Get you jumping like a real live wire
Today…
is #NationalNonprofitDay, which I’m sure you’ve noticed in your inbox.
is “Stay Home With Your Kids Day,” hahahahahahhaha *sniff* *weep*
was the birthday of Mae West (1893–1980), who you certainly know. She was an early supporter of women’s and LGTBQ+ rights – one thing I did not know was that she was a playwright of shows like The Drag, which you can imagine, was scandal at the time.
Don’t forget to share with friends and colleagues, let ‘em know to come up and… see me… yeah, I know…
Abortion
Democrats for Life urge DNC to change party platform on abortion
Gabby Birenbaum | The Hill
More than 100 Democrats affiliated with the anti-abortion group Democrats for Life have signed a letter urging the party to change its abortion stance in this year's platform.
Podcast on Self-Managed Abortions: “This Information Has Been Gatekept and It Shouldn’t Be”
Rachel Dyer | Ms. Magazine
Through ups and downs of abortion access during COVID-19, there continues to be little awareness of the existence of abortion pills—let alone that they can be used for safe and effective self-managed abortions.
Trump adviser Miller seeks to revive libel suit over abortion pill claim
Josh Gerstein | POLITICO
An attorney for Jason Miller, who is serving as a top adviser to Trump’s campaign after playing a similar role four years ago, urged a federal appeals court Friday to revive Miller’s libel suit over a report that he slipped an abortion pill into a smoothie he gave to a woman he had gotten pregnant.
LGBTQ
Civil rights group asks Supreme Court to ban LGBTQ discrimination at food banks
Casey Quinlan | The American Independent
Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, hinges on whether private agencies that receive taxpayer funding, including food banks, homeless shelters, and foster care providers, can decide not to provide services to LGBTQ people for religious reasons, as well as other groups that may not meet their religious standards.
DC Congresswoman demands feds prosecute the dozens of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes they’ve been ignoring
Bil Browning | LGBTQ Nation
Hate crimes have skyrocketed in the nation's capital but federal authorities aren't prosecuting them. Eleanor Holmes Norton is demanding action.
Trump-Appointed Judge Says Its Constitution for Businesses to Refuse Gay Customers
Daniel Villarreal | The New Civil Rights Movement
Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Justin Reed Walker ruled on Friday that it’s perfectly constitutional for a Christian photographer in Louisville, Kentucky to refuse service to same-sex couples even though the city has an ordinance prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination and even though no gay couples have actually asked the photographer to take pictures of anything for them.
Hallmark Just Featured Its First LGBTQ+ Wedding In A Big Step Forward For The Channel
Allyson Koerner | Bustle
Fans celebrated the history-making movie on Twitter. In a moment that made history for the cable channel, Hallmark Channel aired its first LGBTQ+ wedding as part of the new movie, Wedding Every Weekend, which debuted on Aug. 15.
Disney Channel Will Debut Its First Lead Bisexual Character in 'The Owl House'
Xavier Handy-Hamilton | Complex
Disney confirmed on Saturday that the main character of The Owl House will be a 14-year-old Dominican-American girl, Luz Noceda. Not only will Noceda embrace her Latinx heritage, but she will also be bisexual.
See also Deadline Hollywood, Entertainment Weekly, POPSUGAR, Teen Vogue
How ‘The Legend of Korra’s Ending Changed LGBTQ+ Representation in Animation
Kayla Cobb | Decider
More than its awesome fight scenes and funny characters, there’s one small moment that will forever define this cartoon, and cement it as one of the most important series in animation.
Shock Treatment: The Rocky Horror sequel we got (and the one we didn't)
Not at all news, just an excuse to share with you my love for this very cheesy, so very 1981 soundtrack.
Seriously, though, when you need an extra push to finish that run? This right here.
Pandemic Parenting
The ‘Rage Moms’ Democrats Are Counting On
Lisa Lerer, Jenny Medina | The New York Times
As millions of American families face an uncertain start to the school year, the anger of women who find themselves expected to be teacher, caregiver, employee and parent is fueling a political uprising.
