Today…
is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, when Black women’s 2019 wages fiiiinally catch up to what white men made in just 2019.
is also the birthday of former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders (born Minnie Lee Jones, ❤ ) (1933-). Always a legend.
A friend was talking recently about trying to work the so many apologies out of his language, reframing them as thanks. So not I’m sorry I’m late (again), but rather I appreciate your patience. I took that tip and ran with it like I was being chased. By the patriarchy.
Not really related to anything down below… up abooooove… I just have it in my head because we watched the movie this weekend. So. Enjoy.
Harris
With Kamala Harris as Biden's Vice Presidential Pick, Our Time Is Now
Alencia Johnson | Rewire.News
We have led both women and Black men to the freedom line, only to be told to wait our turn because the intersection of our identity was too burdensome. Our time is now.
The New York Times | Black Women Asked Their Party for What They Wanted. What Happens After the Kamala Harris Pick?
Why Is It Not the Least Bit Surprising That Everyone Ignores Kamala Harris' Multiculturalism?
Danielle Campoamor | Cosmopolitan
For those of us who are bi- or multiracial, watching Harris’ entire identity be whittled away to “this” or “that” is as painful as it is familiar.
Kamala Harris and the Power That Men Still Hold
Esther Wang | Jezebel
If Biden’s choice of Harris is historic and necessary for his campaign and thrilling to many, the messy spectacle of his selection process, reminiscent of nothing more than a reality television show, is a dispiriting reminder of who continues to wield authority and shape the ways we talk about women in politics.
Kamala Harris brings pro-LGBTQ record to Biden ticket
Tim Fitzsimons | NBC News
When former Vice President Joe Biden announced the historic selection of Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his running mate, he added a candidate to the ticket with a pro-LGBTQ political record that goes back to 2004.
On her record
Mic | An abridged guide to Kamala Harris's history as a prosecutor and public servant
POPSUGAR | The 6 Biggest Ways Kamala Harris's Policies Will Affect American Families
Romper | The Paid Leave Policy Kamala Harris Has Proposed Would Give Parents Peace Of Mind
SELF | 5 Things to Know About Kamala Harris' Record on Health Issues
Working Mother | 6 Reasons Working Moms Should Be Excited About Kamala Harris As VP
USA Today | Mike Pence vs. Kamala Harris: Here's where they might clash
The right’s big mad
Trump and allies struggle to find a focused attack on Harris
Philip Rucker, Isaac Stanley-Becker | Washington Post
The messages from Trump and his allies varied wildly — casting her as both an overzealous prosecutor too tough on crime and an advocate for defunding the police, and as being so far to the left she would institute socialism as well as too moderate to satisfy her party’s progressive base.
ABC | 'Liberal?' 'Phony?' 'Nasty?': Trump, GOP struggle on how to attack Harris
Refinery29 | Oh, Liz Cheney! You Must Be Confusing Kamala Harris With Someone Else
Trump Can't Be Racist Because He Donated Money To Kamala Harris, Says Trump Campaign
Ashley Reese | Jezebel
According to NBC News, Trump twice donated money to Harris when she was running for California Attorney General. In 2011, he donated $5,000. In 2013, he donated $1,000. (His daughter, Ivanka, also donated $2,000 to Harris in 2014).
The Radical Right Gave Us President Trump. Don't Underestimate It Again
Ilyse Hogue, Ellie Langford | Newsweek
Trump had a political apparatus that Democrats underestimated and the media largely dismissed. A trap that we could easily fall into again in November.
Abortion
🠲 We Just Saw the Future of Anti-Abortion Laws
Linda Greenhouse | The New York Times
When I wrapped up the Supreme Court term, I observed that in his separate opinion providing a crucial fifth vote to overturn a Louisiana abortion law, Chief Justice John Roberts had been “careful to leave the door open to continued attacks on the right to abortion.” … It turns out that the door, with the chief justice holding it, opened wide enough to drive an entire federal appeals court through.
HuffPost | Melissa Jeltsen | The Dismantling Of Abortion Rights Has Already Begun
HBO Max's 'Unpregnant' Trailer Puts A Twist On The Road Trip Movie
Kelly Schremph | Bustle
Get in, loser, we're getting an abortion. If you love stories about complicated friendships and action-packed road trips, then the trailer for HBO Max's new movie Unpregnant is sure to be right up your alley.
