If I have to, I can do anything
Today…
is World Suicide Prevention Day (#BeThere). Also, September 6-12 is Suicide Prevention Week, and September is Suicide Prevention Month. Impressive bit of comms work there.
is the birthday of labor organizer Rose Finkelstein Norwood (1890-1980). No wonder she lived to 90, look how much she was doing! From Wikipedia:
She led labor campaigns for laundry, garment and jewelry workers, telephone operators, boiler makers, library staffers, teachers and sales clerks. She was active in the Boston Women’s Trade Union League, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and the NAACP. She was a vocal opponent of antisemitism, racism and fascism, a supporter of women's rights and workers’ education, and an advocate for the elderly.
Rose didn’t sit down for 90 years, and I’m over here stressing when I have time to make a peanut butter ice cream cake – just the cake! not even the ice cream! – for the 8th grader’s birthday this weekend. Honestly.
Abortion
The Abortion Pill Is Safe, so Why Are Conservatives Lying About It?
Marie Solis | Rewire.News
Abortion rights opponents understand that medication abortion is the future of abortion care, which explains their escalating and coordinated campaign to make it impossible to access.
LGBTQ
Department of Education sends mixed messages on transgender student protections
Sophie Tatum, Karma Allen | ABC News
The Trump administration said it plans to investigate alleged discrimination against LGBTQ students – but only in certain circumstances, according to documents released by the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights.
Democrats aim to remove ban on blood donations by gay men
Casey Quinlan | The American Independent
Experts say even the Trump administration's limited ban on donations is unnecessary. Two House Democrats have introduced legislation that would require the Food and Drug Administration to change guidance on blood donations intended to lower the risk of HIV transmission, saying the current approach discriminates against LGBTQ people — bisexual and gay men in particular.
Charity Provides Information On Cervical Screenings For Trans & Non-Binary Patients
Alice Broster | Forbes
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has teamed up with the LGBT Foundation as part of Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month to support trans and non-binary patients with resources on cervical screenings. It’s far too simplistic to say everyone with a cervix identifies as a woman and the exclusion of non-binary and trans patients in conversations about cervical cancer can have fatal consequences.
The Anatomy of Transmisogynoir
Ashlee Marie Preston | Harper's Bazaar
They’ve been at the forefront of multiple movements for equality. But Black trans women remain one of the most marginalized, at-risk communities in the world—and that needs to change.
Trump’s record on LGBTQ rights has been vile from the moment he took office. We kept a list.
Juwan Holmes | LGBTQ Nation
Our friends at GLAAD run the Trump Accountability Project, and they have kept a tally of the nonstop barrage on the community’s civil rights. From erasing our issues to allowing healthcare providers to discriminate against LGBTQ people, it’s all on the list.
Gold medal Olympian Caster Semenya blocked from defending medal unless she takes hormones
Alex Bollinger | LGBTQ Nation
Track athlete Caster Semenya has lost an appeal against a rule that would force her to artificially lower her testosterone levels in order to compete at next year’s Olympic games. “I am very disappointed,” she said.
The Mary Sue | Caster Semenya Loses Appeal Over Restrictions on Testosterone in Female Athletes
Yahoo Sports | Caster Semenya continues to be punished for simply being born
California
California Appellate Court Vacates Decision in LGBT Bakery Case
Maria Dinzeo | Courthouse News Service
A state appellate court on Wednesday vacated a Kern County judge’s final judgment in favor of a bakery owner who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, finding he prematurely decided the case on its First Amendment merits.
Illinois
Chicago's Decades-Old LGBTQ+ Newspaper Ends Print Edition
Tracy E. Gilchrist | The Advocate
After 35 years, Chicago’s LGBTQ+ publication, Windy City Times will cease print publication and go completely digital as a result of decreased revenue amid the pandemic, according to a statement on its website.
Montana
Commissioners decide ordinance isn't best answer to discrimination against LGBTQ residents
Karl Puckett | Great Falls Tribune
Members of the Great Falls City Commission decried discrimination against LGBTQ residents at a meeting Tuesday but concluded a nondiscrimination (NDO) ordinance isn't the best way to address the problem after hearing from the city attorney and hundreds of residents.
New York
Gay councilman calls on NYPD union leader to resign after 'homophobic' tweet
Daniel Villarreal | NBC News
A gay New York City councilman and U.S. congressional candidate is calling on an NYPD union leader to step down after a tweet sent from the union’s official Twitter account called the councilman "a first class whore."
First class, though…
Pregnancy & Parenting
'If Amber was white, Amber would be here': A father's message after his son's mother's death
Adria Walker | Democrat and Chronicle
Black women are 2½ times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. And experts say institutional racism is to blame.
Black Maternal Mortality Is Already a Crisis-Climate Change Is Making It Worse
Tiffany Onyejiaka | Glamour
If we want to save Black mothers, we need to save the earth as well.