I can’t imagine why… 🠳
Seattle Times | COVID-19 pits full-time parenting against full-time work, and women are the hardest hit
Wall Street Journal | Working Parents Are Hitting Their Coronavirus Breaking Point – And Paying for It
Caring for littles
The unique challenges faced by families with young children during a pandemic
Julia Wick | Los Angeles Times
What’s different now (aside from everything) is that the occasional crises of managing everyday child-care have become an unyielding, universal constant for working parents, with every existing issue magnified tenfold.
The Capital Times Workforce equality could take step back as mothers balance work and child care
Nevada Current | With childcare and education strained, burden on working women deepens
Omaha World-Herald | Parents seek solutions for child care issues, and that's crucial for the state's economy
Virginian-Pilot | With many day cares closed and schools starting virtually, parents search for child care answers
“Back” to “school”
'I don't know if I can do this': Parents brace for school year juggling jobs, remote learning amid COVID-19 pandemic
Charisse Jones | USA Today
The stakes are high. Without support, some overwhelmed parents, particularly mothers, who typically take on more of the caregiving burden, say they will likely drop out of the workforce — and many already have.
Arkansas Times | Don't pit desperate parents against terrified teachers
The Boston Globe | Coronavirus is making Corporate America realize that child care isn’t someone else’s problem
Daily Camera | As school year starts online only because of coronavirus pandemic, parents look for solutions
Seattle Times | COVID-19 pits full-time parenting against full-time work, and women are the hardest hit
COVID-19: Parents form pandemic pods to educate kids. Let's build a better alternative.
Tara Chklovski | USA Today
The coronavirus pandemic and privileged parents have broken an already unequal education system. What do we build in its place?
The Capital Times | No good options: As virus rages, working parents face tough choices
After Years of Parent Petitions, of Course Halloween Is on a Saturday in 2020
Kate Schweitzer | POPSUGAR
Halloween is on a Saturday this year! Hooray! Let's celebr— Wait, come again?
#LOLSOB
Pregnancy & Parenting
Missing Maternal Mortality
Briana Mezuk Ph.D | Psychology Today
When official statistics do not capture all maternal deaths, everyone loses.
Less sex, more insecurity — a pandemic baby bust is coming
Virginia Heffernan | Los Angeles Times
Of the 1,559 adults who were asked about their pandemic-era sex lives, nearly half said the once “popular form of leisure” had lost its luster for them. This is, admittedly, just one data point. Still, any diminishment of libidos is a harbinger of something perilous.
Why are so many women not listened to, not respected during childbirth?
Lyz Lenz | TODAY
The risks and concerns and complications of birth are often made worse by a system that demeans and scorns the choices of mothers. A patchwork of protocols that differ from hospital to hospital mean many preventable complications are missed.
The number of pregnant Latinas with covid-19 is staggering. And a warning sign, doctors say.
Samantha Schmidt, Rebecca Tan | Washington Post
Nationwide, Hispanic or Latina mothers make up nearly half of the coronavirus cases among pregnant women, according to data from the CDC collected from Jan. 22 until last week.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Fearmongering Headlines About COVID-19 and Birth Control Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Martha Kempner | Rewire.News
The last thing we need right now are alarmist headlines suggesting contraceptives and COVID-19 are a deadly combo.
Michigan
See You in Court, Michigan. The Tampon Tax Is Discrimination
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf | Newsweek
Three women filed a class-action lawsuit claiming discrimination on the basis of sex by the state of Michigan and its Department of Treasury. The crux of the case? That Michigan's imposition of sales and use taxes on the purchase of menstrual products—commonly known as the "tampon tax"—violates the Equal Protection clauses of the United States and Michigan Constitutions.
WDIV-TV (Detroit, MI) | Michigan women seek $27M refund from state in ‘tampon tax’ lawsuit
Work & Money
🠲 National Organization for Women President Toni Van Pelt Steps Down After Racism Allegations
Emily Shugerman | The Daily Beast
Citing health concerns, the president of the National Organization for Women stepped down Sunday, amid a flurry of allegations of racism at the nation’s oldest and largest feminist organization.
