News & Commentary

Emily Herx never imagined that she could lose her job for trying to get pregnant. But after working for more than seven years as a literature and language arts teacher at a Catholic school in Indiana, she was shocked to learn that her teaching contract would not be renewed: All because the in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment she was undergoing in an attempt to have a second child made her a "grave, immoral sinner" in the eyes of her religious employers.

My family contacted the ACLU and is working with them to file a complaint with the Department of Justice in order to make Gloucester High School safer and more inclusive to transgender youth while hopefully encouraging other local schools to do the same.

Immigration as a legal issue is so complicated in and of itself. But when you add people’s real-life experiences, it becomes even more so. So I think it is worthwhile for us to explore the answer to one of the most complicated questions: should I apply for an AB 60 license?

A long overdue budget fix will provide Peace Corps volunteers and trainees with abortion coverage in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest – finally bringing their coverage in line with that of all other federal employees.

The mass detention of families is cruel, unnecessary, and unconstitutional. The Obama administration should stop using families as pawns and restore basic due process so that no mother or child is locked up arbitrarily.

While it feels like an odd time to celebrate, it’s also a time in which we need to support those in our communities who continue to fight for justice and equality. Which is why I was so grateful last weekend to spend time with our Bill of Rights Day Celebration honorees who inspire me because they step up every day.

Families and communities across the nation are outraged, grieving, and taking to the streets.

With the backdrop of a national, youth-led movement demanding reform of a system of policing that too often approaches communities of color like an occupying force, the Department of Justice on Monday released updated profiling guidance for federal law enforcement agencies. The guidance is explicitly inclusive of both sexual orientation and gender identity – an aspect that is of critical importance given the far too frequent experiences of LGBTQ people, particularly LGBTQ people of color, with profiling and targeting by law enforcement. Unfortunately, the guidance as a whole – while taking some praiseworthy steps forward – is not an adequate response to the crisis of racial profiling in America.