Alison Gash, Department of Political Science

Alison Gash

Professor
Practice Areas: US Courts, Gender, Race, Sexuality, Same-Sex Marriage, Constitutional Rights, Public Policy

Faculty bio | (541) 346-4876 | Twitter

Alison Gash is an academic expert in United States courts, gender, race, sexuality, same-sex marriage, constitutional rights and public policy. Her research explores how advocates work to overcome contentious policy debates and how their efforts ultimately influence the "facts on the ground." She is the author of "Below the Radar: How Silence Can Save Civil Rights." Her work as been featured in Washington Monthly, Politico, Slate, Huffington Post, Newsweek and The Conversation. 

Recent Media:
On 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, where abortion rights stand in the U.S. (Healthline, Jan. 24, 2024)
What is US House Speaker Mike Johnson’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights? (Reuters, Oct. 31, 2023)
Lawmakers in blue states are linking protections for abortion and gender-affirming care (The 19th, June 9, 2023)
The Youth Interest PAC, Founded By Mejia Campaign Alums, Will Fund Progressive Campaigns (Teen Vogue, March 29, 2023)
Gen Z might finally turn young voters into a political power (The Washington Post, Dec. 9, 2022)
The Respect for Marriage Act won’t fully protect same-sex parents (The Washington Post, Dec. 8, 2022)
Tina Kotek’s historic campaign meets Oregon at a crossroads (The Washington Post, Nov. 6, 2022)
Biden Announces New Plan to Expand Abortion Access: What to Know (Healthline, Oct. 6, 2022)
SHElection!: The Oregon Governor's Race (WNYC, Oct. 6, 2022)
Abortion access in Oregon and Washington won’t change, unless state law does (Oregon Public Broadcasting, June 24, 2022)
Trans advocates work locally. Conservatives fight back nationally. (The Washington Post, May 31, 2022)
Advocates worry other rights at risk if court overturns Roe (Associated Press, May 5, 2022)
Abortion access in Oregon and Washington won’t change, unless state law does (Oregon Public Broadcasting, May 4, 2022)
What does it mean to overturn abortion rights? How the end of Roe v. Wade would impact reproductive health (Health, May 3, 2022)
Judge blocks law that banned abortions in KY: What to know now (Healtline, April 21, 2022)
The news out of Florida and Texas exemplifies a larger conservative trend (CNN, March 10, 2022)
Indiana, Iowa and Texas advance anti-transgender agendas – part of a longtime strategy by conservatives to rally their base (The Conversation, March 4, 2022)
The Supreme Court is taking suspect science seriously. Conservative groups have worked for years for that. (The Washington Post, Dec. 15, 2021)
If Roe falls, some fear ripple effect on civil rights cases (Associated Press, Dec. 7, 2021)
The erosion of Roe v. Wade and abortion access didn’t begin in Texas or Mississippi – it started in Pennsylvania in 1992 (The Conversation, Oct. 28, 2021)
Trump and Biden clash in chaotic debate – experts react on the court, race and election integrity (The Conversation, Sept. 30, 2020)
Free assembly vs. public safety: US mayors making it work (The Christian Science Monitor, Sept. 16, 2020)
Oregon LGBTQ community reacts to Supreme Court ruling (KGW, June 15, 2020)
Justice Kennedy’s LGBTQ legacy may be short-lived (The Conversation, July 3, 2018)
Trump administration pauses California’s solar energy truce (High Country News, May 31, 2018)
How Trump will roll back Obama’s progress on gay rights (Washington Monthly, Jan. 31, 2017)
The long arm of the SCOTUS (Jefferson Public Radio, Jan. 31, 2017) 
The conversation we’re not having about rape (Washington Monthly, Nov. 1, 2016)
After Orlando, the road to equality just got longer (Washington Monthly, June 29, 2016)
What's the deal with the backlash against gender-neutral bathrooms? (Michigan Public Radio, May 10, 2016)
Adoptive gay parents win another Supreme Court victory (mostly) (Washington Monthly, March 15, 2016)
Kate Brown: ‘A Voice for Those That Don’t Have One' (Roll Call, Feb. 8, 2016)
Explainer: why transgender students need “safe” bathrooms (The Conversation, Nov. 19, 2015)
When it comes to custody battles, marriage equality still has a ways to go (Washington Monthly, Oct. 15, 2015)
Gay parenting in the post-Obergefell world (Washington Monthly, July 8, 2015)
Supreme Court same-sex marriage compromise could prove costly to couples and kids (The Good Men Project, May 12, 2015)
For transgender students, a divided pool of college options (The Conversation US, March 24, 2015)
America’s first openly bisexual governor (Newsweek, March 3, 2015)
Michigan’s marriage ban is bad for kids (The Huffington Post, March 10, 2014)