I do. I really do.
Today…
is “Celebrate 31” day. Every month that has a 31 day, Baskin Robbins offers $1.70 scoops. It’s a recurring event on my Google calendar. #priorities
is National Avocado Day (YUM), National Cotton Candy Day (pass) and National Shredded Wheat Day (will have).
some things happen, people were born and died, ICYMI today is my last day before taking off next week. Looking forward to a morning view like…
…assuming this doesn’t conspire against us.
Cross your fingers, enjoy your weekend, I’ll be back.
Abortion
Federal agencies appeal suspension of abortion pill rule
Michael Kunzelman | AP
The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to reinstate a rule that has required women to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain an abortion pill during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hawley draws hard line on Supreme Court nominees, abortion
AP
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday said he’ll only vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court nominees who say the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide was wrong.
I Shouldn't Have to Choose Between Rent or Paying for an Abortion
Katie Klabusich | Rewire.News
We cannot fully build families and determine the direction of our own lives as long as the floor can be yanked out from underneath us.
Kansas
Pro-Kobach PAC accuses Marshall of performing an abortion. Kansans For Life disputes
Bryan Lowrey | Kansas City Star
A super PAC that supports Kris Kobach has sent out a mailer in the final days of the heated Senate Republican primary race accusing Rep. Roger Marshall of performing abortions.
LGBTQ
In a first, hospital vows to ban cosmetic surgeries on intersex infants
Wilson Wong | NBC News
A prominent children’s hospital publicly apologized Thursday for performing cosmetic genital surgeries on intersex infants and pledged to end the practice. “We recognize the painful history and complex emotions associated with intersex surgery and how, for many years, the medical field has failed these children,” the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago said in a statement.
House would overturn Trump's transgender ban in military
John Donnelly | Roll Call
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., has offered an amendment to the fiscal 2021 Defense spending bill that would overturn the Trump administration's ban on transgender servicemembers in the military.
A New Survey Reveals 25% Of LGBTQ+ Youth Use Pronouns Beyond The Binary
Jen McGuire | Romper
A new survey conducted by the Trevor Project has found that more LGBTQ+ youths are using pronouns beyond "he" and "she" on a regular basis. One out of every four of the LGBTQ+ youths surveyed to be exact.
Elite Daily | They/Them Pronouns Are Way More Popular Than You Might Realize
NBC News | Beyond 'he' and 'she': 1 in 4 LGBTQ youths use nonbinary pronouns, survey finds
Skirting The Issues: The Fate of the Republic
Ellen Krug | Lavender Magazine
On my 2020 calendar is a date: November 3. It’s been circled since way back in mid-2019, when the calendar had nothing but blank spaces. It’s a day for me, a transgender woman, and for the trans community at large, that will determine whether we’re erased from society’s view entirely
'Pose,' 'Schitt's Creek,' Lil Nas X and Rachel Maddow Among Winners of Virtual GLAAD Media Awards
Chris Gardner | The Hollywood Reporter
The media advocacy organization presented a virtual ceremony tonight on GLAAD's Facebook and YouTube accounts (a version will be broadcast Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern on Logo).
The Advocate | 'Pose,' 'Schitt's Creek,' 'Booksmart' Take GLAAD Media Awards
Out Magazine 'Out,' 'Schitt's Creek,' Dolly Parton Win at GLAAD Media Awards
Showtime Teams With Human Rights Campaign For ‘Queer To Stay’ LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative
Dino-Ray Ramos | Deadline Hollywood
Showtime and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) have partnered for “Queer to Stay: An LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative.” The program is set up to preserve businesses that serve the LGBTQ+ community with a focus on LGBTQ+ people of color, women and the transgender community.
The Hollywood Reporter | Showtime Partners With Human Rights Campaign to Help Support LGBTQ Businesses Amid Pandemic
How a stock photo site increased the visibility of its LGBTQ+ content
Laura Entis | PR Week
Pexels noticed when users searched for topics like “love,” the results were largely one-sided. To be more inclusive of couples in all different kinds of relationships, the multimedia library updated its algorithm to increase visibility of content that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community.
