News & Commentary

On January 14, 2016, we submitted over 42,000 signatures from Alaskans all over the state to the Division of Elections in order to get PFD Voter Registration on the ballot. Keep an eye out for the initiative on the November ballot!

The ACLU of Alaska commends Alaska Governor Bill Walker for not giving in to fear-mongering and joining the 29 other state leaders who have announced bans on Syrian refugees entering their states.

On the evening of Tuesday, November 10, 2015, the City of Bethel unanimously passed two laws, Bethel Ordinances #15-33 and #15-34, to protect all city employees and contractors, including those who are gay or transgender, from discrimination. All 7 council members said that the people of Bethel deserve the best people working for them and that no one should lose their job simply based on who they are or whom they love. 

Just before midnight, the Anchorage Assembly passed AO-96, an ordinance updating Anchorage's non-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity, by an overwhelming majority of 9-2. Anchorage is now the first city in Alaska to protect all its residents from discrimination and unfair treatment on the basis of who they are or who they love.

The Alaska Superior Court has struck down a restrictive law that would have severely limited Medicaid coverage of abortions for low-income women. The ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed the lawsuit in 2013.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed what we have long believed: that the Constitution protects the right to marry for all loving, committed couples. We celebrate the historic decision and applaud this step forward towards equality and justice for all.