Wendy Kaminer

Wendy Kaminer is an author, lawyer, and civil libertarian. She is the author of I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional, and a past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. More

Wendy Kaminer is a lawyer and social critic who has been a contributing editor of The Atlantic since 1991. She writes about law, liberty, feminism, religion and popular culture and has written eight books, including Worst InstinctsFree for All; Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials; and I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional. Kaminer worked as a staff attorney in the New York Legal Aid Society and in the New York City Mayor's Office and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1993. She is a renowned contrarian who has tackled the issues of censorship and pornography, feminism, pop psychology, gender roles and identities, crime and the criminal-justice system, and gun control. Her articles and reviews have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The American Prospect, Dissent, The Nation, The Wilson Quarterly, Free Inquiry, and spiked-online.com. Her commentaries have aired on National Public Radio. She serves on the board of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the advisory boards of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and the Secular Coalition for America, and is a member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

No Sex Talk Allowed

No Sex Talk Allowed

What's wrong with the Obama administration's definition of sexual harassment More »

Christine Quinn's Image-Making Machine

Christine Quinn's Image-Making Machine

The candidate's disclosure that she has struggled with bulimia and alcoholism may make her more "relatable," but it doesn't change her record on First Amendment protections. More »

Definitely

Definitely

How the word is overused More »

'We Don't Cower in Fear': Reconsidering the Boston Lockdown

'We Don't Cower in Fear': Reconsidering the Boston Lockdown

What does it say if Americans further cut back on basic freedoms in response to last week's bombings? And do any of us seriously think we won't? More »

Against Womansplaining: The Problem With Advice By and For Strangers

Against Womansplaining: The Problem With Advice By and For Strangers

"Why imagine that writers and TV personalities who have no idea that you even exist can advise you on your personal, professional, or ethical quandaries?" More »

Threatening a Free Press, in Britain and the U.S.

Threatening a Free Press, in Britain and the U.S.

The phone hacking scandal shouldn't necessitate a new regulatory system. More »

America Needs Fewer Campaign-Finance Laws

America Needs Fewer Campaign-Finance Laws

The problem isn't that there isn't enough regulation -- it's that the laws already on the books aren't adequately enforced. More »

Why Is the NYPD Investigating Alec Baldwin's Speech?

Why Is the NYPD Investigating Alec Baldwin's Speech?

Under scrutiny for their stop-and-frisk policy, the boys in blue decide to go after the mouthy actor -- violating his First Amendment rights. More »

Michael Bloomberg, Tireless Champion of Civil Liberties

Michael Bloomberg, Tireless Champion of Civil Liberties

Sure, he took away New Yorkers' right to massive sodas. But when it comes to our most important civil right, Bloomberg does better than most politicians. More »

What's Wrong With Having a Secret Assassination Court?

What's Wrong With Having a Secret Assassination Court?

The Obama Administration has considered establishing a special court to rubber-stamp targeted killings. But that won't do a thing to take care of civil libertarians' objections. More »

The Dangers of Obama's Contraceptive Compromise

The Dangers of Obama's Contraceptive Compromise

The same logic could be used to get businesses out of hiring gay employees or paying minimum wage. More »

Will the Scouts Ever Admit Atheists?

Will the Scouts Ever Admit Atheists?

The youth organization is finally reconsidering its ban on gay members. But it looks like another taboo will remain for a long time. More »

There's No Room for Civil Liberties in Obama's Inauguration View of America

There's No Room for Civil Liberties in Obama's Inauguration View of America

As the president's speech Monday made clear, the authoritarian right and egalitarian left meet in the middle on at least one issue: Neither side values the rights of the individual. More »

Our Legal System Didn't Give Aaron Swartz a Chance

Our Legal System Didn't Give Aaron Swartz a Chance

The Justice Department's pursuit of the 26-year-old internet activist for a victimless crime points to an ugly truth about prosecutorial abuse. More »

Let Barney Frank Take Over for Kerry

Let Barney Frank Take Over for Kerry

He doesn't want to run for the seat and could help win the debt limit fight. So why do some Massachusetts Democrats want a less experienced appointee instead? More »

A Civil Libertarian's Case for Giving Gun Control a Chance

A Civil Libertarian's Case for Giving Gun Control a Chance

It may be wrong to use current events to curtail a Constitutional right. But it's certainly wrong to let it stand untouched because of events that took place hundreds of years ago. More »

Can a Church Use Taxpayer Dollars to Deny Birth Control to Sex Trafficking Victims?

Can a Church Use Taxpayer Dollars to Deny Birth Control to Sex Trafficking Victims?

Under a government-funded program, run by Catholic bishops, health-care providers are not allowed to recommend contraception or abortion. More »

Why We Need to Tolerate Hate

Why We Need to Tolerate Hate

Penalizing someone because of his or her bad thoughts is quintessentially un-American. More »

What to Make of the Rape Accusations at Amherst College?

What to Make of the Rape Accusations at Amherst College?

A young woman's story of sexual assault is harrowing. But without due process, should newspapers and campus administrators automatically assume it's true? More »

Karl Rove Just Can't Let Go

Karl Rove Just Can't Let Go

How the Republican strategist rationalizes the failure of big money to sway the presidential election More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Finland in World War II

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