Steph (Zschunke) Bilovsky, PCM’s Post

The ACLU of Minnesota filed an amicus brief calling upon the court to protect the rights of women, transgender, and gender nonconforming Minnesotans. Currently, Minnesota's indecent exposure statute is vague and effectively criminalizes the anatomy of half the population. Minnesota women can be arrested for and convicted of indecent exposure if some part of their breast is visible to the public because “female breasts” are “private parts.” The court of appeals doesn’t clarify what part of a breast can show and which can’t, so it’s uncertain what people with “female breasts” can wear to the beach this summer. “Male breasts” are not “private parts” so people with “male breasts” can’t be arrested for having part of their breasts visible. Our position is that treating people differently because of outdated ideas about gender and sexuality violates Minnesotans’ right to equal protection of the law. #EqualProtection #DueProcess #LegalNews #ACLU #GenderEquality https://lnkd.in/gHh5KTWK

Woodhull has a unique voice and we're using it! We testified in 4 states since February!  Our love note to Florida on Valentine's Day was testimony opposing yet another proposed invasion of your privacy masked as an age verification law. Lawrence Walters, Woodhull’s General Counsel, submitted on behalf of Woodhull in opposition to FL’s HB 3, the law that would force certain websites to age-gate their content. The bill passed FL’s senate on 2/15/24 and was amended. It must pass through both FL state houses before moving forward.   On February 15, 2024, we submitted testimony in support of two bills in Rhode Island that would make the lives of sex workers exponentially safer. H7165, Relating to Criminal Offenses - Commercial Sexual Activity is commonly called an “immunity bill.” It creates an important tool for law enforcement in their efforts to identify and prosecute perpetrators of violence and trafficking. H7452, Relating to State Affairs and Government - Corrections Department, repeals provisions that assess additional fees to those convicted of prostitution-related offenses and repeals the crime of loitering for prostitution. The Committee recommended that the bills be “held for further study.” We’ll continue to monitor their progress. On Thursday, February 22, we sent a letter of support to the Berkely City Council in California, urging them to pass an ordinance granting non-discrimination protections for those in diverse families and relationships.  We sent a letter of support to the members of New York State’s legislature with our friends from Decriminalize Sex Work regarding NYS Bill A.7471/S.1966, legislation to enable victims and witnesses to a crime to be able to seek help without fear of being prosecuted for prostitution. This law is similar to Rhode Island’s proposal and would improve the lives of New Yorkers while continuing to protect their human rights! We know the fight continues! Read the letters of support in full through the link here: https://lnkd.in/d5gUFyNS  #sexualfreedom #humanrights #equalrights #sexworkiswork #sexworkersrights #lgbtqrights #humansexuality #freeexpression #freedomofspeech

Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared sympathetic on Dec. 4 toward the legality of a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors in a major case that could affect other state laws targeting transgender people. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, heard arguments in an appeal by Democratic President Joe Biden's administration of a lower court's decision upholding Tennessee's prohibition on medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormones for people under age 18 experiencing gender dysphoria. That is the clinical diagnosis for significant distress that can result from an incongruence between a person's gender identity and the sex assigned at birth. Tennessee's law is one of 24 such policies enacted by conservative state lawmakers around the United States. Read more: https://reut.rs/3VmmlKC

Dear Attorney General, Re: Victoria’s hate speech reforms set to wage lawfare against women. Please listen to my sincere warning that these proposed laws will be misused by extreme trans activists hell bent on punishing women who know they’re men. As the last three weeks in the #DeemingvsPesutto case has shown - Women continue to need legal protection to be able to engage in robust defence of our political rights as a sex class. Our freedoms of belief, expression and association provide our rights to unapologetically reject the idea that a man’s self declaration makes him in any way a woman, female, a Mother or Lesbian. These totalitarian hate speech laws will be disastrous for women. They obliterate our rights to reject the harmful belief system of transgenderism. May I remind you that Women have pre-existing human rights which empower us to entirely reject this regressive, offensive nonsense. I’m also appalled these laws consider: ⚖️prison sentences for subjective villification. Allow Victoria 👮👮♀️to decide who to prosecute ❌penalise beliefs on Gender Identity Ideology. Please slow down, think it over and talk to Women’s sex based rights organisations about the consequences of these laws for us. Women, girls, mothers and lesbians will be disproportionately targeted by gender extremists through this Hate Speech Law Reform. If you want to have your say on these laws - submissions close this Friday 11th October. https://lnkd.in/gYUbfe8d Nifty letter writing help here https://lnkd.in/gCWKWQwJ

Supreme Risk is ProPublica's interactive guide to rights the Supreme Court has established — and could take away. ➡️ Filter your results by SCOTUS justice and issues like Criminal Justice, Education, Voting, Sex & Gender, Guns and more: https://propub.li/3Zeyhz4

I've written a short post about Right to Equality's new campaign 'I'm Asking For It'. The campaign focuses on the need for change in the laws surrounding sexual offences. Please read my post below and have a look at the petition that the campaign have set up. A really interesting topic and one I am very passionate about. #affirmativeconsent #righttoequality #imaskingforit #onlyyesmeansyes #internationalwomensday

  On this International Day for Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion and Belief, we highlight the Equal Opportunity Act, Chap. 22:03, which safeguards individual against discrimination, victimisation and offensive language regardless of their protected statuses (religion, sex; race; ethnicity; origin (including geographical origin), marital status and disability). The Act promotes equal protection under the law, respects diversity, prohibits religious discrimination, and ensures fair treatment. Let's continue to champion these principles and build a society where everyone is free to pursue their beliefs without fear of bias or discrimination. #EqualOpportunityAct #ReligiousFreedom#InclusionMatters #EqualOpportunityTribunal  #TrinidadandTobago

⚡ NEW ARTICLE ⚡ - Affirmative Consent is Not Enough: A Feminist Critique of the NSW Reforms and the Limits of Consent under Patriarchy by Genevieve Couvret. On 1 June 2022, long-awaited reforms to the law of sexual consent came into force in NSW. The central feature of the amendments is the introduction of affirmative consent – a ‘yes means yes’ standard which requires positive communication for sex to be lawful. In the context of national conversation around the prevalence of sexual assault, instituting affirmative consent is an important step – but is it enough? This paper considers the NSW model and introduction of affirmative consent in the context of feminist theory, particularly the arguments raised by Catharine MacKinnon in Toward a Feminist Theory of the State. Engaging with the limits of the consent framework as a product of a liberal, patriarchal system is critical to improving the legal recognition of the spectrum of sexual assault experienced by women. Read online 👉 👉 https://lnkd.in/gdGNwCX9

Thanks to the Women's Property Tax Association for inviting me to present Illinois Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training to your members and their staffs again today. #employmentlaw #sexualharassment #workplacerights #continuinglegaleducation

This law will promote discrimination, inequality and social exclusion of LGBTI persons. It targets an already vulnerable community and restricts freedoms that are fundamental to any democracy! #humanrights #LGBTI #transwoman #backslide #democrary #inequality #georgia #freedom #femicide #transcommunity #bill #restrictions https://lnkd.in/dp4cSj4H