ACLU ALL ALLIES CONSTITUTION LGBT Youth Voting RiGhTs Rights Speech Freedom D JUSTICEFairness Stand AdvocAcy Defen YOU Bill of Equality Protect Rights Strong ImmIgrants’ LIBERTY REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM KentucKy rIghts ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 I believe that silence is one of the most destructive states you can have in terms of progressive ideas and progressive programs. If there is an accumulated societal silence on the subject, you’re dead in the water. You have to break the silence. I will never forget the strength of Dolores Delahanty standing up there before the committee and saying, “I’m a Catholic mother of five and I’m pro-choice. Women must have the right to determine if and LETTER when they are going to have a baby.” That’s what that legislative proposal of ours did. It broke the silence. — Suzy Post he quote above is included in Standing Up break that silence by letting your voice be heard in Michael Aldridge for Reproductive Rights, a book published Frankfort during the General Assembly, where we Executive Director by the ACLU of Kentucky in 2008 collectively advocate to prevent bad legislation from chronicling the struggle for legal abortion becoming law and lobby for broadening civil liberties Tin Kentucky. The date was 1972 and Post had been protections. L organizing women to take a more active role in And then sometimes our efforts to stop the advocacy efforts. Before she left her position as the negative before it happens just aren’t enough, and Executive Director of the ACLU of Kentucky in the we have to resort to litigation when the government late 80’s, she would create the Reproductive Freedom oversteps its bounds. It brings to mind a quote from Project (RFP) to ensure that advocacy for abortion our 40th Anniversary book printed in 1995 where Bill rights in Kentucky would continue – and 25 years Woolsey wrote, “In the sense of ending, there is no later we can celebrate that Kentucky remains one of conclusion in the struggle for civil liberties. It is the five ACLU affiliates, and the only small affiliate, with nature of those with power to overreach, and of those Enid Trucios-Haynes dedicated staff in its Reproductive Freedom Project. Board President Because of this, we remain the only state in the South oppressed to seek liberty.” that has effectively fought off anti-choice legislation In our annual report you will read some of the in recent years. most recent stories of Kentuckians breaking the The model we established with the RFP is a model silence to stand up against injustice. And later this that we use in all of our issue areas – we call it our year, as we approach the 60th Anniversary of the three-pronged approach. Throughout the year, we ACLU of Kentucky, we will launch a series to tell even educate the general public by presenting programs more stories from the long history of community across the state in strategic areas, building a base of members coming together to fight extraordinary support on our priority issues. Then we ask you to battles. We hope you’ll join us on this journey. August 2013 December 2013 Death row exoneree Randy Steidl shares Morehead becomes 6th KY city to pass a his story of wrongful conviction in several Fairness ordinance. KY cities. August 2013 December 2013 VICTORY! ACLU wins redistricting lawsuit ACLU of KY wins Community filed on behalf of 5 KY voters after the Foundation of Louisville grant to create legislature failed to enact constitutional series of videos, utilizing oral histories legislative districts. collected on the organization, for our 2013-2014 60th anniversary in 2015. August 2013 ACLU of KY legal program notifies January 2014 superintendents of findings of statewide ACLU of KY RFP teams up with TIMELINE investigation of outside groups’ access coalition partners for an event marking to public schools to distribute religious the 41st anniversary of the Roe v Wade material. ruling. August 2013 January 2014 National ACLU report finds blacks in New www.aclu-ky.org website launches. KY are nearly six times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites. January 2014 Record number of legislative co-sponsors join statewide Fairness August 2013 Law. Frankfort becomes 5th KY city to pass a Fairness ordinance. T January 2014 ACLU of KY and allies secure a meeting September 2013 with Governor Steve Beshear to talk The annual Reproductive Freedom Project about a range of immigrants’ rights Benefit is held in Louisville at The Green issues in the commonwealth Building. February 2014 November 2013 During the legislative session the ACLU of KY RFP supporters join allies and ACLU of KY hosts a Youth Rights & coalition partners at the Road Rally for Reproductive Freedom Advocacy day, Reproductive Rights in Frankfort. and co-hosts the Fairness Coalition Lobby and Rally Day & Abolition of the November 2013 Death Penalty Press Conference. Death row exoneree Sabrina Butler Porter, the only American woman ever exonerated March 2014 from death row, shares her story of VICTORY! First-ever legislative hearing wrongful conviction in several KY cities. on statewide LGBT Fairness Law held In early 2014 she met several legislators in House Judiciary Committee. in Frankfort and was introduced on the House and Senate Floors. March 2014 Youth Rights conference, co-sponsored SINcE January 1, 2014 with the Muhammad Ali Center, is held in Louisville. wE’vE cOUNTEd... March 2014 VICTORY! 