Rights This Way

Across the country, politicians are restricting people’s rights and freedoms, including the right to abortion and the right for all of us to be who we are. Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, twenty-one states have either banned or restricted abortion care. There’s also a full-blown assault on LGBTQ rights, with hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced — and many passed — in state legislatures across the country just this year. Some might think we’re safe from these attacks here in New York, but the truth is there are dangerous loopholes in our state constitution that leave us vulnerable to the whims of politicians. That’s why the NYCLU is part of a ballot initiative committee formed to pass Proposal 1 this November. Prop 1 – or the New York Equal Rights Amendment as it was previously known – will protect our rights and reproductive freedoms — including the right to abortion. But New York voters have to pass it first. In this episode, we get into why Prop 1 is so important with New Yorkers for Equal Rights Campaign Director Sasha Ahuja and NYCLU Executive Director, Donna Lieberman. We also delve into the grassroots campaign designed to make sure it succeeds in November. Please rate, review and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast. Join the Prop 1 campaign: https://nyequalrights.org/Our campaign page: https://www.nyclu.org/resources/campaigns-actions/campaigns/new-york-needs-equal-rights-amendmentOur latest commentary piece on Prop 1: https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/why-new-yorkers-should-vote-yes-on-proposition-1 For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit https://www.nyclu.org/ideas/podcastsFollow NYCLU on Twitter and Instagram.

This February in Long Island, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman issued an executive order banning transgender girls and women from participating in girls’ and women’s sports at county-run facilities. The NYCLU sued to block this policy, arguing that it violates New York’s Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law, which explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. Justice prevailed and, in May, the Nassau County Supreme Court ruled in the NYCLU and Roller Rebels’ favor, striking down the executive order.Then, shortly after we recorded this podcast, the Nassau County Legislature introduced legislation designed to resurrect Blakeman’s ban. The bill is slated to be voted on later in June. The NYCLU’s Nassau field office is mobilizing with other advocates to stop the bill in its tracks including organizing rallies and getting people to testify against the bill. But if it passes, the NYCLU will file another lawsuit to strike it down.Blakeman claims Nassau’s trans ban will protect cisgender women and girls. But on this episode, we’ll explore why the order is actually a harmful, transphobic policy designed to shut trans people out of public spaces. We’ll hear from two NYCLU lawyers who brought the case, and from the president of the Long Island Roller Rebels, a team in the Nassau County Recreational Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby League. The Roller Rebels are the plaintiffs in our case. Their league, which welcomes trans women, was barred from using Nassau County’s facilities under the executive order.Guests:Gabriella Larios: Staff Attorney at the New York Civil Liberties UnionBobby Hodgson: NYCLU Assistant Legal DirectorCurly Fry: President of the Long Island Roller RebelsPlease download, rate, review and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.Our campaign page for the Roller Rebels’ case: https://www.nyclu.org/resources/campaigns-actions/campaigns/stand-trans-athletes-nassau-countyMeet the Roller Rebels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRdu_h7Ww8Q&t=2sRead about our case: https://www.nyclu.org/court-cases/roller-rebels-v-blakemanTell lawmakers to vote against the anti trans bill in the Nassau County Legislature: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/stop-anti-trans-hate-nassauFor more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit https://www.nyclu.org/ideas/podcastsFollow NYCLU on Twitter and Instagram.

