Thursday, right?
Today… is, in fact, Thursday. I had to check.
is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers (#IDEVASW).
in 1993 – 1993, people – Judith Rodin became the first woman to head an Ivy League school, as president of U. Penn.
in 1973, the Helms Amendment was passed. We talk a lot less about Helms than we do its domestic counterpart Hyde, but it’s every bit as shitty. It blocks any U.S. funding abroad from being used to fund abortion services, whether or not they’re legally available in that country.
is National Maple Syrup Day. I got one who loves it and one who won’t touch the stuff, though our fondness for a syrup delivery device is well-documented…
Abortion
Los Angeles Times | On his way out the door, Trump aims one more shot at California over abortion rights | Michael Hiltzik
On his way out the door, President Trump has paused to remind us that he always has time for an act of pointless vandalism aimed at women’s reproductive healthcare. On Wednesday, Trump’s HHS announced it was docking California’s Medicaid program $200 million because state law requires all health insurance plans to include coverage for abortions.
CBS | Trump administration to withhold Medicaid funding from California over abortion insurance requirement | Kathryn Watson
CNN | Trump administration says it will withhold $200 million in California Medicaid funding over abortion insurance requirement | Caroline Kelly
San Francisco Chronicle | Trump administration cuts off $200 million for California health care over abortions | Alexei Koseff
Arkansas
Rewire News Group | Arkansas Could Give Amy Coney Barrett Her Big Abortion Moment | Rachel Cohen
California
Los Angeles Times | With a woman in prison for a stillbirth, California's murder law is tested | Alex Wigglesworth
Colorado
Colorado Times Recorder | In 'Wake Up Call' for Abortion Foes, a Surprising Number of Trump Voters Rejected CO’s 22-Week Abortion Ban | Madeleine Schmidt
Massachusetts
Boston Globe | House rejects Baker’s changes to abortion legislation | Stephanie Ebbert
Ohio
Columbus Dispatch | Ohio Republican lawmakers set to ban the use of telemedicine for medication abortions | Anna Staver
Tennessee
American Independent | Tennessee keeps pushing abortion law that judges keep saying is illegal | Lisa Needham
Texas
KMID-TV | Newly-elected Odessa city leaders will look to outlaw abortion | Jake Eichstaedt
LGBTQ
The Advocate | Rampant Violence Reported by Activists for Sex Workers, LGBTQ+ People | Neal Broverman
On the eve of Thursday's International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, the human rights organization Front Line Defenders released a report documenting a "sharp increase in violence" against international advocates for LGBTQ+ people and sex workers.
American Independent | Trump just made life even harder for LGBTQ people on his way out the door | Casey Quinlan
In its final stretch in office, the Trump administration is continuing its attacks on protections for LGBTQ people. On Monday it issued changes to the rules on federal funding to social service organizations that apply to grants funded by nine agencies, rolling back protections introduced during the Obama administration.
Washington Blade | Feds hastily make religious carve-outs to regulations before Trump's exit | Chris Johnson
Ms. What to Expect From a Biden Presidency: On LGBTQ+ Equality | Carrie Baker, Anna Dragunas
President-Elect Joe Biden has pledged to pursue an aggressive plan to advance LGBTQ+ equality in the U.S. and around the world. After four years of the Trump administration rolling back LGBTQ+ rights at home and abroad, Biden has his work cut out for him.
Daily Beast | Transgender Troops are ‘Excited’ for Joe Biden to Strike Down President Trump’s Ban | Tim Teeman
USA Today | 'I lost everything': LGBTQ people are bearing a bigger brunt of the pandemic, report shows | Susan Miller
A report out Wednesday documents the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on LGTBQ households, and the findings are sobering: greater economic upheaval, higher unemployment rates and deeper challenges in accessing health care.
VICE | COVID Is Devastating LGBTQ People’s Ability to Access Health Care | Carter Sherman
them. | ICE Locked This Trans Asylum Seeker in Solitary For Six Months. Now He’s Suing | Henry Giardina
An Ecuadorian trans man is suing after allegedly being placed in ICE solitary confinement due to his gender identity.
New Jersey
Metro Weekly | New Jersey eliminates publication requirement for trans people seeking name change | John Riley
New York
them. | A Transphobic Smear Piece About This City Council Candidate Only Made Her Campaign Stronger | Nico Lang
Ohio
Courthouse News Service | Judge Rules Transgender Ohioans Can Change Birth Certificates | Kyle Anne Uniss
Utah
Washington, D.C.
Metro Weekly | DC Council passes hate crimes omnibus bill, bans gay and trans "panic" defenses | John Riley
Pregnancy & Parenting
Bitch Media | Bad (White) Moms Dominate Christmas Movies | Scarlett Harris
Child Protective Services should surely have been called on the McCallisters, but most of these films simply depict moms struggling to make the best choices for their children under the weight of the outsized expectations placed on mothers in general. The harsh Christmas lights only further amplify the mental load they’re carrying during the holiday season.
HealthDay | Black Women at Higher Heart Risk During Pregnancy | Amy Norton
Although heart problems are rare complications of pregnancy, Black women face a heightened risk – even if they have comfortable incomes and health insurance, a new study finds.
NBC | Community is crucial for pregnant Black women with heart risks | Char Adams
Pandemic Parenting & Caregiving
MadameNoire | Working Moms Are Leaving Their Jobs At Unprecedented Numbers In The Pandemic. An Expert Says Employers Need To Offer More Support. | Victoria Uwumarogie
Marketplace | Essential worker parents struggle with remote school | Meghan McCarty Carino
USA Today | I'm my mother and grandmother's caregiver. COVID is forcing me into impossible choices. | Rebekah A. Alexander
POPSUGAR | This School District's Touching Snow Day Letter Encourages Families to "Make Some Memories" | Murphy Moroney
It really was the loveliest thing.
Virginia
State of Reform | Ralph Northam proposes budget increases to combat pregnancy deaths | Mansur Shaheen
Reproductive Health & Justice
Boing Boing | How Birth Control Can Help Us Reimagine The Future | Thom Dunn
Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders have a podcast which covers all sorts of nerd culture and science-related topics. On the episode "Birth Control of the Future," they discuss reproductive and contraceptive technologies, both real and imagined, and the various ramifications they might have on society.
Courthouse News Service | Judge Questions Birth Control Mandate Likely to Change With Biden Administration | Maria Dinzeo
In the waning days of the Trump administration, a federal judge is wrestling with whether to vacate federal rules that allow employers to opt out of paying for birth control on religious or moral grounds.
Work & Money
Above the Law | Class-Action Gender Discrimination Case Against Jones Day Dropped | Kathryn Rubino
Plaintiffs' individual claims against the firm live on, and there are also pending claims under the California Private Attorneys General Act, Title VII, FMLA, and various state and D.C. laws.
Black Enterprise | Report: Black Women Among Those Hardest Hit By Housing Insecurity Amid COVID-19 | Jeffrey McKinney
Black women face greater burdens with housing costs than other groups due to COVID-19, a new report shows. The finding comes as women in general now are more likely than men to be renters, unemployed, and caregivers, boosting the likelihood of them being overloaded financially on housing costs.
Business Insider | Airbnb's aims for 20% of its US workforce to be from underrepresented minorities by 2025 in new diversity goals, and half of employees globally will be women | Grace Dean
Airbnb pledged that 1 in 5 of its US employees will be from underrepresented minorities, and half of its global workforce will be women by late 2025.
CNN | Woman at center of Veterans Affair sexual assault report: VA 'abandoned their responsibility to protect those who they serve' | Caroline Kelly
"VA is fully aware," said Andrea Goldstein, a staffer and lieutenant commander in the US Navy reserve, when asked whether the department was cognizant of the prevalence of assault and harassment within the military and veterans hospitals.
Forbes | How The Gender Income Gap Impacts Women’s Retirement | E. Napoletano, Benjamin Curry
A report finds that women remain at a disadvantage with their retirement savings. Women aged 65+ have a median household retirement income of $47,244, only 83% of their male counterparts, who live in households with a median retirement income of $57,144, including Social Security, pensions, investment income and earnings.
Patch | Pandemic's Uneven Impact On Women Could Do Long-Term Harm: Study | Paige Austin
The burden of job loss and childcare is falling disproportionately on women, according to a study by USC.
Psychology Today | Can We “Undo Gender” During the Pandemic? | Susan Newman Ph.D
The pandemic has led some, if not most, couples to revise their division of labor at home. And even after the threat from COVID-19 passes, those shifts could continue.
Montana
Montana Public Radio | Governor's Equal Pay Task Force Releases Final Report | Megan Myscofski
More, More, More
Newsweek | Misogyny and 'Manosphere' Spreading To Playgrounds 'and Is a Terror Threat' | Zoe Drewett
Children are being targeted online through chat rooms, memes and viral videos by groups that welcome extreme acts of violence against women and we should be far more worried about it than we are, says author and campaigner Laura Bates.
Vox | Poll: A majority of voters want Joe Biden to advance polices that promote gender equity | Li Zhou
83% of respondents want Biden and members of Congress to work on ending sexual harassment in schools and the workplace, 77% support policies that would help close the gender pay gap, 81% want to guarantee access to affordable, high-quality child care, and 56% want to protect and expand access to reproductive health care, including abortion.