News & Commentary

Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island, issued the following statement today following the Supreme Court's decision in Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt:

Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island, issued the following statement today in response to the controversy surrounding the Westerly Yacht Club barring women from being full members of the club: “The ACLU has read with interest the recent news stories about the Westerly Yacht Club’s policy barring women from being full members of the club. “The ACLU fully appreciates that private clubs have a general First Amendment right to associate without government interference – a right that we support. However, that right is not absolute. In this case, it is our understanding that the Club opens some of its facilities to non-members, serves as an important networking opportunity for business people in the community, and has benefitted from state and federal funds over the years. “It also seems clear that the ban on women members is not because the Club seeks to express some sort of political view about the role of women, but is instead simply an archaic vestige from another era when women were treated as second-class citizens in a wide variety of settings. Indeed, under this antiquated policy, even a woman’s auxiliary status is dependent on her husband not divorcing her or dying. “Times have changed, as have our laws. Based on these facts, we believe that the Club’s actions constitute a violation of both the state’s Civil Rights Act and Rhode Island laws banning sex discrimination in public accommodations. “This being 2016 and not 1916, we trust the Club will immediately change its policy and welcome women as full members. Otherwise, we look forward to hearing from any individuals who are adversely affected by the Club’s discriminatory policy so we can work with them to address this unacceptable state of affairs.”

The Rhode Island Supreme Court has adopted a new policy that will allow women Bar applicants who are breastfeeding to easily obtain accommodations when taking the Bar exam. The policy was adopted after a number of groups encouraged the Rhode Island Board of Bar Examiners to revise its policies that offered no accommodations to individuals who were breastfeeding, leaving them at a serious disadvantage during the test.

For the second time in three months, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has filed a complaint of sex discrimination against the Harmony Fire District for terminating a female employee who had raised concerns that male and female firefighters were being treated differently. The ACLU filed this latest charge with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of Linda Ferragamo, an EMT/firefighter at the department for more than a decade.

The ACLU of Rhode Island and five other organizations are urging the Rhode Island Board of Bar Examiners to provide accommodations to breastfeeding women taking the Bar exam. The Board’s current accommodation policies, the groups say, leave individuals who are breastfeeding “at a serious disadvantage during the test.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has filed a charge of sex discrimination against the Harmony Fire District on behalf of a female EMT/firefighter who was terminated from her job after she and several others raised concerns that male and female firefighters were being treated differently. The charge, filed with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is on behalf of Kimberly Perreault, who served as an EMT/firefighter for the Harmony Fire District for 12 years before being terminated in January 2015 for purportedly being “unhappy” with the fire department.

By Johanna Kaiser, Development and Communications Associate

By Johanna Kaiser, Development & Communications Associate

By Johanna Kaiser, Development & Communications Associate