unlike litigation, which occurs after a law is passed, preclearance uniquely curtailed racially discriminatory measures before they were implemented and could irreversibly taint an election.

One decade ago, the Supreme Court dismantled and gutted this crucial prophylactic measure. Now, even places with the most egregious records of racially discriminatory voting practices face an easier path to suppressing the vote of the most marginalized communities. On top of this, eight years after Shelby, the Supreme Court weakened another provision of the VRA — Section 2, a nationwide ban on voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or language — making court challenges to discriminatory tactics even harder. The Supreme Court fortunately bucked this trend in its recent decision, Allen v. Milligan, a case brought by the ACLU, the NAACP LDF, and partners. In Milligan, the court upheld a lower court’s ruling that Alabama’s congressional districts map violated Section 2 by diluting Black voting power. In doing so, the court is reaffirming Section 2’s protections against racial gerrymandering. However, while an important victory, this decision simply preserved what remains of the VRA and did nothing to address the previous blows the court dealt.

We will continue to challenge anti-voter laws and discriminatory voting practices in the courts. But our work does not end there. This 10th anniversary of the devastating Shelby County decision confirms our collective need to double down on our efforts to fully restore the VRA to its full power, which Congress must do by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Voters across the country still face arbitrary restrictions on absentee voting, bans on providing water to voters as they wait in hours-long lines, drop box limitations, polling site closures, gerrymandering, and other restrictive policies that disproportionately burden voters of color, voters with disabilities, and elderly voters, among others. As we head into another election year, we face an urgent need to grow and activate our collective power.

That’s why the ACLU, on this anniversary of Shelby County v. Holder, is launching a brand-new Democracy Defender program, powered by members like you across the country who want to join us on the front lines in our work to protect voting rights and end racially discriminatory voting practices.

The right to vote and our democracy face increasing attacks at the federal, state, and local levels. So, we must fight back at every level. Democracy Defenders will do just that. Supporters like you will work alongside us in some of the biggest voting rights battles across the country. Plus, we will keep you in the loop as we work together for equitable access to the ballot, to preserve the integrity of our electoral process, and in defense of the very foundations of our democracy.

We need you with us to keep fighting

Donate today

Published June 24, 2023 at 02:25AM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/su8QHwq

ACLU: Mississippi Student Wins Fight to Wear Tribal Regalia at Graduation

Mississippi Student Wins Fight to Wear Tribal Regalia at Graduation

Earlier this year, Merissa Wilson stood before the school board of the Pearl Public School District in Mississippi to make a small but crucial request: that the board permit her daughter, Zuri, to wear an eagle feather on her graduation cap and be wrapped in a traditional star quilt by her family after exiting the commencement stage. As enrolled members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, these Native American traditions are an integral part of the family’s cultural and spiritual heritage.

Although the burden shouldn’t be on students and their families to educate their educators about these traditions, Merissa thought the meeting went well and was hopeful that the school board would approve her request. A few weeks later, however, the board members informed her and Zuri that they would not relent from the district’s strict graduation dress code. But that was not the end of the story.

Dyleen, Merissa’s mother and Zuri’s grandmother, had previously reached out to the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), which helps students denied the right to wear tribal regalia at graduation. NARF, along with the ACLU and ACLU of Mississippi, sent a letter to school board members explaining that Mississippi law requires public schools to allow Native American students to wear tribal regalia and objects of cultural significance, such as eagle feathers, at graduation. The letter also pointed out that the Native American practice of presenting graduates with a traditional quilt, which is made by close friends or family members and features a star in the center, also falls within the spirit of the statute.

After receiving the letter, the school board reversed course, and Zuri was able to wear her eagle feather and receive a star quilt at graduation.

The ACLU and ACLU of Mississippi (“ACLU”) and NARF recently sat down with Zuri, Merissa, and Dyleen to hear from them, in their own words, about Zuri’s fight to express her Native American heritage at graduation. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

NARF/ACLU: Zuri, could you tell us in your own words why it was important for you to wear an eagle feather and be presented with a star quilt at your graduation?

