It is what it is
Today…
in 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to sign onto the 19th Amendment, giving it the 2/3 majority necessary for ratification. Mississippi, in no rush, waited until 1984.
is Pinot Noir Day. In the boudoir.
is the birthday of Rosalynn Carter (1927–), former First Lady, yes, but also a longtime mental health advocate in her own right. After Eleanor Roosevelt, she was only the second First Lady to testify before Congress, in support of a bill to fund community mental health centers.
Speaking of first ladies… did you watch? The kids and I made it until 10pm, at which point the 12yo’s mental health took a dive, but I recorded the rest. Live events like this are one of the few times I really envy Pacific Time.
The 19th
In commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, let's remember the battle for equality is FAR from over
Kim Churches | NBC News
After 100 years, the same issues that women were grappling with back then — voting rights, inequality, racism and sexism — are very much behind the social upheaval we’re seeing now.
BBC | US election 2020: The 19th amendment and a 100-year milestone for women
New York Times | When The Times opposed women's suffrage
Bangor Daily News | Maine was an early battleground in the struggle to secure women’s right to vote
New York Times | How Tennessee Ratified the 19th Amendment
New York Times | Suffrage at 100: A Visual History
Washington Post | One ‘good boy’ helped give women the right to vote
The Ugly, Unfinished Fight for Suffrage
Sarah Green Carmichael | Bloomberg
The 100-year struggle to enfranchise women didn’t result in universal voting rights.
Fortune | 100th anniversary of 19th Amendment: Remembering Black suffragists who fought for the right to vote
NBC News | How Black women have continued the fight to vote 100 years after suffrage
Time Magazine | I'm Ida B. Wells's Great-Granddaughter, and I'm Still Fighting Her Fight For the Vote
The ERA
AP | Advocates plan birthday gift for the 19th Amendment: The ERA
USA Today | Equal Rights Amendment: Will women ever have equal rights under federal law?
Abortion
With Biden, advocates sense momentum for lifting abortion funding ban
Jessie Hellmann | The Hill
Abortion rights advocates are pinning their hopes on presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to help end a longstanding ban on the use of federal funds for abortion — a policy he supported for more than 40 years.
Denying Abortion Coverage Is Not a Religious Value
Katey Zeh, Sara Hutchinson Ratcliffe, Sheila Katz | Rewire.News
As leaders of organizations that represent countless people of faith across the nation, we want to set the record straight: We are people of faith and we are pro-choice.
Courts are already cutting off abortion access — without saying a word about Roe
Mary Ziegler | Washington Post
Since President Trump nominated Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, everyone has placed bets about how long it would be before Roe v. Wade was overturned. What everyone forgot is that the Supreme Court can functionally eliminate access to abortion without saying a word about Roe itself.
LGBTQ
Trump rule on transgender health blocked at the 11th hour
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar | AP
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Monday from enforcing a new regulation that would roll back health care protections for transgender people. Finalized days after the Supreme Court barred sex discrimination against LGBT individuals on the job, the regulation from HHS was to have taken effect Tuesday.
The Advocate | Judge Blocks Trump's Attempt to End LGBTQ+ Health Care Protections
Bloomberg | LGBT Health Discrimination Rule Blocked by Federal Judge
BuzzFeed News | A Judge Blocked The Trump Administration's Effort To Roll Back Transgender Healthcare Protections
The Cut | Judge Blocks HHS Rollback of Trans Health Care Protections
The Hill | Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump transgender health rule from taking effect
Metro Weekly | Federal judge blocks Trump administration rule stripping away transgender health care protections
POLITICO | Judge halts Trump's rollback of transgender health protections
Reuters | U.S. Judge Blocks Trump Rule on LGBT Health Discrimination
Washington Post | Federal judge blocks Trump administration from ending transgender healthcare protections
Idaho Law Banning Trans Female Athletes Blocked by Judge
Neal Broverman | The Advocate
An Idaho law banning transgender females from competing in interscholastic sports for girls and women at public schools, state colleges and universities was blocked Monday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge David C. Nye. Nye did not strike down the law, but stopped enforcement of it until another court rules on its constitutionality.
