Research & Publications

I’m a youth advocate for children in the welfare system and a mother of five, and I have also navigated the adult justice system. I know from personal experience how our current bail system in Kansas criminalizes poverty – I was given a one-million dollar bond for six months on a probation violation for misdemeanor theft.

Kansas imprisons fewer juveniles than ever before, but sharp racial disparities stubbornly persist.

Little did Tom know that he would take part in one of our nation’s most historic events, simply by visiting his local bar. For the next year or two, Tom visited Stonewall as a "young, gay man on the prowl," and reveled in the hedonistic aura of New York City in the late 1960's. On the anniversary of Stonewall, we sat down with this unique Kansan who was there.

My husband and I are the parents of a remarkable transgender woman. She is brilliant, beautiful, and funny. She’s a good friend and sister, and she cares deeply about her community. Transitioning hasn’t been easy, and she has worked hard to become the person she is today. Her journey would have been much harder, however, without the support of people who love her and the professionals who provide her health care.

The ACLU of Kansas has worked alongside Kansans to protect our civil rights and civil liberties in every corner of the state.

Any kind of injustice bothers Faith Martin. Whether it is a mom yelling at a brother for what a sister did, or someone being harassed by police, or people losing their reproductive rights, she can’t seem to sit still. She says that she has to get involved.

In recent years, people have been talking a lot about cash bail and how it affects folks who don't have a lot of money or who are from communities that face discrimination, and the cash bail system that we see across the U.S. has come under scrutiny.

In 1913, California passed the Alien Land Law, which eroded the ability for immigrants from China, India, Japan, and Korea from owning land. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach championed a similar bill just a few months ago.

The 2024 legislative session is over, and it continued the turbulent trends of past years. Once again civil liberties were targeted, while we strove to advance our rights by supporting positive legislation. Here’s how things shook out: