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Nadine
Strossen, Professor of Law at New York Law
School since 1989, has written, lectured
and practiced extensively in the areas of constitutional
law, civil liberties and international human
rights. In January 1991 she was elected President
of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),
where she had been national general counsel since
1986. Since 1996, Strossen has also been a monthly
columnist and contributing editor of the E-zine,
Intellectual Capital. Strossen has given numerous
lectures and speeches across the U.S. (Including
at more than 200 college and university campuses
since 1991), and in many foreign countries. She
also comments frequently on legal issues in the
media.
Strossen is the author of Defending
Pornography: Free Speech, Sex and the Fight
for Women's Rights
(Anchor Doubleday Paperback) which The New
York Times named "A notable book of 1995," and
co-author of Speaking of Race, Speaking of
Sex: Hate Speech, Civil Rights,and Civil Liberties
(NYU Press 1995), which was named Outstanding
Book on Human Rights in North America by the
Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human
Rights in North America. Strossen graduated
Phi
Beta Kappa from Harvard-Radcliffe College (1972)
and magna cum Laude from Harvard Law School
(1975, where she was an editor of the Law Review.
She
has also been awarded several honorary degrees.
As
president of the American Civil Liberties
Union, Nadine Strossen believes that the First
Amendment free speech guarantee affords the
greatest protection for women's rights and
women's safety,
including reproductive freedom. Feminist
speech
has often been considered dangerous speech.
Suppressing words and images violates civil
liberties as
well as feminist principles through its central
paternalistic approach of "protecting" women.
There is no evidence that censorship will
do anything to prevent sexism or violence
against
women. Further, banning words or images distracts
from positive strategies to counter gender
discrimination and violence against women.
Topics:
- Feminism and First Amendment Law
- Hate speech
- Sexual harassment
- Arts censorship
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