tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49266702194588282072024-03-05T08:21:52.628-08:00Speaking of Women's RightsLegal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-91730933060299458752019-09-04T10:50:00.001-07:002019-09-04T10:50:20.792-07:00Title X: Federal Funding for Crisis Pregnancy Centers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_856293441"></span><span id="goog_856293442"></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3DLpzVvSCZmGDl2fNZwxv0MhdXWlxLfnOrNOg9QF_fWAe36jczPAnPrjhz9IuSdEzYy6mdYVy0mnsK7EqaNZho77eGdpdbct3L7QplFrBo1B9wEoC6IZuuGMFxjaOFEWKS6WJVQ0gKs/s1600/doctor-medical-medicine-health-42273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="462" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3DLpzVvSCZmGDl2fNZwxv0MhdXWlxLfnOrNOg9QF_fWAe36jczPAnPrjhz9IuSdEzYy6mdYVy0mnsK7EqaNZho77eGdpdbct3L7QplFrBo1B9wEoC6IZuuGMFxjaOFEWKS6WJVQ0gKs/s320/doctor-medical-medicine-health-42273.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Body" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Body" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By Stephanie Verdoia, <i>Legal
Voice</i> summer intern<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="Body" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In March, the Trump administration issued new
rules to the Title X program that funds family planning services for people
with low incomes. These changes</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> forced</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Planned
Parenthood to withdraw from the program last month, which will result in limiting
health care access for low-income communities across the country. But there is
another problem with the new rules; they will redirect federal money to
organizations that don’t provide the full range of care for patients and refuse
</span><span lang="IT" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">to inform p</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">atients of all the birth control options
available to them.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since the 1970s, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">crisis pregnancy centers, sometimes called
“limited service pregnancy centers,” have been posing as walk-in medical
clinics for family planning and pregnancy-related care. These so-called
“clinics” claim to provide comprehensive medical care by saying in their
advertisements that they offer “evidence-based medical care” and “all options
pregnancy counseling.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their staff often
wear white coats or scrubs and perform quasi-medical services like pregnancy
testing and ultrasound examinations, although they often have no medical
education or training, and thus no business diagnosing anything. The clinics provide
information</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> about
contraception and abortion that is false or misleading — all for the purpose of
</span><a href="https://www.legalvoice.org/know-before-you-go"><span style="color: #ed7d31; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">delaying a
pregnant person’s decision-making process</span></a><span style="color: #ed7d31; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">until it is too late to terminate the pregnancy. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What is particularly alarming is that there are
far more crisis pregnancy centers across the country than there are legitimate
reproductive health clinics.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In recent years, some crisis pregnancy centers
have begun offering medical services beyond pregnancy tests and ultrasounds,
though they still refuse to counsel patients about birth control (other than
the rhythm method) or abortion, or provide referrals for these services — even
at the request of their patients.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The new Trump rules enable these more
“medicalized” CPCs to apply for Title X funding by relaxing the old requirement
that the grant recipients provide comprehensive care to their patients,
including the full range of FDA approved contraceptives. This means that people
who rely on Title X clinics for healthcare may receive less than comprehensive
information and care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, patients’
medical treatment options will be tailored to align with an extremist politic
agenda.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before the Trump Administration issued these new
rules, clinics that received federal funding were required to offer all options
to the pregnant person without promoting one option over another, a practice called
non-directive counseling. Grantees also were required to offer the full range
of “medically-approved” family planning services, including contraception
options. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The new rules prohibit abortion referrals, even
in medically urgent situ</span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">ations</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> and
green lights funding for grantees that offer no family planning options other
than fertility awareness-based methods (basically the rhythm method), which have
a higher risk of pregnancy than birth control pills or the IUD.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Body">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Of course, this <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">will cause the greatest harm to those who most rely upon the Title X
program for their basic reproductive healthcare needs, including women with low
incomes, women of color, young women, and LGBTQ people. Over 4 million
low-income, uninsured, and underserved clients have relied on the Title X
program for almost fifty years. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Although
more than 20 states and the American Medical Association are challenging the
new regulations in court, many low-income communities already feel the impact
of the changes. Planned Parenthood served 40% of Title X recipients, and in
states with no backup funding, delays and higher costs in services are already
occurring. <s><o:p></o:p></s></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Patients
seeking family planning services deserve to understand all of their options--
regardless of their socio-economic status. Individual autonomy in medical
decision making is a fundamental liberty that the federal government should
protect - not undermine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
regulations ensure that only the most privileged of our society will continue
to enjoy access to the care they seek.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-34563192219202681732019-06-04T16:20:00.000-07:002019-06-05T12:20:05.780-07:00#PROUD: Our List of Pride Parades, Festivals & Events in the Northwest<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hmgZPj1twLb69eqd6SuaA4XbW6yP0GTWwLrLk2b1WjDpiCHrURERrlrCvymzzZGHEJBexCUyqcOvsd9q7OhUoQOLtonYRsIo-EieB77R1gnl6DiWIVGA3ErMkshly__p5gB8sWxDd3U/s1600/ProgressPrideFlagbyDanielQuasar2018.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hmgZPj1twLb69eqd6SuaA4XbW6yP0GTWwLrLk2b1WjDpiCHrURERrlrCvymzzZGHEJBexCUyqcOvsd9q7OhUoQOLtonYRsIo-EieB77R1gnl6DiWIVGA3ErMkshly__p5gB8sWxDd3U/s400/ProgressPrideFlagbyDanielQuasar2018.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;">There are so many opportunities
throughout the Northwest to celebrate the LGBTQ community, including several events
that </span><b style="color: #1c1e21;">center the</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"> </span><b style="color: #1c1e21;">transgender, gender non-conforming, and queer and trans people of color
</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;">(QTPOC) communities.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">Here are our picks for 2019 Pride parades and festivals in the Northwest! We'll be at the events marked with an asterisk (*)—be sure to stop by and say hi!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>WASHINGTON<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
June 8 -
<a href="https://www.seattlepride.org/festival/" target="_blank">Volunteer Park Pride</a> (Seattle, WA)*<span style="color: #1c1e21;"><br />
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white;">June 8 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/378696416068310" target="_blank">Spokane Pride Rainbow Festival</a> (Spokane, WA)</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 28 - <a href="https://www.transprideseattle.org/" target="_blank">Trans Pride Seattle</a> (Seattle, WA)*<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">July 13 - <a href="http://tacomapride.org/" target="_blank">Tacoma Pride</a> (Tacoma, WA)*<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
July 20 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1011683712354546/" target="_blank">Seattle Latinx Pride Festival</a> (Seattle, WA)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
August 22–25 - <a href="https://www.nwblackpride.org/limited-access-about-us" target="_blank">Pacific Northwest Black Pride</a> (Seattle, WA)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Click <a href="https://patch.com/washington/seattle/2019-lgbtq-pride-celebrations-grow-south-seattle">here</a>
for a list of events happening in and around South Seattle, including inaugural
events in White Center and Tukwila.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Idaho<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 8 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/312154442830442/" target="_blank">Magic Valley Pride Festival</a> (Twin Falls, ID)*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 15 - <a href="https://www.boisepridefest.org/" target="_blank">Boise Pride Fest</a> (Boise, ID)*</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;"><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">June 15 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/405518390261980/" target="_blank">Alt-Pride</a> (Boise, ID)*<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 29 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/337254236901890/" target="_blank">Idaho Falls Pride</a> (Idaho
Falls, ID)*<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">July 13 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2394842663881142/" target="_blank">Celebrate Love 2019</a>
(Lewiston, ID)*</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;">August 24 - </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2129127970499000/" target="_blank">Palouse Pride Festival in the Park</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><span style="background-color: white;"> (Moscow,
ID)*</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21;"><i>Special thanks to <a href="https://www.addthewords.org/" target="_blank">Add the Words, Idaho</a> for sponsoring us at these Idaho events!</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Alaska<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 15 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/juneau-alaska/juneau-pride-week/1417495078530136/" target="_blank">Juneau Pride</a> (Juneau, AK) </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 29 - <a href="https://anchoragepride.org/pride-festival/" target="_blank">Anchorage PrideFestival</a>
(Anchorage, AK)</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Montana<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 22 - <a href="https://www.bigskypride.com/events/2019/6/22/big-sky-pride-parade-2019" target="_blank">Big Sky Pride Parade</a> (Helena,
MT)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Oregon<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 7 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/414190935793819/" target="_blank">Astoria Pride</a> (Astoria, OR) </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 15 - <a href="https://www.portlandmercury.com/events/26534168/the-portland-trans-pride-march-2019" target="_blank">Portland Trans Pride</a>
(Portland, OR)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
June 22 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2255783861336183/" target="_blank">Central Oregon Pride</a> (Bend, OR)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Click <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2019/05/10-pride-festivals-happening-around-oregon-in-2019.html">here</a>
for a more events happening in Oregon.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;"><br />
</span>Of
course, Pride isn’t all about parades and festivals! Check out these workshops,
forums, art events, and learning opportunities happening around the region:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 5–29 - <a href="https://www.thestranger.com/events/40335833/rainbow-story-times" target="_blank">Rainbow Story Times</a> (Seattle, WA) hosted by The Seattle Public Library</span></span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 6 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2070948999663344/" target="_blank">Interrupting Racism Actionshop</a>
(Portland, OR) hosted by Resolutions Northwest</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 7–July 2 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2992338590780539/" target="_blank">PRIDE Multimedia Art Show</a> (Portland,
OR) hosted by Multnomah Arts Center</span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 8 - <a href="https://www.ourboldvoices.com/event/generations-of-pride/" target="_blank">Generations of Pride</a> (Portland, OR) hosted by Our Bold Voices</span></span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 9 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2520934354897289/" target="_blank">Don’t Be Self-Conchas Poetry Open Mic</a> (Seattle, WA) hosted by Aviona Rodriguez Brown</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 15 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/868343640183654/" target="_blank">Pride Antakshari</a> (Seattle, WA)
hosted by Trikone Northwest</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 21 - <a href="https://www.bigskypride.com/events/2019/6/21/navigating-the-allyship-thru-the-genderverse" target="_blank">Navigating the Allyship thruthe Genderverse</a> (Helena, MT) hosted by TransVisible</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 22 - <a href="https://anchoragepride.org/event/gender-expansive-grooming-workshop/" target="_blank">Gender Expansive GroomingWorkshop</a> (Anchorage, AK) hosted by the Anchorage Transgender Community</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 22 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/289541335286862/" target="_blank">Backyard Comedy with Mattio Martinez</a> (Boise, ID) benefiting The Pride Foundation</span></span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">June 25 - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2207494642664287/" target="_blank">Intersections of Displacement:Transportation and LGBTQ Seattle</a> (Seattle, WA) hosted by GSBA</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
6/29 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1960428357419193/" target="_blank">LGBTQ Youth Forum</a> (Idaho Falls, ID) hosted by Idaho Falls Pride<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1c1e21;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>“Progress” Pride Flag by <a href="https://quasar.digital/">Daniel Quasar</a> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>.</i></span>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-59024267802134077292019-05-08T08:41:00.000-07:002019-05-13T11:28:04.658-07:00Title IX is Under Attack. These High Schoolers are Doing Something About It. <div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9j1ARIu6M1vPK09BKMEfzEvsSXlRmqwcWe0hYq9vPJd1zd694g2RWj6orQvHq5_2U4As1dsa2hTtGi7oNayqHPeguQaTR3EEyhliqcjuLKuhXsH0E6EGzjMPGxLPb1bdyN-boifq6fLM/s1600/20190410_144211_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9j1ARIu6M1vPK09BKMEfzEvsSXlRmqwcWe0hYq9vPJd1zd694g2RWj6orQvHq5_2U4As1dsa2hTtGi7oNayqHPeguQaTR3EEyhliqcjuLKuhXsH0E6EGzjMPGxLPb1bdyN-boifq6fLM/s400/20190410_144211_resized.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
By Phil Bouie, Legal Voice Development Officer<span id="goog_1915391425"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“As a student and a woman, I deserve to have laws that protect against violence and assault.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><i>–Scarlett, high school senior & Title IX activist</i></i><br />
<i><i><br /></i></i></div>
<i>
</i>
What may seem like a reasonable public safety request on campuses has resulted in policy proposals that ultimately <b>strip institutions of accountability</b>, further muddle schools' ability to adhere to their code of conduct bylaws, and complicate the process for reporting gender-based violence. If you wanted to find an impractical example of policy failing future generations of this country, this would be Exhibit A. <br />
<br />
Spurred on by a sexual assault that took place at their high school last year, <b>Maya and Scarlett</b> found themselves face-to-face with Washington State legislators this past February. Legal Voice helped them prepare to <a href="https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2019021322&startStreamAt=3405&autoStartStream=true" target="_blank">testify before the House College & Workforce Development Committee</a> in support of <a href="https://www.legalvoice.org/campus-sexual-assault" target="_blank">a bill</a> that aimed to create a task force on Title IX protections and compliance.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While the legislation ultimately failed to pass in the legislative session, the high school activists received<b> an up-close look at the process</b>.<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
“I learned a lot about how the legal system works and how bills are passed,” commented Maya. Scarlett added, “And how difficult it can be to make productive change in our laws.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
They had initially come to Legal Voice because they were not completely confident in the way their high school administration handled the assault at their school. <b>They wanted to learn more about their rights.</b><br />
<br />
“Everyone was required to take health in ninth grade but it wasn’t a great course,” said Maya. “There were a lot of holes in the curriculum. I might not remember because it was four years ago, but I don’t think we had anything about sexual assault.”</div>
<div>
<br />
Given the prevalence of the conversation surrounding sexual assault, it seems more than a bit unsettling that during the most impressionable and impactful years of a young person’s life, there are <b>no clear academic guidelines</b> on what sexual assault is. Who should you see in the aftermath? What are your rights?<br />
<br />
“We’ve learned a lot more about our rights by helping Legal Voice than any school has ever taught us. I think that’s super important,” remarked Scarlett. <br />
<br />
As much as we enjoy <a href="https://www.students.legalvoice.org/" target="_blank">educating people about their rights</a>, if high schools aren’t laying the proper foundation in regards to educating about sexual assault and consent, how are <b>colleges that are being stripped of Title IX protections</b> going to do any better?<br />
<br />
If the Trump Administration's <a href="https://www.legalvoice.org/single-post/2018/11/16/Legal-Voice-Statement-on-Proposed-Title-IX-Rules" target="_blank">proposed Title IX changes</a> are enacted, there will be serious consequences for victims and survivors of sexual assault. By raising the legal standard of evidence, <b>schools will discourage victims from coming forward</b> and confronting their accusers. Changes will also allow cross-examinations, evidence in investigative proceedings available to both parties and eliminate restrictions on parties’ rights to speak about allegations. <br />
<br />
<b>We cannot and will not stand for this. </b><br />
<br />
The next generation of students should be able to trust that their institutions of higher learning and the law <b>have their best interests at heart</b>. How is that possible when schools can’t be held responsible if an assault happens off campus? In the case of the University of Washington and many other schools, “on campus” could be right across the street. The next generation shouldn’t have to schedule bake sales where tasty treats are exchanged for pamphlets on Title IX, sexual assault, and consent. The next generation shouldn’t have to drive to Olympia to make sure adults, who graduated long ago, <b>don’t strip them of their agency</b> or their right to a conflict-free education. <br />
<br />
We owe it to the future of this country to <b>make sure there is space for young people to be heard</b>, and most importantly, ensure they are safe and secure in their academic environment. Stripping Title IX of its faculties would be an egregious mistake. <a href="http://weblink.donorperfect.com/LegalVoiceDonation" target="_blank">Let’s fund the future we want to see today! </a><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-11608232757680333462019-02-11T16:57:00.000-08:002019-02-11T17:31:12.017-08:00Books Behind Bars: How Title IX Protects Incarcerated Students’ Rights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KG62FMxBJvzKxuKCqjp4UIlYEvYg5apcye1QuNWT7IJdMMDc0TyqPfEK-bq0pKXGIT2cFqKOeRB129fsfZ0XGm6QwAEIEZt_O_ZCnF1LhblU1MrVjdS4Fsv5gSvq0LrTQgczAxZiN3I/s1600/1800144857_555bae098f_b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KG62FMxBJvzKxuKCqjp4UIlYEvYg5apcye1QuNWT7IJdMMDc0TyqPfEK-bq0pKXGIT2cFqKOeRB129fsfZ0XGm6QwAEIEZt_O_ZCnF1LhblU1MrVjdS4Fsv5gSvq0LrTQgczAxZiN3I/s400/1800144857_555bae098f_b.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Olivia Ortiz</div>
<br />
In the United States of America, <a href="https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2018.html">more than two million people</a> are currently incarcerated. Many prisons and jails offer vocational programs, which can and do have powerful effects on incarcerated people in their reentry into society outside the prison walls. Like any other students in a federally-funded educational program, incarcerated students are guaranteed protection against sex discrimination by Title IX. However, incarcerated students still experience significant barriers to these educational programs, in large part because they are not granted the rights due to them. Incarcerated students and their advocates can utilize Title IX as a fulcrum to fight for the education which is their legal right and which they deserve.<br />
<br />
Incarcerated students have worked tirelessly to fight for recognition under Title IX. In <a href="https://casetext.com/case/jeldness-v-pearce"><i>Jeldness v. Pearce</i></a>, incarcerated women sued the Oregon State Department of Corrections (OSDC), alleging sex discrimination. The OSDC’s women’s prison offered only two vocational courses: office administration and cosmetology. Two OSDC prisons for men offered twelve courses. Women were permitted access to these courses. However, OSDC cited “penological necessity” to force invasive searches on women attending courses at the men’s prison. These invasive searches frequently made women late to class, often so late that they could not attend class at all. Furthermore, men were paid for participating in certain classes. Women were not.<br />
<br />
In 1994, the Ninth District Court of Appeals held in <i>Jeldness </i>that Title IX and its regulations protected incarcerated students in vocational programs. Although a prison may not be considered a traditional educational institution, the fact that a prison receives federal funding for such programs requires that prisons follow Title IX. The court held that “penological necessity” does not exempt prisons from compliance with Title IX. (<i>Jeldness</i>, 30 F.3d at 1229–1230) Further, the court held that paying men, but not women, for the same course constituted not only disparate impact but disparate treatment under Title IX.<br />
<br />
Although courts and <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2000-08-30/pdf/00-20916.pdf">regulations</a> have repeatedly and explicitly stated that Title IX protects incarcerated students, those students require further support to make their rights a reality. Incarcerated people face <a href="https://justdetention.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FS-Sexual-Abuse-in-Detention-and-the-Law.pdf">high rates of sexual violence</a> not only by fellow incarcerated people but also by those who should be enforcing their rights: prison staff and administrators. The Survived and Punished Project has <a href="https://survivedandpunished.org/advocacy-strategies/">several resources</a> for supporting incarcerated people. Organizations supporting survivors should explore offering Title IX workshops to prisons and uplifting incarcerated students’ voices in their advocacy. Individuals can support incarcerated students by becoming involved with and donating to projects like Survived and Punished. <br />
<br />
The beauty of Title IX lies in its broad applicability. The character of the law affords students protection even at non-traditional campuses like prisons. Still, unlawful obstacles obstruct these students from their legal rights. Title IX, survivor, and anti-carceral advocates must consider how Title IX regulations, like <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/besty-devos-new-title-ix-guidelines-prioritize-schools-over-sexual-assault-survivors_us_5beede5fe4b0510a1f3037cf">those proposed by the Trump Administration</a>, impact incarcerated students. If incarcerated students’ Title IX rights exist only in theory, incarcerated students do not have Title IX rights. It is only when incarcerated students can access their rights in reality that Title IX promises anything at all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i> Olivia Ortiz is a leader of Legal Voice's Campus Sexual Assault Work Group. She is a first year JD student at the University of Washington School of Law and tweets at <a href="https://twitter.com/OrtizOliviaA">@ortizoliviaa</a></i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Image credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/simonbooth/1800144857">Simon Booth-Lucking</a> | <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">CC BY-NC 2.0</a></span><br />
<div class="post-body entry-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="clear: both; font-size: 11.7px;">
</div>
</div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-84992907849292939312018-12-05T14:42:00.000-08:002018-12-05T14:51:58.684-08:00Love as Resistance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUehB7HyRq7LO4BIxrud7AihLVWD9QT8z00m3WUg7p9uvGtYe_khtwPG_MwX58lTk7a6KPhIq4p-n3WBID3OuDf3tWPOrPSyKtNgfsSPsKlooWlCeZxWudzHtJA9Ye7sjAzzMaAGgbuHA/s1600/LV_Holiday-ForBlog.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="746" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUehB7HyRq7LO4BIxrud7AihLVWD9QT8z00m3WUg7p9uvGtYe_khtwPG_MwX58lTk7a6KPhIq4p-n3WBID3OuDf3tWPOrPSyKtNgfsSPsKlooWlCeZxWudzHtJA9Ye7sjAzzMaAGgbuHA/s400/LV_Holiday-ForBlog.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
By Rosann Mariappuram</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>“Love is an action, never simply a feeling.”</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>– bell hooks</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
When I describe Legal Voice’s work I often talk about fighting sexism, dismantling systems of oppression, and building power through the strategic use of law and advocacy. I use language that reflects the pro-active, take-the-offensive approach that I love about Legal Voice’s work. <b>But another powerful way to describe our work is through love.</b> Legal Voice’s work is rooted in love for those we serve and the love we receive from our community of donors, supporters, and allies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Black feminist scholar bell hooks* constantly centers <b>the radical power of love</b> in her writings. Her essay <a href="https://uucsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/bell-hooks-Love-as-the-Practice-of-Freedom.pdf" target="_blank">“Love as a Practice of Freedom”</a> calls for all of us to shape our political vision through an ethic of love. She explains that when we view oppression only through our personal experiences we develop blind-spots; that we seek to end the kinds of hate that directly harm us out of self-interest and self-protection. But <b>blind-spots allow us to maintain the status quo</b> and to be complicit in dominant cultures like racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia. An ethic of love takes the opposite approach. Love requires us to expand our point of view and see how systems of oppression are interdependent. Love forces us to stop only looking out for our own needs. <b>Love makes us fight for collective freedom.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
hooks also points out that an ethic of love is necessary to address the anguish and pain that dominant culture causes. <b>Love allows us to heal both personally and politically.</b> The number of attacks by the federal government in 2018 on sexual assault survivors, trans and gender-nonconforming people, and immigrants affirms this need for an ethic of love. The communities Legal Voice serves are under attack and only through love can we heal and move forward.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Gratitude is one of my favorite ways to put love into action. So as we wrap up 2018 <b>I send my thanks to each and every person in the Legal Voice community</b>. Our work and this movement wouldn’t be possible without you!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i>*bell hooks is a celebrated feminist scholar, artist, and writer. She has published over three dozen books including cultural criticisms, personal memoirs, poetry collections, and children's books. Her writings cover gender, race, class, spirituality, teaching, and the role of media. Visit the <a href="http://www.bellhooksinstitute.com/" target="_blank">bell hooks Institute</a> to learn more about her work and life.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Rosann Mariappuram is a 2018–19 <a href="https://www.ifwhenhow.org/" target="_blank">If/When/How</a> Reproductive Justice Fellow for <a href="https://www.surgereprojustice.org/" target="_blank">Surge</a> and Legal Voice.</i></div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-74378907982783116702018-09-25T08:55:00.000-07:002018-09-25T14:10:58.644-07:00Community Spotlight: ROC-Seattle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRz1pzppqiEQ7PP9d3zPRKwMyV2MZwN4PL3hANfO_uA5fVvficEvFtg4QePZBxeVn2jJKc6ne9ddmNqrngf59DpyMKvPb6r_3JPEB2g4FwwtYHIhGbw9f4MKHB3FnSu3e3Kred_EG9n3w/s1600/ROC+Seattle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1016" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRz1pzppqiEQ7PP9d3zPRKwMyV2MZwN4PL3hANfO_uA5fVvficEvFtg4QePZBxeVn2jJKc6ne9ddmNqrngf59DpyMKvPb6r_3JPEB2g4FwwtYHIhGbw9f4MKHB3FnSu3e3Kred_EG9n3w/s400/ROC+Seattle+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Q&A with ROC-Seattle's Elena Perez</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and Legal Voice's Sarah MacDonald</div>
<br />
The restaurant industry is riddled with inequities: Few other industries have such widely accepted low wages; workers often rely heavily on tips to make a living, which perpetuates racism, sexism, and sexual harassment; and exploitative workplace policies are all too common, especially for immigrant and refugee communities who are disproportionately represented in the industry.<br />
<br />
Today is National Food Service Workers Day—a day when we don't just show appreciation for the folks who prepare, cook, and serve our meals, but when we also shine a light on the daily challenges they face in the workplace.<br />
<br />
I asked Elena Perez of ROC-Seattle a few questions about the organization's current work at the intersection of low-wage work; racial, gender, and immigrant justice; and workplace sexual violence. Read on to learn more!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
•••</div>
<br />
<b>Who is ROC United?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Founded initially after September 11th, 2001 as a worker relief center for affected restaurant workers and their families, the <a href="http://rocunited.org/" target="_blank">Restaurant Opportunities Centers United</a> (ROC United) has grown into a national organization with restaurant worker members in chapters in New York, California, Boston, Chicago, Michigan, New Orleans, Pennsylvania, Seattle, and Washington, DC. Across the country, we have activated 130,000 restaurant workers, employers, and consumers to improve wages and working conditions in the restaurant industry.<br />
<br />
Raising the wage and labor standards in the restaurant industry is a matter of economic, social, gender, and racial justice. ROC United is committed to work with workers, employers, consumers, workers’ rights advocates, and legislators to eliminate unjust labor practices dating back to the slavery era, professionalize the industry, and bring dignity to the work and lives of hardworking men and women in some of the lowest paid occupations in the country.<br />
<br />
<b>What is one of the most pressing issues facing restaurant workers in Washington State?</b><br />
<br />
ROC-Seattle’s primary goal is to give support to low-wage restaurant workers in the daily challenges that they face in the industry. Overall, across this work, we recognize the need to collectively build power and voice for restaurant workers in our region. The issues we are centering on currently are: defending and expanding on "One Fair Wage" in Washington; building lines of defense and support for immigrants and refugees in the industry who are increasingly targeted in today's political climate; and confronting racial and gender inequities in the industry that underlie disparities in wages, treatment, and opportunities for advancement for women and people of color.<br />
<br />
Washington State is one of eight states with a legislated <a href="http://rocunited.org/our-work/#one-fair-wage" target="_blank">One Fair Wage policy</a> and one of seven states where this policy has been fully implemented. One Fair Wage refers to a policy that guarantees all workers, including those in tipped occupations, the full minimum wage with tips on top. As local jurisdictions pursue minimum wages higher than the state's, the greatest challenge is to ensure that tipped workers are not carved out from local legislation, and that labor rules issued by the state are explicit and unambiguous in protecting the equal wage regime at all local levels.<br />
<br />
Wage theft is also a continuing challenge in the restaurant industry as are practices that mislead customers in believing service charges go to servers when they legally belong to the business owners. Until the industry pays restaurant workers a living wage, tips are necessary to complement the minimum wage. Restaurant workers are professionals in every sense, yet not recognized as such with corresponding compensation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What organizing strategies is ROC-Seattle currently working on to address these issues?</b><br />
<br />
We are proud that Washington is one of the eight states in our nation with One Fair Wage, and are thankful for our State's leadership in defending the civil rights of immigrants and refugees, and other targeted communities. But there is still work to do to make economic, social, racial and gender justice real for workers throughout the restaurant industry. Two prime areas of organizing are:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Defending workers' rights under One Fair Wage. We are currently advocating with the WA Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) to make sure tip theft protections apply equally to ALL workers in ALL cities in Washington. In partnership with Legal Voice, we are urging L&I to revise their Legal Guidance on Tips & Service Charges to make it clear that every single tipped worker in Washington has the right to tips and service charges in addition to their hourly minimum wage. One Fair Wage in WA is being undermined by L&I's lack of clarity about workers' rights to full tips and service charges when they earn higher minimum wages under local ordinances in cities like Seatac, Seattle and Tacoma. Tips and service charges should never be used by owners to meet their local minimum wage obligations! During L&I's public comment period, we organized over 150 individuals from across the State to call for equal protections for tipped workers, and we continue to organize with our members to ensure L&I fully implements and enforces WA's tip theft protections.</li>
<br />
<li>Due to a combination of policy, industry, and cultural trends, the very visible and diverse restaurant workforce has been a prominent target of harassment and hate crimes. For immigrants working in the industry, they are often isolated both physically and socially, with many speaking limited English and segregated into back-of-house jobs. There are real and perceived vulnerabilities that are preyed upon by unethical employers leading to rampant wage theft, harassment, and lack of compliance with labor laws, with workers afraid to respond because of fear of retaliation. In response, ROC-Seattle is conducting extensive community-based outreach in English and Spanish to educate restaurant industry workers on their legal rights on the job and offering free legal support to address their daily challenges at work. We currently offer Know Your Rights/Conozca sus Derechos trainings for workers and restaurant employers around Labor Standards and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) Activity, and offer additional trainings through ROC's Sanctuary Restuarants movement including Sexual Harassment 101 and LGBTQ Worker Rights.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
In both campaigns, we are building power with a strong base of worker members in ROC-Seattle advocating for fair wages, and safe, healthy and equitable working conditions.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>As in so many other service jobs, women and people of color are overly represented in low-wage restaurant work. Why do you think this is?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I'll start with some numbers:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Half of Americans, at some point in their lives, work in the restaurant industry. </li>
<li>Women comprise 66% of all tipped workers. </li>
<li>Women in tipped restaurant occupations earn 80% of their male counterparts’ wages; female servers in America experience a poverty rate that is three times that of their male counterparts. </li>
<li>Restaurant workers of color earn 56% less income on average compared to equally qualified white workers. </li>
</ul>
Our "Behind the Kitchen Door" research found a $5 per hour wage gap between white men and women of color in Seattle's full service industry jobs. One of the underlying causes for this is that restaurant workers of color access living wage fine dining occupations only 73% of the time, compared to equally qualified white workers.<br />
<br />
All these national statistics point to an issue of a great gender and racial occupational disparity that has its roots in a long history of institutionalized racism, leading to economic inequality that persist in our society from generation to generation. ROC has been working for years to address these issues through RAISE, its high road employer program; CHOW, a worker training program which opens the door to professions in fine dining for women and people of color; and advocacy for racial, gender, immigrant, and economic justice. In Seattle and the Bay, ROC is confronting racial and gender occupational segregation in the industry through our Racial Equity Project where we partner with restaurant employers who seek to advance racial equity in their establishments; create career ladders for workers through CHOW training; and seek broad policy solutions to address race and gender-based occupational segregation in the industry.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>As we’ve learned through the #MeToo movement, workplace sexual violence is widespread in low-wage jobs and is often fueled by a power imbalance between a worker and their employer, supervisor, or even their customer. What kinds of power dynamics are present when restaurant workers are on the job?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
While 7% of American women work in the restaurant industry, more than 14% of all sexual harassment claims to the EEOC come from the restaurant industry—disproportionately more than from any other industry. Recent studies report that more than 90% of restaurant workers in the District of Columbia and more than 80% in New York report experiencing sexual harassment at work. Workers in states like Washington, who do not have a lower tipped minimum wage, experience sexual harassment at half the rate of those working in states where they must depend on customers’ tips for the bulk of their income. But sexual harassment is still a significant issue in the industry even in the One Fair Wage states and affects workers long after they leave the industry.<br />
<br />
Because the experiences of sexual harassment are so extreme, overt, and widespread in the restaurant industry, women tend to marginalize their experiences of inappropriate workplace behavior later in their careers as they feel those experiences are “never as bad” as what they have had to put up with as young servers. When workers depend on customers to pay a significant portion of their compensation through tips, they are forced to tolerate inappropriate behavior. And it is not just customers who decide their tips, but also managers who control shift and table assignments, and even co-workers who impact the perceived value of service indirectly and therefore might have power over the server (e.g. server’s tips may depend on the quality or speed of the work of kitchen and support staff).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>How can people in the Legal Voice community support restaurant workers and ROC Seattle’s mission?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Join us! Whether you are a current or former industry worker, a restaurant owner or manager, or an "eater" who loves to advance social justice while dining out, we have a home for you. Stay current on our campaigns through <a href="http://rocunited.org/" target="_blank">our national website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ROCSeattle" target="_blank">our local Facebook page</a>. If you have ideas for collaboration or want to volunteer for ROC-Seattle, please contact me, Elena Perez, at <a href="mailto:elena@rocunited.org">elena@rocunited.org</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of <a href="http://rocunited.org/staff-and-locals/seattle/" target="_blank">ROC-Seattle</a></span></i>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-61269749667769147012018-08-02T08:29:00.002-07:002018-08-07T10:03:42.048-07:00Power Over Profit: Why We Should All Care About the Trump Administration's Response to Breastfeeding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbAF32YYmg-aX8hAeDtvM5wULeUQXRlNuElVOtDf23Hra6VaLnySzdSzmuVuAn8bZHxNo_wf0fIhqNcyk0VLZn4gq0XWLtnScdUVJ-E7nKyWjdNA6upjQjSni6XomalOStEav0KkSFyw/s1600/breastfeeding-2428378_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbAF32YYmg-aX8hAeDtvM5wULeUQXRlNuElVOtDf23Hra6VaLnySzdSzmuVuAn8bZHxNo_wf0fIhqNcyk0VLZn4gq0XWLtnScdUVJ-E7nKyWjdNA6upjQjSni6XomalOStEav0KkSFyw/s640/breastfeeding-2428378_1920.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Jacqueline Schafer</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
