Citing declining enrollment and money issues, the Kansas City School Board plans to close 29 of its 61 schools. Kansas City’s educational system has long been in decline, due to the hollowing out of the the city’s urban core and the resulting re-segregation of area schools. Many scholars have cited Kansas City as a prime […]
Gabriel Arana
Gabriel Arana is a contributing editor at The American Prospect. His articles on gay rights, immigration, and media have appeared in publications including The New Republic, The Nation, Salon, The Advocate, and The Daily Beast.
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The Continued Fight for Gay Rights in D.C.
This morning, Angelisa Young and Sinjoyla Townsend were the first couple to legally get married in the nation’s capital. At 1 p.m. the pair was still giving interviews to the press outside the Human Rights Campaign building, fielding questions about who made Angelisa’s dress (a friend who works at Howard University) and how they intended […]
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Why Are Religious People More Racist?
A recent analysis of religious attitudes by researchers at Duke, USC, and Augsburg College reaches the conclusion that religious people tend to be more racist — and the more religious you are, the more racist you tend to be. It may come as no surprise that some Christians may not practice what they preach, but […]
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Gay? Check Yes or No
Penn just announced they would use admissions data about sexual orientation to recruit gay students. But does that really open the door for true diversity?
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Why Do Poor People Vote as if They Were Rich?
Democrats have long had trouble understanding why certain people who stand to benefit from the social safety net vote for Republicans. Many chock it up to “values” and identity interests trumping economics. Last year, Tom Jacobs at Alternet argued that conservatives live in a different “moral universe” from liberals, which makes them immune to liberal […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Let’s Be Rational About Sex
Opponents of gay rights have long relied on disgust to justify discrimination. Recent legal gains suggest this argument is losing its potency.
Posted inEducation in America
Moving Toward National Education Standards.
Today, Obama told members of the National Governor’s Association that his administration plans to require states to adopt “college and career-readiness” standards to qualify for $14.5 billion in Title 1 funding, which supports school districts with a high percentage of low-income, high-minority students. Under No Child Left Behind, schools had to meet state standards, but […]
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Where Have All the Log Cabin Republicans Gone?
As conservatives have intensified their opposition to marriage equality and employment nondiscrimination, gay Republicans must ask whom they love more: Reagan or themselves.
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Good Luck Reforming Immigration Courts.
At its annual meeting, the American Bar Association (ABA) called for an overhaul of the immigration court system. Currently, immigration courts operate under the aegis of the attorney general, which the ABA says leads to conflicts of interest. As Dana Marks, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, told the Times, “There have been […]
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Does it Matter if the Prop. 8 Judge is Gay?
The National Organization of Marriage thinks so. In response to a San Francisco Chronicle article “outing” District Court Judge Vaughn Walker, who is presiding over the Prop. 8 federal challenge in California, the organization released a statement cataloging instances of the judge’s bias, which include: Subpoenaing the “Yes on 8” campaign for documents, but not […]