Despite What Sen. Cruz Says, Pregnancy Can Be Life Threatening
Elizabeth C. Pratt | Healthline
“Like a lot of what Sen. Cruz says on reproductive issues, he’s off base, ill-advised, and not based on any medical facts,” said Dr. Elliott Main, the medical director of the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Hilary Swank Sues SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, Accuses Trustees of “Shockingly Antiquated” Views
David Robb | Deadline Hollywood
Hilary Swank has filed a lawsuit against the trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, asking a federal judge to order the trustees to resume coverage of her treatment for recurrent malignant ovarian cysts … Swank was undergoing procedures to preserve her ability to conceive in the future. Seizing upon Swank’s choice to keep her options open, the Trustees pointed to an exclusion in the Plan for ‘infertility treatment,’ relying on the notion that the only purpose of preserving the health of an ovary is to procreate.
Work & Money
🠲 Planned Parenthood's D.C. staffers unionize as abortion-rights groups address diversity issues
Kate Smith | CBS News
Staff members at Planned Parenthood's national Washington, D.C., office say they have unionized and reached an agreement with management to improve workers' rights. The move toward collective bargaining comes as Planned Parenthood and other abortion-rights groups have been scrutinized for workplace issues, including a lack of diversity within management.
Top Veterans Affairs lawmakers hammer out deal to pass major suicide prevention bills
Abbie Bennett | Connecting Vets
House lawmakers have added legislation to round out their growing package of suicide prevention efforts including … Measures targeted to increase equity of care for native veterans, veterans of color, women veterans and LGBTQ veterans.
The New Oscar Inclusion Rules Aren’t That Hard To Meet, So Everyone Calm Down
Anna Menta | Decider
On Tuesday night, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a new set of “inclusion” standards for films to meet in order to be eligible in the Best Picture category. These standards, which will go into effect in 2024, basically boil down to “you need to hire at least a few non-white dudes in order to be eligible for Best Picture.”
Jezebel | The Oscars' Best Picture 'Inclusion Requirements' Turn Diversity Into a Checklist
USA Today | The Oscars' new best-picture standards are a meaningful, and reasonable, effort to diversify Hollywood
Variety | Why the Oscars Diversity Rules Should Be Embraced by All Members
Vox | The Oscars’ new diversity and inclusion rules for Best Picture nominees
Half of US households in the four largest cities are struggling to pay bills amid coronavirus pandemic
Anagha Srikanth | The Hill
At least half of households in the four largest U.S. cities are facing serious financial problems in the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll, including a majority of Black and Latinx households in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.
Colorado
Paid family leave is good for workers and businesses
Trish Zornio | Colorado Newsline
With Labor Day weekend behind us, it’s time for most of us to get back to work. But this November, Coloradans will get to decide if new parents can be paid to stay home. For most nations, the plethora of scientific evidence has already provided a resounding “yes” to paid family leave.
Aspen Times Weekly | Paid Medical and Family Leave will support Colorado families
The Colorado Sun | Eight states have programs that give workers paid time off. Does that help or hurt Colorado’s chances?
More, More, More
A Pandemic Within the Pandemic
H. Patricia Hynes | Common Dreams
The spread of coronavirus has created a "perfect storm" for violence against women behind closed doors.
New Data On Fatal Police Shootings Shows That Black Women Are Disproportionately Killed By Law Enforcement
Charise Frazier | MadameNoire.com
A startling new Washington Post report shows that since 2015, almost 250 women in America have been fatally shot by police. But Black women account for 20% of the killings and 28% of the unarmed deaths, despite making up only 13% of the women population in the U.S.
What Do Young Black Women Want From This Election?
Kristen Johnson | The Nation
Some younger Black women view this presidential election as an opportunity to consolidate and increase social, economic, and political power for marginalized people. They want more than just promises and idolization from candidates. They want policies that will improve their lives and their communities. They are dissatisfied with Trump and weary about issues like student loan debt, health care, reproductive rights, and income inequality. For many Black women, voting is still a way to mobilize this power.
‘I Am Woman’ review: Helen Reddy biopic stars stellar leading lady
Sara Stewart | New York Post
Just so I could post this…
Why Are Men Still Explaining Things to Women?
Mary Katharine Tramontana | New York Times
Mansplaining illuminates a much deeper problem than the bore of patronizing monologues. “Entitled” author Kate Manne unpacks the phenomenon.
Is Denying Rape Allegations Part of the President's Job?
Jessica Mason Pieklo | Rewire.News
According to a filing by Justice Department attorneys in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case against President Trump, that answer is yes. If the courts let the Department of Justice succeed here, what is to stop President Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr from similarly weaponizing government lawyers against other private citizens it deems threats to the president’s power?
Connecticut
Empowering future female political leaders
Jessica Simms | The Quinnipiac Chronicle
Empowering all people to pursue their dreams in politics is the mission of Leading Women of Tomorrow, one of Quinnipiac University’s new student organizations.
New York
New York gynecologist charged with sexual abuse
Darryl Coote | UPI
Prosecutors have charged a former Columbia University gynecologist with sexually abusing six victims, including a minor, under the guise of performing medical procedures over nearly two decades.
Texas
Backlash to Planned Parenthood endorsement of Sarah Davis is misplaced
Erica Grieder | Houston Chronicle
The leaders of Planned Parenthood and its political arm in Texas, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, are no strangers to political controversy. But they probably weren’t expecting to elicit a ferocious backlash over endorsing a legislator who is a long-time advocate for women’s health and LGBTQ rights, in addition to being pro-choice. Granted, the legislator in question--state Rep. Sarah Davis, who has represented House District 134 in Harris County since 2010--is a Republican.