American culture typically portrays breastfeeding as nurturing, gentle, natural—but rarely <b>as a form of power</b>. But recently, while watching <i><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-handmaids-tale-is-way-too-real-and-watching-it-has-become-masochistic" target="_blank">The Handmaid's Tale</a></i>, I started to think of nursing in terms of the powerful independence that it represents from corporate America.<br />
<br />
For those unfamiliar with the popular TV series loosely based on Margaret Atwood's classic novel: facing a fertility crisis, the dystopian nation of Gilead enslaves a group of women who have successfully given birth before, forcing them to bear children for Gilead's military leadership. As cruel and patently evil as Gilead's male leaders are, they apparently <b>deeply respect the role of breastfeeding</b> in early childhood development and allow the Handmaids to breastfeed their infants for a period of time before separating them from their children. The regime’s respect for breastfeeding results in several key plot points that give the brutally oppressed Handmaids a rare source of leverage.<br />
<br />
As extreme as the show is, it reminded me that when a government promotes breastfeeding, <b>it necessarily recognizes the latent power of women* </b>to provide nourishment for their children. The Trump Administration actually recognized this power when it sought to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/health/world-health-breastfeeding-ecuador-trump.html" target="_blank">prevent the introduction of an updated resolution</a> from the World Health Organization (WHO) this spring. The resolution stated the scientifically uncontroversial concepts that governments should promote breastfeeding—because of research demonstrating that <b>it results in the best outcomes for children</b>, particularly in developing countries and low income communities where <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/feb/27/formula-milk-companies-target-poor-mothers-breastfeeding" target="_blank">children are at risk</a> if formula money runs low—and should limit advertising about unhealthy food products, such as infant formula with added sugar.<br />
<br />
<i>The Atlantic</i> does a good job of <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/07/the-epic-battle-between-breast-milk-and-infant-formula-companies/564782/" target="_blank">explaining the harmful international impact</a> of advertisements that promote infant formula over breastfeeding, and why infant formula companies aggressively lobby the American government to maximize profits. It is stunning that infant formula companies are <b>so deeply threatened by the power of women to feed their own children</b> that they sought to manipulate the WHO’s official voice on the subject.<br />
<br />
Why does WHO recognition matter at the local and national level? Official recognition of the benefits of breastfeeding by the WHO has <b>significant societal implications for women's economic security and power</b>. One point to consider is that when state legislators and Congressmembers draft legislation, they look to international norms and the most current research as justification for their bills. If the most prominent health care organization in the world is silent about the need to promote breastfeeding, it becomes easier for legislators to ignore the scientific consensus and <b>pass health care legislation that lacks express protections or benefits for nursing parents</b>. And by not supporting laws and interventions that make it easier for people to breastfeed, that necessarily creates demand for formula—which is coincidentally manufactured by corporations that often donate to specific politicians’ campaigns.<br />
<br />
These efforts to deny the promotion of breastfeeding as an international norm may not seem as pressing in light of the other threats to women's health by the Trump Administration, but if I've learned anything from <i>The Handmaid’s Tale</i> it is that words matter. Omitting conclusive research from international dialogue can <b>reduce <a href="http://www.legalvoice.org/breastfeeding-in-washington-state" target="_blank">societal and workplace support</a> for breastfeeding</b>, thereby limiting the ability of women to choose that journey. In honor of <a href="http://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/world-breastfeeding-week-2018" target="_blank">World Breastfeeding Week</a>, women should recognize their power to nourish the next generation and continue to fight back against those who would try to diminish that power for profit.<br />
<br />
*I use the term “women” here, but I recognize that not all people who breastfeed/chestfeed <a href="https://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/transgender-parents-chestbreastfeeding/" target="_blank">are women</a>, and that not all people who give birth <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2018/05/the-truth-about-not-being-able-to-breastfeed.html" target="_blank">can</a> or <a href="https://www.romper.com/p/i-chose-not-to-breastfeed-i-dont-regret-it-at-all-7084" target="_blank">choose to</a> breastfeed/chestfeed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Jacqueline Schafer is an advocate for the safety and success of children, families, and the communities where they live. She is pro bono cooperating counsel for Legal Voice, a world traveler, and in-house counsel for a national child welfare nonprofit.</i>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-64174725359836244542018-06-22T14:24:00.002-07:002018-06-22T15:07:16.910-07:00Can Title IX Protect Me from Sexual Harassment at My Internship?<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3t2ld9-3h23AeWTJWn0Nqjndox-HI5JHUgI7aeIMYHZ79LH2Xdk68jncZDdsIbq88XHDfAa41Bugni0ROlTZwV1xfi_auu9FhyphenhypheniSB7UZmIoVfQUV9j2mWJBWCVSNUbQ5jYAKVBC7RhTE/s1600/agreement-arms-business-1081228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3t2ld9-3h23AeWTJWn0Nqjndox-HI5JHUgI7aeIMYHZ79LH2Xdk68jncZDdsIbq88XHDfAa41Bugni0ROlTZwV1xfi_auu9FhyphenhypheniSB7UZmIoVfQUV9j2mWJBWCVSNUbQ5jYAKVBC7RhTE/s400/agreement-arms-business-1081228.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
By Olivia Ortiz</div>
<br />
Summer is upon us, and students across the country are exchanging their classrooms for internships. Internships are valuable learning experiences that allow students to apply their educations to real world professions. <br />
<br />
But these experiences are <b>highly susceptible to sexual harassment</b>. Unpaid interns are particularly vulnerable as <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/126/112/497887/">courts have ruled</a> and <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/foia/letters/2011/eeo_laws_when_interns_may_be_employees.html">Equal Employment Opportunity Commission policy dictates</a> that, with <a href="http://feministing.com/2018/06/19/five-things-every-intern-should-know-about-their-rights/">some exceptions</a>, unpaid interns do not have the protections afforded by the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace discrimination. However, unpaid student interns who are participating in their internship for academic credit do have a form of recourse by virtue of Title IX.<br />
<br />
Title IX is a 46 year-old civil rights law protecting students against gender discrimination in “educational programs.” Both the <a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCOURTS-ca3-16-01247/pdf/USCOURTS-ca3-16-01247-0.pdf">Third</a> and <a href="http://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/16a0130n-06.pdf">Sixth</a> Circuit U.S. Courts of Appeals have ruled that internships taken for academic credit qualify as “educational programs” under Title IX. Although internship sites themselves may not qualify as “educational institutions,” they can house “educational programs” for which federally funded educational institutions are responsible. This means that s<b>chools are responsible for responding to sexual harassment </b>against students in the sites of their for-credit internships.<br />
<br />
In one case, <i>Varlesi v. Wayne State University</i>, a Master of Social Work student experienced pregnancy discrimination at her site for a required fieldwork component. When she reported the discrimination to her school, the school official dismissed her complaint. The student’s fieldwork supervisor at the site proceeded to retaliate against her by assigning a failing grade, leaving the student unable to graduate. This example highlights <b>the unique way that harassment can impact students</b> in internships for credit; their academic progress depends on their supervisor and the successful completion of the internship.<br />
<br />
Students in internships for credit should be aware that <b>they have <a href="https://www.students.legalvoice.org/title-ix-rights">protections under Title IX</a></b>. If a student experiences sexual harassment during their internship for credit, they have the option of seeking help through their school in complaint proceedings. As in any other educational program, <a href="https://www.students.legalvoice.org/school-expectations">schools are obligated</a> to address complaints of sexual harassment and violence in internships for credit. <br />
<br />
Furthermore, schools should take preventative measures to ensure that both students and for-credit internship sites are aware of their rights and responsibilities under Title IX. Arizona State University, for instance, created a <a href="https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/Internships-and-an-Environment-of-Respect-Title-IX.pdf">fact sheet</a> detailing these responsibilities for employers who host their students. Sending a Title IX fact sheet to students and employers <b>affirms the institution’s commitment to Title IX</b>, equips students with powerful knowledge, and apprises the host site of its responsibilities in offering this learning opportunity.<br />
<br />
Learning opportunities should be immersive and educational, and internships for credit are no different. <b>Sexual harassment in any learning environment is counterproductive</b> to these ends, and sexual harassment poses unique challenges in internships. By embracing Title IX and educating both employers and students, institutions will encourage their students to thrive for many summers to come.<br />
<br />
<b><i>For more information on your rights as a student in Washington State, check out <a href="https://www.students.legalvoice.org/">students.legalvoice.org</a>.</i></b><br />
<br />
<div>
<i>Olivia Ortiz is a leader of Legal Voice’s Campus Sexual Assault Work Group. She is an incoming JD student at the University of Washington School of Law and tweets at <a href="https://twitter.com/OrtizOliviaA" target="_blank">@ortizoliviaa</a></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-27973521621909941262018-06-14T11:23:00.001-07:002018-06-25T12:58:39.159-07:00Act Now: We Must Stop Separating Immigrant Families<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uwF0f_z0aJZKfqyK_PxO_bYRBsPCS7TGti_3IJSK51LO9AQqLWB6airdt2GZV9OUD_CUkc61xqevs69GM0J7gtlquaj_QeACkCcp0B3VZWVrX6HjUc9__DR14f2zGNa-P8ySDKoyOBQ/s1600/michal-parzuchowski-260084-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4uwF0f_z0aJZKfqyK_PxO_bYRBsPCS7TGti_3IJSK51LO9AQqLWB6airdt2GZV9OUD_CUkc61xqevs69GM0J7gtlquaj_QeACkCcp0B3VZWVrX6HjUc9__DR14f2zGNa-P8ySDKoyOBQ/s400/michal-parzuchowski-260084-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
By Sarah Smith and Sara Ainsworth</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
This week, Legal Voice and our allies learned that <a _mce_href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/immigration-advocates-try-to-determine-how-many-detainees-at-seatac-prison-are-separated-from-children/" _mce_style="color: #f04c24 !important; text-decoration: underline !important;" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/immigration-advocates-try-to-determine-how-many-detainees-at-seatac-prison-are-separated-from-children/" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">206 people who came to the United States</a> seeking asylum had been transferred from Texas and were now detained at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. Most are from <a _mce_href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/06/10/mothers-could-not-stop-crying-officials-blast-trump-policy-after-visiting-detained-immigrants/?utm_term=.3a88004f1dcb" _mce_style="color: #f04c24 !important; text-decoration: underline !important;" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/06/10/mothers-could-not-stop-crying-officials-blast-trump-policy-after-visiting-detained-immigrants/?utm_term=.3a88004f1dcb" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala</a>, and say they <b>fled threats of rape, gang violence, and political persecution</b> in their home countries. The SeaTac FDC is not to be confused with the immigration-focused detention center, Northwest Detention Center, in Tacoma. To the contrary, The SeaTac FDC is generally used only for those serving criminal sentences or awaiting trial on federal charges; this is not the only federal prison being used for such purposes. These detainees presented themselves to border agents in order to seek asylum, only to find themselves thrown head-first into a criminal proceeding they did not ask for.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
Among these detainees are 174 women, <b>many of whom had their children taken away from them</b> at the border. Of the 170 or so women detained, more than half reported that they had been separated from their children. The ages of the children, range from 12 months to 16 years old. These children were<b> forcibly separated from their parents</b>, sometimes under false pretenses that the children are <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/06/09/borderseparations/Z95z4eFZjyfqCLG9pyHjAO/story.html" target="_blank">being taken for questioning or a bath</a>. Most of these children are not held in Washington State, and are instead held in unknown locations under the supervision of the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the Department of Health and Human Services. These women have expressed fear of returning to their home countries and came here to find safety for themselves and their children; now, they have <b>no idea if or when they will see their children again</b>.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<br />
The Trump Administration recently implemented these policies as a way to deter families from trying to reach the United States. <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/07/609225537/sessions-says-zero-tolerance-for-illegal-border-crossers-vows-to-divide-families" target="_blank">The Trump Administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy</a> of prosecuting everyone who crosses the border without permission, even those who do so to request asylum, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/they-just-took-them-frantic-parents-separated-from-their-kids-fill-courts-on-the-border/2018/06/09/e3f5170c-6aa9-11e8-bea7-c8eb28bc52b1_story.html?utm_term=.c09d675ff532" target="_blank">specifically targets women and children</a> who most in need of protection. Instead of processing their asylum claims as immigration law requires them, <b>border agents arrested these migrants</b> and charged them unlawful entry, a misdemeanor offense, for crossing the border without permission. Many of the detainees pled guilty to the charge, believing that a guilty plea was their best chance at being reunited with their children. Instead, they were sentenced to time served, the lightest punishment possible, and transferred to ICE custody and <a href="https://www.nwirp.org/as-many-as-120-women-transferred-to-federal-detention-center-in-seatac-separated-from-children-while-applying-for-asylum/" target="_blank">now face deportation</a> if their asylum claims are not successful.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<span _mce_style="font-size: 10pt;" style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
Meanwhile, the Trump Administration further <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/11/jeff-sessions-aslyum-standards-domestic-violence-614158" target="_blank">rolled back asylum protections for women</a><b> </b>on Monday when AG Jeff Sessions announced that victims of domestic abuse and gang violence likely <b>do not qualify for protection</b> under US asylum law. Under asylum law, a person who has a reasonable fear of persecution in their home country based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion that the home country’s government cannot or will not prevent has a claim for asylum. Until Monday, that included women in “domestic relationships” from some Central American countries who had been victims of intimate partner violence and could not leave the abusive relationship. Characterizing such harms as “private,” the Trump Administration has turned its back on its obligations under US and international humanitarian law. This new approach does nothing to protect Americans, and it certainly does not help victims of domestic abuse and gang violence.</div>
<div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
Contrary to what "someone" is saying on Twitter, there is no law requiring immigrant families to be separated at the border. The decision to charge everyone crossing the board with illegal entry and the decision to put asylum seekers into criminal and deportation proceedings are 100% discretionary choices on the part of the Trump Administration. These choices harm women not only in the United States, but they also hurt women right here in Washington. <strong>We must not stand idly by </strong>while the rights of women and children are trampled in this way.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<strong>Here's how you can take action:</strong></div>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<li>You can sign petitions - find them at <a _mce_href="http://familiesbelongtogether.org/" _mce_style="color: #f04c24; text-decoration: underline;" href="http://familiesbelongtogether.org/" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Families Belong Together</a>. Follow Families Belong Together for more actions.<br /> </li>
<li>There are several rallies and events scheduled for today and beyond. <a _mce_href="http://map.familiesbelong.org/search.php" _mce_style="color: #f04c24; text-decoration: underline;" href="http://map.familiesbelong.org/search.php" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Look here</a> for one near you.<br /> </li>
<li>Donate your time or money to the <a _mce_href="https://www.nwirp.org/updates-and-frequently-asked-questions-regarding-asylum-seekers-detained-at-the-federal-detention-center-in-seatac/" _mce_style="color: #f04c24; text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.nwirp.org/updates-and-frequently-asked-questions-regarding-asylum-seekers-detained-at-the-federal-detention-center-in-seatac/" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Northwest Immigrant Rights Project</a> (NWIRP). If you are a lawyer in Washington State who speaks Spanish or Cantonese, NWRIP needs you. They are connecting the people detained here in Washington with lawyers to learn about their cases. And if you don’t speak those languages, but could volunteer to take on an asylum case, let NWIRP know as well.<br /> </li>
<li>If you are in Washington, you can support <a _mce_href="http://www.nwdcresistance.org/" _mce_style="color: #f04c24; text-decoration: underline;" href="http://www.nwdcresistance.org/" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Northwest Detention Center Resistance.</a> Find out about their events on their <a _mce_href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/NWDCResistance/events/" _mce_style="color: #f04c24; text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/NWDCResistance/events/" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Facebook page</a>.<br /> </li>
<li><a _mce_href="https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm" _mce_style="color: #f04c24; text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Contact your Senators</a> to tell them you support the <a _mce_href="https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/8/7/8757edf1-4c26-44ad-be6d-3e62b4875d59/8E980D047182BB87CF73EEAD252B3F78.keeping-families-together-act.pdf" _mce_style="color: #f04c24; text-decoration: underline;" href="https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/8/7/8757edf1-4c26-44ad-be6d-3e62b4875d59/8E980D047182BB87CF73EEAD252B3F78.keeping-families-together-act.pdf" linktype="1" style="color: rgb(240, 76, 36) !important;" target="_blank" track="on">Keep Families Together Act</a>, which Senator Diane Feinstein and 31 colleagues introduced on June 8th.</li>
</ul>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<b>**UPDATE**</b> Here are more actions you can take:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Participate in the <a href="https://www.thestranger.com/events/27871103/daily-vigils-at-seattle-ice-office" target="_blank">daily vigils at Seattle ICE office</a>. The vigil/rally is concentrated from 8–10 a.m. but participants are welcome all day long. Occurs daily from now until July 6th.</span></span></li>
<br />
