NATIONAL SIERRA CLUB BECOMES MORE INCLUSIVE
American’s most prominent environmental organization, the Sierra Club, took a new step toward racial equity by choosing a person of color, civil rights activist Ben Jealous, to lead the national group. Blessed with more than a million members and supporters in 64 chapters, hundreds of employees and almost $150 million in annual donations, the organization is making a concerted effort to move beyond its past failures.
Some of the club’s leadership believe that the group’s founder John Muir might have been biased against non-whites. A recent consultant’s report suggested that the club lacked a culture of accountability and allowed bullying behavior by some of its senior staff. Issues of gender, racial and pay equity are also being examined, according to the New York Times. Activist Jealous previously served as chief executive of the NAACP.
POPE FRANCIS RETHINKS HIS POSITION ON HOMOSEXUALITY
Pope Francis told the Associated Press last week that he now believes that homosexuality is not a crime but still a sin in the eyes of God. He further suggested the Roman Catholic Church should be more welcoming to LGBTQ congregants and work to end unjust laws in all countries that continue to criminalize homosexual behavior. Pope Francis will travel to several African countries during the first week of February where harsh laws against homosexuality still exist.
Although Pope Francis declared several years ago that LGBTQ couples deserved civil protections including legal rights and health care benefits, church doctrine has not changed. Many advocates consider Pope Francis’ recent condemnation of anti-gay laws as an historic step in the fight for equality worldwide.
OUTCOMES OF MANY 2024 STATEWIDE ELECTIONS WILL DEPEND ON NEW VOTING RIGHTS LAWS
Legislators in many states are already hard at work crafting new legislation that will impact voting rights. Republicans are trying to tighten the laws by adding new requirements. Democrats around the country are introducing legislation to make voting easier. Last year congressional Democrats and President Biden were unable to repeal the portions of the Voting Rights Act that the U.S. Supreme Court stripped away in 2013.
In Republican-controlled states like Texas, Florida and Georgia, sweeping new voting restrictions are already in place. Democrats are trying to use their strong mid-term showing in states likes Minnesota and Michigan to lengthen the early voting period, add more drop boxes, allow 16 year-olds to pre-register or make it easier for previously convicted individuals to have their voting rights restored. Republican leaders in Nebraska are attempting to require in-person (rather than mail-in) voting except for a few exceptions such as those serving in the U.S. military as well as residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. In Louisiana there are more than a dozen groups of voters who are currently eligible to cast their ballots by mail.
TRANSGENDER YOUTH WILL SUFFER FROM AGGRESSIVE LEGISLATION BEING PROPOSED IN 25 STATES
Transgender youth in 25 states are being subjected to harsh legislation by Republican lawmakers who want to control their lives. More than 150 pieces of legislation have already been drafted that would ban transition care into young adulthood, prevent many teachers from using pronouns or names that match students’ gender identities, require schools to notify parents if a child identifies as transgender, and limit the ability of transgender people to perform in drag shows. Christian conservatives in states like Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Arkansas are behind these bills. A poll conducted on behalf of the Trevor Project shows these legislative initiatives can rigger negative mental health consequences in transgender and non-binary youth.
IT’S ALWAYS BEST TO HAVE A LAWYER PRESENT IF POLICE COME CALLING
The shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust in October 2021 was a terrible accident that probably could have been avoided. Supporters of the Fifth Amendment are disappointed that actor Alex Baldwin, who fired the allegedly unloaded weapon that killed Hutchins, agreed to speak with police investigators without the benefit of counsel. Baldwin, along with film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is being charged with second-degree manslaughter.
Baldwin thought he was being helpful when he immediately volunteered to come down to the station for questioning. But by doing so with his lawyers present, Baldwin opened himself up to making statements that are being used – rightly or wrongly – against him. The Fifth Amendment is one of the greatest defenses in the U.S. Constitution to protect against government overreach. Readers should beware that if they are involved in a major incident being investigated by the police, a competent lawyer can help a lot of time, heartache and maybe even a prison sentence.
