“Maybe they didn't like a joke I told.”
“Maybe they didn’t like a joke I told.” Every hour or so, that line comes back to me and my brain glitches. My man not only had that thought, but went ahead and said it, out loud, into a microphone, live on stage…
Also? I find it hard to imagine Bloomberg being an especially good joke-teller in any setting.
Today is…
World Social Justice Day. This year’s theme is “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice.”
Love Your Pet Day! We don’t have any pets, but we’re dogsitting and loving on this good boy this week.
Abortion
Young Voters Don't Rank Abortion a Top Priority for Politicians, But That Doesn't Mean They Don't Care
Brittney McNamara, Teen Vogue
Despite the general support for abortion rights across parties, only one fifth of respondents said reproductive rights are a top priority for American political leaders to address. In other words, abortion seems to fall to the bottom of what they prioritize when they choose a candidate. The issues ranked the highest voting priorities among those polled included healthcare, the economy, and education.
'If I Don't Lie, It's Illegal': How Forced Counseling Affects Abortion Patients
Paige Alexandria, Rewire.News
When I provide patient-centered counseling to people seeking abortion care, I have to undo the damage from biased counseling mandated by the state. Even though having an abortion is 14 times safer than giving birth, some abortion providers have to inform patients about risks of death, infertility, and even breast cancer—talking points deployed by the powerful anti-choice movement in Texas and nationwide.
Florida Democrats fail to derail bill requiring parental consent for abortion
Gray Rohrer, Orlando Sentinel
Florida House Republicans fended off several Democratic amendments Wednesday on a bill requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortions, including mandatory exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking.
Liberals hope to finally oust anti-abortion Democrat
Shia Kapos, Politico
Illinois lawmaker Dan Lipinski is one of the few Democrats who opposes abortion rights and progressive activists say he's too conservative for his district.
What It's Like to Get an Abortion in Maine
Claire Lampen, VICE
Maine is one of several states that moved to expand, not restrict, abortion access in the last year.
Part of an ongoing series what it’s like to get an abortion in states across the country.
LGBTQ
Michael Bloomberg's Transphobic Remarks Illustrate How Democrats View Trans People as a Political Football
Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue
Michael Bloomberg has sure had a lot to say about transgender people. Past remarks about us made by the billionaire former Republican mayor of New York turned billionaire 2020 Democratic presidential candidate keep making news in a way that’s emblematic of how the trans community remains a political football.
Half of transgender youth avoid disclosing gender identity to healthcare providers
Brian P. Dunleavy, UPI
Nearly half of transgender youth avoid disclosing their gender identity to healthcare providers for fear of discrimination and stigmatization, a new study shows. The findings by researchers at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh highlight the challenges faced by younger transgender people, even as social acceptance has increased, at least in some parts of the United States.
U.S. Medical Schools Boost LGBTQ Students, Doctor Training
Lindsey Tanner, AP
The AMA vowed in November to push for a federal ban on gay conversion therapy. Medical schools are beefing up education on LBGTQ health issues. And some schools are making a major push to recruit LGBTQ medical students, backed by research showing that patients often get better care when treated by doctors more like them.
Passing as a trans woman comes with unexpected costs
Emily VanDerWerff, Vox
The point of the assimilationist claim [is that] as trans people, we’re supposed to complicate the gender binary, not uphold it. By trying my damnedest not to stand out but to blend in — to tilt whatever little equation you run in your head when you see me away from “man” and toward “woman” — I’m propagating a system that hurts both trans people and women disproportionately, via everything from broad, systemic violence to the relatively minor sin of the pink tax.
Alabama lawmakers advance bill aimed at transgender athletes
Kim Chandler, AP
Transgender students would be required to play sports under their “gender assignment at birth” instead of how they live under a bill approved Wednesday by a committee in the Alabama House of Representatives. The House State Government Committee voted 8-4 for the Gender Is Real Legislative Act, or GIRL Act, by Republican Rep. Chris Pringle.
