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Kentucky Appeals Court Issues Convoluted Decision in Pride Festival T-Shirt Case

Article
T-shirt design for the 2012 Lexington Pride Festival
May 16, 2017 Last week, the Kentucky Court of Appeals issued a convoluted decision upholding a lower court decision in a case involving LGBT Pride Festival t-shirts.  The Court’s ruling overturned a local human rights commission’s determination that a business violated a county anti-discrimination ordinance when it refused to take an order from an LGBT rights organization for the t-shirts.  The Lexington, KY-based Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (“GLSO…
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Swastikas and Other Hate Symbols

Lesson Plan
Swastika Brooklyn
GRADE LEVEL: High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Language We see symbols every day in all aspects of our lives. Symbols are used to convey ideas, qualities, emotions, material objects/products, opinions and beliefs. Unfortunately, symbols are also used to convey hate and bias. Lately, we have seen a lot of hate symbol graffiti in public spaces and specifically the swastika, which in most circumstances is understood as an expression of antisemitism. There has reportedly…
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Antisemitic Incidents: Being an Ally, Advocate and Activist

Lesson Plan
turn-hate-into-love-flag-cuomo-380.jpg
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Speaking and Listening, Language The surge of antisemitic incidents in the United States is alarming to many. Several reported incidents include graffiti using swastikas, bomb threats, vandalism and shootings, bomb threats targeting Jewish Community Centers (JCC) and Jewish institutions across the country. Over the past 10 years, ADL has recorded a record number of antisemitic incidents across the U.S. Since 2015,…
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Westboro Baptist Church

Profile
For Law Enforcement This document is an archived copy of an older ADL report and may not reflect the most current facts or developments related to its subject matter. Introduction The Topeka, Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a small virulently homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group that regularly stages protests around the country, often several times a week. The group pickets institutions and individuals they think suppor t homosexuality or otherwise subvert what they believe is…
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Interview with Ami Polonsky, Children's Book Author

Podcast
For Educators | For Parents, Families, and Caregivers In this podcast, Ami Polonsky talks about why she wrote the book, how parents and teachers can discuss gender and transgender identity with young people and the importance of being an ally.     Ami Polonsky is a children’s book author and teacher. Published in 2014, Gracefully Grayson, a middle grade book, is her debut. Formerly a Chicago Public Schools teacher, Ami spent nine years out of the classroom to…
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What the Women’s March Teaches Us about Intersectionality

Article
January 24, 2017 On Saturday, January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, 500,000 people gathered in Washington, DC for the Women’s March–to express their unity for women’s issues and to speak out against the demonizing and hateful rhetoric that pervaded the past election cycle. An additional 400,000 marched in New York City , 250,000 in Chicago and according to Women’s March organizers, there were 673 “sister marches&rdquo…
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ADL Shocked and Horrified at Mass Shooting Attack on LGBTQ Club in Orlando

Press Release
New York, NY, June 12, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed shock and horror at the unconscionable attack at The Pulse nightclub in Orlando apparently targeting the LGBTQ community, an attack that is now confirmed as the largest mass shooting in American history and one apparently inspired by an Islamic extremist ideology. The suspected shooter, 29-year-old Omar Mateen of Fort Pierce, Florida, reportedly pledged allegiance to the terrorist group ISIS, and authorities…
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A BDS Win at Brown University

News
by: Robert Trestan | March 24, 2016 The Times of Israel There is plenty of blame to go around when it comes to Janet Mock’s decision to cancel her “Redefining Realness” talk at Brown University this week. Ms. Mock, a transgender best-selling author, canceled her talk following pressure from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to reject the invitation due to Brown Hillel’s involvement. SJP cannot have it both ways — advocating to muzzle a speaker…
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Turning Current Events Instruction Into Social Justice Teaching

Article
by: David Robbins March 11, 2016 Jinnie Spiegler Director of Curriculum, Anti-Defamation League This blog orig­i­nally appeared on Edutopia Marriage equality, refugees seeking safety in Europe, the Confederate flag, police shootings of black and Latino men, the presidential election, Caitlyn Jenner, ISIS, and immigration are just a few of the news stories that inhabited the headlines this year on our phones, laptops, and newspapers. Unlike 20 years ago when…
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ADL Expresses Deep Sadness About Silencing of Pro-Israel LGBTQ Voices at National LGBTQ Conference

Press Release
Pledges to Support Increasing Dialogue in the Future New York, NY, January 24, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed deep sadness about the intimidating disruption of a post-Shabbat services reception at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s “Creating Change” conference. Reception organizer, A Wider Bridge, a pro-Israel LGBT advocacy group, had invited Jerusalem Open House (JOH) to discuss the progress and struggles of the diverse LGBTQ community since the…
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Voting Rights Then and Now

Lesson Plan
American Voters Stand in Line
GRADE LEVEL: High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Racial Discrimination and Safeguarding the Right to Vote In August 2015, we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act which was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. The Voting Rights Act is landmark federal legislation that was enacted during the Civil Rights Movement and was intended to prevent racial discrimination in voting. Prior to that, even though Black…
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‘That’s So Gay’: Language That Hurts, and How to Stop It

Article
January 21, 2014 The phrase "that’s so gay" has persisted as a way for students to describe things they do not like, find annoying or generally want to put down, while it is promising that fewer students are hearing homophobic slurs than in previous years. The phrase is used so commonly that many students no longer recognize it as homophobic because it is “what everyone says.” When educators and other adults intervene, common student responses include “I was just…
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The Resilience of Antisemitism: The Lies of The Protocols of The Elders of Zion

Lesson Plan
Resilience of Anti-Semitism Cover
GRADE LEVEL: High School COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Since its contrivance at the turn of the twentieth century by the Russian secret police, The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion (or The Protocols of the Elders of Zion) has taken root in bigoted and uneducated minds around the world. The booklet’s twenty-four sections spell out the alleged confidential plans of a Jewish conclave seeking to attain world domination. They represent…
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Challenging Biased Language

Tools and Strategies
Emotional Asian Woman Talks in a Group
On a daily basis—in the lunchroom, at the grocery store, in school hallways, in our political rhetoric and even at home—people hear and sometimes use words and phrases that demean, ridicule, offend or show ignorance about people from different groups and backgrounds. Regardless of whether the comments are deliberately malicious, said because the person lacks knowledge, or thought to be "a joke," such words are harmful and not only impact those on the receiving end but also everyone…
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Candace Owens

Backgrounder
Photo: Owens promotes an antisemitic book, “The Talmudic Jew,” on a December 2025 podcast episode. (Screenshot/YouTube)
With a following of millions, Candace Owens has become a leading voice for antisemitic conspiracy theories and anti-Zionism, amplifying extremists and extremist rhetoric post-Oct 7.
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Rizza Islam

Backgrounder
Rizza Islam
Rizza Islam speaking at the Nation of Islam’s 2021 Saviours’ Day conference at Mosque Maryam in Chicago. Key Points:   Ronnie Steven “Rizza” Islam is a member of the Nation of Islam Mr. Islam is also a social media influencer, with more than 500K followers He regularly posts antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ and anti-vaccine rhetoric Mr. Islam also espouses a range of conspiracy theories Background: Ronnie Steven &ldquo…
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