"I wouldn't be here if there were no trouble."
Today…
is the birthday of Marguerite Higgins (1920-1966), a reporter and war correspondent who became the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for her coverage of the Korean War.
But I’m sure you’re worried – yes, according to Life magazine, she “still manages to look attractive” in her “working clothes.”I wanted to be a little salty at the Pulitzer jury’s comment that, “She is entitled to special consideration by reason of being a woman, since she had to work under unusual dangers.” But as I read about her experiences covering WWII and Korea – she was, and she did.
is National Welsh Rarebit Day. I’m realizing that while we’ve done fondue, and queso is in regular rotation, I’ve never made Welsh rarebit for these two. Huh. May have to correct that this evening.
Abortion
Mike Pence Is Visiting A Clinic That Spreads Harmful Misinformation About Abortion
Morgan Brinlee | Romper
As part of his multi-state anti-abortion tour, Vice President Mike Pence will tour a clinic that peddles misinformation about abortion. Specifically, the faith-based pregnancy and sexual health services clinic Raleigh, North Carolina falsely claims that the procedure can lead to breast cancer.
Cosmopolitan | Of Course Mike Pence Is Visiting Crisis Pregnancy Centers
WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC) | Pence to visit Raleigh women's health clinic that falsely ties abortion to breast cancer
Ted Cruz and a Bunch of GOP Senators Are Trying to Ban the Abortion Pill
Carter Sherman | VICE
Sen. Ted Cruz is leading the charge on a Hail Mary plea to the Food and Drug and Administration: He wants the agency to cut off access to a pill that’s used in nearly 40% of U.S. abortions. On Monday, the Texas Republican led a group of 20 senators in sending a letter to the commissioner of the FDA, asking the agency to take the pill mifepristone, which helps induce abortions, off the U.S. market.
How anti-choice propaganda trained Republicans to accept Trump's coronavirus denialism
Amanda Marcotte | Salon
Trump's new medical adviser peddles a familiar model of deceit: Wrap lies and right-wing ideology in a lab coat.
Kanye West doubles-down on an anti-abortion platform for the Birthday Party
Kara Weisenstein | Mic
Always a man with a knack for commanding headlines, Kanye West was a guest on the latest episode of Nick Cannon’s podcast, Cannon’s Class, and had a lot to say.
Colorado
Catholic Church Is a Key Political Force Behind Colorado's Anti-Abortion Ballot Initiative
Madeleine Schmidt | Colorado Times Recorder
Catholic Church leaders have been a driving political force behind Proposition 115, a ballot initiative that seeks to ban abortion at 22 weeks of pregnancy in Colorado.
Missouri
Missouri man sentenced to 5 years for arson at Planned Parenthood clinic
Phil Helsel | NBC News
A Missouri man was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday for throwing a firebomb into a Planned Parenthood clinic, federal prosecutors said.
LGBTQ
What other cities can learn from LA in wake of violent anti-transgender attack
Karma Allen | ABC News
“They did the right thing by opening an investigation. Instead of trying to sweep it under the rug or ignoring it, like many police departments do, they went after these folks.”
Second Judge Blocks Effort to End LGBTQ+ Health Care Protections
Trudy Ring | The Advocate
A second federal judge has issued an injunction blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to rescind the Affordable Care Act’s protections against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
Trump-Appointed Judge Strikes Down Trump Admin Rule Targeting Children of LGBTQ Couples
Colin Kalmbacher | Law and Crime
A federal court in Georgia struck down a Trump administration rule that denied citizenship to the foreign-born children of same-sex U.S. couples.
From bathrooms to ball fields, transgender rights advance in wake of Supreme Court ruling
Richard Wolf | USA Today
When the Supreme Court ruled in June that a law barring sex discrimination in employment applies to gay, lesbian and transgender workers, dissenting Associate Justice Samuel Alito warned it was "certain to have far-reaching consequences." … It didn't take long for some of Alito's predictions to become reality.
Trump administration targets homeless trans Americans
Jennifer Wexton | The Washington Blade
In the midst of a worsening pandemic and with record numbers of Americans unemployed, the president and his administration have focused their attention on something else entirely — giving federally funded shelters a license to discriminate against transgender people.
“Asexual,” “Deadname,” “Biromantic” and More Added to Dictionary
Nico Lang | them.
Dictionary.com announced that it is adding 650 new words to its glossary, in addition to revising over 11,000 existing definitions in its search engine. The update — which the site says is its largest-ever — reflects changing vocabularies around race, sexual orientation, gender, and mental health, and several new entries comprise terms pertaining to the LGBTQ+ community.
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Casts Its First Ever Trans And Nonbinary Roles
David Artavia | The Advocate
Today the producers of Star Trek: Discovery announced that next season they will be introducing the first nonbinary and trans characters in the history of the Star Trek franchise.
More from ComicBook.com, Deadline Hollywood, Decider, Nerdist
California
California to Require Hospitals to Collect LGBTQ+ Disease Data
Neal Broverman | The Advocate
California's Senate and General Assembly unanimously passed a new bill this week requiring health care providers to collect sexual orientation and gender identity data for all communicable diseases. The legislation now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk for his expected signature.