BYU removes 'homosexual behavior' ban from honor code, reflecting Mormon church stance
Kristin Lam, USA Today
Brigham Young University removed a ban on "homosexual behavior" from its honor code, the Mormon institution said Wednesday, in an effort to match church policy. The announcement came the same day the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints released its new handbook, but did not specify what displays of affection same-gender couples are allowed to do.
ALSO in that handbook…
Mormon Church Formalizes Punishments for Trans Members
Trudy Ring, The Advocate
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known informally as the Mormon Church, has never been supportive of transgender identity, but now it has fully spelled out its anti-trans positions in a new handbook, available online.
Ohio Republicans introduce bill to deny gender-affirming health care to trans youth
John Riley, Metro Weekly
A pair of Ohio lawmakers has co-sponsored a bill that would effectively ban medical providers from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers, or other types of gender-affirming care, to transgender minors, and would threaten them with disciplinary measures or the loss of their license to practice if they do.
South Dakota Trans Youth Reeling After Years of Fighting for Basic Rights
Kate Sosin, NewNowNext
South Dakota, with its super-majority Republican legislature and early 40-day legislative session, is of often the testing ground for anti-LGBTQ legislation. Queer families in the Mount Rushmore State are already eyeing the next session, anticipating future battles. That, they say, has taken a substantial toll on trans kids, their parents, and LGBTQ South Dakotans as a whole.
Christian parents sue their school district to force it to out trans kids
Molly Sprayregen, LGBTQ Nation
A group of fourteen unnamed parents are suing the Madison, Wisconsin school district over its policy to allow students to change their name and pronouns without informing their parents.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Hillary Clinton: ‘The Press Has Never Taken Reproductive Health Seriously’
Jenny Singer, Glamour
The former Secretary of State didn’t mince words, managing to communicate a series of unerringly polite, acerbic takedowns: of the way the press treats abortion rights, of climate change deniers and women’s health crisis skeptics, and, most vigorously, of anyone who’s considering giving up hope. Clinton, a 72-year-old whose life has been a curious mix of exhilarating firsts and crushing defeats, made this much clear—your despair makes the people in power’s jobs easier. Now is no time to give up.
Writing that on a Post-It - made in Minnesota, I hear - and putting it over my desk.
Kamala Harris: With All-White Debate, Everyone Is 'Accountable' On Black Maternal Health
Sarah Ruiz-Grossman, HuffPost
“I strongly believe it should not be incumbent on a Black woman to talk about Black women’s issues,” Harris said. “If you want to be a leader in any field, much less president of the United States, [Black maternal health] should be one of your issues. It should be a priority issue, you should know about it, you should understand it and you should be committed to dealing with it.”
Beyond #Metoo, 3 Movements Making a Difference for Gender Equity
YES! Magazine
Even before the #metoo movement trained the spotlight on gender inequity and its impact across the globe, there were organizations doing the hard work to address these at-times violent failings. From closing the wage gap and protecting reproductive rights to ending gender-based sexual exploitation, the push to support and empower women and nonbinary people has roots that date back generations.
'Shifting the Culture of Care': A Q&A With Chanel Porchia-Albert, Founder of Doula Collective AncientSong
Dominique Remy, Rewire.News
Rewire.News sat down with Chanel Porchia-Albert, a full-spectrum doula, reproductive health advocate, and Ancient Song founder to discuss their work to combat the country’s devastating Black maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, reproductive justice praxis, and following in radical Black traditions of community care and teach-ins.
Florida bill would require consent to perform pelvic exams
Brendan Farrington, Gainesville Sun
A Florida senator who has spent her entire adult life trying to help sexual abuse victims wants Florida to join other states seeking to require informed consent before gynecological exams can be performed on unconscious patients.
Workplace Equality
Bloomberg takes hits at debate for refusing to release women from confidentiality agreements
Michael Kranish, The Washington Post
It was a dramatic moment at Wednesday’s Democratic debate: Elizabeth Warren turned to Mike Bloomberg and demanded that he release women from nondisclosure agreements they had signed after suing him, so they could tell their stories of alleged harassment or discrimination. Bloomberg, visibly unsettled by the fierceness of the attack, refused to back down, saying the deals were mutual and there was no reason to nullify them.