Zuri: Because the dropout rate is so large among Native Americans, receiving the star quilt and eagle feather makes me proud of the fact that I made it to graduation.

NARF/ACLU: Dyleen, as Zuri’s grandmother, why was it so important that Zuri be able to wear the eagle feather?

Dyleen: It was important to me because I never got to do that when I graduated. It wasn’t something my mom got into because of the fact that she was taken away from her family as a young child [by the U.S. government and sent to a federal boarding school for Native Americans].

For me, the eagle represents strength and guidance. You just get that feeling of pride to know that here I have my first grandchild graduating from high school, and we’re able to honor her by giving her the eagle feather and the star quilt. To see her walk across the stage and then to have that eagle feather, it was beautiful. It hung right by her tassel. It was awesome to see. And then wrapping her in the star quilt, which her brothers did, just made me feel proud because there are so many kids that don’t get that opportunity. I think any child that graduates should be able to celebrate and be honored. Because there’s a lot of them that don’t make it.

NARF/ACLU: As Zuri mentioned, that’s especially true in the Indigenous community, which makes it even more important to allow Indigenous students to celebrate their heritage and faith with their tribal regalia at graduation. Merissa, what did it mean for you to see Zuri walking across the stage, wearing her feather?

Merissa: Seeing Zuri walk across the stage with the feather was absolutely gorgeous, and she walked with her head so high. She knew who she was. She was proud of who she was.

NARF/ACLU: How about the star quilt? What does the quilt represent to you and your family?

Zuri: Being wrapped in my star quilt was an incredible feeling. I felt safe. It will protect me as I venture into the world as I move on. New challenges are going to arise and I will be protected and guarded and it honors my faith.

Merissa: Having her brothers wrap her in her star quilt made me feel good knowing that going into the next stage of her life, that she will feel safe and she has her brothers there and the rest of her family behind her.

NARF/ACLU: Zuri, how did it feel to walk across the stage wearing your eagle feather, knowing that this is an intergenerational experience for your family?

Zuri: Being able to walk across the stage wearing my eagle feather made me feel proud, of myself wearing it, of knowing that I honored my family, and knowing my grandma didn’t get to do that. I know I honored her by walking across that stage wearing it and getting my star quilt.

NARF/ACLU: Stepping back just a little bit, what was it like when the school board initially denied your request to wear the eagle feather? How did you feel?

Merissa: I’m not a good public speaker or good at speaking in front of groups, but it felt good to me knowing that I was able to do this for her. Being able to educate them on what I knew and sharing my pictures from my graduation with them, letting them know where the eagle feather would be on the graduation cap. They asked questions. I answered them the best that I could. I felt accomplished talking to them. I walked out of there feeling really good, like they were going to approve it. The people on the school board were very, very interested. And it was a good experience. I just wish they had approved it right away.

Dyleen: In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have had to go through this whole thing. It would have been easier. We wouldn’t have had to go and ask permission.

NARF/ACLU: It created a lot of uncertainty for you at a time that should be focused on happiness and celebration.

Merissa: Yes, it did. My mom got the ball rolling last May. I went in January to the school board meeting, and it took two or three weeks into February before they answered back. And I called to check up on it. And then we didn’t even know all the way up until, I think, the beginning of April, whether we were going to be able to do it or not. So, it was very cutting it close to the wire.

NARF/ACLU: You did everything right, and the school district didn’t agree, even though there’s actually a state law that requires them to allow students to wear tribal regalia. So, you ended up reaching out to the Native American Rights Fund. How did that come about? How did you know about NARF?

Dyleen: Was it back in 2020 when they passed that law in Mississippi? Whoever it was that got that, big thanks to them.

NARF/ACLU: It was the Mississippi Band of Choctaw, which is the federally recognized tribe in Mississippi, who did a lot of work to get that across. Tribal advocacy was really important here.