California passes bill giving transgender inmates a say in where they're housed
Casey Quinlan | The American Independent
A California bill that would require the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to let transgender, non-binary, and intersex inmates be "housed at a correctional facility designated for men or women based on the individual's preference," with some exceptions, received final approval in the state Senate on Monday.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts organization purchases building to help LGBTQ asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution
John Riley | Metro Weekly
The LGBT Asylum Task Force, a group offering housing and support services to LGBTQ people fleeing violence and persecution in other countries, has purchased a multi-unit building in Worcester, Massachusetts, to help house its clients.
Pregnancy & Parenting
Community health workers are a ‘lifeline’ to pregnant people with COVID-19
Tina Vasquez | Prism
A nationwide patchwork of women workers has become indispensable to immigrant parents.
The Limited Child-Care Options for Essential Workers
Olga Khazan, Adam Harris | The Atlantic
With public schools closed, at least 15 states have no free child-care options for essential workers.
New Jersey
WNBC-TV | NJ City Tells Parents School Is Going All-Remote Just 48 Hours Before Scheduled First Day 48 hours! Those parents must have passed. out.
New York
Chalkbeat | NYC promises free child care. Providers, parents have questions.
Texas
Texas Standard | Work Takes A Back Seat For Austin Mom Without Child Care During The Pandemic
Reproductive Health & Justice
COVID-19 has disrupted health services in almost every country
Darryl Coote | United Press International (UPI)
Nearly every country has experienced disruptions to essential health services amid the pandemic, the World Health Organization said, with low- and middle-income countries being the greatest affected. The data was revealed in a survey concerning the impact of the pandemic on WHO member states published Monday that found 90% of the 105 responding countries reported experiencing disruptions to essential health services.
Work & Money
Why the Gender Gap in Policing is a Public Safety Crisis
Nikki Smith-Kea | The Crime Report
The problem isn’t just gender equality. The gender gap in policing represents a public safety crisis. As cities, states and the federal government debate the proper role of policing, there is strong reason to believe that women make for safer and less violent law enforcement officers.
Do employers deepen gender inequity by giving moms more leave?
Sheryl Estrada | HR Dive
Dive Brief:Employer parental leave policies may contribute to gender inequality by favoring leave for women over men, according to a study published Aug. 6 in the Community, Work and Family journal. The research also reveals that Fortune 500 companies are leading the pack in providing paid parental leave policies.
Women Are Becoming 2020 Political Force With Surge In Campaign Donations
Jim Zarroli | NPR
This election cycle, the share of women giving money to political campaigns has already risen to 43.5% after never topping 28% in the 1990s — "a pretty significant jump," says Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics.
Women may be feeling the ramifications of pandemic for ‘decades to come’
Rachel Grumman Bender | Yahoo
From job loss to increased childcare responsibilities and health risks, women are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic, according to a new report “From Insights to Action: Gender Equality in the Wake of COVID-19” from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Fifty years after Diane Crump rode in Kentucky Derby, women jockeys continue fight
Tim Layden | NBC Sports
According to The Jockey Guild, the union that represents more than 95% of all North American jockeys, of its 994 current members, 81 are women, or just over 8%. According to a Jockey Guild official, that percentage has been relatively steady for more than a decade.
California
Bill Would Reverse ‘Discriminatory’ Policy That Mostly Impacts Women of Color
Claudia Boyd-Barrett | The Mighty
If signed into law, AB-1993 is expected to extend unemployment eligibility to more than 119,000 family caregivers, who are primarily low-income women of color, according to the home care workers union United Domestic Workers of America/AFSCME Local 3930.
Rendon issues apology to Wicks after outrage over proxy vote decision
Mackenzie Mays | POLITICO
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon issued Assemblymember Buffy Wicks an apology on Tuesday, after his denial of her request to vote by proxy while on maternity leave caused national outrage.
More from Glamour, The Lily, Los Angeles Times,
Utah
New study shows gender gaps in Utah’s county governments
Daedan Olander | Deseret News
While the overall results were better than she expected, Susan Madsen, the founder and director of the Utah Women and Leadership Project, believes Utah can still do better when it comes to having women in leadership roles at the county level.
Gender Wage Gap: (In)Equality in Utah
Anthony Scoma | KCPW-FM (Salt Lake City, UT)
This week on the program, we feature a panel discussion on the gender wage gap in Utah—the causes that drive it, its consequences for women and the economy and what policies effectively address the discrepancy.
Wyoming
Wyoming lawmaker criticized after commenting on appearance of Wyoming Women’s Council chairwoman
Nick Reynolds | Casper Star-Tribune
Casper Republican Jim Anderson is facing at least six complaints to legislative leadership after remarking on WWC Chairwoman Jennifer Wilmetti’s appearance ahead of her committee’s report on economic issues facing Wyoming women last Thursday.
Okay, I had to laugh imaging the deadly silent response. Because remembering my own moments, working for an elected who made cringe-worthy remarks regularly (like asking the Jewish communications director if “your people celebrate Thanksgiving”), and quietly crumbling to dust. Like her, I’m sure old Jim is a known quantity around that statehouse.