Staci Peters (she/her) – Senior Staff Accountant Staci knew it was important that her next job make an impact, and this is drew her to NCLR. Staci says she is excited to learn more about all the great work NCLR does as she begins her position. She brings a wealth of experience in accounting to NCLR, and we are excited to have her on our team! Where do you currently reside? Fox Point, Wisconsin What is your educational background? I have an BA in Accounting and a MBA from the University...
51 years ago, on January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade recognized the individual right to decide whether or not to have an abortion. Since this right was overturned in the Dobbs decision in June 2022, we’ve seen cruel abortion bans passed and even attempts to outlaw medication abortion. We know bans and restrictions on this important healthcare impact poor and working class people, rural residents, people of color, and queer folks the most. From advocating for...
Washington D.C. - As federal funding debates continue, a small group of senators are demanding changes to asylum and immigration policy in exchange for funding to aid Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. These changes are being disguised as “border security measures,” however, they would eliminate essential protections for people seeking asylum—protections that have been in place for decades– and cause harmful confusion and disruption at the U.S.- Mexico Border. The proposed...
Growing up, I was taught there are things you don’t talk about. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, I learned that subjects not meant for polite conversation were many and varied. Topics such as mental health, sexual orientation, and familial hardships were off the table. It is a generational silence, passed down from generation to generation, transported across borders and finding new soil in the United States. It is a silence that kills. One example of where this silence has profoundly...
A few weeks ago, I got an unexpected Facebook notification. My high school had newly formed an alumni association, and they were reaching out to me to gauge my interest in speaking at my high school about my life and career. I was excited – my high school was a Title I school and most of us who attended were low-income and disadvantaged. Despite that, the school had an International Baccalaureate program for some students to earn early college credits. That program’s rigor made me...
Bailey Henderson (He/him) – Legal Assistant After graduating from U.C. Berkeley with degrees in Political Science and Global Studies, Bailey Henderson was motivated to work for NCLR because of his desire to improve LGBTQ equity. He’s excited to both make an impact and learn more about law in his position. Where do you currently reside? Oakland, CA What is your educational background? I went to UC Berkeley for my B.A.s in Political Science and Global Studies Where did you work...
NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter testified in a U.S House of Representatives hearing on medical care for transgender youth, urging members to respect the freedom of parents of transgender youth to obtain essential medical care for their children. Shannon was joined by Myriam Reynolds, the mother of NCLR’s 2022 Courage Awardee, Cameron Wright. NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter in the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Hearing Room In his statement, Shannon helped...
In 2020, Trump used the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to invoke Title 42 – an existing public health law – to severely restrict migrants’ entry into the United States. This means that Title 42 was legislation created in the past, but what exactly does it do or why was it created? Title 42 is part of a public health emergency law enacted in 1944 called the Public Health Service Act. The law was enacted to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and allows health authorities to deny individuals...
Ana Garcia (she/her) – Philanthropy Assistant As a UC Berkeley alumni, Ana Garcia comes to NCLR after working for the Pacific School of Religion. She’s committed to working on issues that concern youth development and is inspired by the legal work that NCLR does on behalf of LGBTQ kids. Where do you currently reside? Oakland, CA What is your educational background? Graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in English and Religious Studies, and the University of San Francisco with an MA...
On June 30, 2023, the United States Supreme Court ruled that certain businesses that involve customized expressive messages may turn away same-sex couples or other customers. The ruling came in the case 303 Creative v. Elenis, in which the Court addressed whether a website designer in Colorado could refuse to design wedding websites for same-sex couples. Watch this webinar with Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon, Legal Director Shannon Minter, and Federal Policy Director Julie Gonen for a...