2017 March

03.31.17

Today is the International Transgender Day of Visibility

Avery Martens

The International Transgender Day of Visibility gives us all an opportunity to show our support for transgender/gender non-conforming (GNC) people while celebrating the incredible tenacity, brilliance and beauty of the transgender/GNC community.

The ACLU of Ohio is deeply committed to supporting transgender visibility and advocacy every day.

03.28.17

Ohio (and the Nation) Should Cut Ties with Prisons for Profit

Natalia Dubno Shevin

The ACLU of Ohio has been fighting “prisons for profit” for years. The trend to privatize prisons as a method to reduce costs has been ineffective, and only contributes to the surging rates of mass incarceration, with Ohio prisons at 130% of capacity.

03.14.17

How We Got to Muslim Ban 2.0

Natalia Dubno Shevin

Since 9/11, Muslims have been subjected to unlawful state surveillance, profiling, and deportation for imagined threats to the United States. This treatment has permanent consequences for individuals and their families and is a stain on our collective conscience. In his first days in office, President Donald Trump acted on his campaign promise of “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” by implementing anti-immigrant executive orders.

03.13.17

Organizing and Activism: It Takes All Kinds—The ACLU at Oberlin

Emma Keeshin

In this time of fear and uncertainty, one of the best things we can do for ourselves to maintain energy and positivity is to gather in a room with others, face-to-face, to strategize about a way forward. On February 28, Oberlin College students, faculty, members of the Oberlin community, and ACLU of Ohio staff did just that.

03.03.17

What Does President Trump’s EPA Pick Mean for Civil Liberties?

Natalia Dubno Shevin

On February 17, the United States Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. This is the first step in what will likely be a complete overhaul of the agency, given his outspoken criticism of environmental regulations and protections.

03.02.17

Statehouse-to-Prison Pipeline 2017

Dennis Cauchon

Gary Daniels, chief lobbyist for the ACLU of Ohio, is a realistic optimist—a valuable trait for the rare dissenting voice against mass incarceration in the Ohio Statehouse.

Our powerful new report, Statehouse to Prison Pipeline 2017, sprang from Gary’s everyday experience listening to legislators, police and prosecutors as they earnestly justify destructive policies: sending more people to prison, for more reasons, for longer periods.

03.01.17

Religious Liberty Does Not Require Discrimination

Bryan Cole

After being halted last session, the so-called Pastor Protection Act appears primed to receive a full vote in the Ohio House of Representatives. The stated purpose is to protect religious officials from being forced to perform marriages that are against their beliefs.