News & Commentary

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.

Late last week, the Arkansas Medical Board initially voted 7-6 not to intrude into the relationship between women and their doctors. They declined to require medical providers to perform an ultrasound exam for a woman seeking abortion care, and then – regardless of the patient's wishes – to inform her if the exam detected a fetal heart tone.

We are the founders of PubPeer.com, an online forum for scientific discussion of research scholarship. We and many of the users of our website are anonymous. That anonymity is important for free speech, for academic freedom, and for scientific inquiry. But it’s being threatened, which is why we’re going to court to defend the First Amendment right to anonymity.

Last month President Obama announced his decision to shelter certain immigrants from deportation through executive action. This was a step in the right direction and a win for advocates and the immigrant community. But while we welcome President Obama’s move, we’re still concerned by the countless problems that continue to plague our immigration system.

Out of the depths of this despair, there comes some hope that there may be the chance of some progress notwithstanding the long history of police violence and discrimination against communities of color.

Nydia already had asylum in the United States when she was twice deported by border officers back to the danger she fled from. A transgender woman from Mexico, Nydia told officers she had status and had been raped and attacked in Mexico when she returned for her mother's funeral.

Given that the government hasn't proven its commitment to respecting and protecting our privacy – Snowden, anyone? – it is more than reasonable for the public to expect police to be fully transparent when it wants to use drones.

On Dec. 1, 2014, the Department of Education released a long-awaited, much-needed guidance for elementary and secondary schools that offer or want to offer single-sex classes.