California
California will collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity of COVID-19 patients
John Riley | Metro Weekly
California’s Department of Public Health has announced it will begin collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity from patients suffering from COVID-19 or COVID-related illnesses, becoming only the second state in the nation to do so.
Florida
You gotta check this 🠳🠳 one out. It is… a lot.
Social media posts on sexuality become issue in North Florida congressional race
James Call | Tallahassee Democrat
Albert Chester has landed in hot water during his attempt to unseat Democratic Congressman Al Lawson of Tallahassee. It comes after social media posts of his surfaced about gay people, creating a split between local leaders of the Leon County Democratic Party and Bernie Sanders supporters.
Pennsylvania
Lawmaker mimics top health official’s call for transgender acceptance to defend not wearing a mask
Cynthia Fernandez, Julia Shanahan | Philadelphia Inquirer
One day after Pennsylvania’s top health official forcefully denounced transphobic attacks against her, a Republican lawmaker co-opted her call for acceptance to address “hateful and intolerant comments directed towards the unmasked community.”
Pregnancy & Parenting
Survey: Working parents anxious over career, child care balance in pandemic
John Domen | WTOP-FM (Washington, DC)
A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey found that working parents feel their current child care situation is not sustainable during the pandemic. Parenting through the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard, and if you’re a working parent, a new survey suggests you don’t think what you’re doing now is sustainable either.
File under “water is wet”
Louisiana
Studies show most Louisiana pregnancy-related deaths of women in 2017 were preventable
Tyler Johnson | WGMB-TV (Baton Rouge, LA )
The Louisiana Department of Health is reporting that a majority of the deaths in 2017 that occurred during pregnancy or within one year of pregnancy were preventable.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Senate clears bill to license midwives who provide out-of-hospital care
Steph Solis | MassLive.com
The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday that would license midwives in Massachusetts, which Sen. Becca Rausch said would reduce costs and improve health outcomes in births.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Why Losing Your Housing Is One of the Greatest Threats to Reproductive Health
Imani Gandy | Rewire.News
How can a person parent their children in a safe and healthy environment if they don’t have stable housing? The rent crisis is bearing down on a lot of people, and it will lead to a sharp rise in homelessness when evictions begin again.
California
California Latinos are among the hardest hit by COVID-19. Experts blame systemic racism
Nadia Lopez | The Sacramento Bee
As the U.S. experiences increasing cases of COVID-19 and deaths, Latinos continue to contract the virus at disproportionate rates, leading some experts to suspect systemic biases across housing, healthcare, and education are to blame. Public health experts worry racial inequities are making the Latino community more susceptible to getting sick and dying.
Pennsylvania
Not Everyone in Philly Has Access to Pads and Tampons. That's a Problem.
Gina Tomaine | Philadelphia Magazine
No More Secrets, a Mount Airy-based nonprofit, is doing the work to combat Philadelphia's period poverty.
Texas
Texas Lawmakers Try Again to End Tampon Tax
Isobella Harkrider | Reform Austin
Texas has a tax on menstrual products. The passion to end the sales tax on women’s menstrual products has been seen in previous state legislative sessions, but the bill (HB 311) authored by state Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) and other similar bills have died in committee. Howard is armed with new support and intends to bring the issue back up in the 2021 legislative session.
Work & Money
House panel votes to make VA motto gender neutral
Christen McCurdy | United Press International (UPI)
The House Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to adopt a gender-neutral version of its current mission statement.
Military.com | Bill to Make VA Motto Gender-Neutral Unanimously Approved by Committee
Stars and Stripes | House panel advances bill to change VA’s motto to be gender-inclusive
Physician practices with less gender diversity have bigger pay gender gaps, study finds
Mackenzie Bean | Becker's Hospital Review
Medical practices that employ more male physicians also have a larger pay gap between men and women, a study published in The BMJ found.