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Attend the RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education & Legal Services) webinar on <b>June 21</b>. Learn more and register <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/events/national-immigrant-support-network-launch-webinar?source=direct_link&&link_id=12&can_id=517e06f245fbdc2c1576bf787930075e&email_referrer=email_372268&email_subject=raices-what-is-next-updates-and-invitations" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></li>
<br />
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><a href="https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/bondfund?source=direct_link" target="_blank">Make a donation</a> to the RAICES Family Reunification and Bond Fund.</span></span></li>
<br />
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Participate in the national day of action on <b>June 30</b>. If you are in Seattle, please join Legal Voice and our allies at the <a href="https://act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/19992/signup/?akid=a265081478.38588827.oFkySe&zip=&source=conf" target="_blank">11:00 a.m. rally at the SeaTac Detention Center</a>.</span></span></li>
<br />
<li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">More ideas from Vu Le of <i>Nonprofit AF</i> <a href="http://nonprofitaf.com/2018/06/actions-we-can-take-to-end-the-inhumane-policy-of-separating-immigrant-kids-and-families" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<strong style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please act now. We can't give up.</strong></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, geneva, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">
<strong style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></strong></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/RYxTItxb4oY?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Michał Parzuchowski</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-72738624523381363072018-05-22T16:02:00.000-07:002019-05-24T14:38:43.457-07:00Put the FUN in Fundraising with a Special Birthday Celebration!<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmijZyknngRVOy8vzdv2gdRZAsZRzkJmfRX_p_y7JysalZYStwBOu_72ATVqW2AT4fnQVCgM7l4dwK-7xmdhShVfoOPlyL-GkdT1N3N1TYZnfkj44o9hFbCE-Nc58PkwPamxyg5kyK_-8/s1600/audrey-fretz-497611-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmijZyknngRVOy8vzdv2gdRZAsZRzkJmfRX_p_y7JysalZYStwBOu_72ATVqW2AT4fnQVCgM7l4dwK-7xmdhShVfoOPlyL-GkdT1N3N1TYZnfkj44o9hFbCE-Nc58PkwPamxyg5kyK_-8/s400/audrey-fretz-497611-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Sarah MacDonald</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Legal Voice is <span style="color: #f04c24;">celebrating 40 fabulous years</span> of progress! In celebration of our four decades of taking names and making change, several of our supporters have used their birthdays to raise funds for—and awareness of—our continued efforts for women, families, and LGBTQ folks in the Northwest. Great idea, right?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You, too, can <b>leverage your special day</b> to gain support for Legal Voice or another cause that's close to your heart. Here are a few ways:</div>
<ol class="font_8">
<li><b>Hold a house party!</b> Get your closest pals together to celebrate you (because you're awesome) while also supporting your favorite organization. The opportunities are endless! You can host a traditional birthday party but ask for donations instead of gifts. Do you like sports? Have a football-watching party where you raise money based on the score. Or host a "Rad Women of History" costume party and ask for donations at the door. Whatever you choose to do, <b>we're here to help</b>. We can provide stickers, talking points, custom birthday pins... we even have Ruth Bader Ginsburg coloring books! We might even be able to send a few staff or board members out to celebrate with you. Find <a href="http://docs.legalvoice.org/Host_A_House_Party.pdf" target="_blank">more tips here</a>, or <a href="mailto:smacdonald@legalvoice.org" target="_blank">email me</a> with your ideas!</li>
<br />
<li><b>Create a Facebook Fundraiser! </b>If you're on Facebook, you can easily create a Facebook Fundraiser to support Legal Voice. Your friends and family members can give right on the site. Easy peasy! Start the process at <a href="http://facebook.com/fundraisers">facebook.com/fundraisers</a> and click on "Raise Money for a Nonprofit Organization." We can help you make the most out of your fundraiser with custom images for your page, talking points about all the important issues we're working on, and <b>a special thank you video to everyone who supported your fundraiser</b>. <a href="mailto:smacdonald@legalvoice.org" target="_blank">Email me</a> for more information!</li>
<br />
<li><b>Write a good old fashioned letter!</b> If you are more on the analog side, consider writing a heartfelt appeal to all the wonderful people in your <a href="https://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/larger/public/field/image/2016/05/gif-rolodex-in-action.gif?itok=PGWRFGHG" target="_blank">Rolodex</a>. We can provide you with remit envelopes to include with your letter for donation-making ease, and we'll work with you to write a joint thank you note from you and Legal Voice. Gosh, we make a great team!</li>
</ol>
<div>
Thank you for your continued support of Legal Voice! And for being born. We're pretty glad that happened.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.7px;">Sarah MacDonald is Marketing & Communications Manager for Legal Voice, where she strives daily to keep you in-the-know. Her birthday is in September, when she will definitely be taking her own advice and hosting a Legal Voice fundraiser! (And taking full advantage of the office buttonmaker.)</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/ko9_2Xl_M9g?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Audrey Fretz</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-61485522850700486512018-05-03T12:34:00.000-07:002018-05-03T12:42:39.944-07:00Community Spotlight: UNITE HERE Local 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicU8A9md-_Ep6ut0E09GrMY6MtIXos7ZHyHsLZdvesdDtG-yx3Gerzj7SJRnLHbBpz1NEp6rWIZUtcOCe6esSv6NLPUdjVm1NV3bOkUY3lzqjjjh3BhqJo7lvCc6oJIX4UVlllQ9DkKcc/s1600/I-124+rulemaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1600" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicU8A9md-_Ep6ut0E09GrMY6MtIXos7ZHyHsLZdvesdDtG-yx3Gerzj7SJRnLHbBpz1NEp6rWIZUtcOCe6esSv6NLPUdjVm1NV3bOkUY3lzqjjjh3BhqJo7lvCc6oJIX4UVlllQ9DkKcc/s640/I-124+rulemaking.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Q & A with UNITE HERE Local 8's Abby Lawlor</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and Legal Voice's Sarah MacDonald</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In his brief time with Legal Voice, our Senior Attorney Andrew Kashyap has been building and fostering connections with labor organizations and unions in the Northwest. These critical groups are elevating workers' voices as they demand workplace equity, safety, and living wages.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April) faded into May Day—a day for solidarity and protest around worker and immigrant rights—I asked Abby Lawlor of UNITE HERE Local 8, the Northwest's hospitality union, a few questions about their work at the intersection of low-wage work, immigrant rights, and workplace sexual violence.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
• • •</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<b>Who is UNITE HERE Local 8?</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.unitehere8.org/" target="_blank">UNITE HERE Local 8</a> is a labor union representing over 5,000 workers in the hospitality industries of Oregon & Washington State. Local 8 members work in hotels, restaurants, food service, and airport concessions. They include housekeepers, cooks, bartenders, bellmen, food and beverage servers, bussers, and dishwashers. Local 8’s parent union, UNITE HERE, represents over 270,000 hotel, food service, and gaming workers throughout the US and Canada. Local 8 has a highly diverse membership, comprising workers from many immigrant and refugee communities as well as high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers. The majority of our members are women. Through organizing, Local 8 members aim to transform thousands of traditionally low-wage jobs into good, family sustaining jobs. We fight for living wages, job security, a voice on the job, safety and respect in the workplace, and affordable family health insurance.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What projects or initiatives are you currently working on?</b><br />
<br />
In 2016, UNITE HERE Local 8 worked to pass <a href="http://www.seattleprotectswomen.org/about/" target="_blank">Seattle Initiative 124 (I-124)</a>, which extended critical workplace health and safety protections to all hotel workers in the city, whether or not they have a union. These include panic buttons and other protections from sexual harassment and assault and protections from workplace injury as well as access to affordable family healthcare and job security. We are currently working on the <a href="http://www.legalvoice.org/single-post/2018/04/25/Standing-with-Seattle-Hotel-Workers-in-the-Fight-Against-Workplace-Sexual-Violence" target="_blank">implementation of the initiative</a>—providing input into the administrative rules and spreading the word to hotel workers about their new rights.<br />
<br />
I-124 was a huge step forward in terms of the standards for hotel workers in Seattle. In 2018, a number of our union contracts are up at <a href="https://www.unitehere8.org/hotels/" target="_blank">Seattle hotels</a>. Hundreds of our members will be at the table to negotiate new collective bargaining agreements, which will be another opportunity for us to keep making gains for hotel workers. Lastly, we are always supporting non-union workers as they organize their workplaces and become union members. The food service workers at Lewis and Clark College in Portland and at the Facebook offices in Seattle recently joined our union, and we expect more hospitality workers in the region to follow suit this year!<br />
<br />
<b>The #MeToo movement created an important platform for survivors of sexual violence to raise their voices and demand change. But it often feels like the broader movement is leaving out the voices of hotel workers, who face incredible rates of workplace sexual harassment and assault. Why do you think this is?</b><br />
<br />
It’s important to note that this movement isn’t new. Women in our union have been fighting back against workplace harassment for over a hundred years, dating back to when it was the Waitresses’ Union Local 174. And Seattle workers were able to pass an initiative legislating workplace sexual harassment protections a year before the accusations against Harvey Weinstein became headline news. But it’s true that low-wage workers haven’t been at the center of the #MeToo spotlight.<br />
<br />
It’s impossible to talk about the risks facing hotel workers without also talking about the broader injustices in our economy. Hotel housekeepers face incredible rates of workplace sexual harassment and assault, as well as workplace injury, because they are low-income women of color (in Seattle, a majority of whom are also immigrants and refugees) who work for profit-driven multi-national hotel companies. Reducing their risk of experiencing harassment and assault may start with panic buttons, but it has to also include a safe workload, a living wage, a voice on the job, healthcare access, job security, and real mechanisms for holding their employers accountable.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like the broader #MeToo movement is at a point yet of moving to tackle these larger issues starting with the people who are most impacted and most vulnerable.<br />
<br />
That said, I’ve been more encouraged than discouraged at the extent to which the experiences of women working in the service industry have made their way into the discourse around #MeToo. The conversation happening now feels like a significant step forward from the conversations we were having around I-124 in 2016. There’s more focus on how economic inequality and discrimination put women and LGBTQ people of color at greater risk of violence. And there’s been some acknowledgement that building power for workers and unions is an important part of the solution.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Workplace sexual violence is often fueled by a power imbalance between an employer or supervisor and the worker. What kinds of power dynamics are present when hotel workers are on the job? </b><br />
<br />
There are two key power imbalances at play within hotels, and which interact to amplify the risk of sexual violence for hotel workers. First, hotel workers are at a distinct power disadvantage relative to their employer and any supervisors or managers. Second, they’re also at a power disadvantage relative to hotel guests, who often have some money and some social status and who their employer is eager to keep coming back.<br />
<br />
The vast majority of hotel workers in Seattle aren’t covered by a union contract, meaning they are at-will employees, and their employer can fire them at any time for any reason. Workers can also face discipline or retaliation and, without union representation and a real grievance procedure, have little recourse to respond. Due to economic insecurity, insecure immigration status, and other factors, hotel workers (rightly) have a lot of fear in coming forward about workplace sexual violence. And even if they do want to report, there are often language and other barriers they need to overcome in order to do so. When workers are at a power disadvantage—as housekeepers are when they’re alone in a hotel room with a guest—they become targets for harassment and violence. And when workers are afraid or otherwise unable to speak out, the situation becomes even worse.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>How can people in the Legal Voice community support hotel workers and UNITE HERE! Local 8’s mission?</b><br />
<br />
First, anyone who travels and stays in hotels should use the Fair Hotels program to make sure that you’re supporting union workplaces and avoiding hotels that are under boycott. You can search for hotels at <a href="http://www.fairhotel.org/">www.fairhotel.org</a> or by using the <a href="http://www.fairhotel.org/fairhotel-app" target="_blank">Fair Hotel app</a>. Organizations can also sign on to <a href="http://www.fairhotel.org/sign-fairhotel-partner" target="_blank">become Fair Hotels partners</a> and pledge to use your group business to support hotels and event facilities where workers have the opportunity for a better life.<br />
<br />
Legal Voice supporters can also <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-updates-7" target="_blank">sign up for our email updates</a> and/or follow UNITE HERE Local 8 on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Local8" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/UniteHereLocal8" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. We’ll keep you updated about the latest ways to support I-124 and how to show up for hotel workers fighting for strong contracts later this year.Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-56656189566940320352018-04-10T11:05:00.000-07:002018-04-10T11:10:57.912-07:00The Gender Wage Gap, By the Numbers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvAqkbD-EtY798aD1SabCKF_ejrVpAqIActydO8mVoXoLY7rr_3Zs8Uc2kGqakuKfjNdXG7EHejROiZEF1ufcPPwRiNFh3mG3bjOAa9s6ErwFB-h-rXeBQsusA6ZE2sr_06dVGjJRNCA/s1600/neonbrand-258972-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvAqkbD-EtY798aD1SabCKF_ejrVpAqIActydO8mVoXoLY7rr_3Zs8Uc2kGqakuKfjNdXG7EHejROiZEF1ufcPPwRiNFh3mG3bjOAa9s6ErwFB-h-rXeBQsusA6ZE2sr_06dVGjJRNCA/s400/neonbrand-258972-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Andrew Kashyap</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On Equal Pay Day it’s critical to remember that <b>the pay gap is not equal for all women. </b>The wage gap is wider for women of color, and for other marginalized women including lesbians, transgender women, and women with disabilities.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While White women make 79 cents for every dollar made by their White male counterparts <a href="https://nwlc-ciw49tixgw5lbab.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/The-Wage-Gap-The-Who-How-Why-and-What-to-Do-2017-2.pdf" target="_blank">those figures drop</a> to 63 cents for Black women, 57 cents for Native women, and 54 cents for Latinas. While Asian women on the whole make 87 cents for every dollar earned by White Men, that shrouds the fact that <b>subgroups among Asian women experience some of the highest disparities</b>, such as Vietnamese women at 62 cents and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women at 59 cents of every dollar earned by White men. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Those wage gaps translate into huge annual earnings losses for women of color. The following figures put that in perspective: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>$21,698 for Black women</li>
<li>$24,007 for Native women</li>
<li>$26,403 for Latinas</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
This racial wage gap for women of color is <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/11/opinions/equal-pay-talk-should-be-for-all-women-jones-opinion/index.html?no-st=1523377852" target="_blank">grounded in other racial inequities</a> in our society that impact wages. Education is a factor: Black and Latina women have the lowest rates of college degrees among women which results in lower wages. <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/reports/2012/07/17/11923/the-state-of-women-of-color-in-the-united-states/" target="_blank">Occupational segregation</a> by gender and race is another critical factor; while women overall are overrepresented in low wage occupations such as service sector and clerical jobs, and men underrepresented in these jobs, <b>women of color are twice as likely as their white female counterparts to be employed in low wage jobs</b>. Eliminating the racial wage gap means dismantling some deeper disparities in our economy and a multi-pronged approach to solutions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The bottom line: it is clear that <b>the intersection of race and gender compounds the pay gap further</b>. We must continue to elevate and address this reality—in the same breath that we discuss the overall gap based solely on gender.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Likewise, intersections of <b>sexual orientation and gender identity</b> further reduce women’s wages:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Lesbian women make less than men, regardless of the men’s sexual orientation. According to the <a href="http://www.thetaskforce.org/equal-pay-is-an-lgbt-issue/" target="_blank">most recent analysis available</a>, women in same-sex couples have a median personal income of $38,000, compared to $47,000 for men in same-sex couples and $48,000 for men in different-sex couples.</li>
<li>Transgender women make less after they transition. One study found that the average earnings of transgender women workers <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbt/news/2012/04/16/11494/the-gay-and-transgender-wage-gap/" target="_blank">fall by nearly one-third</a> after transition. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
The wage gap also has a disparate impact on workers with disabilities. Women with disabilities working full time, year round are typically <a href="https://www.nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/wage_gap_hurts_women_and_families.pdf#page=2" target="_blank">paid just 73 cents for every dollar</a> men without disabilities make and 76 cents of what men with disabilities make.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Equal Pay Day is an important day to recognize the continuing struggle against systemic discrimination based on gender, signified by the fact it takes more than four extra months for a woman to earn what a man makes in a year. But it is also a day to <b>recognize the distinctions among different communities of women </b>that result in even higher wage gaps for those living at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The racial pay gap for women of color is massive, and policies that contribute to it are pervasive. Legal Voice calls for concentrating our focus and efforts on eliminating the pay gap—and other similar barriers to gender justice—on those women who are impacted the most.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<i>Andrew Kashyap is Senior Attorney at <a href="http://www.legalvoice.org/">Legal Voice</a>, where his work focuses on economic justice.</i><br />
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/JW6r_0CPYec?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">NeONBRAND</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-78488047409449372082018-03-28T16:03:00.000-07:002018-03-28T16:08:21.738-07:00Practicing Doula Work at the Root<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS71bzAPpw23Om3QFo7G4HWGL_TUOxm1tUpCrf0IbO6ffN6nb5mLCtXZSamcYK_i69xr15jUxHtYquNqdN768xD77PGCOUKjpQB3T7JnjzQRDfKe3MIRwAgla6yCUgRIbd-Mrgllyti4/s1600/janko-ferlic-161104-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS71bzAPpw23Om3QFo7G4HWGL_TUOxm1tUpCrf0IbO6ffN6nb5mLCtXZSamcYK_i69xr15jUxHtYquNqdN768xD77PGCOUKjpQB3T7JnjzQRDfKe3MIRwAgla6yCUgRIbd-Mrgllyti4/s400/janko-ferlic-161104-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
By Jordan Alam</div>
<br />
