Corned beef and quarantine
Today…
in 1917, Loretta Perfectus Walsh became the first woman to join the navy, and the first woman to officially join any branch of the military in a role other than nurse.
is St. Patrick’s Day, but you knew that. I didn’t. It’s on my calendar, but somehow didn’t make it on my radar this year. Growing up, the thing was for Italians to wear red on St. Patrick’s Day - not even because it occasionally overlaps with St. Joseph’s Day. Just because of who we are as people.
Abortion
Idaho bill outlawing abortion if Roe is reversed advances
Keith Ridler | Associated Press
A House panel on Monday approved legislation making abortion a crime should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. The House State Affairs Committee voted along party lines to approve the measure that includes exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. The measure now goes to the full House for debate. It has already passed the Senate.
Will Illinois Finally Vote Out Anti-Choice Democrat Dan Lipinski?
Ray Levy-Uyeda | Rewire.News
Illinois' 3rd District race functions not only as a test of an incumbent against an upstart candidate but also of whether or not voters believe abortion to be a fundamental Democratic value; we know that Dan Lipinski certainly doesn’t. Dan Lipinski’s candidacy poses a real threat to reproductive health care throughout the United States, and dually functions as an embodiment of the struggle within the Democratic party.
See also Politico: This anti-abortion rights, Obamacare-opposing House Democrat is in trouble
Kansas lawmakers rush to finish budget, transportation plan
John Hanna | Associated Press
Kansas legislators rushed Monday to … wrap up a few other loose ends so they could take an early and longer-than-usual spring break in response to the coronavirus pandemic. They would abandon for now a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution that GOP leaders have described as their top priority and a bipartisan plan for expanding the state’s Medicaid program that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, other Democrats and some Republicans want.
Every other statehouse report reads like this, lawmakers trying to get the hell out of town, ushering bills through like…
2020
Not trying to make this a habit (yet), but there’s been a good deal of relevant writing in the past few days.
CNN: Joe Biden's pledge could change the look of the Supreme Court
Jezebel: Joe Biden Really Wants You to Forget That He Supported the Hyde Amendment Less Than a Year Ago
NewNowNext: Sanders Criticized Biden’s Vote for DOMA During Last Night's Debate
Rewire.News: Joe Biden Says He'll Nominate a Black Woman to the Supreme Court. Here Are 6 Options.
Washington Post: Biden says he’ll pick a woman to be VP. It’s about time.
Courts
McConnell Has a Request for Veteran Federal Judges: Please Quit
Carl Hulse | New York Times
Running out of federal court vacancies to fill, Senate Republicans have been quietly making overtures to sitting Republican-nominated judges who are eligible to retire to urge them to step aside so they can be replaced while the party still holds the Senate and the White House.
Supreme Court to postpone arguments over coronavirus crisis, a first since 1918
Robert Barnes | Washington Post
The Supreme Court on Monday said it is postponing its next round of oral arguments, scheduled to begin Monday, because of concerns over the coronavirus. It is the first time the court has scheduled a pause in its work since 1918, when the Spanish flu epidemic hit Washington.
LGBTQ
Dream of a lifetime: Transgender man yearns to join military
David Crary & Keith Srakocic | Associated Press
Nic Talbott keeps himself busy, working as a substitute teacher, studying for a master’s degree, helping with chores at his grandmother’s farm. He also finds time, almost daily, for rigorous workouts — to ensure he is in shape in case his dream job, serving in the U.S. military, becomes available. For now, that door is closed to him by the Trump administration for one reason: He’s transgender.
GLAAD to lose $2 million in wake of media awards cancellation due to coronavirus
Marc Malkin | Chicago Tribune
GLAAD could be looking at a loss of $2 million because of the coronavirus outbreak. The LGBTQ media watchdog group announced Monday that its upcoming Media Awards Gala in Los Angeles on April 16 has been canceled. The group is hoping to reschedule for the fall, but it's still unclear if that will be possible. The announcement comes just five days after organization announced the cancellation of the Media Awards in New York on March 19.
We Need To Start Listening To LGBTQ Allies Who Aren’t Famous
Amber Leventry | Scary Mommy
Make zero mistakes about my own appreciation for allies, especially the famous ones. I am grateful for people like Dwyane Wade, Charlize Theron, and Cynthia Nixon who use their influence and platforms to proudly announce their unconditional support and love for their gay or transgender child. However, I also feel defeated and frustrated because headlines showing popular celebrities doing what all parents should do are celebrated more than a parent standing up at a PTO meeting begging their school to protect their transgender child from bullying.
Alaska librarian wins big court victory for transgender health coverage
Alex Bollinger | LGBTQ Nation
A librarian in Alaska won a lawsuit she brought against the state for not covering medical procedures related to her transition. Jennifer Fletcher is a librarian with the state legislature, and she’s on her state’s health care plan. She tried to get her insurance to cover several expenses related to her transition, but they refused. She was forced to pay thousands of dollars herself that should have been covered by her insurance.
