A hero and a trailblazer
Today…
all of my condolences to Aimee Stephen’s spouse and loved ones. I am preemptively angry at the Supreme Court, even as I stubbornly hope that they’ll do the right thing.
Thanks to my friend and former colleague Katelyn for letting me lift this picture of her interviewing Aimee. I just love it.
on a lighter note, is International Hummus Day. Some fun facts: “Hummus” comes from the Arabic word for chichi beans. The full name for the traditional spread is “ḥummuṣ bi ṭaḥīna.” So, for example, if you had a friend who made a lovely pumpkin hummus that everyone enjoyed, using pepitas instead of tahini, that could properly be referred to as a hummus.
is World Cocktail Day. I recently splurged on a jar of Luxardo cherries for a really nice Old Fashioned, and I’ll tell you what – worth. every. penny. Right up there with switching to Ghirardelli chocolate chips, they raised my whole quality of life.
A tribute to a trans rights pioneer, hummus holiday pettiness and valuable cocktail tips, for the low, low price of one click…
Abortion
COVID-19 Abortion Bans Could Have Alarming Effects Far Beyond This Crisis
Rachel Rebouché, Mary Ziegler | Newsweek
The right to an abortion may be enshrined in Roe v. Wade, but it is never safe. A new attack is underway, even as tens of thousands of Americans die and tens of millions file for unemployment.
Amid Covid-19, a Call for M.D.’s to Mail the Abortion Pill
Patrick Adams | New York Times
For decades, the consensus has been that F.D.A. regulations require that the abortion pill be obtained in a clinic. But that’s changing.
One Supreme Court Decision Could Shut Down Abortion Clinics in 15 States
Dennis Carter | Rewire.News
States with anti-choice politicians in power could impose unnecessary admitting privilege requirements with little or no resistance. The conservative takeover of the federal courts means there might not be legal recourse against laws designed to obliterate abortion access.
Tennessee abortion politics get in the way of good health care policy
Cherisse Scott | The Tennessean
Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday announced that Tennessee Republicans will pursue comprehensive restrictions on abortion this legislative session, building upon an effort last year to pass a controversial fetal heartbeat bill.
Review | The long fight for reproductive rights is only getting harder
Katha Pollitt | Washington Post
Even if you think you know a lot about abortion, “Obstacle Course” will be a wake-up call. Sociologist Carole Joffe and law professor David S. Cohen lay out in energetic, readable prose just about every roadblock facing abortion patients, providers, allies and volunteers at every step of the way.
LGBTQ
"Aimee did not set out to be a hero and a trailblazer, but she is one," ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio.
Aimee Stephens, Trans Plaintiff in Supreme Court Case, Dies at 59
Trudy Ring | The Advocate Magazine
Aimee Stephens, the Michigan transgender woman who took her discrimination case all the way to the Supreme Court, has died at age 59. Stephens died Tuesday at her home in the Detroit metro area with her wife, Donna Stephens, at her side.
AP: Michigan woman at center of transgender rights case dies
Bloomberg: Aimee Stephens, Supreme Court Transgender Bias Plaintiff, Dies
CNN: Transgender woman at center of blockbuster LGBTQ Supreme Court case dies
Daily Beast: Aimee Stephens, Who Made Trans History at the Supreme Court, Dies Before Landmark LGBTQ Ruling
Forbes: Will This Woman Rest In Peace? That’s Up To The Supreme Court
HuffPost: Aimee Stephens, Transgender Woman At Center Of Supreme Court Case, Dead At 59
Jezebel: RIP Aimee Stephens, Who Fought for Trans People All the Way to the Supreme Court
Metro Weekly: Aimee Stephens, transgender woman at center of LGBTQ Supreme Court case, dies at age 59
NBC: Aimee Stephens, transgender woman at center of Supreme Court case, dies at 59
New York Magazine: The Woman at the Center of a Major Trans Rights Case Has Died
New York Times: Aimee Stephens, Transgender Plaintiff in Supreme Court Case, Dies at 59 (n.b. NYT updated the piece)
NPR: Aimee Stephens, Transgender Woman At Center Of Major Civil Rights Case, Dies At 59
them.: Aimee Stephens, Supreme Court Plaintiff Who Fought for Trans Rights, Dies at 59
Time: Aimee Stephens, Activist Who Brought First Major Trans Rights Case to U.S. Supreme Court, Dies at 59
Refinery29: Aimee Stephens, The Trans Woman Who Made History In The Supreme Court, Dies At 59
Vox: Aimee Stephens, who brought the first major trans rights case to the Supreme Court, has died
Washington Blade: Aimee Stephens, trans worker at center of Supreme Court case, dies at 59
Washington Post: Aimee Stephens, the center of landmark transgender rights Supreme Court case, dies before the ruling
LGBTQ people face higher unemployment amid coronavirus pandemic, survey finds
Julie Moreau | NBC News
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans are more likely to become unemployed as a result of the coronavirus epidemic than their non-LGBTQ counterparts, according to a poll by the national LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign and PSB Research.
