Fair is fair!
Today…
is Bill of Rights Day. I will celebrate, as I do every year, by mouthing off in public.
is International Tea Day and National Cupcake Day.
is the birthday of Helen Slater (1963–), a significant figure for a significant number of GenX women.
Between Helen Slater, Christian Slater, Pat Benatar, and the fact that HBO owned maybe a dozen movies they repeated ad inifinitum in those days*, The Legend of Billie Jean could not be denied.
*See also: Eddie & The Cruisers, Turk 182, Xanadu, Rocky 1-4, Superman 1-4, Barefoot In The Park - not the movie, but the filmed stage play - and a tiny movie called Tidy Endings with Harvey Fierstein and Stockard Channing that I watched a hundred times in 1988 and never since.
Abortion
AP | Federal judge again rules against Tennessee in abortion case | Travis Loller
A federal judge who earlier this year struck down Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period for abortions as unconstitutional has ruled against the state again.
The American Independent | Pence announces 'Life Is Winning' celebration as COVID deaths pass 300k | Donna Provencher
Pence announced in a statement Monday that he'll be hosting a "Life Is Winning Event" to highlight the anti-abortion agenda of Donald Trump's administration — on the same day the COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. passed 300,000.
LGBTQ
Slate | The Supreme Court Rejects Opportunity to Roll Back Marriage Equality | Mark Joseph Stern
On Monday, the Supreme Court turned away Indiana’s attempt to strip equal parenting rights from married same-sex couples.
More from The Advocate, AP, Instinct, Law and Crime, LGBTQ Nation, Metro Weekly
Edge Media Network | The Lavender Dollar: Debunking Lesbian Spending Stereotypes | Merryn Johns
The cultural invisibility of lesbians and the struggle to keep lesbian spaces alive tend to reinforce the image of queer women as financially incapacitated or, at best, inconspicuous. But lesbians do spend money. Don't they?
Lifehacker | The Challenges Transgender Athletes Face Off the Field | Sam Blum
For the most part, there are no overarching rules or national legal precedents governing whether transgender athletes can compete across various sports in their true gender, as opposed to the one they were assigned at birth.
POLITICO | Pandemic collides with concerns about LGBTQ students' mental health | Bianca Quilantan
Thousands of LGBTQ students are navigating their gender identities while their critical supports like friends, teachers and school groups have been thrown onto the Zoom-sphere due to the pandemic.
Georgia
LGBTQ Nation | Pence uses anti-LGBTQ dog whistle to rally Georgia Republicans in special election | Bil Browning
Missouri
Metro Weekly | Lesbian couple settles lawsuit with senior living community that rejected them | John Riley
New Jersey
Metro Weekly | Four teachers suspended from New Jersey high school for anti-gay comments in Zoom chat | John Riley
West Virginia
Metro Weekly | West Virginia Republican who resigned over anti-gay comments has been re-elected | John Riley
Pregnancy & Parenting
Good Morning America | Black mothers are twice as likely to die in childbirth. Now, there's a government plan to combat maternal mortality. | Dr. Adjoa Smalls-Mantey, Dr. Alexis E. Carrington & Danielle Genet
The maternal mortality crisis in the U.S. has long been a raw issue and the data makes it clear that it impacts Black women at twice the rate of many other racial groups. In the midst of the raging COVID-19 pandemic, HHS is rolling out new initiatives to address this longstanding crisis.
Me: At this point I’ve surely seen every possible take on pandemic parenting.
MIT: Hold my abacus.
MIT Technology Review | Pregnant in the pandemic? It helps to have good Wi-Fi. | Cat Ferguson
Technology is allowing pregnant women to stay away from hospitals, and it’s improving care—for those who can get access.
New York Magazine | Families of Color Are Now Facing an Economic Disaster | Sarah Jones
Economists have already warned that vanishing child-care access could keep women out of the workforce over the long term. That exodus threatens some demographics more than others.
