Down on the farm
Today…
Supreme Court orders starting at 9:30am, and opinions starting at 10:00am ET. See you on SCOTUSblog!
Keeping it brief. I had the opportunity to get out of town, get outside and look at some trees this weekend. So, so, so good. But time now to toss the kids in the car and head back. It’s not going to be easy.
Abortion
Acting USAID chief's daughter rebukes him over push for UN to limit abortion access
Veronica Stracqualursi | CNN
The daughter of the acting head of the US Agency for International Development is rebuking her father over the agency's push for the United Nations to remove abortion as an "essential service" in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. "I am utterly disgusted that you choose to stand by this administration and take part in stripping people of their human rights.
ACOG Pushes Back Against Restrictions on Abortion During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Joyce Frieden | MedPage Today
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other groups are raising concerns about states and the Trump administration using the pandemic to restrict access to abortion, while abortion opponents say the moves are meant to increase patient safety.
'Clinics will be forced to close': Abortion rights backers fearful of upcoming Supreme Court ruling
Chloe Atkins | NBC News
The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on its first major abortion case since President Donald Trump put in place a new conservative majority on the bench. At the heart of the case is a Louisiana law, Act 620, that requires doctors performing abortions to get admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic.
LGBTQ
J.K. Rowling and the Sorcerer’s Stonewall: Anti-Trans Tweetstorm Receives Furious Response
Dawn Ennis | The Daily Beast
While tens of thousands around the world marched for justice and equality on Saturday, author J.K. Rowling decided to tweet about the phrase, “people who menstruate.” Her tweet, however, backfired bigger than the Avada Kedavra spell in her Harry Potter novels. Then, in the face of a swift backlash, the novelist doubled-down: she claimed to be both a supporter of transgender rights and a victim of hate.
AP | JK Rowling’s tweets on transgender people spark outrage
CBS | J.K. Rowling accused of making "anti-trans comments" on Twitter
HuffPost | J.K. Rowling Spent Her Saturday Pissing Off The Internet With Anti-Trans Tweetstorm
New York Times | J.K. Rowling Under Fire by L.G.B.T.Q. Groups Over Tweets
USA Today | 'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling slammed for transphobic comments
Who is ‘Lady G’? Lindsey Graham is being accused of hiring gay sex workers
Eilish O’Sullivan | Daily Dot
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R–S.C.) is being accused of hiring gay sex workers. Now, people are calling him out for his “hypocritical” treatment of the LGBTQ community.
Why Pride Festivals Are Becoming Black Lives Matter Protests
Mary Emily O'Hara | Adweek
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, most LGBTQ celebrations were canceled. But with protests across the world this week drawing attention to police brutality and the systemic racism facing the Black community, many of the organizations behind Pride festivals are re-engaging their plans and pivoting to join the protest movement.
99-Year-Old Trans Woman Works to Raise $1 Million to Grant LGBTQ Seniors' Wishes
Kaelyn Forde | Inside Edition
Robina Asti is hoping to raise $1 million through a GoFundMe campaign to grant wishes for people, especially seniors, who have faced discrimination because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
House Democrats introduce a resolution to end the gay blood ban
Alex Bollinger | LGBTQ Nation
House Democrats have introduced a resolution calling for an end to the gay blood ban. Representatives Adam Schiff (CA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Barbara Lee (TX), and Carolyn Maloney (NY) introduced the resolution calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to stop using sexual orientation to assess potential blood donors and to instead evaluate a donor’s risk based on an individual, science-based assessment.
Lawyers for trans Naval officer granted waiver to drop lawsuit against Trump's military ban
John Riley | Metro Weekly
Lawyers representing a transgender U.S. Naval officer who sued the federal government over the Trump administration’s restrictions on transgender military personnel have announced they will drop their case after their client was granted a waiver by the U.S. Navy last month.
LA Pride Plans Police Brutality Protest Alongside Police
Donald Padgett | Out Magazine
The decision by LA Pride to plan a protest against police brutality alongside police is raising questions and concerns among Black leadership who were not consulted about the plans, as well as from those in the LGBTQ+ community suspicious of any coordination with police following a week of protests that have gripped the nation.