The power of the doula profession is, in many ways, a far contrast to its origins. Traditionally, doulas are a part of the birthing person’s family, biological or chosen, and in many cultures they still are. The professional word “doula” is relatively new and not recognized across all communities. When people grow up in intergenerational and communal societies where they have seen their family members and friends give birth, they play the doula role regardless of whether they have formal training or not. Everyone in the community is involved in the child’s life through pregnancy and birth and beyond. <br />
<br />
We now live in a society that is starved for this kind of connection. To me, the professionalization of doula care is an amazing resource that also reflects the fact that in the U.S. families and communities are routinely separated by circumstance or intent. It is worth investigating that contradiction. Often the people who need doulas most are unable to access them. This is especially true for black and brown communities, and particularly those with multiple barriers to receiving care. <br />
<br />
An important aspect of my doula practice is working in partnership with EmPATH, an organization working to serve incarcerated pregnant people with doula and midwifery care. EmPATH envisions a world that honors the basic human right to support during the childbearing year, which means repairing the relationships that are taken away by the criminal legal system. Prisons and jails separate families through intent. It is intended for those spaces to sever connection as a form of punishment – a price that ultimately harms all community members and not just the individual. While best practices in baby friendly hospitals encourage bonding as critical for newborn development, varying practices in prisons and jails take away the power of the birthing person to keep contact with their child after birth. Families separated by incarceration often do not experience reunification with their children, and when they are reunited there is struggle to support the family because of the barriers to employment and housing faced upon re-entry. The trauma of separation impacts both parent and child at all of these stages. <br />
<br />
Though connection with a doula is no substitute for the immense amount of care needed to support current and formerly incarcerated people and their healing, it is a small but impactful way to open the door. We see this work as having a ripple effect reaching far beyond its origin point, as backed up by research showing that maternal and infant health outcomes are vastly improved with access to a doula. <br />
<br />
When I personally came across the word “doula,” I felt that it brought together all the skills I had been cultivating both professionally and personally for years – deep listening, advocacy, bringing comfort – all at a moment of deep transformation in someone’s life. I came to doula work through a training, having never seen or attended birth in my life prior to that. While this is not how all people come into birth work, I believe that many of us come to it seeking out this unique connection because we feel its absence from our daily lives. I consider my doula practice to be just as nourishing to me as it is for the people I serve, and sometimes even more so. I know that I have received so much important wisdom through my clients’ resiliency. <br />
<br />
As we close World Doula Week, I invite all doulas to think critically about how we must push our profession further. We owe it to one another to return doula work to its roots. By serving those who have been most harmed and isolated by systems of oppression, we are building a richer community for them and ourselves. We are stepping into a pivotal life event that can affect the physical and emotional health outcomes for every family we touch. And our work does not stop in the birth room. Especially for communities of color, accessing care can begin to heal the connections we have lost through colonization and the criminalization of our bodies and lives. <br />
<br />
As doulas, we have the honor of witnessing. And our responsibility is to communicate what we see and to leverage the power we have relative to our clients so that they receive the best care possible. Whether this is in direct client service or in generating resources for others to do the work, we all have the opportunity to meaningfully impact the lives of birthing people and their children. It is indeed a unique and radical position to be in.<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<i>Jordan Alam is a writer, performer, and birth worker based out of south Seattle. She coordinates the Birth Doula Services program at Open Arms Perinatal Services and runs <a href="http://www.jordanalam.com/doula-services" target="_blank">her own doula practice.</a> She is deeply passionate about empowering marginalized communities through promoting under-heard voices and serving those who have limited access to resources. Find more information about her work at <a href="http://www.jordanalam.com/" target="_blank">www.jordanalam.com</a>.</i></div>
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/T5Q78o0xTdw?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Janko Ferlič</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></i>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-88245878529937831422018-03-22T09:44:00.003-07:002018-03-22T10:07:44.624-07:00Washington Won't Go Back: State Passes Strong Laws to Expand & Protect Reproductive Health Care Access<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53V3A3vOBBMJ5Kz67WRckniQRJ7wUZJIIDyYIFUOzNMLWEmusCUjamsWDqVJbVawmiidMCS7a0aizIGq_Vd7muGYF9w2NxxMA5k_QmYtOeqh6bgF4AhW1iWYPGhZkGknbJfZ4Ecmshng/s1600/simone-van-der-koelen-435823-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53V3A3vOBBMJ5Kz67WRckniQRJ7wUZJIIDyYIFUOzNMLWEmusCUjamsWDqVJbVawmiidMCS7a0aizIGq_Vd7muGYF9w2NxxMA5k_QmYtOeqh6bgF4AhW1iWYPGhZkGknbJfZ4Ecmshng/s400/simone-van-der-koelen-435823-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><b>In the face of federal hostility to reproductive health care services, Washington State leads the way in passing proactive legislation this session.</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>By Sarah MacDonald, Legal Voice;</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Liz McCaman, National Health Law Program; and <br />Huma Zarif, Northwest Health Law Advocates</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Washington State recently passed a suite of laws that expand and protect access to quality, affordable reproductive health care. These critical victories, many of which came after several years of community advocacy, are part of a larger trend of state legislation aiming to bolster protections for contraceptive coverage, abortion care, and other reproductive rights.</div>
<br />
States like Washington are acting now as a defense against the federal government’s repeated attempts to restrict access to health care. Despite the importance of comprehensive family planning services for women’s health outcomes and economic security, the Trump administration has chipped away at the accessibility and quality of reproductive health care services in the following ways:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.healthlaw.org/publications/browse-all-publications/top-10-threats-to-womens-reproductive-health-under-graham-cassidy-bill" target="_blank"><b>Sabotage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)</b></a>: The Department of Health and Human Services has</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.healthlaw.org/blog/666-trump-administration-rules-jeopardize-womens-health-and-reproductive-autonomy" target="_blank">Undermined the ACA’s birth control provision</a> by issuing two Interim Final Rules that create a wildly broad exemption for all kinds of employers, non- and for-profit, to cite religious and "moral" reasons for refusing to provide contraceptive coverage; and </li>
<li>Proposed to effectively dismantle requirements regarding <a href="http://www.healthlaw.org/publications/browse-all-publications/nhelp-comments-hhs-2019-proposed-rule-change-benefit-payment-parameters#.Wpm5LpPwbMI" target="_blank">Essential Health Benefits</a>, which require health insurance plans to include women’s preventive services and maternity care;</li>
</ul>
<li><b><a href="http://www.healthlaw.org/news/press-releases/695-nhelp-on-trumps-proposed-hhs-rule-to-encourage-discrimination-in-health-care" target="_blank">Promotion of Discrimination Under the Guise of Conscience</a> </b>by creating a new office and releasing a proposed rule to normalize and institutionalize providers’ and health care entities’ <a href="https://nohla.org/index.php/2018/01/25/administration-promotes-refusal-of-care-due-to-religious-or-moral-objections/" target="_blank">refusal</a> to meet the standard of care regarding FDA-approved contraceptive methods.</li>
</ul>
Because of these federal actions, many states are working to ensure and expand access to reproductive health care. This latest wave of contraceptive coverage protections began in California in 2014, with legislation sponsored by the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) and Essential Access Health. In the wake of that bill, NHeLP created a Model Contraceptive Equity Act that has since been used to introduce similar legislation nationwide. These bills fill in gaps left by federal guidance and prevent insurers from using medical management techniques, like prior authorization or cost-sharing, to erect access barriers.<br />
<br />
Washington State became the <a href="https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/state-requirements-for-insurance-coverage-of-contraceptives/?currentTimeframe=0&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D" target="_blank">tenth state</a> to adopt a version of the Model Act when its legislature passed the Reproductive Parity Act (<a href="http://apps2.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=6219&Year=2017&BillNumber=6219&Year=2017" target="_blank">Senate Bill 6219</a>) earlier this month. The bill requires health plans to cover all FDA-approved contraceptive methods free of cost-sharing requirements and over-the-counter contraceptives without a prescription. The bill goes further and requires health plans that cover maternity care services to also cover abortion services, making Washington State a bulwark against the <a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/restricting-insurance-coverage-abortion" target="_blank">tide of states</a> that have prohibited both private and public insurers from including abortion coverage in their health plans.<br />
<br />
Further, the Evergreen State seized the opportunity to go beyond contraceptive coverage to enact laws protecting other necessary reproductive health services. <a href="http://apps2.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1523&Year=2017" target="_blank">House Bill 1523</a> creates a strong defense against federal attacks by requiring health insurance plans to cover, without cost-sharing, all preventive services covered by the ACA as of December 2016. In addition to contraception, covered services include HIV and STI testing, screening for breast and cervical cancer, breastfeeding supplies and supports, and domestic violence screening. Advances were also made through <a href="http://apps2.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2016&Year=2017" target="_blank">House Bill 2016</a> to ensure incarcerated people who are pregnant or who have recently given birth can access midwifery or doula services.<br />
<br />
However, more work remains to be done. DACA recipients, undocumented women, and other immigrants under the <a href="https://www.nilc.org/issues/economic-support/overview-immeligfedprograms/" target="_blank">federally mandated five-year bar</a> face gaps in coverage that create unique barriers to accessing care. Similarly, transgender people need specific provisions to ensure they have coverage for gender-affirming services. The groundwork for addressing these issues was set this legislative session with the introduction of <a href="http://apps2.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=6105&Year=2017" target="_blank">Senate Bill 6105</a>.<br />
<br />
Washington State advocates like <a href="http://www.legalvoice.org/" target="_blank">Legal Voice</a> and <a href="https://nohla.org/" target="_blank">Northwest Health Law Advocates</a>, with support from NHeLP, are committed to pushing for broader, more inclusive laws and policies that meet the needs of all of Washington’s communities.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Sarah MacDonald </b>is Marketing & Communications Manager for Legal Voice, a progressive feminist organization using the power of the law to make positive change for women and girls in the Northwest. More at <a href="http://legalvoice.org/">legalvoice.org</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>Liz McCaman</b> is a Staff Attorney at the National Health Law Program, focused on state reproductive health policy.</i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>Huma Zarif</b> is a Staff Attorney at Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA), an organization working to achieve a health care system in which all Washington residents receive quality, affordable health care. More at <a href="http://nohla.org/">nohla.org</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/lSYvRWrNR5U?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Simone van der Koelen</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/health-care?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span></i>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-62486973986175423532018-03-07T10:12:00.002-08:002018-03-07T11:51:23.241-08:00New protections for LGBTQ parents in Washington!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXL99szV_uFJTjI3Uo3nGfe4jFgogzOucE3mzYO63Irp5Pmrrj2PIzkkh9-1ptPj9oOT7f9isU8s9Mfju-1pOQ38Q8mw35tQX2EHpXmAPZG1_4zcJHqR4lKaiSDEUjocICCu0y2GUnaNs/s1600/LGBT+Family.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="905" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXL99szV_uFJTjI3Uo3nGfe4jFgogzOucE3mzYO63Irp5Pmrrj2PIzkkh9-1ptPj9oOT7f9isU8s9Mfju-1pOQ38Q8mw35tQX2EHpXmAPZG1_4zcJHqR4lKaiSDEUjocICCu0y2GUnaNs/s400/LGBT+Family.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By David Ward</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For decades, Legal Voice has worked to <b>ensure that our
law recognizes families in all forms</b>—including families formed by LGBTQ
couples. We’re happy to report that yesterday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee
signed into law <a href="http://www.legalvoice.org/uniform-parentage" target="_blank">Senate Bill 6037</a>, which greatly improves the Washington law
about how people are legally recognized as parents! The new law takes effect on January 1, 2019.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here are <b>some of the key provisions</b> of this update to the Uniform Parentage Act:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<ul>
<li>It allows people who are presumed to be a child’s parent
under Washington law (including married same-sex couples who have children) or
who are intended parents through the use of assisted reproduction to sign what
is called <b>a “voluntary acknowledgement of parentage.” </b>Under federal law, we
believe every state in the country should be required to recognize a voluntary
acknowledgement of parentage as proof that a person is a child’s legal parent.
This provides a way for LGBTQ parents to <b>help protect their rights in every
state in the country</b>, without having to go to court. However, parents are still
advised to consult with family law lawyers experienced in LGBTQ rights in order
to decide what steps to take to ensure that their parental rights are
protected.<br /> </li>
<li>It establishes <b>clearer and simpler rules</b> for courts to
issue judgments that recognize a person as a legal parent of a child. Some LGBTQ parents in Washington have sought
such “parentage judgments” in order to obtain a court order that recognizes
them as a legal parent of a child. This
bill should make that process clearer for parents who may wish to pursue this
option.<br /> </li>
<li>It creates <b>a regulated system that allows compensated
surrogacy</b> in Washington State, while protecting the health, well-being, and
autonomy of women acting as surrogates. Legal Voice worked with the bill’s
sponsor, Sen. Jamie Pedersen, to ensure that the bill <b>provides strong
protections for women acting as surrogates</b>—protections that will help balance
the power between intended parents and surrogates, ensuring that such
arrangements are entered into knowingly, with care, and subject to legal
oversight.<br /> </li>
<li>It preserves <a href="http://www.legalvoice.org/rape-survivor-parenting-rights" target="_blank"><b>the protections</b></a> we gained
last year that provide a way for people who become pregnant as a result of rape
to <b>prevent the rapist from being recognized as a parent of the child</b><span style="color: #333333;">.</span></li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
In the coming months, Legal Voice’s <a href="http://blog.legalvoice.org/2015/04/the-legal-voice-self-help-committee.html" target="_blank">Self Help Committee</a> will work to develop materials that explain the changes made
by this law and what they mean for you.</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11.7px;">David Ward is Senior Attorney at <a href="http://www.legalvoice.org/" style="color: #f15e24; text-decoration-line: none;">Legal Voice</a>, where his work focuses on gender violence, family law, and LGBT rights.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-25518605073614217022017-09-07T11:41:00.000-07:002017-09-07T12:12:59.193-07:00This Administration is Moving in the Wrong Direction on Campus Sexual Assault<head>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@Legal_Voice" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="This Administration is Moving in the Wrong Direction on Campus Sexual Assault" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Today's announcement from Betsy DeVos makes it clear: the principles and protections of Title IX are under threat." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCPjKBglBUJ_Zkdk2vZM-yRb98ULq_00GhLwUgh1SpQ6wwen31Bdz7N8qwsyfo1THFaC_YNI048ZEV0caVuDxoNO2Vc3Q73izUNpkH2RhW0lNXogfLGapbrRa7GjSJXtOmJgrdAClkuc/s1600/33133724085_352481babb_k.jpg" />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCPjKBglBUJ_Zkdk2vZM-yRb98ULq_00GhLwUgh1SpQ6wwen31Bdz7N8qwsyfo1THFaC_YNI048ZEV0caVuDxoNO2Vc3Q73izUNpkH2RhW0lNXogfLGapbrRa7GjSJXtOmJgrdAClkuc/s1600/33133724085_352481babb_k.jpg" />
</head>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCPjKBglBUJ_Zkdk2vZM-yRb98ULq_00GhLwUgh1SpQ6wwen31Bdz7N8qwsyfo1THFaC_YNI048ZEV0caVuDxoNO2Vc3Q73izUNpkH2RhW0lNXogfLGapbrRa7GjSJXtOmJgrdAClkuc/s1600/33133724085_352481babb_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCPjKBglBUJ_Zkdk2vZM-yRb98ULq_00GhLwUgh1SpQ6wwen31Bdz7N8qwsyfo1THFaC_YNI048ZEV0caVuDxoNO2Vc3Q73izUNpkH2RhW0lNXogfLGapbrRa7GjSJXtOmJgrdAClkuc/s400/33133724085_352481babb_k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
By Olivia Ortiz</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">Title IX guarantees students an education free
from sex discrimination. In 2011, the federal Department of Education clarified
the application of this law in its </span><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201104.pdf" target="_blank"><i>Dear Colleague Letter</i></a>,<span lang="EN"> requiring schools to “take immediate action to eliminate
. . .harassment [including sexual violence], prevent its recurrence, and
address its effects.” This document<b> provides crucial guidance as to what Title
IX means in practice</b>—that is, what sex-equal access to education actually looks
like, for students, at schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">Today, with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s
announcement that the Administration intends to make new rules rather than
maintain the <i>Dear Colleague Letter</i>’s guidance, <b>the principles and protections
of Title IX are under threat</b>. With no sexual assault survivors present and with
very little input from people whose right to be free of gender discrimination
in education is at risk, DeVos claimed that the current guidance does not
adequately protect the rights of accused students.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">I offer my experience as a student to
illustrate the critical need for the principles in the Obama Administration’s
guidance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">As a student at The University of Chicago, I
first found myself reviewing my school’s sexual misconduct policy in 2012.
While the policy was purported to have been written for students, it was
confusing and internally inconsistent. In talks with the administration, even
seasoned administrators failed to state what these policies actually were. A
simple question persisted: <b>what were our rights?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">The <i>Dear
Colleague Letter</i> concretely illustrates what the law affords by <b>requiring
policies and procedures that are equitable to all parties</b> involved. An academic
environment free from sex discrimination means equal access to: engaging in
class, accessing campus resources, and <a href="http://blog.legalvoice.org/2017/08/leveling-playing-field-beyond-gender.html" target="_blank">participating in extracurricular activities</a>, all without injury resulting from sexual violence. When such
injuries occur, <b>schools must address the violence promptly</b>, with clear policies
and effective remedies. It also prescribes basic measures that allow students
to continue their education after experiencing violence. After trauma, access
to counseling, increased security measures, and academic accommodations are
often the difference between students thriving academically and dropping out.
