BY KATIE D’HONDT Today, Apple released an open letter defying the U.S. government, the first of its kind. In the wake of the San Bernardino attack, a U.S. federal judge has mandated that Apple build software that will allow the government to break the encryption that safeguards the data of all Apple products – a […]

Galen Baughman is an Open Society Foundations Soros Justice Fellow working to end the practice of civilly committing youth as sexually violent predators. Starting when he was still just a teenager, Galen was imprisoned for nine years, including four and a half years in solitary confinement. Today, he brings his experiences to audiences around the […]

BY TOM TRAILL Nobody has ever catcalled me.  God knows I’ve tried: short shorts, no top, the whole caboodle.  But however much I’m “asking for it,” it never happens. I can’t experience it.  I have to believe the reported accounts I’m given that it does happen to women. *** Another thing I haven’t experienced and […]

BY ANDREAS WESTGAARD This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Republican presidential debate in Manchester, New Hampshire. Just five days after the Iowa caucus, this past Saturday’s debate was important for the current frontrunners and even more crucial for those contenders hoping to remain relevant after the Granite State’s primary on February 9. […]

  BY LUCY BOYD Driving from Boston to Manchester, N.H., on Friday through the blistering blizzard weather, I had no idea what to expect. As someone from New Orleans, this was my first primary election (and first drive through a snow storm, I might add). We arrived at the Hilton Hotel to news crews, volunteers, […]

The below interview is with Dr. Eunice Avilés, one of the panelists participating in the LGBTQ Policy Journal’s event next Tuesday, February 16, 2016: Mala Mala Film Screening and Trans* Inclusive Policy Discussion. We ask Dr. Avilés some questions about her work and remaining challenges for creating innovative policy solutions for the trans community. Dr. Eunice Avilés […]

BY JEN SMITH Mr. Bloomberg, What message are you sending undecided Democrats with this notice of your presidential aspirations?  You don’t want to run for the presidency.  If you did, you would have hired that consulting firm you were paying way too much money long ago.  You also wouldn’t run as an independent.  I might […]

BY WILL EBERLE Democrats have long prided themselves on being the big tent party, representing minorities and women to a greater degree than Republicans. It has become such an ingrained part of the party mentality that it is hard to conceive of an alternate future in which Democrats lose the support of such groups in […]

Amir Ashour is a human rights activist and the founder of Iraqueer, the first and only organization for the LGBTIQ+ community in Iraq and Kurdistan region. IraQueer aims at increasing the visibility and the awareness amongst and about the local LGBTIQ+ community. In a region where homosexuality is criminalized and queer people face horrific violence, […]

BY RICHARD MENGER MD, ANIL NANDA MD MPH, AND WILLIAM FRIST MD Strategic Health Diplomacy (SHD) recognizes that targeted global health initiatives can be an important foreign policy tool for the United States.  Healthier populations are productive, safe, and less vulnerable to instability. By addressing global health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the […]

Only days before the February 1st beginning of Black History/African-Heritage/Black Future month, the internet– or should I say black Twitter, erupted in fiery chatter when it was revealed that not all black people agree on its necessity. Why dedicate an entire month to celebrating the contributions of Africans and African-Americans to the world? Rather than entertain […]

BY JENN MENN This piece appeared in our 2015 print journal. You can order your copy here. Introduction to the foster care crisis In the whirl of a brief phone call, a social worker’s car doors shutting in the driveway, and signing a custody paper like a FedEx package, I became mom to three little strangers. […]