News & Commentary

1) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?
2) Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?
The reason why this is so important is because these questions have never been considered before in the context of gay rights. The Supreme Court recently refused to hear other gay marriage cases in October of 2014 which then, by default allowed gay marriage in many states across the country. That was a signal from the court that has some speculating that a majority of the justices will say “YES!” to both of the above questions and gay marriage will be legal in all 50 states.

Why this Matters

The inability of the freedom to marry and the lack of recognition of marria

Take action, take it to the streets

Or, to a table in your student union. Reserve a table, make some signs, and set up a laptop. Ask activists to send a quick email to a targeted elected official about your issue. If you’d like, we can help you create talking points to help in crafting the messages.

Social networking for social change

Create a Facebook page for your campus group and invite your friends, classmates, and co-workers to join. It’s a free and easy way to spread the word about your group.
Become a fan of the ACLU of Ohio on Facebook or follow the ACLU of Ohio on Twitter.

Rally for rights

A rally is a great way to get your members and others on campus excited about a particular cause. You can have food, music, games, and literature tables to attract a crowd. Decide on a theme and then partner with other campus and community groups to help with the planning and financing. You might need permits from your school, so be sure to plan well in advance.
Need help thinking of an idea? An OSU campus group, along with its partners, hosted an "Immigration Celebration" rally, complete with t-shirts, food, games, and music. They set up tables with large posters and sheets of paper for people to draw out what immigration means to them.

Tell government officials what you think

Sign up for ACLU of Ohio action alerts to stay informed about the most recent legislation affecting civil liberties. After hearing about proposed regulations that would dramatically limit women’s access to birth control, one campus group collected and faxed 400 letters to their senators urging action against the regulations.
Not sure what to say or who to say it to? Find your state legislators, U.S. senators, and U.S. representatives. Then, use these tips to help write your legislators. You can increase your impact by setting up a table in the student union or another crowded area and helping other students write their own letters. Just remember that their legislators may vary depending on where they live and register to vote.

Write a letter to the editor

Have members write a letter to the editor of the campus newspaper about a timely civil liberties topic or campus issue. Find some tips for getting your letter published here.

Host a civil liberties career panel

Many of your campus club members or classmates are probably unsure of what they want to do after graduation. Show them how they can continue to advocate after they graduate – and get paid for it – with a panel of professionals who work to protect civil liberties. Your panel could include non-profit workers, attorneys, government officials, or professors. If you'd like to include an ACLU representative, you can

Photograph courtesy of Rachel Woods

What happens when a prison for profit loses one of its main moneymakers? We’re about to find out. The federal Bureau of Prisons announced last week that they would not renew their contract with Corrections Corporation of America to house prisoners in the Northeast Ohio Corrections Center in Youngstown. The facility houses nearly 1,400 prisoners that will be transferred to other federal prisons. Given CCA’s abysmal track record at the Youngstown facility, it is no wonder that the BOP decided they no longer wanted to be in business with them. When the prison opened in 1997, CCA staffed the prison with officers who had little to no experience in corrections and then populated it with 1,700 high-level prisoners from Washington, D.C. Within the first 14 months, the facility experienced 13 stabbings, two murders and six escapes. Youngstown officials feared so much for the safety of residents that they sued CCA in federal court for failing to abide by its own standards. The judge in the case agreed and ordered CCA to remove 113 of the maximum security prisoners from the facility.

Read our previous blogs on the more recent Ohio protests, "Fallout from Ferguson: Takeaways from Two Ohio Protests," "Black Lives Matter: Marching on Washington," and "Survival Conversations."
The third step is sustaining the energy to demand accountability. If we are not vocal about a particular issue, then the public official does not know we need change. Furthermore, that public official may think we are not paying attention. Accountability must be a two-way street: the public demands and the official reacts.

The start of a New Year is a time for reflection and celebration. Let us do just that—reflect and celebrate—but keeping in mind that 2016 is going to be a big year for Ohio.

Happy New Year!
For more information about protesting peaceably, check out “Protestors: Know Your Rights!” and “What to Do if You're Stopped by the Police.”