The Cut | ‘Unpregnant’ Is an Abortion Buddy Comedy
Elite Daily | HBO Max's 'Unpregnant' Trailer Will Make You Want To Hug Your BFF
POPSUGAR | Unpregnant Is a Buddy Road Comedy With an Unlikely Objective: Abortion
Georgia
Georgia appeals ruling that blocked restrictive abortion law
Kate Brumback | AP
Georgia is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that permanently blocked the restrictive abortion measure lawmakers passed last year.
Texas
Texas clinics say later abortions rose after state's temporary ban
Chloe Atkins | NBC News
Several Texas clinics say they saw an uptick in women seeking abortions later in their pregnancies this spring, after the state temporarily halted most abortions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
LGBTQ
The pandemic has made it even harder for LGBTQ homeless people to vote
Casey Quinlan | The American Independent
Homeless people, among them many LGBTQ people, generally face challenges in participating in the voting process at the best of times. This election year, the coronavirus pandemic is throwing up some particularly tough barriers to voting for these vulnerable populations.
The Struggle for Trans Rights Within U.S. Courts
Ray Manzari | Out Front
Just this month, the U.S. courts delivered two decisions regarding trans rights. One court affirms trans student’s rights to use the restroom matching their gender identity; the other strikes down Idaho’s ban on gender changes for birth certificates.
Conservatives Think Trump Can Win Reelection By Attacking Trans Kids
Nico Lang | them.
Conservatives are hoping to salvage Donald Trump’s flailing reelection campaign by exploiting transgender children to ignite his conservative base.
Disney’s 'The Owl House' Makes History With First Leading LGBTQ+ Character
Isabelle Lichtenstein | GO Magazine
Queer fans of Disney have been waiting a long time for a leading LGBTQ+ character, and finally, they’ve got one!
Owl House has been on regular rotation at P3 for a while now – long enough that I know it by name and no longer think of it as just “the one with Wendie Malick.”
Hallmark Channel will feature first same-sex wedding in upcoming film following controversy
Cydney Henderson | USA Today
Less than a year after facing backlash for pulling ads that featured two brides kissing at the altar, the Hallmark Channel will showcase its first ever same-sex union in an upcoming movie premiering Friday.
Arizona
Trans Teens Want Same Judge to Hear Surgery Coverage Disputes
Mary Anne Pazanowski | Bloomberg Law News
Two Arizona teenagers want their proposed class action over the state Medicaid program’s categorical refusal to pay for gender-affirming surgery transferred to the judge overseeing a University of Arizona professor’s lawsuit over a similar exclusion in the state’s employee health plan.
Massachusetts
Antigay Dog Whistles Wrongly Insinuate Gay Mayor Engaged in Pedophilia
Trudy Ring | The Advocate Magazine
Holyoke, Mass., Mayor Alex Morse is under investigation for relationships with college students, but a council member refers to "sexual activities with teenagers."
Metro Weekly | Gay progressive Alex Morse rebuts "completely untrue" allegations of improper conduct
Nebraska
Senators approve LGBTQ resolution and celebrate the summer's Supreme Court decision
JoAnne Young | Lincoln Journal Star
Senators voted on a resolution that affirmed a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling that an employer who fires a person for being gay or transgender violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
KPNE- TV (Lincoln, NE) Senators pass military retirees tax break, LGBT resolution
Omaha World-Herald | Nebraska anti-bias agency applies high court ruling on LGBT worker rights to housing
Do I hear… happiness… in here? Rachel NoFun swooping in to remind you that Nebraska is also about to pass – like, today – a very big and very bad abortion ban.
Pandemic Parenting
🠲 Why Parents, With ‘No Good Choice’ This School Year, Are Blaming One Another
Claire Cain Miller | The New York Times
The shaming, scholars say, is distracting from the larger societal issues underlying the problem. Parents have been left stranded, with very little in the way of support.
Millennial moms nearly three times more likely than dads to forgo work because lack of child care or school
Megan Leonhardt, Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner | CNBC
About 1 in 3 millennial mothers who were unemployed in July reported that it was because they were unable to access child care or needed to care for children who were not in school. Yet only 11% of millennial fathers cite a lack of school and child care as the reason they are currently out of work.
