Getting Active
What is the ACLU?
How do I join the ACLU?
I'm already an ACLU member, now how can I contribute?
I care about the issues. What can I do?
I feel my rights were violated, who can help?
How do I reprint ACLU materials?
Who works at the ACLU?
Where can I find out about jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities at the ACLU?
I recently joined the ACLU but I haven’t received my card yet.
Why do I get renewal and join mailings even though my membership is current?
I am a member. How do I update or correct my contact information with the ACLU membership office?
I do not want the ACLU to share my name and mailing address with other charities, what do I need to do to guarantee that?
I want to change the emails I receive from the ACLU, what should I do?
I am having trouble with my password, what should I do?

About This Web Site
What's available on ACLU.org?
What is your Web site's privacy policy?
Is the ACLU website secure and do you use "cookies"?
What is a plug-in and what plug-ins are required to view the Web site?
How do I find a topic I'm looking for?
How do I make ACLU.org my homepage using Netscape?
How do I make ACLU.org my homepage using Internet Explorer?

ACLU Issues
What is the PATRIOT Act?
What is the ACLU's position on affirmative action?
Is the ACLU against religion?
Does the ACLU have Communist roots? Was co-founder Roger Baldwin a Communist?
Why did the ACLU represent NAMBLA?
What is the ACLU's position on the Second Amendment?
Why does the ACLU want to remove crosses from federal cemeteries?
Why does the ACLU object to federal employees/servicemen bowing their heads during a ceremony?

Violation of Rights
I was detained at the airport. What can I do?
I was groped by airport security. What can I do?
Can my school dictate my appearance?
I'm concerned about my civil liberties. What can I do?
Can my employer make me take a drug test?

Getting Active
What is the ACLU?
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Read more about the history and mission of the ACLU.

How do I join the ACLU?
The need has never been greater for freedom-loving people to join the ACLU. You can join online, by telephone 1-888-567-ACLU, or by sending a check to ACLU Membership Department, 125 Broad Street, 18^thfloor, New York, NY 10004. Take a stand against the growing threats to our most cherished Constitutional liberties.

I'm already an ACLU member, now how can I contribute?
The ACLU accepts donations online, by telephone 1-888-567-ACLU, or by sending a check to ACLU Membership Department, 125 Broad Street, 18^thfloor, New York, NY 10004. You can also join the Action Network to hear about pressing issues. Please visit the Action Center, where you will find a wealth of resources to keep you informed and involved.

I care about the issues. What can I do?
The ACLU Action Center has a number of current action alerts that help you take action on a range of important issues. You can also join the ACLU Action Network and subscribe to weekly action alerts on the key issues and send free faxes to your Members of Congress.

I feel my rights were violated, who can help?
Contact your local ACLU affiliate about your experience.

How do I reprint ACLU materials?
Unless specifically labeled otherwise, materials presented on ACLU.org using the Adobe Acrobat ".pdf" format are intended for no cost or at cost distribution. Requests for commercial reproduction of ACLU catalogues and other ACLU-generated materials that are not in the public domain should be emailed to permissions@aclu.org. For specific parameters on reprinting ACLU materials, read Copyright and the American Civil Liberties Union Web site.

Who works at the ACLU?
Read about the ACLU's leaders and staff who work to defend and preserve individual rights and liberties.

Where can I find out about jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities at the ACLU?
You can find descriptions of our available positions at affiliate offices and national headquarters on the Career Opportunities page. To learn more about volunteering for the ACLU or if you are an attorney interested in offering your services pro bono, please contact your local ACLU affiliate.

I recently joined the ACLU but I haven’t received my card yet.
If you have recently become a member of the ACLU and are waiting to receive your member card in the mail, please note that it takes about 3-4 weeks to process a new membership application and card. If more than 4 weeks have passed and you have still not received your card, please contact membership@aclu.org or call 212-549-2585.

Why do I get renewal and join mailings even though my membership is current?
The membership department sends out renewal notices before your membership expires to ensure there is no gap in your membership status. If you are concerned about notices you are receiving, please contact the ACLU's membership department by E-mail or telephone (1-212-549-2585).