8 anti-abortion bills were defeated during the 2014 legislative session. March 2014 1,911 As a result of the ACLU’s statewide 43 investigation on Bible distribution, the ACLU of KY Members Bills Lobbied Tri-State Freethinkers are allowed to 181 distribute books on atheism to Casey Volunteers County, KY students. April 2014 Carl L. Wedekind Bill of Rights program features panel discussion on reproductive rights in KY; Kathy Stein is recognized 265 30 for her decades-long commitment to Intake Requests 9,827 Events Held reproductive justice. Processed People on our Action Alert email list May 2014 You gave generously, helping us raise more than $11,070 as part of Louisville Gives Day. 135 32 Media May 2014 Speaking Mentions/ KY Bar Association reprimand against Engagements On-air ACLU of KY client Jefferson County Appearances Atty. Mike O’Connell is dismissed in unanimous ruling. 12 May 2014 Press Releases Fairness coalition Faith leaders for Sent 2,679 Fairness hold a press conference calling Facebook fans for LGBT Marriage Equality and 2,071 statewide Fairness Twitter followers LEGAL PROGRAM s a result of our 2013 we collaborated with the Tri-State A Book for Curious Kids. And in investigation into Freethinkers — an organization June, they also distributed texts outside organizations’ that describes itself as “a group outside the Boone County School access to public of freethinkers in the OH, IN District’s four area high schools Aschools to distribute religious and KY area who want to make a to students on the last day of literature during school hours, difference” — to request access school. On that occasion, however, several schools changed their to two Kentucky school districts even though the Gideons had policies and the KY School to distribute age-appropriate first requested (and been granted) Board Association issued a literature regarding atheism. In the opportunity to distribute memorandum further clarifying both instances, the school districts Bibles to students at the Boone for school officials what they may had already granted permission to County schools, no Gideons not do with respect to promoting the Gideons to distribute Bibles at representatives did so once the or endorsing religion in the their schools during school hours, Freethinkers were given the same schools. so the requests we made on behalf opportunity. Other school districts, of the Freethinkers were confined Unfortunately, many of however, have chosen to continue to distributing literature on the Kentucky’s public school their practice of allowing a same terms as had been granted districts have not heeded our particular religious organization the Gideons. access to their schools. Those In both cases, the school recommendation to focus their districts ostensibly argue districts complied because scarce resources on educating that other organizations may they could not do otherwise their students rather than wasting avail themselves of the same without potentially incurring time and energy accommodating (unwritten and unannounced) First Amendment liability for outside groups’ efforts to distribute opportunity to distribute discriminating against the literature to kids during the school literature to students during Freethinkers’ message. So, in the day. But if that remains their L choice, the ACLU of Kentucky will school hours, but that none have. Casey County School District, the Well, because of our statewide Freethinkers were allowed to set remain vigilant in ensuring that investigation and the publicity up tables in the district’s three they do not violate fundamental it generated, those schools are elementary schools with free Free Speech principles by now having to accommodate copies of an age-appropriate text selectively choosing which groups other organizations. In 2014, entitled Humanism, What’s That? may do so. he ACLU of Kentucky’s Dwight Haggard first work with high school connected to the ACLU of “The ACLU of aged civil libertarians Kentucky as a sophomore at Kentucky has shown is centered on the idea CHS. He was active with the Tthat in order to shape the future, affiliate, regularly volunteering so many young people we have to invest in young people many late afternoons after he our voices matter.” today. Partnering with teen left his co-op at a local law firm. leaders, mostly through Louisville Haggard is now at the University — Jason Jewell Central High School’s Law and of Kentucky where he serves as a Government Magnet Program student Senator for the Student (CHS), has proven to be a mutually Government Association.