Dyleen: In South Dakota [where the family’s Tribe is based], it’s recognized — a lot of schools do it. In Mississippi, and especially with them not being on a reservation, they probably weren’t even aware of some of this. But for the school to just totally deny it without doing a little bit of research and stuff, I kind of understand it, but I appreciate all the work that NARF and the ACLU have done helping us through this. I actually know somebody that works with NARF. He was an attorney, and he put us in contact with them. I’ve got another grandson who will be graduating [from the same school district] and hopefully, now that they are aware, we won’t have to go through this.

NARF/ACLU: Getting back to the graduation ceremony, Zuri, how did your classmates and others react to you wearing your eagle feather at graduation?

Zuri: Graduation was wonderful. There were a lot of emotions. My friends were asking me about my feather and some of my teachers were asking me. Some teachers weren’t aware of my right to wear my eagle feather and were telling me, “Oh, you need to take that off,” when I was in line. They had to go double check with the principal to see if I’m allowed to wear it, and then they would come back and ask me what it meant. I told them and they’re like, “That’s very cool.” They were curious about the culture and stuff like that. And after graduation, this teacher came up to me, and she apologized to me. She was just saying how wonderful it is to see somebody like me being able to do this at my graduation.

NARF/ACLU: That’s wonderful. Any other reflections on the graduation ceremony?

Merissa: I’m super proud of Zuri. It hasn’t been easy. We lived in South Dakota, and then we came to Mississippi. And she’s endured so much, so many challenges, but nothing’s ever stopped her. She’s very determined. She stands up for what she thinks is right. If it’s wrong, she’ll stand up. I just can’t wait to see what she achieves from here. I’m super proud of her.

NARF/ACLU: Do you have any message or advice that you would share with other families who are trying to have their student wear an eagle feather or other important items at graduation?

Dyleen: I think in some families’ cases, it’s a very long process because the schools that they go to don’t understand. Just keep praying and be hopeful and somewhere along the line, somebody will open up their eyes and say, you know, this is really a good opportunity for these kids.

Merissa: I think it’s important just to keep pursuing what you want and never give up. We should be able to celebrate our achievements, especially with the high school graduates. That kind of keeps them going, even if they don’t go to a university or go to a community college. There are resources. Don’t be afraid to ask. I’m so thankful for my mom and NARF and everybody else that helped us get this win. We’re not just on reservations anymore. And there’s other cultures and people that are in our schools. I think it’s important for all of us to be celebrated. Whatever our cultures, however we celebrate our children, I think that’s really important. So just never give up. Just keep going.

NARF/ACLU: Zuri, do you have a message for other students who are dealing with this issue at their schools?

Zuri: I would say to have a good support system behind you and have an amazing grandma like I do to show you and help you and let you be aware of your culture. And just because people aren’t aware of it, you can still show other people how beautiful you are.

Like Mississippi, a number of states have laws that explicitly protect Indigenous students’ rights at graduation, and more states are enacting similar laws each year. Existing state religious freedom laws and federal laws offer additional protection in many circumstances. Visit our Know Your Rights hub for more information.

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Published June 24, 2023 at 12:31AM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/PMa8lRD

ACLU: Mississippi Student Wins Fight to Wear Tribal Regalia at Graduation

Mississippi Student Wins Fight to Wear Tribal Regalia at Graduation

Earlier this year, Merissa Wilson stood before the school board of the Pearl Public School District in Mississippi to make a small but crucial request: that the board permit her daughter, Zuri, to wear an eagle feather on her graduation cap and be wrapped in a traditional star quilt by her family after exiting the commencement stage. As enrolled members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, these Native American traditions are an integral part of the family’s cultural and spiritual heritage.

Although the burden shouldn’t be on students and their families to educate their educators about these traditions, Merissa thought the meeting went well and was hopeful that the school board would approve her request. A few weeks later, however, the board members informed her and Zuri that they would not relent from the district’s strict graduation dress code. But that was not the end of the story.

