Need another reason to support Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization? Concerned Women for America (CWA) is against it. Yes, the same group that opposes abortion and most forms of birth control [PDF], as well as all LGBT rights: marriage, civil unions, domestic partnerships, adoption and hate crimes protection. For their “dubious” anti-gay statements–including equating […]
Justice & Law
15 Days Left To Stop North Carolina’s Gay Marriage Ban
co-written with Tracy Hollister North Carolina has the dishonorable distinction of becoming the first state to put an anti-gay marriage amendment on a 2012 ballot. On May 8, voters in the state will weigh in on the North Carolina’s Amendment 1, which states that “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union […]
Judge Gives $600,000 in Traffickers’ Assets to Victims
Last week, U.S. district judge Lynn Hughes set an important legal precedent in the fight against human trafficking in the U.S. He ruled that five teenaged survivors of sex slavery in Houston will receive the entire proceeds from the sale of their traffickers’ property. As U.S. prosecutors have until now been mostly unsuccessful in getting traffickers’ assets seized, this […]
Condoms As Evidence of Police Endangering Public Health
Currently in the state of New York, police and prosecutors use condoms as evidence of prostitution-related offenses, including the murky crime of “loitering for the purpose of engaging in a prostitution offense.” Even when they don’t use condoms as evidence to aid them in making arrests and convictions, in the process of doing their stop-and-frisks […]
17-Year-Old Imprisoned for Failing To Testify Against Her Alleged Rapist
Update 4/17/12: After more than three weeks in juvenile detention, the victim has been released with a GPS ankle bracelet. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 23. In Sacramento, a county judge has taken “victim-blaming” to a whole new level, ordering that a rape victim be jailed while awaiting the trial of […]
From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin: How Black Women Turn Grief Into Action
We cannot get the anguished face of Sybrina Fulton, the mother of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin–who was gunned down by a self-appointed neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Fla., in late February–out of our minds. Her suffering and indignation–along with that of Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin–has galvanized citizens of diverse races, classes, religions and generations to […]
Looking (Anxiously) Ahead as Supreme Court Hears Health-Care Challenge
Two years ago this month, Congress finally responded to the American public’s demand for better health care and passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA). I would prefer to celebrate the birthday of this landmark legislation, which conveniently falls during Women’s History Month, by recalling the enormous gains this legislation has made for women. Instead, I wait […]
New Hampshire Strikes Down Same-Sex Marriage Repeal
Yesterday the New Hampshire Republican-controlled House voted 211 to 116 against a bill that would have repealed the marriage equality law in the state. Rea Carey, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, stated, This is a wonderful victory for New Hampshire, which again took a stand for families. The House was […]
Finding Common Ground to Fight Violence Against Women
“Its billion-dollar-a-year price tag spent by the radical feminists to pursue their ideology and goals (known as feminist pork) make it an embarrassment to members of Congress who voted for it.” —Phyllis Schlafly. A “boondoggle … (it) creates an ideology that all men are guilty and all women are victims.” —Janice Crouse, Concerned Women for […]
Justice Department Protects Voting Rights for Minorities in Texas
Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder used his powers under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to block enforcement of a prohibitive new voting law in Texas. The law would have required voters to show government-issued identification at the polls. The Justice Department ruled that Texas’ law would disproportionately deny Hispanics and other marginalized populations […]