As Pride Month kicks off, black trans activists want their stories centered
Ivette Feliciano | PBS NewsHour
June is Pride Month, the anniversary of the 1969 riots by the LGBTQ community against police brutality at New York City’s Stonewall Inn. Now, with a recent wave of violence against black, transgender people, activists are demanding those stories be centered in the “Black Lives Matter” movement. NewsHour Weekend's Ivette Feliciano spoke with Imara Jones, creator of Translash Media, to learn more.
Looking Back on Hollywood's Pioneering LGBTQ Collective: "They'd Call Us the Lavender Mafia"
Lacey Rose | The Hollywood Reporter
Producers Nina Jacobson and Bruce Cohen reflect on the trailblazing 'Out There' alliance they founded in 1995 that paved the way for gay activism in Hollywood.
Donate to These Orgs to Support Black Trans People
Mary Retta | VICE
The weeks following George Floyd’s death in the hands of the Minneapolis police have seen an unprecedented redistribution of wealth in the U.S., as celebrities, corporations, and regular folks have contributed out of their own pockets to city-wide bail funds, Black owned businesses, and other fundraisers aimed at uplifting and supporting America’s Black population.
Pregnancy & Parenting
Homeland Security’s Inspector General Is Opening An Investigation Into The Department’s Treatment Of Pregnant Detainees
Ema O'Connor | BuzzFeed News
Following a complaint filed on behalf of a pregnant woman who said she gave birth in a border patrol station, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security will conduct a review of the incident and a broader audit of the medical treatment of pregnant people in US Customs and Border Patrol custody.
TennCare postpartum insurance expansion axed in governor's new budget
Brett Kelman | The Tennessean
Gov. Bill Lee has cut funding to expand lifesaving postpartum insurance coverage from TennCare from a revised budget proposal that slashes spending in response to coronavirus and a resulting economic downtown.
Reproductive Health & Justice
The Pandemic Has Broken the Sexual-Health Supply Chain
Anna Louie Sussman | The Atlantic
Condoms, birth control, and other items are harder to get in the developing world. That is putting lives at risk.
Here's What To Know About The Birth Control Case At The Supreme Court, Because It's A Big Deal
Madhuri Sathish | Elite Daily
On May 6, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the ACA's contraception mandate for the third time since it became law, this time as part of Trump v. Pennsylvania. Here's what to know about the birth control case at the Supreme Court, where advocates for religious freedom and reproductive justice are clashing once again.
On the Minds of Black Lives Matter Protesters: A Racist Health System
Akilah Johnson | ProPublica
Black lives are being lost to COVID-19 at twice the rate of others. For protesters we talked to, that’s one more reason to be on the street. “If it’s not police beating us up, it’s us dying in a hospital from the pandemic,” one said
Work & Money
When Time’s Up Didn't Step Up
Rebecca Keegan | The Hollywood Reporter
The group has emerged as the most recognizable brand in the quest for gender equality, but for some women in HBO Max's 'On the Record' and other activists, its reluctance to back the film raises deeper questions: "It's difficult to incubate a social justice organization when you are adjacent to powerful entertainment executives."
Racial inequalities contribute to higher unemployment rates in black communities, new research reveals
Ashley Curtin | NationofChange
While the coronavirus pandemic brought on economic duress for many Americans, racial inequalities in the United States left black communities with higher rates of unemployment than white communities, a new study showed.
More, More, More
‘Don't Forget the White Women!’: Members Say Racism Ran Rampant at NOW
Emily Shugerman | The Daily Beast
In interviews with The Daily Beast, nearly a dozen members, employees, and visitors recalled women of color being heckled, silenced, or openly disparaged at NOW meetings and offices.
The Daily Beast | NOW Board Members Demand President Toni Van Pelt Resign Amid Racism Claims
Jezebel | Members of the National Organization for Women Say Group Has a Major Racism Problem
COVID-19 underscores need for Equal Rights Amendment
Nancy Leifer, Nancy Maxson | Missoulian
Despite laws that forbid discrimination in Montana, women make about 73 cents for every dollar men make for equal work. During this pandemic, women in Montana are risking their lives every day while being valued at three quarters of a man. On top of all this, many also face domestic violence. Discrimination disproportionately hurts women every day of this pandemic.