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ACLU of Ohio membership conference 2012
ACLU of Ohio Biennial Conference

July 28, 2012
Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square
75 East State St.
Columbus 43215

On July 28, civil libertarians from all around Ohio will come together in Columbus to meet, learn from and inspire one another.

Your Voice! Your Power! is about connecting you with leaders in the fight for civil liberties. It's about giving you the tools to make a difference in your community. It’s also a time to hear from so many of you who have already made a difference!

Click here to register for the conference, and join us in Columbus!
Cocktails, Conversation, and the Constitution
Cocktail party Friday, July 27th
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square
75 East State St., Columbus 43215
Join us Friday evening for an exciting cocktail reception. You’ll meet LGBT hero and YouTube sensation Zach Wahls, as well as 2012 Freedom’s Flame Award recipients Becky Collins and her son Zach.

At the cocktail party, you’ll also have an opportunity to mingle with civil libertarians from across the state, and several of our conference speakers, including:
  • Mary Beth Tinker, trailblazing activist and plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case
    Tinker v. Des Moines
  • Nsombi Lambright, the ACLU’s of Mississippi’s fearless executive director, who helped defeat the Mississippi state personhood amendment
  • Dan Mach, a prominent defender of religious liberty and the director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief
Keynote Speakers
We're very excited to introduce the outstanding keynote speakers for Your Voice! You Power!
Zach Wahls
Zach became an overnight hero to the LGBT community after he took the Iowa General Assembly to task on the issue of gay marriage. Click here to see him in action! Zach will be featured during our Friday evening reception, Cocktails, Conversation, and the Constitution, and during our Saturday conference workshop, When Love’s Against the Law.
Nsombi Lambright
Nsombi is the executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi. In the heart of the Bible belt, Nsombi fought tirelessly against the Mississippi Personhood Amendment. Her work paid off. The amendment was ultimately rejected by voters in what many consider to be the most conservative state in the nation.
Lisa Graves
The executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy, Lisa will share her insight on groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), who use their relationships with legislators to get them in the door, then attempt to remake the legislative agenda in their own partisan image.
This year, the ACLU of Ohio is proud to honor Becky Collins and her brave son Zach with the 2012 Freedom’s Flame Award during Cocktails, Conversation, and the Constitution on Friday evening.

Zach is openly gay, and has faced bullying from his classmates since grade school. Becky repeatedly contacted school administrators, asking them to protect her son. But the bullying continued.

Finally, years of bullying culminated in a vicious classroom beating at the hands of another student. A video of the incident surfaced on the internet, and spread like wildfire. It sparked national outrage and drew attention to the challenges lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students like Zach face every day.

With assistance from the ACLU of Ohio, Zach and his mother have taken a stand against bullying, working with school administrators to maintain and enforce anti-bullying policies that will keep what happened to Zach from happening to other students.
Hotel Information

Your Voice! Your Power! will be held at:

Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square
75 East State St.
Columbus, OH 43215

Be sure to reserve your rooms early at the special ACLU group rate of $109 per night!

Visit http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/acluoh or call 1-800-325-3535.

Conference guests will also receive complimentary Internet in their rooms.
For highlights from the 2010 conference, Action! A Conference for Civil Libertarians, click here.

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