Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Fair Sentencing Act, which will lessen the federal sentencing disparity between crack cocaine possession and powder cocaine possession. The bill, soon to be signed into law by President Obama, will eradicate the current five year federal minimum sentence for someone who possesses only a small amount of […]
Claire Buffie, winner of this June’s Miss New York pageant, has announced that she will compete on a gay rights platform for the Miss America Pageant. Her platform, entitled “Straight for Equality: Let’s Talk”, focuses on bullying in schools and teen suicide due to sexual orientation. In an interview with The Advocate, Buffie noted that […]
A campaign to protect and strengthen Social Security was announced at a press conference yesterday by a coalition of over 100 groups. The Strengthen Social Security campaign promotes Social Security as a program necessary for American workers, and believes it should not be cut or reduced in any way. Specifically, the campaign advocates against raising […]
President Obama passed a bill yesterday that expands the authority of tribal law enforcement agencies and strengthens communication between federal, state, and tribal law enforcement bodies. The law, which was passed in the House last week and was introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD), is designed to combat high […]
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted in favor of an amendment to permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule yesterday. Also called the Mexico City policy, the Global Gag Rule prohibits the US from funding overseas organizations that support abortion in any way — including direct services, counseling, or lobbying activities — even if the groups use […]
Wednesday, a federal judge blocked key components of Arizona’s strict immigration law, just hours before the law was scheduled to take affect, by issuing a temporary injunction. According to BBC News, US District Judge Susan Bolton has ruled against multiple sections of the Arizona law, including a requirement that police check the immigration status of […]
Late last week, a student organization in India refused a teacher access to her class unless she wore a burqa. The organization has demanded all female students and professors at Aliah University wear the burqa at all times. The teacher, Sirin Middya, said she is a devout Muslim, but when she refused the garment, she […]
Erin Andrews, an ESPN sportscaster who was recently victimized by a stalker, came out in support of the Simplifying the Ambiguous Law, Keeping Everyone Reliably Safe Act of 2010 (STALKERS) yesterday at a press conference. The bill, which seeks to update and strengthen current federal anti-stalking laws, was introduced in the house last week by […]
Seven openly gay and transgender pastors were welcomed back to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on Sunday after having been excluded from the church’s ministry for the last twenty years. The pastors, known as the “Bay Area Seven,” were previously banned from the church for refusing to comply with a church policy that […]
Saudi cleric Sheikh Ayedh al-Garni declared last week that it is permissible for women to only wear a hair cover in places where the burqa is banned, namely France. According to the Washington Post, he said, “We should not confront people in their countries or else where. In case a ban is enforced against a […]
Last week, I went to Charlotte, North Carolina with Feminist Majority Foundation to help protect reproductive health providers from anti-abortion extremists Operation Rescue/Operation Save America during their national siege. This summer I’ve worked a great deal on with our NCAP project, and am following various anti-abortion organizations as part of my internship. Before this summer, […]
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning said late last week that he is not prepared to exhaust all legal options to defend a state law requiring women to undergo a mental health examination prior to receiving an abortion. According to the Associated Press, Bruning said Friday during an interview on a local radio station that he […]
Augusta State University is facing a lawsuit filed by graduate student Jennifer Keeton, who alleges that faculty members and administrators threatened to expel her if she did not attend diversity sensitivity workshops and a gay pride parade. Keeton, who is known to be anti-gay, claims that this ultimatum violated her constitutional rights to free speech […]
Jean Gregoire Sagbo, a 48-year-old from West Africa, became the first black to be elected to office in Russia last month. Sagbo, who moved to Russia 21 years ago to study economics, has been elected as one of Russia’s 10 municipal counselors for Novozavidovo, a town approximately 65 miles north of Moscow. In recent years, […]
Arizona Judge Susan Bolton heard arguments from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the state of Arizona on Thursday, as the two debated the legality of Arizona’s new immigration law. Government lawyers are seeking an injunction to prevent the law from taking effect, while attorneys defending Arizona and the state’s Governor, Jan Brewer, are […]
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri quietly issued an executive order outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or veteran status for employment or state services earlier this month. Services include licensing, job training, and financial assistance. Executive Order 10-24 was issued July 11. The order extends employment protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and […]
Mohammad Mostafaie, the human rights lawyer currently defending Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, an Iranian woman who was convicted of adultery and originally sentenced to stoning, is now missing, spurring rumors that he is either in hiding from the government or imprisoned. Mostafaie was questioned by government officials Saturday at the Evin Prison complex and his office […]
District Judge Stefan Underhill ruled yesterday that the competitive cheerleading at Quinnipiac does not qualify as varsity sport for purposes of Title IX. The ruling (see ruling) found that Quinnipiac University’s decision to replace the women’s volleyball team with a competitive cheerleading team in March 2009 inappropriately inflated the number of the women in team […]
A bus driver in Central Texas has sued his former employer, charging that he was discriminated against for his religious beliefs after he was fired for refusing to drive a woman to Planned Parenthood. Ed Graning, an ordained Christian Minister, worked for Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) for a year until he was fired […]
A federal jury ruled in favor of five police officers who experienced retribution after they made racial discrimination claims. The court awarded the officers $900,000 in compensation this week. The police officers filed two complaints that alleged racial discrimination in 2006, according to The Washington Post. In retaliation, they were labeled as “troublemakers” and top […]
