Thursday, January 10, 2008

January 2008: Special Forum

This forum aims to begin a public conversation about the question of whether the American Political Science Association (APSA) should hold its 2012 Annual Meeting in New Orleans—a city governed by a Louisiana constitutional amendment legally defining marriage as "the union between one man and one woman." The consequences of this amendment for APSA scholars are discussed in the opinions below.

APSA Practice for Annual Meeting Sites and the 2012 Annual Meeting

American Political Science Association memorandum
[originally posted on http://www.apsanet.org]

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An Open Letter to the Political Science Community

by Daniel R. Pinello

In 2003, the American Political Science Association (APSA) selected New Orleans as the site for its 2012 annual meeting.

In 2004, 78 percent of Louisiana voters (including 54 percent in Orleans Parish) passed the following amendment to their state constitution:

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Discrimination and Inclusivity: Why APSA Should Not Meet in New Orleans

by Martha Ackelsberg and Mary Lyndon Shanley

The American Political Science Association (APSA) should move the site of its 2012 Annual Meeting from New Orleans for two reasons: first, because the legal recognition and protection of same-sex unions is an issue of human rights and equal citizenship, and second to fulfill its own long-stated commitment not to go to localities with policies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. As a professional organization, it has a responsibility to ensure that every member of the association enjoys the full benefits of membership and an inclusive environment at meetings

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Choices Matter: Human Rights, Economic Solidarity, and the 2012 APSA Meeting

by Michael Goodhart

I believe that because Louisiana’s constitution violates the human rights of many of our colleagues, the American Political Science Association (APSA) should move its 2012 meeting from New Orleans. If it does not do so, I would urge members to boycott (the same applies to the Southern Political Science Association, which meets annually in New Orleans).

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