Dyleen, Merissa’s mother and Zuri’s grandmother, had previously reached out to the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), which helps students denied the right to wear tribal regalia at graduation. NARF, along with the ACLU and ACLU of Mississippi, sent a letter to school board members explaining that Mississippi law requires public schools to allow Native American students to wear tribal regalia and objects of cultural significance, such as eagle feathers, at graduation. The letter also pointed out that the Native American practice of presenting graduates with a traditional quilt, which is made by close friends or family members and features a star in the center, also falls within the spirit of the statute.

After receiving the letter, the school board reversed course, and Zuri was able to wear her eagle feather and receive a star quilt at graduation.

The ACLU and ACLU of Mississippi (“ACLU”) and NARF recently sat down with Zuri, Merissa, and Dyleen to hear from them, in their own words, about Zuri’s fight to express her Native American heritage at graduation. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

NARF/ACLU: Zuri, could you tell us in your own words why it was important for you to wear an eagle feather and be presented with a star quilt at your graduation?

Zuri: Because the dropout rate is so large among Native Americans, receiving the star quilt and eagle feather makes me proud of the fact that I made it to graduation.

NARF/ACLU: Dyleen, as Zuri’s grandmother, why was it so important that Zuri be able to wear the eagle feather?

Dyleen: It was important to me because I never got to do that when I graduated. It wasn’t something my mom got into because of the fact that she was taken away from her family as a young child [by the U.S. government and sent to a federal boarding school for Native Americans].

For me, the eagle represents strength and guidance. You just get that feeling of pride to know that here I have my first grandchild graduating from high school, and we’re able to honor her by giving her the eagle feather and the star quilt. To see her walk across the stage and then to have that eagle feather, it was beautiful. It hung right by her tassel. It was awesome to see. And then wrapping her in the star quilt, which her brothers did, just made me feel proud because there are so many kids that don’t get that opportunity. I think any child that graduates should be able to celebrate and be honored. Because there’s a lot of them that don’t make it.

NARF/ACLU: As Zuri mentioned, that’s especially true in the Indigenous community, which makes it even more important to allow Indigenous students to celebrate their heritage and faith with their tribal regalia at graduation. Merissa, what did it mean for you to see Zuri walking across the stage, wearing her feather?

Merissa: Seeing Zuri walk across the stage with the feather was absolutely gorgeous, and she walked with her head so high. She knew who she was. She was proud of who she was.

NARF/ACLU: How about the star quilt? What does the quilt represent to you and your family?

Zuri: Being wrapped in my star quilt was an incredible feeling. I felt safe. It will protect me as I venture into the world as I move on. New challenges are going to arise and I will be protected and guarded and it honors my faith.

Merissa: Having her brothers wrap her in her star quilt made me feel good knowing that going into the next stage of her life, that she will feel safe and she has her brothers there and the rest of her family behind her.

NARF/ACLU: Zuri, how did it feel to walk across the stage wearing your eagle feather, knowing that this is an intergenerational experience for your family?

Zuri: Being able to walk across the stage wearing my eagle feather made me feel proud, of myself wearing it, of knowing that I honored my family, and knowing my grandma didn’t get to do that. I know I honored her by walking across that stage wearing it and getting my star quilt.

NARF/ACLU: Stepping back just a little bit, what was it like when the school board initially denied your request to wear the eagle feather? How did you feel?

Merissa: I’m not a good public speaker or good at speaking in front of groups, but it felt good to me knowing that I was able to do this for her. Being able to educate them on what I knew and sharing my pictures from my graduation with them, letting them know where the eagle feather would be on the graduation cap. They asked questions. I answered them the best that I could. I felt accomplished talking to them. I walked out of there feeling really good, like they were going to approve it. The people on the school board were very, very interested. And it was a good experience. I just wish they had approved it right away.

Dyleen: In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have had to go through this whole thing. It would have been easier. We wouldn’t have had to go and ask permission.

NARF/ACLU: It created a lot of uncertainty for you at a time that should be focused on happiness and celebration.