Before You Ask Employees to Sign NDAs Over #MeToo Accusations, Watch the Democratic Debate
Minda Zetlin, Inc.
These contracts allow the companies to preserve its brand and reputation. But another way to look at it is that they allow companies to conceal the severity of a toxic workplace, and to protect the jobs of highly valued executives who repeatedly engage in inappropriate behavior.
Why Dads Don’t Take Parental Leave
Jessica Grose, The New York Times
Even when companies offer the time, there’s one element missing. In 2019, we ran a piece about why American men don’t take paternity leave, even when it’s on offer to them. While 90 percent of fathers take some time off after their children are born, the majority of them take less than 10 days away from the job. Nathaniel Popper, an NYT Parenting contributor, said one reason is that new dads fear they might be stigmatized by their employers and miss out on future opportunities.
Black Futures Month: Alicia Garza & Economic Justice Across Gender
Morgan Simon, Forbes
I sat down with Alicia Garza — principal at the Black Futures Lab and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, and most recently, co-host of the Sunstorm podcast with labor activist Ai-jen Poo — to dive into the findings [of new report Beyond Kings and Queens: Gender and Politics in the 2019 Black Census] and what they say about the financial well being of Black people of all genders in our communities.
Google faces a new investigation into whether it discriminated against a pregnant employee
Jennifer Elias, CNBC
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has opened an investigation into Google for pregnancy discrimination against an employee, according to materials viewed by CNBC.
Product Price Gender Discrimination Would Be Made Illegal Under New California Bill
Evan V. Symon, California Globe
A new bill that would prohibit businesses from charging more for products targeted towards women was given a push by bill supporters in Sacramento on Tuesday. A new against the ‘pink tax’ specifically calls for an end to higher prices for female-oriented products when similar products for men are priced differently, such as in deodorants, hair products, toys, and dental products.
California bill would tax companies with larger 'wage gaps' at higher rates
Bethany Blankley
Monterey County Weekly
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, introduced legislation that she says would address income inequality by increasing taxes on companies with $10 million in annual revenue or more, based on the disparity between salaries earned by a company’s executives and other employees. The wider the gap between income earnings, the more money companies would owe in taxes, according to her proposal.
Colorado Lawmakers Prepare To Unveil Less Ambitious Family Leave Proposal
Scott Franz, KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO)
One of the biggest and most consequential battles of the 2020 legislative session is expected to start this week, once Democrats unveil their latest plan to create a statewide paid family leave program. The bill's sponsors had to make some big concessions to try and get the measure passed this time around. A year ago, their last effort failed due to opposition from the business community and Gov. Jared Polis.
St. Pete mayor advocates for paid family, paternity leave for new parents statewide
Sarah J. Hollenbeck, WFTS-TV (Tampa, FL)
The Mayor of St. Petersburg recently expanded family leave time for city employees, both new moms and dads, from six weeks to eight weeks. Now, he’s advocating for similar changes to be made statewide.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to pursue paid family leave through legislation, not executive order
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Following discussions with legislative leadership, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is backing off his groundbreaking executive order directing the state provide paid family and medical leave benefits to most executive branch workers. Instead, he will pursue the effort through legislation.
Opinion | Time for Utah to get the Equal Rights Amendment right
Sheryl Allen, Salt Lake Tribune
My church has a history of getting too many things wrong about the ERA and equal rights. Forty years from now, I hope we can all say that we finally got it right, or at least, we’re close to equivalence. All men and women are created equal and should be afforded equal rights under the Constitution. Let’s ratify the ERA.
Washington state's #MeToo-driven legislation has made it harder for journalists to investigate harassment
Daniel Walters, The Inlander
The premise of last year's Washington State House Bill 2020 was almost impossible to argue with: Victims and witnesses of harassment need to feel safe to come forward. Yet the bill applied to more than just sexual harassment victims. It also applied to the names of victims and witnesses in cases of age, race and gender discrimination, whether the allegations were substantiated or not. And with victims and witness names all hidden under similar black bars, even the number of accusers could become nearly impossible to parse.