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There are plenty of schools that have banned kids from wearing certain kinds of clothing—everything from short skirts to baseball hats and even pajama pants—but one Virginia school district is considering taking things to the next level. The Suffolk school board has proposed banning children from "cross-gender dressing," and, as with many misguided efforts, they're saying it's meant to protect the affected children, not punish them. More »
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Most people agree that bullying is a big problem for schoolkids, and anti-bullying efforts have gotten a lot of lip service in the past year or so. But now, some kids are doing more than talk — one boy is working with the ACLU, while others recorded their bullies to catch them in the act. More »
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North Carolina has become the latest state to issue "Choose Life" license plates — and the ACLU is suing to stop them. More »
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In a speech yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she would likely not be confirmed if she were nominated today. Depressingly, there's no apparent reason to disagree. More »
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All around the country, state lawmakers are trying to force insurers not to cover abortions — not just when it comes to the upcoming state exchanges or for public employees, but even in private insurance plans. The ACLU, which is suing to overturn a Kansas law banning private insurance coverage of abortion, provides this handy map to help you keep track of the damage so far. (Theirs is interactive). Conservatives: All about free markets, except when it comes to your reproductive rights. More »
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Jessica Kenyon found out she was pregnant when she was summoned by her army commander in Korea and told she would be charged with adultery. In fact, Kenyon says, she'd been raped by another soldier. And the only way to get an abortion would be to leave the country. More »
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Not long ago, Rachel Maddow and Dahlia Lithwick argued that pro-choice organizations were essentially allowing the overturning of Roe by being reluctant to challenge statewide laws that might result in even more restrictions in court. Writing just as the ACLU and Planned Parenthood sue South Dakota to overturn its draconian laws and Louisiana legislators try to pass an all-out ban, Emily Bazelon argues in the Times magazine that pro-choicers are simply being tactical by staying away from unpopular fights. More »
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Yet another high school has moved to eliminate all clubs just to block a Gay-Straight Alliance. This time it's Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas — and the ACLU is involved. More »
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This year, for the first time, any woman of childbearing age looking to work for the U.S. Antarctic Program has to take a pregnancy test. Testing positive means you won't get hired or will get sent home. Is that legal? More »
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Andrew Shirvell was banned from the University of Michigan campus for his homophobic verbal attacks on student body president Chris Armstrong. But now the school's ACLU chapter says the ban was unconstitutional. More »
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Many school districts have banned "I (Heart) Boobies" bracelets — but now some Pennsylvania teens are suing for their right to express boobie-love. More »
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Constance McMillen's prom won't be reinstated — but her case has already inspired another school to open its prom to gay students. Will others follow suit? More »
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After being arrested in 2005 for forging checks, Amber Lovill failed multiple drug tests while on probation. After failed yet another drug test while pregnant, she was jailed for the good of the child. Activists say this constitutes gender discrimination. More »
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A 17-year-old Indiana student is suing her school for the right to wear a tuxedo to her senior prom. Says her lawyer, dresses "indicate a sexual identity that is not her own." [UPI] More »
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Remember Jameelah Medina, the Muslim woman forced to take off her hijab in front of a male deputy? Watch a new video of her recounting the harassment she faced by clicking on the pic. More »
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On Monday, five female Detroit police officers filed a suit against the city alleging that they were forced to go on sick leave when their bosses discovered they were pregnant. The women, who are being represented by the ACLU, are challenging a 2004 policy that states that pregnant women cannot be treated any differently than men who are hurt while off duty. One police officer in the suit complains that she was put on leave in March even though she worked a desk job and planned on being able to stay on the job until August. Other cities will sometimes let their pregnant officers stay on the squad but in a different capacity; in Los Angeles, for example, pregnant police officers are put on administrative detail if they cannot perform their duties elsewhere. [AP] More »
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By now you've probably read about Wasilla, Alaska librarian Mary Ellen Baker, who refused to ban "inappropriate books" at then-mayor Sarah Palin's request, despite the risk of losing her job. But in case you weren't feeling impressed enough with librarians, Mother Jones has a fascinating story — banned books week begins on September 26, people! — about another badass librarian (actually, a few of them). More »
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Maj. Margaret Witt, a former flight nurse, is continuing her lawsuit against the military for dismissing her because of her sexual orientation. Witt had been in the military for 20 years and was honorably discharged in July 2007 for a relationship she had with a civilian woman from 1997 to 2003. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy and says that the government may investigate the private lives of homosexuals when they are "hurting" morale or troop readiness. [CNN] More »
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Texas judge Barbara Walther ruled on Friday that the 416 children who were taken from the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints' polygamist enclave, the Yearning For Zion Ranch, be kept in state custody. This legal decision has not been made without opposition, not just from the FLDS brass, but also from the ACLU and conservative journalists, who believe the state of Texas invaded the YFZ ranch on a false tip. In a written statement, ACLU Texas executive director Terri Burke said, "As this situation continues to unfold, we are concerned that the constitutional rights that all Americans rely upon and cherish — that we are secure in our homes, that we may worship as we please and hold our places of worship sacred, and that we may be with our children absent evidence of imminent danger — have been threatened." More »
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• Betsey Johnson is selling a majority of her label to a private equity firm, which is sort of like the tent dress equivalent of this year's fashion financing world, but Portfolio blogger Lauren Goldstein Crowe is confused. What would a private equity firm want with Johnson, a "grandmother, 65 years old?" Um, and Valentino: such a strapping young lad himself! [Portfolio.com]

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