Finally, the <i>Dear Colleague Letter</i>
requires that schools take preventative action in the form of trainings for
faculty, staff, and students, so that all members of the campus community
understand what their rights and responsibilities are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">The <i>Dear
Colleague Letter</i> <b>transforms a law into a concrete tool </b>that students can
wield for justice. Equipped with this guidance, my classmates at the University
of Chicago and I demanded clear, centralized, and streamlined policies. These
efforts have resulted in two policy overhauls and a user-accessible </span><a href="http://umatter.uchicago.edu/" target="_blank">university website</a><span lang="EN"> that actually communicates to students their rights at the
university, civil, and federal levels. We demanded that our professors and
classmates receive comprehensive training as to how to prevent and address
sexual violence, resulting in mandatory Title IX training for the entire
community. We showed survivors that they deserve more from their university
than an incomprehensible webpage and illusory rights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">Title IX </span><a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix-education-amendments-1972" target="_blank">states</a><span lang="EN"> that “[n]o person in the United States
shall, on the basis of sex, . . . be subjected to discrimination under any
education program or activity . . . .” However, sex inequality in education
does not live in statutory language alone. It walks with survivors as they pass
their assailants on the quad; it sleeps with them in their dorms as their
perpetrators lie rooms away; it sits with them in a dean’s office in mediations
with their abusers. The <i>Dear Colleague
Letter </i>gives voice to the violent realities of the very discrimination the
statute prohibits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN">But the Trump Administration is wrong if it
believes today’s announcement will end the effort to prevent and address campus
sexual assault. Title IX is still the law of the land and the <i>Dear Colleague
Letter</i> only clarified what the law already provides. Survivors and advocates
for their rights will not stop demanding the full protections of <b>a law designed
to make education free from discrimination</b>, including gender-based violence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>Olivia Ortiz is a Legal Voice volunteer, currently serving as a member of the <a href="http://blog.legalvoice.org/2017/04/empowering-survivors-to-achieve-justice.html">Campus Sexual Assault Workgroup</a>. Olivia has been a leader on the Workgroup's soon-to-be-released project: a "Know Your Rights" resource for survivors of sexual assault on Washington State campuses.</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/33133724085" target="_blank">Gage Skidmore</a></span>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-79741772632475251872017-08-23T11:36:00.000-07:002017-08-28T11:09:02.345-07:00Leveling the Playing Field Beyond the Gender Binary: How Title IX Must Continue to Evolve<head>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@Legal_Voice" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Leveling the Playing Field Beyond the Gender Binary: How Title IX Must Continue to Evolve" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="This year marks 45 years since Title IX was passed. It's a fitting time to re-examine Title IX—how it has improved education for people of all genders, and where it still fails." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nJIsx67Dm8lNMA-zHM8fd89t49epRzqCBWXSHXh6kvUue2RNO0WwCfwzwvD1492dW1jvMrmtoh96IvXcZW3aE9HuBxAIQ0iEGrvLFBcY-cHQ65OPgeyueKz0EQPl-DxKlVkw0FFtsX0/s1600/spxxbearden_hc-331.jpg" />
</head>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nJIsx67Dm8lNMA-zHM8fd89t49epRzqCBWXSHXh6kvUue2RNO0WwCfwzwvD1492dW1jvMrmtoh96IvXcZW3aE9HuBxAIQ0iEGrvLFBcY-cHQ65OPgeyueKz0EQPl-DxKlVkw0FFtsX0/s1600/spxxbearden_hc-331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="810" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nJIsx67Dm8lNMA-zHM8fd89t49epRzqCBWXSHXh6kvUue2RNO0WwCfwzwvD1492dW1jvMrmtoh96IvXcZW3aE9HuBxAIQ0iEGrvLFBcY-cHQ65OPgeyueKz0EQPl-DxKlVkw0FFtsX0/s400/spxxbearden_hc-331.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jillian Bearden, pro cyclist and transgender woman. <i>Photo: <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2017/08/07/first-female-transgender-pro-cyclist-colorado-classic-2017/" target="_blank">Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Lulu Klebanoff</div>
<br />
Title IX was signed into law in 1972, during a time of political and social upheaval, as the US felt the effects of the civil rights, anti-Vietnam War, gay rights, and second-wave feminist movements. It validated decades of women’s rights activism and secured improved education for the women of the future. It states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under an educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Forty-five years have passed, and we are yet again in a time of political and social upheaval, with the Black Lives Matter, reproductive justice, and trans rights movements coming into conflict with a federal government that is increasingly hostile to social justice. It is a fitting time to re-examine Title IX—<a href="https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/seventies/essays/impact-title-ix" target="_blank">how it has improved education</a> for people of all genders, and where it still fails. <br />
<br />
Title IX requires educational institutions that receive any federal funding (i.e. public elementary, middle, and high schools, and nearly all colleges and universities) to <b>provide equal access to all educational programs for all people</b>, regardless of gender. Title IX allows women to earn degrees in medicine or law at graduate schools that previously wouldn’t have admitted them, to study disciplines like math and science that were previously considered beyond their abilities, and to seek remedies from their schools for the previously unspeakable harms of <a href="https://nwlc.org/resources/title-ix-requires-schools-to-address-sexual-violence/" target="_blank">sexual harassment and assault experienced on campus</a>. And, perhaps most notably, it allows them to play on school sports teams, something <a href="http://thesportjournal.org/article/a-history-of-women-in-sport-prior-to-title-ix/" target="_blank">almost unheard of</a> before Title IX was passed. <br />
<br />
Title IX requires that schools provide <a href="https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/advocate/title-ix-issues/what-is-title-ix/standard-language-of-title-ix/" target="_blank">equal athletic participation opportunities</a>, equal athletic scholarships, and equal access to resources such as locker rooms, equipment, coaching, etc. These requirements are necessary to <b>provide women with access to the benefits of sports that they were previously locked out of</b>: opportunities to exercise, build strong friendships, practice teamwork and leadership, and compete. And participation in sports has benefits off the field as well. Studies show that athletes are <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/uloop/the-benefits-of-playing-s_b_922842.html" target="_blank">less stressed</a>, are <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future" target="_blank">more likely to graduate</a>, <a href="https://www.nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/nwlcathletics_titleixfactsheet.pdf" target="_blank">have higher self-esteem, and are less likely to smoke or use drugs</a>. So it is a great victory for women that Title IX caused girls’ participation in high school athletics <a href="https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/advocate/title-ix-issues/history-title-ix/history-title-ix/" target="_blank">to increase tenfold</a> and women’s participation in college athletics to increase sixfold between 1972 and 2012. <br />
<br />
But Title IX’s work is not yet done. <a href="https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/advocate/title-ix-issues/what-is-title-ix/title-ix-primer/" target="_blank">80-90% of all educational institutions</a> <b>do not meet Title IX’s athletics standards</b> (though they can still retain federal funding by claiming they demonstrate a history and continuing practice of expanding opportunities for women, or that they are effectively accommodating women’s interests and abilities). And, according to the National Women’s Law Center, <a href="https://www.nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/nwlcathletics_titleixfactsheet.pdf" target="_blank">1.3 million fewer girls</a> play sports in high school than boys, and only 28% of the money spent on athletics at NCAA schools is spent on women’s athletics. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The situation for trans students is even more dire. </b><br />
<br />
The fight for gender equality has expanded since 1972 to include transgender and nonbinary people, but Title IX has not expanded to protect trans students. <a href="https://nwlc.org/resources/transgender-students-rights-faqs/" target="_blank">Many</a> <a href="http://digitalcommons.law.wne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1291&context=facschol" target="_blank">argue</a> that Title IX should apply to trans students, because sex includes gender identity, and thus discrimination against trans people is discrimination “on the basis of sex.” Several cases regarding Title VII—which focuses on employment rather than education—have set a precedent for this concept. In one such case, the Justice Department refused to hire Mia Macy, a trans woman, specifically because she was transgender. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/decisions/0120120821%20Macy%20v%20DOJ%20ATF.txt" target="_blank">ruled</a> in her favor, declaring that “intentional discrimination against a transgender individual because that person is transgender is, by definition, discrimination ‘based on… sex.’” It seems logical this would apply to education as well, but no Title IX cases have yet set such a precedent. This means <b>Title IX currently does little for the many trans students who are excluded</b> from high school and college athletics. <br />
<br />
Young trans men and women are often kept from playing on teams that match their gender identity. Some are barred from competing by coaches and administrators, who act as unregulated gatekeepers to the world of sports. Some, <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/02/27/the_texas_trans_boy_forced_to_wrestle_girls_exposes_the_illogic_of_anti.html" target="_blank">like Mack Beggs</a>, a trans male wrestler who won the 2017 Texas state championship, are <b>forced to compete on teams of their assigned gender</b> by state athletic associations. And some are kept out of competition for at least a year (or sometimes entirely) by the <a href="http://digitalcommons.law.wne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1248&context=facschol" target="_blank">NCAA’s policy for trans women</a> that requires a level of medical transition difficult for many to achieve. And young <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/meet-the-amazing-athlete-who-wants-people-of-all-genders-to-compete-in-the-sports-world_us_55e8a001e4b0aec9f356a419" target="_blank">nonbinary athletes</a> are ignored by policies entirely, forcing them to make a difficult choice between competing on a gendered team and not playing at all. <br />
<br />
Trans Americans face no shortage of serious issues, such as <a href="http://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS%20Full%20Report%20-%20FINAL%201.6.17.pdf" target="_blank">alarming rates of physical and sexual assault</a>, <a href="http://www.lgbtmap.org/file/lgbt-criminal-justice-trans.pdf" target="_blank">systematic criminalization</a>, and dehumanization by <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/-bathroom-bill-legislative-tracking635951130.aspx" target="_blank">“bathroom bills”</a> and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/26/politics/trump-military-transgender/index.html" target="_blank">military bans</a>. But <b>the way we treat trans people in sports is an especially powerful litmus test</b> for not only the status of trans rights, but also the status of gender as a whole in the US. Policies like <a href="http://digitalcommons.law.wne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1248&context=facschol" target="_blank">the International Olympic Committee’s and similar US state policies</a>, that require extensive legal and medical transition for trans women to compete in women’s athletics, reveal an underlying assumption that “male” bodies are inherently superior to “female” bodies. While such physical differences do exist on average (the average cis man is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/apps/g/page/national/gender-performance-in-sports/830/" target="_blank">stronger and less flexible</a> than the average cis woman, advantaging men in sports like sprinting and women in sports like gymnastics), this is a very limited view of human biology and of what factors contribute to athletic ability. <br />
<br />
Biological sex is less binary than most people believe. Erin Buzuvis, a professor at the New England University School of Law, describes sex as a continuum, rather than a binary, in her paper <a href="https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=204024105119025082064110014098101093034021070051045032025117110105026084085096112011048103001010014121023026093065005080007112107082070089028075092100008116095065035037042078110014092030007127025067076087069122098066003085026093014116003065013008121&EXT=pdf" target="_blank">“Caster Semenya and the Myth of a Level Playing Field.”</a> Even ignoring gender identity—which may actually be inappropriate, as scientific study increasingly suggests that <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/biology-gender-identity-children/" target="_blank">gender identity is biologically ingrained</a>, and thus a part of biological sex—sex is a combination of chromosomes, hormones, and genitalia. All of these, especially hormone levels, vary widely—even chromosomes can be XO, XXY, XYY, XXX, or differ on a cell-by-cell basis—and can match up differently in intersex people. (Like people with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome who have XY chromosomes but lower testosterone levels than the average woman, and thus externally appear female, or like <a href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/sports/olympics/gender-dutee-chand-india.html?module=subsection_sports">Dutee Chand</a>.) Professor Buzuvis further points out that <b>segregating people by sex doesn’t control for other athletic advantages of birth</b>, like height, longer or shorter limbs, or extensive access to coaching from a young age.<br />
<br />
So while dividing sports by sex does make sense as a strategy to maintain a level playing field, we must recognize that<b> it is an imperfect and arbitrary system</b>. Once we recognize this, it becomes clear that enforcing the gender binary in high school and collegiate athletics doesn’t truly promote “fairness,” and instead just excludes trans students from the physical, emotional, and educational benefits of sports. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is clear to the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association, whose <a href="http://www.wiaa.com/ConDocs/Con1629/Eligibility%20(26-40)%20-%20updated%202.23.2017.pdf" target="_blank">policy on trans athletes</a> is one of the most progressive in the country. All athletic organizations in Washington State are required by the WIAA to allow every student athlete to compete on a team consistent with their gender identity, and to follow a non-invasive, psychologically based investigation process should the need to verify a student’s asserted gender identity arise. Establishing similar policies in other states would be <b>a vital step towards extending Title IX to people of all genders</b> and truly eliminating gender as a factor in education.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Lulu Klebanoff is a legal intern at Legal Voice, and a rising sophomore at Yale University. In her free time she loves doing improv, writing, petting dogs, and slowly dismantling the heteropatriarchy. She once broke her toe by dropping a 25 pound weight on it, and subsequently stopped weightlifting.</i></div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-942358533404624982017-07-26T14:47:00.000-07:002017-07-26T15:42:37.163-07:00Here’s the Sex Ed Lesson the Trump Administration Missed in Class<head>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@Legal_Voice" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Here's the Sex Ed Lesson the Trump Administration Missed in Class" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:url" content="http://blog.legalvoice.org/2017/07/heres-sex-ed-lesson-trump.html" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXZPQct-rn-c97R_r4kB8W161iSopeHuiRyQHuglHbVEvWhF8z917ZpjXzSkib26ZfjZeQHm3oqSpyUdqRnZC-U5LxEBs0me3J9Cc4pfc-OuRtSmJ2Th5tanSQxSvx58ikKJw_4iZe7E/s1600/Mirena_IUD_with_hand.jpg" />
<meta property="og:description" content="It’s a scientific fact that contraception works and that better insurance coverage helps prevent unintended pregnancies. Decreasing contraception access by weakening the ACA’s birth control mandate can only result in more unintended pregnancies, more unnecessary abortions, and higher healthcare costs." />
</head>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXZPQct-rn-c97R_r4kB8W161iSopeHuiRyQHuglHbVEvWhF8z917ZpjXzSkib26ZfjZeQHm3oqSpyUdqRnZC-U5LxEBs0me3J9Cc4pfc-OuRtSmJ2Th5tanSQxSvx58ikKJw_4iZe7E/s1600/Mirena_IUD_with_hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXZPQct-rn-c97R_r4kB8W161iSopeHuiRyQHuglHbVEvWhF8z917ZpjXzSkib26ZfjZeQHm3oqSpyUdqRnZC-U5LxEBs0me3J9Cc4pfc-OuRtSmJ2Th5tanSQxSvx58ikKJw_4iZe7E/s400/Mirena_IUD_with_hand.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Nina Dutta</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, you may
have heard some remarkable words from your pharmacist or healthcare provider:
<b>“There’s no co-pay.”</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s because the <a href="https://nwlc.org/resources/the-affordable-care-acts-birth-control-benefit-is-working-for-women/" target="_blank">ACA included a mandate</a> for most insurance companies to fully cover FDA-approved
contraception – regardless of method or price. While there is a <a href="https://www.cms.gov/cciio/resources/fact-sheets-and-faqs/womens-preven-02012013.html" target="_blank">religious exemption</a> for insurance provided by churches and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/06/30/a-lot-of-people-could-be-affected-by-the-supreme-courts-birth-control-decision/?utm_term=.9b6dcf8fefbd" target="_blank">closely-held companies</a>, millions of insured women in the U.S. have been getting their
contraception without a co-pay for several years now. In 2013 alone, women saved
<a href="https://nwlc.org/resources/the-affordable-care-acts-birth-control-benefit-is-working-for-women/" target="_blank">more than $1.4 billion dollars</a> on out-of-pocket costs because of the mandate.