I am a member. How do I update or correct my contact information with the ACLU membership office?
Please click here to fill out our change of address form in order to update or correct your mailing address, telephone number and/or email address.

I do not want the ACLU to share my name and mailing address with other charities, what do I need to do to guarantee that?
If you would prefer that the ACLU not share your name or mailing address with other charities, please fill out our No-Exchange of Name Form.

I want to change the emails I receive from the ACLU, what should I do?
If you would like to be unsubscribed from our mailing lists, would like to change your email address or your subscription preferences, please login to our user preferences area using your existing User Name and Password. If you have never used a User Name or Password at ACLU.org, you will need to request one using your subscriber email address. Once you have successfully logged in, you can change your settings.

To change your subscriber email address, click on "personal profile" once you have logged in. You can also unsubscribe from ACLU emails by sending an email to aclucorrespond@aclu.org with "unsubscribe" in the subject line or by sending a letter to ACLU Webmaster, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, New York, 10004.

I am having trouble with my password, what should I do?
You can have your password emailed to you by providing the email address you registered with at the Login page. You can then use this password to sign in. Once logged in, click on "personal profile" and you will then be able to change your password to whatever you'd like.

About This Web Site
What's available on ACLU.org?
The ACLU.org has information on membership and contributions, the latest news about issues the ACLU champions, contact information for local affiliate ACLU chapters, ACLU and the Supreme Court cases dating back to 1994, legislative updates searchable by issue and region, activism tools in the Take Action Center, highlighted topics like Get Busy, Get Equal and Reproductive Rights, and much more.

What is your Web site's privacy policy?
The ACLU is a fierce protector of individual privacy. Read the ACLU's detailed privacy statement.

Is the ACLU website secure and do you use "cookies"?
The Personal Data we collect about you is stored on a secure, password-protected server. We use industry-standard encryption technologies with respect to the receipt and transfer of Personal Data you submit on our site and only authorized personnel have access to your information. Nevertheless, despite our best efforts, no transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. The ACLU.org does not use any cookies that are permanently written to your computer’s hard drive or retained by the ACLU or our vendors. The ACLU.org does set "session-specific cookies" to help run its interactive online applications, such as the shopping cart online store. Read more in our privacy statement.

What is a plug-in and what plug-ins are required to view the Web site?
A "plug-in" is an additional piece of software used by a Web browser to display information often in the form of audio, video and large-document files like court dockets. ACLU.org uses primarily the free-to-download software Flash Player, RealOne Player and Adobe Acrobat Reader.

How do I find a topic I'm looking for?
Use the ACLU.org advanced search feature. To search for exact phrases, use quotation marks, use AND to restrict searches, use OR to expand searches, and to create search exceptions, use NOT.

How do I make ACLU.org my homepage using Netscape?
Go to "Edit" on the standard toolbar at the top of your screen. Select "Preferences?" from the bottom of the pull-down menu. Click on the circle next to "Home Page" in the top right box. If you don't see "Home Page," click "Navigator" under "Category" on the left side of the window. Type http://www.aclu.org and click OK.

How do I make ACLU.org my homepage using Internet Explorer?
Click "Tools" on the standard toolbar at the top of your screen. Select "Internet Options" in the pull-down menu. A window with tabs will appear. Click the tab marked "General." Here there will be three sections in the window, the top one is labeled "Home Page." In the box marked "address," type http://www.aclu.org and click OK.

ACLU Issues
What is the PATRIOT Act?
The PATRIOT Act was passed by the U.S. congress in response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It ushered in an overnight revision of the nation's surveillance laws that vastly expands the government's authority to spy on its citizens, while reducing checks and balances on those powers. The ACLU is pushing for Congress to re-examine provisions of the PATRIOT Act to ensure that it is in alignment with key constitutional protections and prevent any further intrusions, like the creation of a PATRIOT II.

What is the ACLU's position on affirmative action?
The ACLU supports affirmative action as one of the most effective tools for redressing injustices caused by our nation's historic discrimination against people of color and women.

