On this date in 1964, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law to address gender-based discrimination in the workplace.
Now nearly 50 years since those words were spoken, women still only earn about $.77 for every dollar a man makes.
In other stories this week, our LGBT Project celebrates its 10th anniversary with a profile in PrideSource and the University of Michigan revises its procedure for banning people from campus.
Michigan News
Our LGBT Project: Ten Years Of Hard Work For Equality
Since its founding in 2001, our LGBT Project has come to the aid of hundreds of people, fighting discrimination and anti-gay policies.
Jay Kaplan explains the amazing work our LGBT Project has done in the last ten years and what it's going to take to get equal rights for all in a fantastic profile for the Project's anniversary (via PrideSource).
U of M Lifts Ban Against Hundreds (But What About the Rest of Us?)
We're continuing to work with U of M to ensure that every visitor is treated fairly, revising their controversial trespass policy which banned thousands from the campus permanently.
Old trespass guidelines allowed authorities to issue lifetime bans for a variety of offenses, with no procedure to appeal or have the ban lifted. Under the new revisions, hundreds will be able to visit campus again and bans will be limited to a year before review.
We're still concerned that there's little oversight outside of the University Police, and hope that an independant appeals process is incorporated in future changes (via the Detroit Free Press).
National News
Are We Equal Yet?
Over a hundred and fifty years ago, Susan B. Anthony was already sounding the call for Equal Pay for Equal Work. When John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, it seemed like that common-sense slogan was finally becoming a reality.
Today, the Equal Pay Act needs to be updated to be a truly effective legal tool for women. The Paycheck Fairness Act, currently pending in Congress, would give the Equal Pay Act the strength it requires, ensuring that women can obtain the same damages as those subject to discrimination (via the Blog of Rights).