The NYCLU recently filed a lawsuit challenging the misleadingly-named Sexual Assault Reform Act, or SARA. SARA is a New York law that prevents certain people required to register on the state’s sex offender registry from knowingly being within 1,000 feet of a school at any time and for any reason. It’s also been interpreted to prevent people subject to SARA restrictions from living within this 1,000-foot radius.SARA is billed as a way to protect New Yorkers from people who could harm children. But research shows these types of geographical restrictions don’t increase public safety. And authorities have applied SARA to people who have never harmed children, and even people who have never committed a sexual offense.In dense urban areas like New York City, where you’re almost always within 1,000 feet of a school, SARA restrictions force thousands of New Yorkers into homelessness and to the fringes of society, effectively banishing them.We speak with Daniel Lambright, the NYCLU’s Special Counsel for Criminal Justice Litigation, M.G., one of the plaintiffs in our lawsuit, and Dr. Emily Horowitz, a sociologist who has spent nearly two decades researching and writing about sexual offense policies.Please download, rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.Our press release announcing the case: https://www.nyclu.org/press-release/nyclu-challenges-law-banishing-people-convicted-of-sex-offensesNYCLU's exclusive SARA story: https://nysfocus.com/2024/05/28/nyclu-sex-offender-registry-housing-homelessCase materials: https://www.nyclu.org/court-cases/m-g-v-townsNYCLU blog "Why We Must Rethink the Way We Treat People Convicted of Sex Offenses": https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/why-we-must-rethink-way-we-treat-people-convicted-sex-offensesResearch on the ineffectiveness of residency restrictions: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0011128712441694About Dr. Emily Horowitz: https://www.sfc.edu/academics/faculty-directory/emily-horowitzFor more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit nyclu.org/en/rightsthiswayFollow NYCLU on Twitter and Instagram.

Fifty years ago, New York first opened its doors to people from across the U.S. who needed abortion care. Now, following the Supreme Court's decision to gut Roe, numerous states have banned or severely restricted abortion care. In the face of this attack on basic reproductive rights, New York must once again be a leader in expanding care for its residents and anyone who needs it.Even though abortion is legal in New York, people still face steep barriers trying to access abortion across the state. We talk about how to close those gaps and how to strengthen New York’s position as a leader when it comes to abortion rights with Allie Bohm, senior policy counsel for the NYCLU and Chelsea Williams-Diggs, Executive Director of the New York Abortion Access Fund.Since we recorded this episode, the state legislature passed a version of one of the bills we discussed, the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program. This is a historic step to make abortion rights a reality for everyone in our state. The program creates a sustainable state funding mechanism for abortion providers and abortion funds, bringing us closer to a world where New Yorkers can freely make decisions about their futures and bodies. But the version of the bill passed by the legislature does not include funding for things like hotel stays or other travel costs for patients seeking an abortion. And it also doesn’t include money for capital improvements for abortion providers. So, there’s still more work to do.Please rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.Join the campaign to pass the New York Equal Rights Amendment: https://nyequalrights.org/Find out more and get involved with the New York Abortion Access Fund: https://www.nyaaf.org/Tell legislators to support the bills mentioned in this podcast: https://nyclu.org/act For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit nyclu.org/en/rightsthisway.Follow NYCLU on Twitter and Instagram.

Universities should be havens for robust debate, discussion, and learning – not sites of censorship where administrators, donors, and politicians squash political discourse they don't approve of. But Columbia University recently violated New York law to single out and suspend two student groups for participating in a peaceful student demonstration and temporary art installation in support of Palestinian rights.That's why the NYCLU and Palestine Legal sued Columbia.These student groups – Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace – were peacefully speaking out on a critical global conflict, only to have Columbia ignore its own longstanding, existing rules and abruptly suspend the organizations. The protest was sponsored by a coalition of over 20 groups, yet none of the other groups involved faced disciplinary action.That's retaliatory, it's targeted, and it flies in the face of the free speech principles that institutes of higher learning should be defending. We talk about this case with two NYCLU lawyers who brought the lawsuit. We also hear from two students who are plaintiffs in the case, Maryam Alwan, an organizer with Columbia’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and Cameron Jones, an organizer with Columbia’s chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.Since we recorded this episode several New York colleges and universities – including Columbia – have started pro-Palestine protest encampments. In some cases, students have also occupied campus buildings. The NYCLU continues to monitor these developments and has spoken out about the police crackdowns against them. This episode, however, is specifically focused on our lawsuit challenging Columbia’s decision last year to unlawfully suspend Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine.Please rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.The NYCLU’s case against Columbia: https://www.nyclu.org/court-cases/columbia-students-justice-palestine-jewish-voice-peace-v-columbia-universityNYCLU’s commentary on the police crackdown on pro-Palestinian student protesters https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/pro-palestinian-campus-protests-shouldnt-be-snuffed-out-by-police For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit nyclu.org/en/rightsthisway.Follow NYCLU on Twitter and Instagram.

About 180,000 migrants have come to New York City since April of 2022, and about 65,000 are currently in the city's care. Nearly every day there is a news story or a quote from a New York politician about how this recent arrival of migrants is a drain on New York’s finances. But a recent report from New York City Comptroller Brad Lander complicates that narrative. He joins us to explain why migrants are an economic boon to our city, and what he thinks we should do to get them the resources they need to thrive.This is a companion episode to one we did last season about recent migrants to New York and on U.S. foreign policy with NYCLU executive Director Donna Lieberman and Daniel Denvir who hosts the Dig podcast.Please rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.Facts Not Fear Report from the NYC Comptroller’s office:https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/facts-not-fear-how-welcoming-immigrants-benefits-new-york-city/Companion Rights This Way episode on new migrants:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-ny-can-cut-through-the-finger-pointing-and/id1643734167?i=1000637020890 For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit nyclu.org/en/rightsthisway.Follow NYCLU on Twitter and Instagram.

The 2024 elections will be some of the most critical in our lifetimes and, as election season approaches, a wave of efforts to diminish the political power of communities of color is surging. This isn't just happening in red states, it's taking place right here in New York.That’s why the NYCLU and our partners sued the Nassau County Legislature in Long Island for its redistricting plan, which violates the landmark New York Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting strength and political influence of Black, Latinx, and Asian residents. Though residents of color make up over one-third of Nassau County's eligible voters, the current map – which the Legislature drew behind closed doors – only creates four districts out of 19 where Black, Latinx, and Asian residents are a majority of eligible voters.We delve into this lawsuit with two NYCLU lawyers who brought it. And we’ll also take a closer look at how the New York Voting Rights Act will help us fight against this attack on democracy.Guests: Perry Grossman is the Director of the NYCLU’s Voting Rights Project. Terry Ding is an NYCLU staff attorney.Please rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.More on our Nassau voting rights case:https://www.nyclu.org/en/press-releases/civil-rights-advocates-sue-nassau-county-racial-vote-dilution#:~:text=NASSAU%20COUNTY%2C%20NY%20%E2%80%93%20The%20New,violates%20the%20landmark%20John%20R.More on the New York Voting Rights Act:https://www.nyclu.org/en/publications/john-r-lewis-voting-rights-act-new-york For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit nyclu.org/en/rightsthisway.Follow NYCLU on Twitter and Instagram.

New York has a proud legacy of offering refuge to newcomers hoping to make life better for themselves and their families. That hope is something we all share, and the promise of refuge has made our state what it is.  Rental prices soared to record levels in New York City in 2023. Right now, a family would have to earn at least $140,000 a year just to be able to afford the city’s median rent of $3,500. And this story goes well beyond New York City. Across the state, New Yorkers are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. 20 percent of New York State residents spend more than half of their income on rent, and in some ways, they’re the lucky ones. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers are unhoused, with no clear path to obtaining permanent homes.Despite this dire situation, state leaders have not done nearly enough to tackle the problem.Nearly everyone agrees that New York is facing a severe housing crisis. But the question is what we should do about it. To help answer that question, we’re joined by three housing experts who will help us dig into this urgent and seemingly intractable issue. Julian Morales is the NYCLU’s Senior Housing Strategist. Cea Weaver is a Campaign Coordinator for the Housing Justice for All coalition, and John Washington is an organizer and political educator with the People’s Action Network.Please rate, review, and subscribe to Rights This Way. It will help more people find this podcast.Tune in our previous Season 1 episode on housing: https://www.nyclu.org/en/publications/ep-8-how-fix-ny-housing-crisisNYCLU blog on good cause eviction: https://www.nyclu.org/en/news/one-way-fight-against-unfair-landlordsLink to our settlement in our case to help more Black and Brown New Yorkers facing foreclosure stay in their homes: https://www.nyclu.org/en/press-releases/new-settlement-enhances-legal-protections-homeowners-facing-foreclosure-across-nysAbout our guests and their organizations:Cea Weaver, Housing Justice For All: https://housingjusticeforall.org/John Washington, People's Action Network: https://peoplesaction.org/ For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit nyclu.org/en/rightsthisway.Follow NYCLU on Twitter and Instagram.