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American Lawyer | Call It a Crisis: Law Firms Need to Quickly Respond to Needs of Working Parents(Good quote: "Your employees are in the midst of deciding what their future looks like and, in many cases, whether it includes you.")
Inc. | Three Simple and Meaningful Ways to Support Working Parents During Covid
Star Tribune | The pandemic, racial inequity: Child care is part of solution for both
Pregnancy & Parenting
The best and worst countries to raise a family based on data
Marguerite Ward |Business Insider
The US ranked as one of worst countries to raise a family due to high childcare costs and the number of school shootings per capita.
Illinois
Trinity Hospital reopening labor ward as Mercy plans to close, but South Side women are still stuck in a birthing ‘desert’
Alison Bowen | Chicago Tribune
A South Side hospital will reopen its labor ward next week, adding 35 beds to a community still facing a dearth of options amid the planned closure of one of its few hospitals that treat pregnant women.
New York
Pols call for action to address Black maternal mortality
Benjamin Fang | Greenpoint Star
After the death of 26-year-old Sha-Asia Semple, lawmakers are calling for measures to address the rise of Black maternal mortality rates.
Tennessee
We must address maternal health
Rep. Steve Cohen | The Tennessean
As a founding member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I am keenly aware of how this pandemic is impacting communities of color. I also want to bring to your attention my co-sponsorship of a measure addressing infant and maternal mortality during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Experts Explain What's at Stake in the 2020 Election When It Comes to Women's Health
Caitlin Flynn | POPSUGAR
Trump is hardly the only politician who poses a threat to women's health. It's equally important to educate ourselves about the healthcare policies and voting records of Congressional, state, and even local candidates.
Our Future Must Ensure Black Women Can Thrive and Build Our Families With Dignity
Marcela Howell | The Washington Informer
The pandemic reminds us what we’ve long known — that systems were not designed for everyone, especially Black women.
Michigan
Class-action lawsuit demands refunds for ‘tampon tax’
Rachel Van Gilder | WOOD-TV (Grand Rapids, MI)
Three Michigan women have filed a class-action lawsuit against the state, saying it is unconstitutionally collecting taxes on tampons.
Work & Money
Black Women's Equal Pay Day highlights how black women lose nearly $1M over their careers
Swapna Ramaswamy | USA Today
Black women in the U.S. who work full time, year-round are typically paid just $.62 for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men — and that number has not budged in the last 25 years.
Fast Company | Today is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. Here’s why it matters more than ever
Forbes | Why Black Women’s Equal Pay Day 2020 Is So Important
Lansing State Journal | August 13 is Equal Pay Day for Black women, highlighting drastic wage gaps in the U.S.
Newsy | Gender Pay Gap And Pandemic Worsens Economic Stability For Black Women
Bridge Magazine | Study: Wage gap widens between Black, white workers, especially in Michigan
‘Racism at My Job Literally Gave Me PTSD’
Erika Stallings | The Cut
Years later, in a whole new workplace, I’m still waiting for the day when things will go wrong.
NOW Board Member Accused of Posing as Woman of Color to Boost Re-Election Chances
Emily Shugerman | The Daily Beast
Members of the feminist organization say a board member has only recently identified herself as Asian-American in an effort to boost her campaign.
It's time for VA to consider a new motto
Rory E. Riley-Topping | The Hill
If we have learned in anything in 2020, it's that words matter and words that exclude female veterans have drawn the attention of both Congress and stakeholders.
83% of Etsy shops are run by women. Postal Service disruptions could devastate them.
Soo Youn | The Lily
“If a customer’s package isn’t delivered relatively quickly … they will take it out on the business”
More companies are adopting paid menstrual leave policies
Hannah Sparks | New York Post
More companies have recently come out on the side of workplace gender equality, with many announcing a policy allowing women and transgender people paid sick leave for period symptoms.
A SoulCycle Employee Was Fired 4 Weeks Into Maternity Leave. Now She’s Suing
Molly Longman | Refinery29
SoulCycle is being sued by a former employee for pregnancy discrimination, according to a complaint obtained by Refinery29 on Tuesday.