Idaho bill bans transgender women, girls from competition
Keith Ridler | Odessa American
An Idaho bill banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports despite warnings that such a law is unconstitutional headed back to the House on Monday after being amended in the Senate. The Senate voted 24-11 to approve the measure that would apply to all sports teams sponsored by public schools, colleges and universities.
Lesbian officers sue Michigan corrections department for discrimination
Nico Lang | NBC News
Michelle Wood worked for the Michigan Department of Corrections for 26 years, and she had hoped to make it an even 30. But Wood, 52, said she was forced to leave her job as a prison guard in October 2018 after being subjected to discrimination and harassment because of her sexual orientation.
Parenting & Caregiving
Ease heavy burden of women affected by COVID-19 pandemic
Khara Jabola-Carolus, executive director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
A negative economic, social and political impact on women as a result of the coronavirus outbreak is already being observed around the world. Caregiving is dumped on women. Women are also held responsible for most household preparedness and management, performing the majority of the work to maintain a home that is sanitized and supplied with basic food provisions and medication. As a result, women already are expected to function as the primary frontline for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reproductive Health & Justice
The Alliance For Period Supplies Helps Make Menstruation More Manageable
Francesca Volpe | BUST Magazine
Founded in 2018, the Alliance for Period Supplies strives to ensure that individuals in need have access to pads, tampons, and other supplies essential for participation in daily life while menstruating. The organization operates through “ally programs”—community based non-profits that function as period supply banks—in various locations and with multiple target populations, ranging from homeless individuals to students in schools to LGBTQ folks.
Data about maternal mortality can improve health outcomes
Michelle Collins, PhD | The Hill
A few weeks ago, CDC released the National Vital Statistics Report on Maternal Mortality for 2018. Until fairly recently, gathering information about maternal mortality has been difficult and inconsistent, so making progress towards standardization of data collection is a welcome step toward improving outcomes for women. Having said that, the numbers are grim: the CDC reports that 658 women, either pregnant or within 42 days of having given birth, died in 2018.
Why These Sexual Health Educators Took Their Activism Online
Gretchen Brown | Rewire
There’s a new class of sex educators — on the internet and beyond — who have flipped the script on sex education. They teach it as a justice movement, as activism, as personal. And they include folks and identities that had previously been left out of the conversation.
California: Government corner wrap up
Santa Cruz Sentinel
The Santa Cruz City Council voted to develop a targeted menstrual equity program making menstrual products freely available in city facilities used exclusively by city employees, and encourage other entities to do the same
Washington state legislators make tampons tax-free
Leona Vaughn | Islands' Sounder
Women in Washington state will soon be relieved of paying sales tax on products that are fundamental to their feminine health, thanks to action by lawmakers this week. Senate Bill 5147 will exempt feminine hygiene products, including tampons and menstrual cups, from sales tax in the state.
Workplace Equality
I’m so hoping this isn’t another glass cliff scenario…
US Soccer backs off sexist, demeaning characterizations of USWNT in latest legal filing
Nancy Armour | USA Today
Shamed by players and chastened by outraged sponsors, U.S. Soccer has dropped the sexist and demeaning stereotypes it had used to make its case in a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. women. U.S. Soccer’s response to a request for summary judgment, filed late Monday night, no longer includes the claim that it is “indisputable `science’” that the women lacked the “skill” of male players. The assertion that the women don’t face the same responsibilities as the U.S. men is also gone.
Associated Press: Parlow Cone says US Soccer argument vs women was mistake
Washington Post: New U.S. Soccer president laments ‘offensive assertions’ in court filing that prompted USWNT backlash
The Wing Is a Women’s Utopia. Unless You Work There.
Amanda Hess | New York Times Magazine
In interviews with 26 current and former Wing employees, people who have worked in Wing headquarters and in spaces across the United States in jobs that range from cooking and cleaning to management, most told similar stories of excitement about their new workplace curdling into anxiety and disgust.
Does Your Houston City Council Member Support Paid Sick Leave? We Asked.
Jen Rice | Houston Public Media
Houston Public Media asked city council members whether they would vote for a paid sick leave ordinance — like those passed in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio — requiring employers to provide employees with one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours they’ve worked.
Wisconsin Assembly democrats push paid family leave bills during COVID-19 pandemic
WKOW-TV (Madison, WI)
Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly are pushing two bills that would help workers without access to paid sick leave or family leave during the new coronavirus pandemic Rep. Sondy Pope (D-Mount Horeb) has introduced Assembly Bill 666, which would expand family and medical leave, allowing individuals to take paid time away from work to care for a grandparent, grandchild, or sibling.