This doula raised $3 million to build a digital platform for reproductive education
Pavithra Mohan | Fast Company
With a $3 million seed round under her belt, Loom cofounder and CEO Erica Chidi is the rare Black woman to have raised more than $1 million in venture capital.
How Companies Are Supporting Working Parents In The COVID Economy
Holly Corbett | Forbes
The COVID economy has shuttered— among other businesses and agencies—schools and daycare centers. With the majority of caregiving responsibilities continuing to fall on women and the majority of leadership positions continuing to be held by men, many women have to choose between their job and their kids.
Second Stimulus Could Include Billions To Bail Out Child Care Industry
Kelly Anne Smith | Forbes
While much of the discussion around a second stimulus has focused on a new round of stimulus checks, extended unemployment insurance and additional small business loans, lawmakers in both parties are mounting efforts to help parents in need of child care services.
What Is “Sex-Plus” Discrimination And Why Are These Employment Claims On The Rise?
Eric Bachman | Forbes
“Sex-plus” discrimination claims expand Title VII’s protection to subgroups of employees who suffer discrimination based on multiple characteristics. Although these claims have typically been harder to prove than those based on one characteristic alone, two recent court decisions may lead to increased use of sex-plus claims in litigation.
Black Women Would Earn Nearly $1 Million More Over Their Lifetimes If They Were Paid the Same as White Men
Anne Branigin | The Root
For anyone familiar with the racial or gender pay gaps, it ought to be a familiar statistic: a typical Black woman will make 62 cents for every dollar a white man makes. That gap has necessitated its own awareness day: Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, set to take place this year on Aug. 13. The 2020 date marks when a Black woman can expect to earn the equivalent of what a white, non-Hispanic man earned during 2019.
Fast Company | Study on gender wage gap reveals hidden inequities
WTOP-FM (Washington, DC) | Black women in DC lose $2M over career in wage gap
WHUR-FM (Washington, DC) | Black Women In DC Wage Gap
Women Professors Don’t Have It Easy
Leina Hsu | Women's Republic
These days, more and more women are breaking into the old-boys’ club that was academia. In the U.S., 56% of college students are women. Men no longer make up the majority of college-educated people in the workforce. Nonetheless, this trend fails to carry over to the faculty of higher education. Among tenured college professors, only 27% are women. Women professors face discrimination from their administrations as well as their students.
Google adds ‘Black-owned’ business attribute for Maps
Abner Li | 9to5Google
Last month, CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google would “develop initiatives and product ideas that support long-term solutions” for the Black community. One of these efforts is a way for Black-owned businesses to identify themselves in Google Maps and Search, with that attribute launching today.
More, More, More
Kamala Harris isn't 'too ambitious' to be Biden's VP. We know what the real problem is
Danielle Campoamor | The Independent
Those clutching their pearls at the mere thought of a woman’s sincere motivation to ascend to a higher position of power seem to have no issue with Biden’s unyielding aspiration to become president, no matter what.
The Pop Culutre History of Lilith
Jessica Mason | The Mary Sue
On supernaturally focused television shows from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to, well, Supernatural, the character of Lilith has become nearly as common a character in biblically inspired media as Lucifer or Gabriel. She seems to be everywhere, if you’re looking. But who was Lilith in myth and legend? And why has she emerged as such a compelling character and feminist icon?
How is COVID-19 Impacting Justice for Women?
Maggie May | Philanthropy Women
In a new report from the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), UN Women, and a collection of sponsors and contributors, the combined crises of women’s justice and COVID-19 come to light.
‘Where are the women?’: The centennial of the 19th Amendment and rewriting women’s history
Megan Botel | USA Today
The fight for women's suffrage was one of the longest-running, most impactful enfranchisement efforts in our history. Finally, it's getting attention.
Finally? I think it was the only women’s history we got in high school.