They’ve also taken advantage of the coverage by seeking out pricier but more
effective methods <a href="https://www.bedsider.org/features/70-paragard-vs-mirena-which-iud-is-best-for-you" target="_blank">like IUDs</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, however, the Trump Administration is <b>poised to remove this
coverage</b>. A document leaked on May 31st described a plan to expand the
religious exemption so that it applies to any non-governmental employer that
wants to opt out of covering contraception due to religious or moral opposition
– meaning that nearly any employer could choose to drop coverage. (And all of
this is <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/25/politics/senate-health-care-vote/index.html" target="_blank">assuming the ACA isn’t repealed</a> outright, anyway.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No surprise there. <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/11/11/501611813/women-rush-to-get-long-acting-birth-control-after-trump-wins" target="_blank">Women predicted a rollback</a> on their contraceptive access and abortion rights after
the election and have been seeking long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)
methods – many of which can outlast a presidency - in <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/11/23/503019931/spike-in-demand-for-long-acting-birth-control-strains-clinic-budgets" target="_blank">record numbers</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What <i>is</i> surprising
is that the Administration justified expanding the exemption by questioning
whether contraception <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/us/politics/birth-control-women-trump-health-care.html?_r=0" target="_blank">prevents unintended pregnancies</a> at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yeah, you read that right.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Apparently, key members of the Administration missed that
day of class where many of us learned that <b>contraception works</b>. And the advice
from their doctors. Not to mention <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/05/06/pogrebin.pill.roundup/index.html" target="_blank">the last 57 years</a> of women’s progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So let’s break it down for them:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Alternative Fact</b>:
Increased usage of prescription contraception hasn’t decreased the rates of
unintended pregnancy – so we shouldn’t require insurers to cover contraception.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Reality</b>:
Unsurprisingly, contraception does what it’s supposed to, and its increased use
has been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20070205" target="_blank">repeatedly linked</a> to decreases in unintended pregnancy rates since the birth control
pill was invented. In fact, a recent increase in the use of prescription contraception
between 2008 and 2012 was associated with <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1506575#t=article" target="_blank">the lowest unintended pregnancy rate</a> in 30 years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Alternative Fact</b>:
Increasing access to prescription contraception doesn’t mean that women
actually use contraception more – so it’s fine to reduce access.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Reality</b>:
Actually, a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23168752" target="_blank">wide</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19135566" target="_blank">body</a> of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27605640" target="_blank">research</a> shows that
women whose insurance covers contraception are more likely to use prescription
contraception, while women without that coverage rely more on less effective
methods like condoms and are more likely to have unintended pregnancies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Alternative Fact</b>:
Increased access to prescription contraception increases the teen birth rate –
so we should not trust contraception at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Reality</b>: History clearly
shows that as the birth control pill became more accessible throughout the
1960s, 70s, and 80s, teen birth rates across the U.S. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20070205" target="_blank">decreased</a>. Modern
research shows that same effect: In the CHOICE study that took place between
2007 and 2011, St. Louis teenagers at high risk for unintended pregnancy were
given their choice of any prescription contraceptive at no cost – and they
experienced abortion and teen birth at <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23168752" target="_blank">less than half</a> of the national
and regional rates.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s a scientific fact that contraception works and that better
insurance coverage helps prevent unintended pregnancies. Decreasing
contraception access by weakening the ACA’s birth control mandate can only
result in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/27542519/" target="_blank">more unintended pregnancies</a>, more unnecessary abortions, and higher healthcare costs. That’s
something that we can all agree we don’t want – regardless of religious or
moral convictions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Nina Dutta is an
advocate for women’s health and reproductive rights and a former Obstetrics
& Gynecology researcher. She is a rising 2L at the University of Michigan
Law School and is currently a Legal Intern for Legal Voice.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mirena_IUD_with_hand.jpg" target="_blank">Sarahmirk | Wikimedia Commons</a></span></div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-26360692307456129682017-06-30T17:54:00.000-07:002017-07-01T13:02:08.586-07:00What Paid Family & Medical Leave Means to Me—and What It Means for You<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4VMIJPq5J0pZsSEfu-CyYNdpIWf0V147ZDZ43c1loMskjhZ-9mD1MudHL27rWNnguHhRBiXsRFhN4nhpNQYaaaHzSdIpQp9dYy_5Sg0a2v-B-R7Ju9dencHnqc289SnkaajHHy9OMd0/s1600/image002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4VMIJPq5J0pZsSEfu-CyYNdpIWf0V147ZDZ43c1loMskjhZ-9mD1MudHL27rWNnguHhRBiXsRFhN4nhpNQYaaaHzSdIpQp9dYy_5Sg0a2v-B-R7Ju9dencHnqc289SnkaajHHy9OMd0/s1600/image002.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
By Janet Chung</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Some 25 or so years ago, I was just out of college and about to start law school, excited to be an intern at the then-Women’s Legal Defense Fund (now, the <a href="http://www.nationalpartnership.org/" target="_blank">National Partnership for Women & Families</a>). I was tasked with researching state family and medical leave laws as part of the effort to pass the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.<br />
<br />
To be honest, the research was somewhat academic to me at the time; interesting, but academic. I learned that the <b>U.S. lagged behind almost every developed nation</b> because we lacked (<a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/26/u-s-lacks-mandated-paid-parental-leave/" target="_blank">and still do</a>) even paid maternity leave, let alone other forms of paid leave. I learned that some states had passed laws that protected people’s jobs when they had to take time off from work to care for their families or for themselves. I learned that it was <b>important to make these laws gender-neutral</b>, because even if women are in fact still most often the primary caregivers in their families and the ones to give birth, and therefore, the ones who need the time off, a law limited to maternity leave would keep that status quo and reinforce stereotypes. (I am quite sure I was not aware of the idea of <a href="http://people.com/babies/the-pregnant-man-gives-birth/">transgender men becoming pregnant</a> until 2008. [And to the naysayers: I stand by the utility of my People magazine subscription!])<br />
<br />
In short, I knew <b>being able to keep your job when you experienced a family health crisis or a new baby was important</b>. Yet still, unpaid leave for those reasons wasn’t something I personally needed. Moreover, the idea of <i>paid</i> family and medical leave was, if you will, still but a gleam in my eye. Pie in the sky.<br />
<br />
Several years later, I was back at the National Partnership as a legal fellow. At that point, after multiple vetoes, thanks to a change in the executive branch, the Family and Medical Leave Act had finally been signed into law (in 1993). I still remember my boss, the visionary Donna Lenhoff, telling me, “Now, we need to start working on paid leave.” She referred to it as <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0804/p17s1.html" target="_blank">“family leave insurance,” or “income”</a> – because the idea was that funding wouldn’t be the sole responsibility of the individual, or any one employer. Rather, it would be like the unemployment insurance system – a system that relied on pooled funds to help soften the blow when the unpredictable rainy days came to pass.<br />
<br />
Fast forward a few years. At this point, I am no longer a carefree single person, with parents in good health, with a good stable income, whose primary concern was where to go on my next vacation. I am now a working lawyer, a mother who’s experienced two pregnancies, one with some complications and that ended in a C-section. I am no longer part of a high-earning dual-income couple. My parents and children have been diagnosed with serious health conditions. I’ve watched close friends and colleagues experience caring for their parents through declining health and, often, up to death. They’ve also miscarried, been placed on bed rest, and had children, some with serious health conditions. Friends have had brain tumors, cancer diagnoses, hip replacements. <b><i>Because that is life. </i></b><br />
<br />
So the passage of paid family and medical leave law in my adopted home state of Washington is particularly meaningful to me. I still consider myself lucky, privileged. But after those intervening decades, I now know – <b><i>this isn’t just academic</i></b>. This law is not merely a statement piece for gender equality. This is an important progressive policy that will transform thousands of lives. Like yours. Like mine.<br />
<br />
Because let’s face it: America simply hasn’t been that great to too many of its denizens. So it’s wonderful, on the eve of the celebration of our nation’s birth, to have something to celebrate that shows the best of what our democratic process can create: a law that values the people and their families who are at the country’s heart.<br />
<br />
<b>Highlights of the new law:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Once the law goes into effect, you will be able to take up to <b>12 weeks of paid leave for family caregiving and 12 weeks of paid medical leave</b>, with a combined <b>annual cap of 16 weeks</b> of paid leave. For those with pregnancy-related health complications, the cap is extended to 18 weeks. </li>
<li>A key feature is <b>portability</b>; to be eligible, you have to have worked a threshold number of hours (820 hours in the qualifying period, which in most cases is the first 4 of the last 5 quarters), but the hours can be with different employers. Moreover, even self-employed individuals and independent contractors can elect coverage. </li>
<li>The law also <b>defines “family” broadly</b> to include children, grandchildren, grandparents, parents, parents-in-law, siblings, and spouses – in recognition of the reality of family caregiving. </li>
<li>The benefit is a <b>progressive benefit</b>; in other words, those who earn less will receive a larger percentage of their wage, while high-earning workers will receive a smaller percentage of their wage. </li>
<li>The program will be funded by <b>contributions from both employers and employees.</b> Someone working full time at $13.50 an hour and making about $28,000 a year will pay $1.36 a week and the employer will pay $.80 a week. Employers with 50 or fewer employees are exempt from paying the employer share of the premium. </li>
<li>Employees of employers with 50 or more employees are entitled to be <b>restored to the same or equivalent job</b>, as with the FMLA. </li>
</ul>
For more information, check out our <a href="http://waworkandfamily.org/" target="_blank">Washington Work & Family Coalition website</a>, which will be updated with the most current information about the new law. You can join us in thanking the key legislators who made this policy a reality by <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnacHjJXX71TpXTsnrjQwferhRD2z3hUB3ZMXGPqw8hU7T2Q/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank">signing our community card</a>.Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-63818404975633729652017-06-15T10:24:00.000-07:002017-08-28T09:04:35.405-07:00Sense8 and Netflix's Questionable Commitment to Diversity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMS7KSjgiBQzKamr0PBwqVNOOQeiJUF5rH2Agh55xQyGiP6tPRDF2duDLpON-fxoGcSWEGRomxMbbbPrXGJIVi8RN9Xai11okqLdw8umDRgqI_O3UPb3APP6qrlf4YhsfJ1VPfNT8Adzc/s1600/18148305074_84ebbf5503_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="800" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMS7KSjgiBQzKamr0PBwqVNOOQeiJUF5rH2Agh55xQyGiP6tPRDF2duDLpON-fxoGcSWEGRomxMbbbPrXGJIVi8RN9Xai11okqLdw8umDRgqI_O3UPb3APP6qrlf4YhsfJ1VPfNT8Adzc/s400/18148305074_84ebbf5503_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
By Lulu Klebanoff</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I watch Lito Rodriguez, a Mexican action movie star, take the stage at the São Paulo Pride Parade. Recently, sexually explicit photos of him and his partner were publicized without his permission, launching him out of the closet and into public scrutiny. His film career is collapsing around him, but he accepted the invitation to speak at the parade. He looks nervous and exposed, framed by a rainbow of balloons. But then, he finds his courage. “All my life I’ve had to pretend to be something I wasn’t,” he begins. “And to become what I wanted to become I couldn’t be what I am.” He hesitates, looking over to his partner. And then: “I am a gay man.” He smiles. I can see the relief in his eyes, the freedom of finally being out on his own terms. “I’ve never said those words in public before. I am a gay man!” He shouts it over and over, embracing any potential consequences for his career, his safety, and his relationships, as the crowd cheers. I am moved to tears by his courage, his joy, and his love. <br />
<br />
Lito is fictional—he is a character on the Netflix original series <i>Sense8</i>, played by <a href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS688US688&q=Miguel+%C3%81ngel+Silvestre&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LVT9c3NEwyLymvLIi3VOLSz9U3MMlJjzco0zLJTrbST8tMLsnMz0vMiS_NyyxLLSpORRJKzkgsSkwuSS2yKshJrExNUUiqBABluKyDUwAAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZ4cnqgqrUAhVK82MKHVvxAX0QmxMIlAEoATAR" target="_blank">Miguel Ángel Silvestre</a>. But his story has real and powerful effects, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7Ey_u7xZXw" target="_blank">his pride parade speech</a> did make me cry. The second season of <i>Sense8</i>, released in May, was the perfect relief from today’s political climate: a diverse, hopeful story about love, empathy, and the power of human connection. <i>Sense8</i> is the story of eight people across the globe who become psychically linked, and use their connection to fight against a mysterious organization that’s determined to hunt them down. But it’s the characters and their compelling personal journeys that have given the show its passionate following. Even when the storytelling may slow or the mythology may get jumbled, the ensemble, which is exceedingly diverse in race, gender, sexuality, and life experience, can still capture viewers’ hearts. <br />
<br />
Which is why it came as such a shock when <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/netflix-cancels-sense8-1202450642/" target="_blank">Netflix cancelled <i>Sense8</i></a>, less than a month after the release of the second season. Fans were furious, and even started a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/netflixlat-netflix-sense8-sense-8-season-3-renewal?recruiter=636745850&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition" target="_blank">petition to get the show renewed</a>, or at least to get an explanation for the cancellation. Netflix has been very cagey about the decision. Cindy Holland, VP of Netflix original content, said <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/858436/sense8-canceled-why-netflix-is-finally-pulling-the-plug-on-shows" target="_blank">in a statement</a> that there has never been “a more truly global show with an equally diverse and international cast and crew” but that the show “is coming to an end.” There’s some <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Why-Did-Netflix-Cancel-Sense8-43600494" target="_blank">speculation</a> that the show simply didn’t have a large enough viewership. Netflix doesn’t release its viewership numbers, but <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/858436/sense8-canceled-why-netflix-is-finally-pulling-the-plug-on-shows" target="_blank">Netflix CEO Reed Hastings implied</a> that the shows that get cancelled (of which there have only been four) are the ones people aren’t watching. But when combined with Netflix’s recent <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/the-get-down-canceled-1202443885/" target="_blank">cancellation of <i>The Get Down</i></a>, a musical series about the birth of hip hop in 1970s New York (which doesn’t have a single white person in the main cast), the decision seems suspect. <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Why-Did-Netflix-Cancel-Sense8-43600494" target="_blank">People are wondering</a> why Netflix is cancelling shows with such important minority representation. <i>Sense8</i> starred Jamie Clayton, a trans actress, as Nomi Marks, one of the few trans characters on TV. At the end of the second season, Nomi had just gotten engaged to her girlfriend Amanita. Now we will never see their wedding. <br />
<br />
In the past, Netflix has been <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/11044-how-netflix-shows-are-leading-hollywood-s-diversity-charge" target="_blank">praised</a> for its commitment to diversity, demonstrated by shows like <i>Narcos</i> and <i>Orange is the New Black</i>. <b>But is Netflix any more committed to diversity than the competing cable networks?</b> I looked at the shows from the 2016-17 season that Netflix is renewing, and compared them with the shows that The CW is renewing on three metrics of diversity: LGBTQ representation, racial minority representation, and female leads. On the first two counts, Netflix clearly does worse. While the CW has a queer character in the main cast of 55% of their renewed, scripted shows (plus a recurring queer character in an additional 27%), Netflix has a queer character in the main cast of only 29%. And while the CW has at least one person of color in the main cast of 91% of their renewed, scripted shows, Netflix meets this low bar with only 57%. Ideally, half of shows should have a female lead, and 48% of Netflix’s renewed, scripted shows do have a female lead (as compared to 45% of the CWs). But women aren’t very active behind the scenes at Netflix—less than 20% of Netflix’s writers, directors, and creators were found to be women <a href="http://annenberg.usc.edu/pages/~/media/MDSCI/CARDReport%20FINAL%2022216.ashx" target="_blank">in a 2016 study</a>.<br />
<br />
Netflix is getting better. In the 2016-17 season, it put out some amazingly progressive shows like <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/one-day-at-a-time-review-960493" target="_blank"><i>One Day at a Time</i></a> (about a Cuban American single mother, with a lesbian daughter), <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/08/arts/television/review-in-grace-and-frankie-on-netflix-new-wrinkles-in-comedy.html?_r=0" target="_blank"><i>Grace and Frankie</i></a> (about two 70-something women who are thrown together when their husbands declare their love for each other), <a href="http://time.com/luke-cage-team/" target="_blank"><i>Marvel’s Luke Cage</i></a> (about a black, ex-con, bulletproof superhero), and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/05/dear-white-people-season-one-roundtable/526920/" target="_blank"><i>Dear White People</i></a> (about a group of black students at a primarily white Ivy League university). But the commitment to diversity <a href="http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/cindy-holland-netflix-directors-1201633472/" target="_blank">they claim to have</a>, means they need to stick by bold, diverse shows like <i>Sense8</i> and <i>The Get Down</i>, even when the ratings aren’t what they hope. These stories are important—they treat people of color and queer people like human beings, in a world where these people are increasingly marginalized. As Lito Rodriguez says in his speech at the São Paulo Pride parade, “whatever it costs to be able to [kiss my boyfriend in public], I know in my heart that it is worth it.” Netflix needs to decide whether telling the stories of marginalized people is worth the risk. Because if Netflix only tells these stories when the ratings are good enough, that’s not really commitment to diversity at all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<i>Lulu Klebanoff is a legal intern at Legal Voice, and a rising sophomore at Yale University. In her free time she loves doing improv, writing, petting dogs, and slowly dismantling the heteropatriarchy. She is, admittedly, an avid bingewatcher of television, especially when that television has queer characters.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bagogames/18148305074" target="_blank">BagoGames | Creative Commons</a></span></div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-19269800299410833502017-06-01T15:01:00.002-07:002017-06-01T15:06:42.594-07:00My Legal Voice Journey: Maddy Rasmussen on Her Internship & Creating The Safe Place Project<head>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@Legal_Voice" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="My Legal Voice Journey: Maddy Rasmussen on Her Internship & Creating The Safe Place Project" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Legal Voice's high school intern reflects on what she has learned through her internship and through creating a website aiming to increase access to abortion." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEH2vSyk0ZyLrJf-c3CQfoNETuSMkBe0vajYpTJXv3zLJvX3_2FuNi2AxsxRwtMWzTO7c9r6NA9qmLWHYIS6k7358LivXLOzU-zY1C_9SRBFZya3i5zu-SKYMKGYXhogM8S-UgrqI6Dw/s1600/Maddy+Rasmussen+-+Safe+Place+Project.jpg" />
</head>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEH2vSyk0ZyLrJf-c3CQfoNETuSMkBe0vajYpTJXv3zLJvX3_2FuNi2AxsxRwtMWzTO7c9r6NA9qmLWHYIS6k7358LivXLOzU-zY1C_9SRBFZya3i5zu-SKYMKGYXhogM8S-UgrqI6Dw/s1600/Maddy+Rasmussen+-+Safe+Place+Project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEH2vSyk0ZyLrJf-c3CQfoNETuSMkBe0vajYpTJXv3zLJvX3_2FuNi2AxsxRwtMWzTO7c9r6NA9qmLWHYIS6k7358LivXLOzU-zY1C_9SRBFZya3i5zu-SKYMKGYXhogM8S-UgrqI6Dw/s400/Maddy+Rasmussen+-+Safe+Place+Project.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Maddy Rasmussen</div>
<br />
When I started at Legal Voice in the fall of 2015, I was filled with a level of excitement that nearly overran my whole body. I was immensely excited and proud to be involved with an organization that played a role in aiding all women. I knew when walking in that I wanted to make an impact on women in some way. I never realized exactly how much of an impact my project would make.<br />
<br />
I would sit in on the staff meetings every Tuesday and I was able to hear about cases that Legal Voice was representing and discussions about news stories regarding women's rights. However, the one issue that always stuck out to me was access to reproductive healthcare, specifically abortion.<br />
<br />
After many months of hearing about the issue and doing plenty of research on my own, I wanted to find a way to help women be able to find abortion clinics near them. In my junior year, I created a very rough google map pin pointing abortion clinics. When I reached my senior year, I wanted to be able to do something with this research. With abortion clinics and funds for abortion dwindling, the need for a resource like mine grew daily. After many weeks of brainstorming, I realized that the best possible way to present all of my information would be through a website, rather than making my map a public entity. And thus, the idea for <a href="http://www.safeplaceproject.com/" target="_blank">The Safe Place Project</a> was born.<br />
<br />
The first few months were quite difficult. On the eve of an incoming president who was firmly opposed to abortion, I became afraid that my resource could be used against me and that I could potentially face the future that some abortion providers have to face daily.<br />
