News & Commentary

August 26 is Women's Equality Day, commemorating the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote 94 years ago. Unfortunately, we are still a long way from full equality for every woman. The mainstream conversation about women's rights over the last century has at best left behind, and at worst ignored, intersectional identities (women of color, transgender women, poor women, immigrant women, etc.). For example, we often see the data that women who work full time earn, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar men earned. But the figures are astoundingly worse for women of color. African American women earn only approximately 64 cents and Latinas only 54 cents for each dollar earned by a white male.

Each Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.

Earlier today, President Obama signed an executive order to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from workplace discrimination at businesses that contract with the federal government. This was not unexpected, but it is still well worth noting, especially in the context of the blog I posted last week.

Late last year, when the U.S. Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), it was viewed by many as one of the highlights of an already-historic year for LGBT people. In Maine we have protections so that no one can be fired or not hired based on their sexual orientation, but the majority of states do not have such a law. So when ENDA passed, we celebrated here in Maine.

Each Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.

A year ago today, we celebrated when the Supreme Court struck down DOMA as a result of our case with Edie Windsor. Edie's win was a win for all of us, and it markes a turning point in the fight for the freedom to marry. Today, it seems there's no going back. 

Each Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.

Each Friday, we’ll bring you updates on the latest civil liberties news from Maine and the nation.

As the 2014 legislative session comes to a close, I’m still holding my breath for five bills that have made their way to the governor’s desk. The governor has until next week to decide whether to sign, veto, or let the bills pass into law without signature.