Frequently Asked Questions

Is the ACLU a liberal or conservative organization? 
If you consider defending the founding principles of our nation to be conservative, we’re conservative. If you consider furthering the American Revolution to be liberal, we’re liberal. The ACLU of Indiana is a nonpartisan membership organization and our membership includes Libertarians, Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Further, it is the ACLU’s mission to restrain government power and to secure rights granted to all citizens in the Bill of Rights.

What is the ACLU’s position on religion? 
The ACLU strongly supports our country's guarantee that all people have the right to practice their own religion, as well as the right not to practice any religion. The best way to ensure religious freedom for all is to make sure that the government maintains a position of neutrality when it comes to religion. The ACLU supports the separation of church and state so that people may practice their religion without fear of government persecution or coercion. The separation of church and state does not discourage religious belief and in no way “weakens religion.” Rather, it paves the way for us all to live and worship as we choose.

Why does the ACLU defend unpopular groups like Nazis and the Klan? 
The ACLU defends the principles of civil liberty granted to us in our Constitution and Bill of Rights.  Whether we like the beliefs of a particular group or person is irrelevant to the civil liberties principles involved.  When the government infringes on the basic rights of citizens, the ACLU is there. We do not believe that you can pick and choose when to uphold rights. If a right can be taken away from one person, it can be taken away from anyone. When you deny a right to someone with whom you disagree, you pave the way for that right to be denied to you or someone you support. For example, the principle by which the Ku Klux Klan has the right to march is the same one that allows civil rights activists to march against racism. While the ACLU condemns all forms of racism, we defend the right of racists to speak their minds as the only means of preserving your right to speak your mind.