LOS ANGELES -The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today announced that Tamika McDonald of Manual Arts High School is one of 12 high school seniors nationwide to be awarded a $4,000 college scholarship in recognition of her exceptional contributions to the struggle to defend civil liberties. The ACLU's College Scholarship for Youth Activism Award recognizes the efforts of graduating seniors who have demonstrated a strong commitment to civil liberties throughout their careers in secondary school.

"Every year, the ACLU of Southern California is lucky to have scores of students whose passion and dedication help us in the struggle to secure our civil liberties," said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU/SC. "We are inspired by and proud of Tamika McDonald's energy, contributions and commitment to take on the struggle of defending civil liberties. Her commitment gives us faith that today's young people are dedicated to defending civil liberties and civil rights."

As a plaintiff in Williams v. California, the ACLU's landmark legal effort to reform California's failed and inequitable school system, Tamika helped to identify other students whose schools failed to participate in programs that would have guaranteed their top students admission to the state university system. While earning top grades at her school, Tamika also volunteered her time to work on ACLU campaigns, educated her peers about their rights, and served as president of her school's Amnesty International Club.

"The only way to demonstrate true citizenship is to know your rights and learn how to protect them and learn how to help others protect their rights," said Tamika, who will be attending College of the Holy Cross on a four-year scholarship this Fall.

According to the ACLU lawsuit, filed in August 2000, students at Tamika's school and many other schools in low-income areas or communities of color are learning under conditions that fall far below prevailing statewide standards.

In addition to participating in the lawsuit, since her junior year, Tamika has been helping incoming freshmen learn about the education resources available to them -- yet often never advertised -- such as honors classes and enrichment programs.

"Administrators and teachers are often ill-prepared to handle the complex life situations that many of my classmates face," said Tamika. "Counselors even discourage their students from taking honors classes and administrators fail to publicize opportunities that are available to us."

Tamika McDonald migrated with her mother to the United States from Guyana at the age of ten. In order to catch up with her classmates, she taught herself to read and write English using "Hooked on Phonics" tapes. By the time she reached the 10th grade, her commitment to academic excellence and community service led her to be selected by her school to participate in a pre-collegiate outreach program at the University of California at Berkeley, the nation's top public university.

In addition to Tamika, this year's other recipients hail from Northern California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Many of the students selected stood up for the rights of their peers by challenging the injustices inflicted upon them by school officials, created an ACLU chapter at their school or interned at the ACLU affiliate office in their state. In 2000, the first year of the program, the ACLU awarded scholarships to eight high school seniors.

"The ACLU's College Scholarship for Youth Activism Award gives us an opportunity to recognize the courage of students like Tamika and the example they set for their peers," said Nadine Strossen, President of the National ACLU. "It truly is an honor to be able to provide these intelligent, resourceful and committed young people with support for their education."

The ACLU College Scholarship program was made possible by a generous grant from an anonymous donor.

LOS ANGELES - A task force that was convened to counter the devastating effects of homophobia in the foster care system in Los Angeles County gathered at the Edelman's Children's Court today to unveil a "hate-free zone poster," which was placed in the Children's Court lobby - as well as to set forth its recommendations on how to address the issue of homophobia in the foster care system.

"The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community is committed to the safety and welfare of LGBT youth," said Martha Matthews, the David Bohnett Attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. "We must fight discrimination, harassment, psychological abuse, and physical assault of youth wherever we uncover it - and youth in foster care are especially vulnerable to abuse based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation, their gender identity, or their nonconformity to gender expectations."

"Some LGBT youth entered the foster care system precisely because of conflicts centering on their gender identity, gender nonconformity, or actual or perceived sexual orientation," said Matthews. "But rather than finding a haven from a home that can't accept their difference, they find instead a system that exposes them to the same risks all over again."

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth nationwide have long encountered harassment, violence, attempts to coerce them into heterosexuality, and other forms of abuse. A lawsuit filed in New York City in 1999 charged that LGBT youth in foster care were routinely targeted with physical and psychological abuse.

The task force has found that Los Angeles-area LGBT youth in foster care face serious challenges as well, and it has begun to document cases of abuse and discrimination. Task force members have collected incidents they've uncovered ranging from adults in a foster home failing to protect a youth from peer harassment, to a Baptist foster family attempting to coerce a youth to become heterosexual, to court staff harassing a male-to-female transgender youth.

33,364 youth are in foster care in Los Angeles County, and reports have shown over the years that the system has failed youth in numerous ways. Task force members believe that homophobia and the resulting physical and psychological abuse of LGBT youth are a troubling and overlooked part of the foster care crisis.