How to close the gender gap in venture capital
Lilyana Pavlova | Agenda (Word Economic Forum)
Men make up 91% of the venture capitalist industry’s executive ranks. To close this gap, banks and investment firms are putting in place strategies to help identify innovative, high-growth female-led companies
For years, I hid the fact that I was a mother at work. It's time for us to stop pretending our kids don't exist in order to save our jobs.
Alla Zarifyan | Business Insider
Working moms may feel pressure to minimize the needs of their kids to their boss or coworkers.
Melinda Gates On Covid-19: It’s Time to Demand More of All Our Leaders
Francesca Donner | The New York Times
“The way to build back is to put women straight at the center. Because guess what? They’re already at the center.”— Melinda Gates
R.I. advocates: Coronavirus pandemic shows that women’s movement has much work to do
Madeleine List | Providence Journal
In 2020, 100 years after the adoption of the 19th Amendment, women — and women of color especially — are bearing the brunt of the essential labor during the pandemic, all while earning less than their male counterparts.
In the Aftermath of Black Women's Equal Pay Day, Let's Consider How Our Votes Impact Our Paychecks
Maiysha Kai | The Root
As one of the most active voting blocs in America, Black women are already well aware of our political influence, but as we consider what issues we’d like our chosen candidates to focus on amid the unprecedented intersection of a pandemic and protests for racial justice, establishing pay equity needs to be among the highest priorities.
More, More, More
🠲 The 19th Amendment: An Important Milestone in an Unfinished Journey
New York Times
A century later, it’s past time to recognize the women of color who were sidelined in the fight for gender and racial equality.
Associated Press | Heeding mom, Tennessee lawmaker helped women gain the vote
Bangor Daily News | Maine was an early battleground in the struggle to secure women’s right to vote
Blairsville Dispatch | Western Pa. women played pivotal roles in passage of 19th Amendment a century ago
Bloomberg Opinion | Women’s Suffrage Centennial: The Fight for Voting Rights Isn’t Over
Cleveland.com | Hard won, not done. Women struggle for gender equality 100 years after winning right to vote
Desert Outlook (Iowa) | It's time for equal rights for women
The Hawk Eye | 19th Amendment suffragists saw Tennessee as last hope, worst nightmare
The New Yorker | Sojourner Truth and the Unfinished Fight for Equality
🠲 New York Times | How Queer Women Powered the Suffrage Movement
New York Times | The Women Who Fought Against the Vote
Salt Lake Tribune | A centennial reflection on women’s rights
The Tennessean | How 'intemperate' radicals pushed Woodrow Wilson to embrace women's suffrage
Telegram & Gazette | Women of the Century: What’s next for women’s equality?
Biden’s Pledge To Choose A Woman For VP Was Popular - And So Is Harris
Geoffrey Skelley | FiveThirtyEight
Polls over the past few months show that Americans, especially Democrats, overwhelmingly support Biden’s decision to choose a woman as his running mate.
Meet The Forgotten Female Scientist Who Debunked Theories Of Male Superiority
Katie Jennings | Forbes
Leta Stetter Hollingworth was a trailblazing psychologist and champion of women’s rights. One of the first women to scientifically debunk men's alleged superiority, Hollingworth’s research lent credibility to the burgeoning feminist movement in the early 20th century.
Donald Trump’s Latest Claim About Helping Women Gets Ripped Apart
Lee Moran | HuffPost
Donald Trump drew stinging backlash on Friday with his boast on Twitter that he’d “done more for WOMEN than just about any President in HISTORY!”
The Mary Sue | Donald Trump’s Tweet About Helping Women Gets Ratioed Into the Sun
Refinery29 | Trump Has Done More For WOMEN Than Any President In HISTORY, Says Trump
Florida
‘It’s in our DNA:’ Why Black women are an electoral force in Florida
Margo Snipe | Tampa Bay Times
In Florida, 57% of Black women are registered to vote, the highest percentage for any racial, ethnic or gender voting bloc, according to an analysis of the state’s Division of Elections data.
Indiana
Remembering The Indiana Women Behind the ERA
Susan Salaz | Indianapolis Monthly
The Equal Rights Amendment was for women, by women, and largely defeated by a handful of prominent women.