Ed Week | Judge Blocks Idaho Law Limiting Sports Participation by Transgender Females
Metro Weekly | Federal court blocks Idaho's law banning transgender athletes from competing in women's sports
POLITICO | Trump-backed transgender athlete ban paused in Idaho
Sports Illustrated | U.S. district court grants injunction against Idaho anti-transgender law
Yahoo Sports | Federal judge temporarily blocks Idaho law banning transgender athletes from female sports
Inside the Grueling Battle to Declassify Homosexuality as a Mental Illness
Cassie Da Costa | The Daily Beast
The documentary ‘CURED’ chronicles the fight to remove homosexuality from the DSM. But it overlooks the contributions of Black and brown voices—and censors some activists’ racism.
Culture Change Needed For LGBTQ Employees To “Feel At Home” At Work
Grant Freeland | Forbes
Let’s focus on change: in particular the changing face of the U.S. workforce—and the changes companies need to make to attract, retain and engage this widely heterogeneous workforce in the future.
State Department appeals decision recognizing gay couple's daughter's citizenship
John Riley | Metro Weekly
The U.S. State Department has appealed a June ruling by a federal judge recognizing the citizenship of Kessem Kiviti, the daughter of two married gay men who are U.S. citizens who was born via surrogacy in Canada in February 2019.
For Queer Kids, School Has An Extra Layer Of Uncertainty This Year
Amber Leventry | Scary Mommy
I know teachers have too much on their plates right now, but one element that must remain is the need to protect queer students. If kids are expected to be in some version of school, they should also expect that their learning space is affirming and LGBTQIA+ inclusive.
Michigan
A Detroit Baker Was Trolled By An Anti-LGBTQ+ Cake Request — She Made It Anyway
Isabelle Lichtenstein | GoMag
April Anderson and wife Michelle, owners of Good Cakes and Bakes bakery in Detroit, were shocked to find that they were victims of reverse discrimination of sorts.
Virginia
GOP candidate’s disgusting campaign strategy is to demonize transgender people
Bil Browning | LGBTQ Nation
U.S. House candidate Bob Good of Virginia has a simple campaign platform: transphobia.
Pregnancy & Parenting
Study: Black newborns more likely to survive when cared for by Black doctors
Justine Coleman | The Hill
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that Black babies were three times more likely to die in the hospital than white newborns when cared for by white doctors. When Black doctors cared for Black babies, the mortality rate was cut in half.
Many parents say returning to work depends on how schools open
Joe Heim, Scott Clement | The Washington Post
A recent Washington Post-Schar School nationwide poll found that 50% of working parents said it would be “harder” or “impossible” to do their jobs if their children’s schools provide only online instruction this fall, while 50% said it would have no effect.
San Francisco Chronicle | ‘You literally can’t do both’: Pandemic forces Bay Area mothers to choose kids over career
Reproductive Health
The Economic And Moral Case For Menstrual Leave
Julia Wuench | Forbes
Menstrual leave is still widely controversial. As Emily Matchar from The Atlantic so eloquently puts it: “Do these policies simply further the notion that women are weak, hormonally-addled creatures controlled by their uteri? Or do they encourage more equality by accommodating female workers’ biological demands, much as maternity leave does?”
Work & Money
Lean In report: Black women promoted at far lower rates than white men
Sara Fischer | Axios
A new report from The Lean In Foundation, founded by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, finds that for every 100 men promoted to manager in America, only 58 Black women are promoted, despite Black women asking for promotions at the same rate.
Louisiana Weekly | New report released on Black Women's Equal Pay Day shows workplace decline
WDET-FM (Detroit, Mich.) | MSU Researchers Say Racial Wage Gap Narrrows in the South, Widens in the North
Parents may qualify for paid leave, unemployment if schools are closed for the fall
Jennifer Liu | CNBC
Here’s what parents should know about their paid leave or unemployment options if their child’s school or day-care facility shuts down during the pandemic.
Why The Fight for Paid Sick Leave is a Civil Rights Issue
Louise Melling, Ronald Newman | Common Dreams
As our nation grapples with its grievous legacy of racism, it is imperative to call out policies and practices that exacerbate inequality.
Louisiana
N.O. City Council President Moreno Proposes Eliminating 'Pink Tax'
Biz New Orleans
The New Orleans City Council’s Ad Valorem and Dedicated Revenue Special Committee will take up the issue of the so-called “pink tax” at its Tuesday, Aug. 18 meeting. Advocates say that diapers and feminine hygiene items are essential products and should be exempt from taxes.