Rebecca Goldman

Justice Reform Legislative and Policy Manager

Rebecca Goldman serves as the justice reform legislative and policy manager with the League of Women Voters of the United States. Rebecca manages the League’s research and serves as the policy and subject matter expert on social justice issues, including climate change, criminal justice, the Equal Rights Amendment, gun safety, health care, immigration, and reproductive justice.

Rebecca helps develop the League’s national policy agenda and designs and implements advocacy strategies before Congress and the Administration. She also supports affiliates with their state and local legislative initiatives.

Prior to joining the League, Rebecca served in the nonprofit sector, addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights, economic inequity, and food insecurity through research, advocacy, public education, and direct service provision. She co-authored a peer-reviewed journal article on the impact of a federal, international policy on health systems and outcomes.

In advance of the 2020 presidential election, Rebecca volunteered to assist with voter registration, education, and mobilization. Encountering disinformation and voter suppression, she became interested in the intersection of democracy and justice.

Rebecca earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cornell University, with minors in Spanish, Human Development, and English, with a concentration in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. With a passion for human beings and the conviction that the personal is political, Rebecca is delighted to work with the League to help address systemic inequities and advance representation in our democracy.

Why Gun Safety is an LGBTQIA+ Issue (Blog)

Gun violence has a relatively more devastating impact on certain groups of people, including the LGBTQIA+ community. The disproportionate impact of gun violence on the LGBTQIA+ community makes gun safety a vital protection for community members.

LWV's Work with Urgent Social Justice Issues (Blog)

To achieve a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate, LWV advocates on issues like voting rights and “urgent issues."

Urgent issues include social issues that impact people’s ability to participate equitably in our democracy, including sex and gender equality, environmental and gun policies conducive to public health, immigration reform, and the ability to make reproductive choices.

Assault Weapons: What is Their Legality and Impact? (Blog)

In mass shootings, the number of people shot is six times higher when an assault weapon is involved and five times higher when a large-capacity magazine is involved. In an analysis, assault weapons accounted for more than 85% of deaths in mass shootings.

The Climate Crisis and the Urgent Need for Government Action (Blog)

The climate crisis continues to devastatingly and inequitably impact the health and well-being of people and our planet.

As effective climate action requires political commitment and coordinated laws and policies, the League advocates for bold and just executive and legislative actions to help ensure a stable climate for future generations.

Abortion Rights and Access One Year After Dobbs (Blog)

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, ending the federal constitutional right to abortion. This ruling eliminated a fundamental right that women and people who may become pregnant held for nearly fifty years and left the right to abortion up to federal and state legislation.

One year after Dobbs, 20 states are enforcing more limited abortion bans than before the ruling, including 14 states that have banned abortion at conception. Additionally, many have implemented other restrictions that make abortion less accessible.

Anti-LGBTQIA+ State Legislative Trends (Blog)

In the past couple of years, we have seen unprecedented numbers of legislative attacks on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQIA+) individuals, particularly transgender (trans) and non-binary youth. These attacks, accompanied and “justified” by false and pathologizing narratives about LGBTQIA+ people, have devastating consequences for the community’s physical and psychological well-being.

Where is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program Now? (Blog)

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program protects certain people who immigrated to the United States as children from being deported. Since the program began in 2012, DACA has allowed more than 800,000 people to remain in the US, where they attend school, work, and raise their families as vital members of our communities.

Abortion Legislation is a Democracy Issue (Blog)

Without the ability to make reproductive decisions for one’s body, those who can become pregnant cannot participate equally in our democracy.

Further, since the Dobbs decision reversing the right to abortion, numerous state governments have introduced legislation directly or indirectly related to reproductive rights, challenging doctrines of US democracy.

Women, Girls, and Climate Change at COP27 (Blog)

In November 2022, the League sent delegates in person and virtually to observe the COP27 Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Experts highlighted ways in which climate change disproportionately affects women and girls, who are insufficiently represented in climate change response decision-making.

Reproductive Rights Are on the Ballot (Blog)

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and ending the federal constitutional right to abortion. As the Supreme Court no longer recognizes the right to abortion as protected by the US Constitution, this ruling makes state constitutional amendments even more significant, leaving the right to abortion up to federal or state laws.