Merissa: Yes, it did. My mom got the ball rolling last May. I went in January to the school board meeting, and it took two or three weeks into February before they answered back. And I called to check up on it. And then we didn’t even know all the way up until, I think, the beginning of April, whether we were going to be able to do it or not. So, it was very cutting it close to the wire.

NARF/ACLU: You did everything right, and the school district didn’t agree, even though there’s actually a state law that requires them to allow students to wear tribal regalia. So, you ended up reaching out to the Native American Rights Fund. How did that come about? How did you know about NARF?

Dyleen: Was it back in 2020 when they passed that law in Mississippi? Whoever it was that got that, big thanks to them.

NARF/ACLU: It was the Mississippi Band of Choctaw, which is the federally recognized tribe in Mississippi, who did a lot of work to get that across. Tribal advocacy was really important here.

Dyleen: In South Dakota [where the family’s Tribe is based], it’s recognized — a lot of schools do it. In Mississippi, and especially with them not being on a reservation, they probably weren’t even aware of some of this. But for the school to just totally deny it without doing a little bit of research and stuff, I kind of understand it, but I appreciate all the work that NARF and the ACLU have done helping us through this. I actually know somebody that works with NARF. He was an attorney, and he put us in contact with them. I’ve got another grandson who will be graduating [from the same school district] and hopefully, now that they are aware, we won’t have to go through this.

NARF/ACLU: Getting back to the graduation ceremony, Zuri, how did your classmates and others react to you wearing your eagle feather at graduation?

Zuri: Graduation was wonderful. There were a lot of emotions. My friends were asking me about my feather and some of my teachers were asking me. Some teachers weren’t aware of my right to wear my eagle feather and were telling me, “Oh, you need to take that off,” when I was in line. They had to go double check with the principal to see if I’m allowed to wear it, and then they would come back and ask me what it meant. I told them and they’re like, “That’s very cool.” They were curious about the culture and stuff like that. And after graduation, this teacher came up to me, and she apologized to me. She was just saying how wonderful it is to see somebody like me being able to do this at my graduation.

NARF/ACLU: That’s wonderful. Any other reflections on the graduation ceremony?

Merissa: I’m super proud of Zuri. It hasn’t been easy. We lived in South Dakota, and then we came to Mississippi. And she’s endured so much, so many challenges, but nothing’s ever stopped her. She’s very determined. She stands up for what she thinks is right. If it’s wrong, she’ll stand up. I just can’t wait to see what she achieves from here. I’m super proud of her.

NARF/ACLU: Do you have any message or advice that you would share with other families who are trying to have their student wear an eagle feather or other important items at graduation?

Dyleen: I think in some families’ cases, it’s a very long process because the schools that they go to don’t understand. Just keep praying and be hopeful and somewhere along the line, somebody will open up their eyes and say, you know, this is really a good opportunity for these kids.

Merissa: I think it’s important just to keep pursuing what you want and never give up. We should be able to celebrate our achievements, especially with the high school graduates. That kind of keeps them going, even if they don’t go to a university or go to a community college. There are resources. Don’t be afraid to ask. I’m so thankful for my mom and NARF and everybody else that helped us get this win. We’re not just on reservations anymore. And there’s other cultures and people that are in our schools. I think it’s important for all of us to be celebrated. Whatever our cultures, however we celebrate our children, I think that’s really important. So just never give up. Just keep going.

NARF/ACLU: Zuri, do you have a message for other students who are dealing with this issue at their schools?

Zuri: I would say to have a good support system behind you and have an amazing grandma like I do to show you and help you and let you be aware of your culture. And just because people aren’t aware of it, you can still show other people how beautiful you are.

Like Mississippi, a number of states have laws that explicitly protect Indigenous students’ rights at graduation, and more states are enacting similar laws each year. Existing state religious freedom laws and federal laws offer additional protection in many circumstances. Visit our Know Your Rights hub for more information.

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Published June 23, 2023 at 08:01PM
via ACLU https://ift.tt/wzOF47K