Rolling Stone | ‘Pastel QAnon’ Is Infiltrating the Natural Parenting Community | EJ Dickson
There’s long been a link between those who distrust hospital births and those who distrust vaccines — but Covid-19 and QAnon are making it worse
Iowa
Iowa Public Radio | In Iowa, Maternal Mortality Highlights Deep Racial Divide In Health Care | Natalie Krebs
Reproductive Health & Justice
Modern Healthcare | HHS ends referral requirement for faith-based providers | Michael Brady
The Trump administration on Monday approved a rule that allows faith-based health and social service providers to receive federal funds without requiring them to inform clients about services they don't provide for religious reasons or refer clients to alternative providers that offer such services. It also clarifies that HHS will not discriminate against faith-based organizations on applications for grants or awards based on the organization's religious policies.
AP | Trump eases rules for religious social service providers | Collin Binkley
The Lily | Would you take a ‘missed period pill’ without a pregnancy test first? A recent study asked hundreds of people. | Chelsea Cirruzzo
“Our findings suggest that some people with missed periods do not desire pregnancy confirmation before taking medications that might disrupt a pregnancy,” the researchers wrote. “If missed period pills were available in the United States, demand might be substantial and wide-ranging across demographic groups.”
California
San José Spotlight | Santa Clara County considers spending $1 million to address 'period poverty' | Madelyn Reese
Work & Money
Fast Company | We’ll never solve the wage gap without better, transparent data | Ian White
The prospect of compensation transparency can be a powerful litmus test for equal pay in the workplace. When comp planning is fair and unbiased, employees across the board should feel good about how salary and equity is allocated and how that ties in to their experience, roles, level, and function.
Jezebel | Pinterest Paid Its Former COO $22.5 Million in a Gender Discrimination Suit | Marie Solis
Pinterest settled a $22.5 million gender discrimination suit on Monday, agreeing to pay out the sum to its former chief operating officer Françoise Brougher. Brougher took legal action against her employer in August, accusing the company of retaliating against her when she confronted higher-ups about sexism in the workplace.
The Verge | Pinterest settles gender discrimination lawsuit brought by former COO | Zoe Schiffer
Medium | Mothers and Children in the US Need Economic Security | Peggy O'Mara
How direct payments and tax credits could protect vulnerable caregivers and lift millions of children out of poverty.
The 19th | Women with Ph.Ds respond to Dr. Jill Biden column | Shefali Luthra, Mariel Padilla, Barbara Rodriguez
For women in academia, the Wall Street Journal op-ed about the future first lady’s title struck a nerve.
Prism | Freelance journalists are hanging on by a thread. Could organizing help? | Tina Vasquez
“For working class folks and women of color in the media, you feel like you can’t rock the boat when it comes to money. There’s definitely a lack of transparency and if you don’t have mentorship opportunities, you have to figure out all of these unspoken rules by yourself.”
SELF | National Domestic Workers Alliance Co-Founder Says Our Economic Recovery Must Support Women Workers | Hannah Pasternak
Nearly 2.5 million people do some form of domestic work in the U.S. alone. They are nannies for small children, and they care for aging loved ones. They clean houses, they assist people with disabilities, and they provide the support that enables scores of women to maintain jobs and careers outside the home, if not more.
Vox | The sexual harassment allegation against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, explained | Anna North
A New York City Democratic candidate says Cuomo harassed her for years.
Heavy.com | Meet the Former Aide Accusing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo of Sexual Harassment | Jessica McBride
Calfornia
EdSource | How California plans to increase access to Paid Family Leave to support early childhood | Karen D'Souza
More, More, More
TechCrunch | Pornhub removes all unverified content, following reports of exploitation | Brian Heater
Adult video giant Pornhub has taken the unprecedented step of removing millions of user-uploaded videos. The move, which the site calls “the most comprehensive safeguards in user-generated platform history,” arrives in the wake of a New York Times opinion piece that stated the “site is infested with rape videos.”
More from Ars Technica, Business Insider, Buzzfeed, CNN, Cosmo, Daily Beast, Forbes, Gizmodo, The Guardian, Mediaite, Mic, Out, The Verge, VICE, Vulture