"We know from youths' accounts that, in addition to all of the other problems youth face in the foster care system, LGBT youth face discrimination and harassment based on who they are," said Matthews.

Linda Velasquez, 19 years old, told of her experience in the foster care system, including her experience at a Catholic-run foster group home.

"Coming out as a lesbian in your teens isn't easy no matter where you are, but in my group home, I was treated differently from other residents," said Velasquez. "My actions were monitored more closely. I was told not to talk about my personal life. I wasn't allowed to spend time alone with staff members. I was told that I was confused, and I frequently heard anti-lesbian slurs, which staff members did not attempt to stop. It's almost as if they stopped helping me as soon as they found out I was gay, because they wanted me to leave."

Presiding Judge Terry Friedman will hang a framed copy of the poster in the court house lobby.

"This poster is first step toward raising awareness on these issues," said Matthews, "but much more is needed."

The task force recommended:

' Fully implementing and enforcing the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services' (DCFS) nondiscrimination policy, through: including questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in DCFS's guidelines for needs assessments and placement decisions; enforcing "zero tolerance" of homophobic bias or discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ youth by DCFS employees; acting promptly to investigate and resolve incidents of harassment, violence, or other mistreatment of LGBTQ youth in placements; and requiring all foster and group homes to take responsibility for preventing homophobic harassment, threats or violence by other youth.

' Training for all youths' social workers on: DCFS's non-discrimination policy; how to discuss issues of sexual orientation, sexual behavior, STD prevention, etc., in an age-appropriate and non-judgmental manner with youth; how to find appropriate placements, services and resources for LGBTQ youth; and how to address issues of homophobia with birth parents, foster and group home providers.

' Assigning specialized staff to act as resource persons and backup workers for consultation on all cases involving LGBTQ foster youth.

' Ensuring that all youth's social workers know about resources for LGBTQ youth (such as support groups, specialized placements, etc.), and resources for birth parents, relatives and foster parents (such as Parents and Friends of Lesbians & Gays, etc.), and facilitate youths' and caregivers' access to these resources.

' Conducting outreach to youth in group homes, to ensure that all youth understand DCFS's nondiscrimination policy, know their rights, and know how to report incidents of harassment and violence.

' Ensuring that Independent Living Skills programs are accessible and welcoming to LGBTQ youth, and include anti-bias educational activities.

' Creating a liaison team to work with shelters and service programs for homeless and runaway youth, to address the needs of youth who have run away from DCFS placements, investigate the problems that led to their running away, and re-establish stable placements.

LOS ANGELES - Almost exactly a year after the ACLU filed a case on behalf of the Montebello Ponytail Girls' Softball Association to fight unequal distribution of playing fields between boys' baseball and girls' softball teams, a Federal Court approved a settlement on April 19, 2001, that provides the Ponytail Girls' Association with equal access. The case, Romero v. Montebello, was filed on April 20, 2000, and the law firm of Arnold & Porter acted as pro bono co-counsel in the case. The parties quickly began to work together toward a resolution of the problem, and the settlement this week solidifies the interim changes put in place shortly after the lawsuit was filed by adopting new permit policy to ensure that public field use will be allocated equitably from here on out.

"We were on third base, and this hit brought us home," said Rocio Cordoba, staff attorney atthe ACLU of Southern California. "Score one for the home team. This is a real victory for young female athletes, their coaches, and their families, who showed that by asserting their rights, they could take on a system of long-standing inequity and replace it with fair play and equal opportunity."

"The City of Montebello is to be commended for its commitment to achieving equity and doing the right thing for girls," said Cordoba. "It saw the needs of the softball players and the constraints they faced under the old system, and worked with the plaintiffs to develop a new model that gives all young people who use the city's sporting facilities full access to the benefits and challenges of athletic participation."

The settlement requires the City of Montebello to develop a new permit policy allocating field time and space strictly according to an athletic group's enrollment numbers, regardless of gender.

This is the second successful settlement of an ACLU of Southern California gender equity lawsuit regarding girls' access to city sporting facilities - a groundbreaking legal strategy that has sparked interest across the country. The first, Baca v. Los Angeles, resulted in a citywide program to increase girls' access to city sporting programs and facilities.

"Community sports programs have always been a key part of children's growth as athletes," said Cordoba, "but cities - until now - haven't been held to a high enough standard in providing those opportunities equally to all children, regardless of their gender."