LGBTQ Americans are getting coronavirus, losing jobs. Anti-gay bias is making it worse for them
Petruce Jean-Charles | USA Today
The coronavirus outbreak is pummeling LGBTQ Americans, especially those of color, leaving a population already vulnerable to health care and employment discrimination suffering from high job losses and a growing rate of positive cases, according to preliminary data collected from multiple LGBTQ advocacy groups.
Pregnancy & Parenting
Alabama legislature approves funds to review maternal deaths
Alabama Today
The Alabama legislature has approved nearly half a million dollars to investigate deaths from childbirth and pregnancy complications in the state. The money approved in the state’s budget last week will fund a committee that is reviewing autopsies and medical records of women who died from childbirth complications. The funding is in the state’s new budget awaiting Gov. Ivey’s signature.
Mama Glow’s Latham Thomas Shares Her Vision For The Future Of Prenatal And Postpartum Care
Amy Shoenthal | Forbes
Mama Glow founder Latham Thomas has been trying to revolutionize maternal care in the U.S. since she gave birth to her own son 17 years ago. Our interview took place, just as the entire world was on the brink of a massive change. What hasn’t changed through any of this is the advocacy, advice and training Thomas has always offered to expecting moms. Pre-pandemic, while so many women’s organizations focused on the boardroom or the classroom, Thomas wanted to talk about what happened in the bedroom, the bathroom and the hospital room.
Supreme Court
Religious Freedom Demands That Women Be Denied Birth Control, Trump Administration Tells Supreme Court
Jordan Smith | The Intercept
During oral arguments on May 6, before a Supreme Court working remotely amid the coronavirus crisis, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had one question on her mind: What about the women? It’s a question that was never really answered in more than an hour and a half of back and forth about statutory construction, administrative rule-making, and religious freedom
Catholic school claims it had the “religious freedom” to fire a teacher diagnosed with cancer
Bil Browning | LGBTQ Nation
While the Bible instructs Christians to care for the sick and treat everyone with love and compassion, the Catholic church continues to purge school teachers under the guise of “religious freedom.” While LGBTQ teachers have taken the brunt of the mass terminations, a California school is arguing that it has the “religious liberty” to fire Kristen Beil, a 5th-grade teacher who was diagnosed with breast cancer and asked for time off to receive treatment. She has since died.
Clarence Thomas wants to shrink your free speech rights — unless you are a rich donor
Ian Millhiser | Vox
Last Thursday, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that a major First Amendment doctrine should be abandoned, and that the right to free speech be significantly shrunk in the process. It’s the second time he’s done so in a little over a year, and at least the third time Thomas has called for a major slice of Americans’ free speech rights to be cut away.
Work & Money
Female Academics May Be Disproportionately Affected By Lockdown, New Reports Find
Sophie McEvoy | Bustle
In a new report published on May 12, the Guardian found that female academics may be disproportionally affected by lifestyle changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After Covid-19, Working Parents Will Need More Policies to Protect Them
Adam Bulger | Fatherly
After months of quarantine, parents across America are itching to get out of the house and back to work. But the reality is that they’re probably going to have a harder time clocking in than they expect. Once they do, they may not be able to stay on the job for long. COVID-19 defies predictions. But recent models warn that intermittent periods of social distancing might be necessary for several years.
Could COVID-19 lead the way to a $15 minimum wage?
Jessica Kutz | High Country News
One labor activist sees the pandemic as an opportunity to fight for a better income.
Which Employment Laws/Policies Actually Help Pregnant Workers?
Eric Bachman | Forbes
After analyzing the various laws and related state disability programs, law professor Jennifer Shinall found that: Pregnancy accommodation laws and paid family leave improve labor market outcomes for women who have recently given birth; However, pregnancy transfer laws and state disability insurance programs do not.
How the Pandemic Has Rapidly Turned *Working Mothers into Unpaid Caregivers
Elizabeth Pearson | Working Mother
Children are being homeschooled while mothers struggle to juggle household care and their dreams of professional growth fall further and further out of reach—is this the 1950s? Nope, it’s life post-pandemic. It probably comes as no surprise that mothers disproportionately take on unpaid caregiving responsibilities when quality childcare is not available.
*Insert more. More mothers.
Me, all day. Tappity tappity pull press list review social metrics “Yes, darling. Now think, how do you express a percentage as a decimal? Got it, now multiply that by 72.” tappity tappity schedule call write rapid response plan “What is it, sweetheart? Yes, you have Spanish at 2:00. You should have the link. Okay, I’ll resend.” respond to one email check Slack “Just make yourself a PB&J, honey, I need to focus. Don’t forget your sister.” tappity tappity “HOW IS IT 4:30 ALREADY.”
More, More, More
Wondering How to Support Women and Girls? Fill Out Your Census.
Betsy Butler | Ms. Magazine
“If you are wondering how you can support vulnerable women and girls during this pandemic, here is one simple and meaningful action: fill out your census form,” writes Butler. “Make sure our communities receive the support they urgently need.”
The pandemic may leave communities of color undercounted in the census. It could cost them billions.
Donna Owens | Vox
If [black and brown] communities aren’t reached, the implications are vast. The census shapes political representation and the allocation of public funding over the next decade, determining state Electoral College votes, as well as how local, state, and federal legislative district lines are drawn.