LOS ANGELES ? The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU/SC), representing employees of a Los Angeles child placement agency, Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS), today filed a lawsuit against the Southern Counties Placement Committee and several county officials and agencies, for violating the GLASS employees' First Amendment right to express disagreement with the counties' choice of "Dr. Laura" Schlessinger as the keynote speaker at a county-sponsored conference in Palm Springs.

"The case we filed in federal court today is about a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech," said Martha Matthews, David Bohnett Attorney with the ACLU/SC. "When government agencies hold a conference, invite members of the public to attend, and choose a keynote speaker, the government cannot suppress a peaceful, nondisruptive expression of disagreement with the government's choice of speaker."

GLASS, like many other child placement agencies, has participated in the annual Southern Counties Placement Conference for many years. The conference allows county agencies that care for children who cannot live safety at home to learn about providers of placements and services in their area, and for providers to market their services to the county agencies.

GLASS employees were shocked when they learned that the 2001 conference committee, which included Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange County mental health, youth probation, and child welfare agency representatives, chose "Dr. Laura" as the keynote speaker for the September 2001 conference. As has been widely reported, Dr. Laura has publicly referred to gay and lesbian people as "biological errors" and single mothers as "child abusers."

"Someone who the New York Times has called 'The Queen of Hate Radio' should not be presented as a keynote speaker to children's services workers and mental health practitioners," said Teresa DeCrescenzo, Executive Director of GLASS.

Seven GLASS employees decided to attend the 2001 conference, wearing T-shirts with the logo of a website, "StopDrLaura.com," and the question "Are you a biological error?" They also brought copies of an excerpt from a book, "Hate Hurts," about how bigotry harms children.

The GLASS employees registered and paid to attend the conference. Their plan was simply to sit and listen to Dr. Laura's speech, wearing the T-shirts as a silent protest, and use the "Hate Hurts" materials to explain their concerns to other conference attendees. But some of the GLASS employees were never even allowed inside the hotel ballroom. Others, as they waited for "Dr. Laura's" speech to start, were told they'd been "disinvited" from the conference and would have to leave, and were escorted out by police at the conference organizers' request.

"I wanted to educate people about the pain that is caused when youth who are just trying to be accepted for who they are, are told that they are 'biological errors,' and this message is endorsed by county agencies that are supposed to be caring for them," said Michael Ferrera, Director of Public Policy for GLASS.

The lawsuit calls for a permanent injunction requiring defendants and future conference committee members to refrain from suppressing any future non-disruptive protest against the counties' choice of speakers. In addition, the suit also seeks damages for the plaintiffs for the violation of their First Amendment rights.

LOS ANGELES ? The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU/SC), together with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and screeners from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), announced today that they are filing a lawsuit today challenging the new citizenship requirement for airport screeners enacted as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act last November. Under the new law, thousands of trained, experienced workers will be terminated no later than November 19, 2002.

"Taking qualified, experienced screeners off the job because of their citizenship status won't make anyone safer," said Mark Rosenbaum, Legal Director of the ACLU/SC. "By eliminating thousands of skilled, qualified, and experienced screeners solely on the basis of their citizenship status, and replacing those workers with people who have no on-the-job training or experience, we are opening the door to unnecessary security risks at our airports."

At SFO, where non-citizens comprise 80% of the screener workforce, screeners themselves advocated for higher security standards, improved background checks, and more rigorous employment qualifications for screeners, resulting in one of the nation's best records of airport security.

The citizenship requirement would bar legal immigrants from working as airport screeners even though no such requirement exists for members of the U.S. military, airline pilots, baggage handlers, flight attendants, cargo loaders, mechanics, guards, and plane cleaners.

"I was very upset when I heard that non-U.S. citizens would be fired from the job," said Jeimy Gebin, named plaintiff in the suit and a legal U.S. resident who took a job as a screener at LAX after serving in the U.S. Army for three years. "It doesn't make sense that I can serve my country in the Army but not work in an airport as a screener. If I get fired because of this new law, I could enroll in the National Guard and be back in the airport two weeks later, standing behind the screeners holding a rifle. I believe this law won't make anyone safer, but it will hurt a lot of good, hard-working people."

"Americans want security, not scapegoating," said Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President of SEIU, the nation's largest union of immigrant workers. "Experienced, qualified, taxpaying immigrant screeners are part of the solution, not part of the problem. They should be allowed to remain on the job."

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California together with the law firm of Greines Martin, Stein & Richland, the American Library Association and the National Coalition Against Censorship are pleased to announce that the Norwalk-La Mirada High School district has agreed to return William Styron's acclaimed novel Sophie's Choice to the La Mirada High School library. The book was abruptly removed from the school's library after a parent complained about selected isolated portions of the novel.

The ACLU/SC stepped in after students expressed concern that their First Amendment rights had been violated. Shortly after hearing about the decision to pull the book from the school's library, the ACLU/SC together with Greines Martin, Stein & Richland sent a letter to the school district asking for the novel to be returned to the school's library. The American Library Association and the National Coalition Against Censorship, along with other organizations dedicated to free expression, also wrote letters to the district protesting the district's decision to remove the book. In response to that letter, the school district has agreed to return the book to the shelves of the La Mirada High School library.

"We are very pleased the school district has recognized the student's First Amendment rights and returned this classic novel to the school's library so that others will have a chance to read it as well," said Peter Eliasberg, Managing Attorney with the ACLU/SC. "Once the district was informed of the possible First Amendment violations, it was swift in reviewing and remedying the situation and we appreciate the prompt action."

Sophie's Choice by William Styron is a widely acclaimed novel dealing with the grueling experiences of a Holocaust survivor. It has received the National Book Award and was also made into an Oscar-winning film in which actress Meryl Streep delivers what is widely regarded as one of her best performances.

"This really is a victory for free speech, thankfully the district realized that the First Amendment applies to students as well," stated Jens Keopke of Greines Martin, Stein & Richland. "We are pleased that students will continue to have access to such a fine piece of literature."