<br />
There were days where I wanted to give up. Building a website and compiling all the data was no easy task, but I moved forward knowing that if my website was able to even help one woman, my whole project will have been worth it.<br />
<br />
I am so proud of the project I’ve created, and so thankful to Legal Voice and Cedar River Clinics for supporting me. The Safe Place Project has already received such positive and powerful feedback from others in the reproductive health access community. Some of them are even interested in helping me keep this site going! I’ve learned so much in my two years with Legal Voice—about women’s rights, abortion access, even about myself—and I know I will continue to learn and grow as I head to college.<br />
<br />
Please visit The Safe Place Project at <a href="http://www.safeplaceproject.com/">www.safeplaceproject.com</a> and let me know if you have any feedback! You can reach me at contactsafeplaceproject.com.Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-31426552904094235992017-05-25T15:40:00.001-07:002017-05-25T15:59:21.375-07:00Fear as a Barrier: Why Immigrant Victims of Violence Can’t Access the Justice They Deserve<head>
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@Legal_Voice" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Fear as a Barrier: Why Immigrant Victims of Violence Can't Access the Justice They Deserve" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Federal anti-immigration policies threaten to undo decades of work to help immigrant survivors go to the police for help when they are in danger." />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx-xmMA2ozluzNCvqMU5xZDjDgmXHWPQQHMpgmkml0gb2AaJ5xSndsuRGZfclXgNaGh0zVRZWlGWgqbi88fdWjrRu7zaZeOm4uyCNiuDoD6H40k8S_LJm-0wRFqhPeu6F2VKqhgxiwhA/s1600/janko-ferlic-184527.jpg" />
</head>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx-xmMA2ozluzNCvqMU5xZDjDgmXHWPQQHMpgmkml0gb2AaJ5xSndsuRGZfclXgNaGh0zVRZWlGWgqbi88fdWjrRu7zaZeOm4uyCNiuDoD6H40k8S_LJm-0wRFqhPeu6F2VKqhgxiwhA/s1600/janko-ferlic-184527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx-xmMA2ozluzNCvqMU5xZDjDgmXHWPQQHMpgmkml0gb2AaJ5xSndsuRGZfclXgNaGh0zVRZWlGWgqbi88fdWjrRu7zaZeOm4uyCNiuDoD6H40k8S_LJm-0wRFqhPeu6F2VKqhgxiwhA/s400/janko-ferlic-184527.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Sara Ainsworth</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>In recognition of Asian
Pacific American Heritage month, Legal Voice has teamed up with the <a href="http://www.api-gbv.org/" target="_blank">Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence</a>
to highlight the impact of anti-immigrant policies on immigrant survivors of
domestic and sexual violence.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Northwest states are home to more than a million
immigrants, many of whom are Asian American and Pacific Islander. Advocates
from API communities – a <a href="http://capaa.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/iCount-WA-Report.pdf" target="_blank">diverse group facing diverse disparities</a> – have led the way in promoting state and
federal policies to make it safer for immigrant survivors of abuse to report
the abuse against them and seek the protection of the courts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But new federal anti-immigration policies – including raids,
increased arrests, and targeting immigrants with no criminal history – threaten
to undo decades of work to help survivors of domestic violence and sexual
assault go to the police for help when they are in danger.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A <a href="http://alturl.com/enhmc" target="_blank">nationwide survey</a> of
legal programs and domestic violence agencies, published last month, found that
fears of reporting to the police were up a shocking 78% among immigrant survivors
of domestic violence. Today NPR reported on this survey in <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/05/25/529513771/new-immigration-crackdowns-creating-chilling-effect-on-crime-reporting" target="_blank">a story about Latino immigrants in Texas</a> fearing deportation if they reported
crimes. As the NPR story noted, these fears are particularly harmful to victims
of gender-based violence; in Houston, for example, sexual assault reporting by
Latina immigrants is down 43% from last year. In a related report, a Denver
prosecutor described having to <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/03/21/520841332/fear-of-deportation-spurs-4-women-to-drop-domestic-abuse-cases-in-denver" target="_blank">drop four domestic violence prosecutions</a> after the travel ban was signed in
January – all four victims were immigrants who feared they would be taken by
immigration authorities at the courthouse if they testified against their
abusers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Punishing immigrant victims for coming forward means violent
abusers can continue to threaten, harm, and intimidate their victims. It
creates a two-tiered system of justice, where only some of our communities are
protected. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>How you can help:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Call your city council members, wherever you are, and
demand that law enforcement and other public officials not inquire about immigration status. </li>
<ul>
<li>Here's a script: <i>"Victims of violence should not have to fear being
deported or separated from their families when seeking help and justice. But countless immigrant survivors are living in fear of just that. When local police collaborate with immigration enforcement, victims are discouraged from seeking safety and cooperating with the criminal legal system. Please pass policies barring local officials from
inquiring about victims and witnesses’ immigration status.”</i></li>
</ul>
<li>Contact <a href="https://www.ice.gov/contact" target="_blank">Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)</a> and demand
that they <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/02/16/this-is-really-unprecedented-ice-detains-woman-seeking-domestic-abuse-protection-at-texas-courthouse/?utm_term=.2cf84dec959c" target="_blank">stay away from courthouses</a></li>
<li>Support the organizations that are moving this critical
work forward: </li>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.nwirp.org/" target="_blank">Northwest Immigrant Rights Project</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.apichaya.org/" target="_blank">API Chaya</a></li>
<li><a href="mailto:info@api-gbv.org" target="_blank">Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence</a></li>
<li><a href="https://weareoneamerica.org/" target="_blank">OneAmerica</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy of <a href="https://unsplash.com/@thepootphotographer" target="_blank">Janko Ferlic | Unsplash</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_2" language="JavaScript">
<!--[if !supportAnnotations]--></div>
<!--[endif]--></div>
</div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-52183491774030111612017-05-10T11:15:00.000-07:002017-05-10T11:19:43.404-07:00Doing What it Takes: Maresa's Perseverance and Journey to Legal Voice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesM2DO3pfXkMv-bM6bOGb61qy_qDce67-7Y6jxljz3JRc9NC47bu3wiaaOs9DbS9FsNeikXparrlUYZKs2fatIEimtNbbkDv1IN6CwJ-cfgKH3GljwE8hzcWeOKEA8NFsiM19eBuiYWM/s1600/GiveBIG+-+FB+event+cover+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesM2DO3pfXkMv-bM6bOGb61qy_qDce67-7Y6jxljz3JRc9NC47bu3wiaaOs9DbS9FsNeikXparrlUYZKs2fatIEimtNbbkDv1IN6CwJ-cfgKH3GljwE8hzcWeOKEA8NFsiM19eBuiYWM/s400/GiveBIG+-+FB+event+cover+%25282%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
By Phil Bouie</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>“I don’t like when people refer to me as being a strong mom. I’m just doing whatever I need to do to provide for and protect my children. I signed up for this when I became a mother.” </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>– Maresa Harden</b></div>
<br />
Maresa Harden had been in a relationship with the father of her children for several years before things took a turn for the worse. He became violent, verbally abusive, and would use intimidation tactics such as breaking her cellphone as an attempt to subjugate her. Maresa’s former partner began using their children as a tool of spite. He would withhold the children from her, sporadically change the times when they were picked up and dropped off, continuously be inconsistent about his availability and conceal information about his visits with the children. He felt he could get away with this blatant lack of accountability because she didn’t have an official parenting plan. <br />
<br />
Even though the Washington State Parenting Act helps protect domestic violence survivors and ensure a safe and healthy upbringing for their children by requiring certain restrictions on the abused parent, domestic violence survivors are routinely told to “work it out” through a divorce or custody case. It’s also very common for survivors to be wrongfully granted short-term protection orders rather than a long-term order that suits the situation appropriately. Legal Voice works in Olympia to pass strong laws to protect survivors, but creating those laws is only the first step. We monitor Washington courts to ensure those laws are being followed properly. <br />
<br />
Maresa could not afford a lawyer. She was unsure and somewhat frightened of how the process would play out. Could she put her trust in the courts to do the right thing for her and her children? Maresa went to the Pierce County court to file for a temporary parenting plan and found out that she could not put her full trust in the judicial system. The judge granted Maresa a temporary parenting plan and acknowledged her former partner’s history of domestic violence. However, the judge refused to include the father’s history of domestic violence in the court documents. The judge claimed that the charge would “follow him around like some ghost.” <br />
<b><i><a href="https://www.givebigseattle.org/index.php?section=organizations&action=newDonation_org&fwID=600" target="_blank"><br /></a></i></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><a href="https://www.givebigseattle.org/index.php?section=organizations&action=newDonation_org&fwID=600" target="_blank">Help hold courts accountable to survivors by making a GiveBIG gift today!</a></i></b></div>
<br />
Unsatisfied with the court’s decision, Maresa determined that she needed legal representation if she were to file an appeal.<br />
<br />
Legal Voice represented Maresa in her appeal of the parenting plan, arguing that the trial court’s error removed a critical protection created by Washington law. The court’s initial decision left Maresa and her children at risk of further abuse. The decision also left communication guidelines between Maresa and her abuser unresolved. The Court of Appeals agreed with us, reversing the trial court’s decision and demanding a new parenting plan that included restrictions on the father’s decision-making and custody time. <br />
<br />
Although the trauma of being a domestic violence survivor is something that never fully subsides, Maresa and her children have persevered, continued to move forward, and are doing well. Maresa recently got a job in her children’s school district that gives her work hours that are more compatible with the lives of her children. Maresa’s oldest daughter is involved with several sports teams and participating in a program for excellent students. She is one of three students that was selected from each school in the district that will have an opportunity to meet with Mayor Jim Ferrell of Federal Way as part of a Communities in School fundraising event. Maresa’s youngest daughter has had perfect attendance for the entire school year while excelling in all of her classes, and has recently earned a student of the month award. <br />
<br />
“Legal Voice made it financially possible for this to happen. It wasn’t an option without them,” said Maresa when I met with her recently to discuss her case. “The way that David [Ward] approaches things, his demeanor and his professionalism are awesome.<br />
<br />
“I want people to know there are organizations like Legal Voice that fight will for you and victims experiencing trauma in Washington State. I want to thank Legal Voice and the donors and supporters of Legal Voice who made this all possible.” Fighting for Maresa has allowed her family to focus on life and achieve success.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Phil Bouie is the Development Officer for Legal Voice. He is inspired by Maresa's story and urges you to <a href="https://www.givebigseattle.org/legal-voice">participate in GiveBIG</a> to support this ongoing, critical work.</i>Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-28044522771564237812017-04-26T10:45:00.000-07:002017-04-26T11:06:41.198-07:00Empowering Survivors to Achieve Justice: Meet Legal Voice's Campus Sexual Assault Workgroup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2pXR09k6GQNCvzFVUcHigEAgvF90FgCTWeJAbI_lzTBMuQz2PkpuTBg9uD9SAa5IrBcuE3WnU71LRE6EKZorEBrtoF2GwlREeufQzfqj17Dm7XW8WGC1kCnTnS_LKRm7VzDAAX3YCUE/s1600/OliviaOrtiz.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2pXR09k6GQNCvzFVUcHigEAgvF90FgCTWeJAbI_lzTBMuQz2PkpuTBg9uD9SAa5IrBcuE3WnU71LRE6EKZorEBrtoF2GwlREeufQzfqj17Dm7XW8WGC1kCnTnS_LKRm7VzDAAX3YCUE/s400/OliviaOrtiz.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
An Interview with Olivia Ortiz</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Like most nonprofit organizations, Legal Voice relies on the generosity and enthusiasm of our amazing volunteers. One way members of our community help advance our work is through our policy workgroups and committees, where volunteers give their time and expertise to advance the law, defend existing protections, and educate people in the Northwest about their rights.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we asked a few questions of Olivia Ortiz from our Campus Sexual Assault Workgroup to learn more about the important work this group is doing. Read on!</div>
<br />
<div>
<b><i>Legal Voice: Who makes up the Campus Sexual Assault Workgroup, and what is the group's goal?</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>Olivia: </b>The Campus Sexual Assault Workgroup is a diverse group of lawyers, students, advocates, and recent grads all working to one goal: empowering student survivors of sexual violence with knowledge of their rights. Sexual assault is devastating, and has a huge impact on access to education. When you're trying to balance school with just trying to survive, it is hard to know what to do, let alone figure out and research what long and confusing policy means. Survivors deserve an education and deserve justice, whatever that may mean to them, and we are here to help. <br />
<br />
<b><i>Legal Voice: How is the workgroup working toward this goal?</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>Olivia:</b> Our group is creating an easy-to-access online Know Your Rights guide for students in each state of the Pacific Northwest to access in times of crisis. This guide breaks down state and federal laws in a way students can access and empower themselves in different scenarios following sexual assault. Whether that means preparing for a school hearing, going through the criminal process, or learning what accommodations are available for attending class, we've got you covered. We want this guide to be an intersectional one, including rights and concerns particular to undocumented students, LGBTQ students, disabled students, and students of color. We will release our Washington State guide soon, with guides for other Pacific Northwest states to come.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Legal Voice: Can you tell us about your background and what led you to join this workgroup?</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>Olivia: </b>While I was in college, I noticed my university had sexual assault policies that were difficult to understand and that were not being enforced in the letter nor spirit of Title IX. I decided to take action and create a survivor advocacy group on campus. One of our very first projects was to create a similar resource guide for students on our campus, and we eventually pushed our administration to create a more streamlined process with an easy-to-understand website to go with it. When I heard that Legal Voice was doing a similar project for students in each state of the Pacific Northwest, I was excited to find another, similar way to continue my efforts after graduation. I am passionate about empowering survivors to achieve justice, and I firmly believe that being able to attend and fully participate in school can be one of those ways. <br />
<br />
<b><i>Legal Voice: Why do you think it is so hard to turn the tide on campus sexual assault?</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>Olivia:</b> Sexual assault is a huge barrier to getting an education, and all students deserve to go to school where they can learn free from sexual violence. If a student survives sexual assault, schools must do their job to make sure that the survivor is still able to fully participate in classes, student jobs, extracurricular activities, and any other school-sponsored event. Much of the difficulty in turning the tide is the unwillingness to listen to what survivors need to feel able to access their education and then act upon it. Whether that be congresspeople introducing misguided bills forcing schools to report to the police, or schools not honoring survivors requests for accommodations or inclusion in influencing campus policy, survivors are often left unheard. In order to change our culture, we must meaningfully listen to survivors and ensure they are leading these efforts.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Legal Voice: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In your opinion, what are some of the biggest misconceptions about sexual assault?</b></i><br />
<b>Olivia: </b>Two of the greatest myths that I've encountered is that sexual assault doesn't happen at one's institution and that it does not happen frequently. Sexual assault affects people of all identities and particularly the most marginalized. Sexual assault happens at large institutions and small institutions, for-profit and non-profit, religious and non-denominational, and public and private. Although it is convenient to brush these things aside, we must accept this reality in order to change it.<br />
<b><i><br />Legal Voice: How can students help get the word out about the upcoming Know Your Rights guide?</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>Olivia:</b> Our guide is a living document for students, and thus is very much open to student and survivor feedback. We want this guide to be a tool for students and it is really important that we tailor our guide for their interests and needs. And, of course, we could use student help publicizing the guide. We would love for students to bring us to their campus to discuss the guide, or have students reach out to their campus wellness centers or other important partners to distribute our guides.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>If you are interested in bringing the Legal Voice Campus Sexual Assault Workgroup to your school or have ideas on how you can help promote the Know Your Rights guide, <a href="mailto:smacdonald@legalvoice.org" target="_blank">please contact us</a>!</i></div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4926670219458828207.post-80328809454422124552017-04-13T12:32:00.000-07:002017-04-13T13:26:20.428-07:00Interconnected Parts of Me: Deepening Intersectionality for Women’s Liberation<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GNwK6O4J89vr0ak6dzNWDbBtCYyvDN4Wcz1ReAAMHBAELwFK3cLsBVN26O_Ks-0NVgbRoPbcslkD2oEgCQBOvc-XzcJUmxlaqYTrDM2V-z83FMXoPdh32QgJYnCp6snjmrDDTsSasL0/s1600/tachina-lee-42980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GNwK6O4J89vr0ak6dzNWDbBtCYyvDN4Wcz1ReAAMHBAELwFK3cLsBVN26O_Ks-0NVgbRoPbcslkD2oEgCQBOvc-XzcJUmxlaqYTrDM2V-z83FMXoPdh32QgJYnCp6snjmrDDTsSasL0/s400/tachina-lee-42980.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
By Anonymous</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Trigger warning: racism, sexual
assault, child sexual assault</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Every year around this time I get sick. I can’t sleep, my eating schedule is off, I am no longer in touch with my body, and I constantly feel vulnerable. This year, I was hoping that something would be different because a decade has passed. I thought that I could “celebrate” my growth and strength as a survivor of <b>racialized sexual assault</b>. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. <br />
<br />
Sexual assault in the United States is far more common than most people realize. It happens in the workplace, with acquaintances, walking on the street, in the home, and everywhere one could imagine. Many women report feeling <i>rape anxiety</i>—a feeling of impending sexual assault—during normal daily activities. This invisible fear may become evident when a woman lashes out at a “hey beautiful” comment or unwanted physical contact, such as a stranger’s hand around her waist in a crowd. <br />
<br />
Personally, <b>I feel rape anxiety when I am around racists</b>. Racism is a huge trigger for my anxiety because my sexual assault may have been racially motivated. I was raped by a racist who actively hated immigrants, people of different religions, and anyone non-white. No one can know if that is what caused him to take out his rage against me in such a dehumanizing way, but I suspect that motivated the attack. <br />
<br />
Ten years later, I still feel sick when I hear “harmless” racist jokes because<b> </b>I never know if that racism could be directed at me in a dangerous way. I experience all the fears that white women do in public and walking down the street, but I also feel <b>an added layer of fear because of my skin tone</b>. Even though I’m a successful, independent adult, I am still acutely aware that I am no safer now than I was as a high school sophomore. The weight of this vulnerability is constant and deep. <br />
<br />
Racialized sexual harassment and assault is common for women of color and is even more widespread for transgender women, gender nonconforming people, and disabled women of color. <b>But why does it commonly go unaddressed when we talk about women’s issues?</b> And why do some groups avoid it when they talk about systemic racism? <i>Women’s rights organizations must fight for racial justice or acknowledge that they only fight for white women. </i>As a woman of color, I see no compromise on this issue. <br />
<br />
I admire Legal Voice greatly for their willingness and effort to change the conversation from sexual assault as imagined from a white perspective to a more comprehensive view of the issue. I’m glad that they have chosen to participate in the Black Lives Matter march this weekend, and that they are learning from people of color-led organizations. Unfortunately, they had to cancel the sign-making event for the Black Lives Matter march due to lack of interest. This was not the case with the sign-making event for the women’s march. My hope is that Legal Voice and their supporters will show up for communities of color with the same love and enthusiasm as they have shown other movements.<br />
<br />
As someone who has suffered from both racism and sexual assault, both independently and together, I can say that I do not feel more connected to my gender identity than my racial identity. <b>I feel them both as interconnected parts of me</b>—the same applies to my queer identity and my multiple privileges. I experience the world as one human being who lives at the intersection of various identities. <br />
<br />
Just because I am a minority* and a woman, does that mean my sexual assault does not matter because it was racially motivated? I hope you would say, “Of course not!” Then it should require no leap in logic to <b>fight for people of color with the same enthusiasm</b> that you fight for women’s rights. Each person with a marginalized identity has a window into others’ experiences with discrimination. While this does not mean they have a mirror into that discrimination, it should be enough to <b>hold empathy for women of all races, abilities, religions, and citizenship status</b>. Our experiences may not be the same, but our movements must be united.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>* I am a racial minority in the United States. It is important to acknowledge that women of color are in the global majority.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/@chne_" target="_blank">Tachina Lee</a></span></i><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Legal Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606894401790585690noreply@blogger.com