Is the ACLU against religion?
The ACLU believes in the right of each and every American to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The ACLU works to ensure religious liberty is protected by keeping the government out of the realm of all religions. For more information, please see the Religious Liberty section.

Does the ACLU have Communist roots? Was co-founder Roger Baldwin a Communist?
No, Roger Baldwin was not a communist. Like many of his contemporaries, he observed and wrote about the social and political issues in the early years of the Soviet Union, but later he wrote, "The Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939, a traumatic shock to me, ended any ambivalence I had about the Soviet Union, and all cooperation with Communists in united fronts."

Throughout the organization’s history and particularly during the McCarthy era, the ACLU, its members, staff and founders have been accused of being communists. The ACLU has no political affiliations and makes no test of individuals' ideological leanings a condition of membership or employment. Members and staff of the national ACLU and its affiliates may be Republicans, Democrats, Communists, Federalists, Libertarians, or members of any other political party or no party at all. What the ACLU asks of its staff and officials is that they consistently defend civil liberties and the Constitution.

Why did the ACLU represent NAMBLA?
The ACLU of Massachusetts' represented members of NAMBLA because, while the ACLU does not advocate sexual relationships between adults and children, we do advocate robust freedom of speech. This lawsuit struck at the heart of the First Amendment. It is easy to defend freedom of speech when the message is something people find reasonable. The defense of freedom of speech is most critical when the message is one most people reject. For more information about the case, please contact the ACLU of Massachusetts.

What is the ACLU's position on the Second Amendment?
The Second Amendment provides: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Given the reference to "a well regulated Militia" and "the security of a free State," the ACLU has long taken the position that the Second Amendment protects a collective right rather than an individual right. For more information, please read our statement on the Second Amendment.

Why does the ACLU want to remove crosses from federal cemeteries?
The ACLU has never pursued the removal of religious symbols from personal gravestones. In fact, following lawsuits filed by the ACLU and the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Department of Veterans Affairs agreed to allow family members to include a religious symbols on headstones.

The ACLU has long argued that veterans and their families should be free to choose religious symbols on military headstones -- whether Crosses, Stars of David, Pentacles, or other symbols -- and that the government should not be permitted to restrict such religious expression in federal cemeteries.

Personal gravestones are the choice of the family members, not the choice of the government. The ACLU vigorously defends peoples’ freedom to choose the religious symbols of their choice. The right of each and every American to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

The Constitution's framers understood very well that religious liberty can flourish only if the government leaves religion alone. The free exercise clause of the First Amendment guarantees the right to practice one's religion free of government interference. The ACLU will continue working to ensure that religious liberty is protected by keeping the government out of the religion business. You can read more about the ACLU's position on religious liberty at www.aclu.org/religion.

Why does the ACLU object to federal employees bowing their heads?
The ACLU has no knowledge about the photograph of Marines praying that has circulated on the Internet. The ACLU has also never had a spokesperson -- quoted by news organizations as "Lucius Traveler" -- by this name.

Violation of Rights
I was detained at the airport. What can I do?
Report your experience if you were a victim of a "no-fly" list or racial profiling.

Can my school dictate my appearance?
It depends on what state you live in. In some states, students can wear their hair any way they want as long as it's not a safety hazard (if your hair is very long, you have to tie it back during a science experiment). Courts in other states allow school hair codes - and where hair codes are permitted, so are dress codes. For more information, please read our position paper on "Freedom of Expression." You can also check with your local ACLU affiliate about the laws in your state.

I'm concerned about my civil liberties. What can I do?
Join the ACLU. You can join the ACLU's Action Network to receive weekly alerts about legislative issues and to send free faxes to your Members of Congress. Visit the ACLU's Action Center and take the steps listed on the Action Checklist. You can also volunteer to work with your local ACLU affiliate to address state and local issues.

Can my employer make me take a drug test?
Employers are most likely within their legal rights to test employees. Some safety-sensitive jobs and government jobs have implemented policies of random, suspicionless drug testing for employees. If you feel you have tested falsely positive for drugs during a drug test administered by your employer, go immediately to your own doctor and get another drug test. For more information, read the ACLU booklet Drug Testing: A Bad Investment.