Today…
is December 9, and first glaring error I’m aware of in terms of reading a calendar. Remember how I told you yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the Phillips v Martin Marietta arguments? It’s today. Ugh. But after ten months at home, what the hell is time anyway.
is the birthday – I double-checked – of Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992), a Navy rear admiral and computer scientist who pioneered the language that would become COBOL.
is World Techno Day, which I will mark by revisiting (what I can remember of) my roaring 20s, the Asylum in Dayton, Wall Street and The Garage in Columbus, and of course…
Rachel. Party Girl is much more house than techno. Shush.
Abortion
AP | Appeals court to rehear Texas abortion case in January | Kevin McGill
A federal appeals court in New Orleans has set a January hearing to reconsider its ruling that struck down a Texas law banning a common second-trimester abortion procedure.
Courier | The Hyde Amendment Is Classist and Racist and Needs to Go | Kelly Glass
As the US House discussed the future of the Hyde Amendment—which restricts federal abortion funding—leaders in reproductive justice testified to its racist past and enduring impact.
Colorado Times Recorder | Abortion Rights Advocates in Colorado Applaud Congress for Taking First Step Against Federal Funding Ban | Madeleine Schmidt
Hartford Courant | Rep. Rosa DeLauro, other Democrats seek to repeal the Hyde Amendment, allowing federal funds to pay for abortions | Daniela Altimari
VICE | This Is the Case That Could Bring Down Roe v. Wade | Carter Sherman
The Supreme Court announced Monday that the justices will meet on Friday to talk about whether to hear the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which involves a 2018 Mississippi law that banned all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Alaska
Anchorage Daily News | After ruling Dunleavy’s abortion-related court veto illegal, judge orders state to pay up by Jan. 1 | James Brooks
Tennessee
The American Independent | Tennessee law forces doctors to interrogate patients who want abortions | Lisa Needham
Texas
Austin American-Statesman | Texas Senate panel weighs banning abortion in 2021 | Chuck Lindell
Biden Cabinet
NewsOne.com | 1,000 Black Women Pen Open Letter Addressing ‘Glaring Admission’ Among Biden’s Cabinet Choices | Charise Frazier
Over 1,000 influential Black women penned an open letter to President-elect Joe Biden, making good on a promise to hold his administration accountable when it comes to the unique and separate needs of Black women in America.
The 19th | Biden meets with civil rights leaders to discuss prioritizing racial equity | Errin Haynes
The 19th | Biden’s pick for CDC director hailed for gender equity commitment | Shefali Luthra
Rochelle Walensky, who will head the CDC, has emerged over the past year as one of the nation’s foremost experts on managing the pandemic. Her selection could signal a sharper government focus on gender inequities and vulnerable populations when it comes to rolling out COVID-19 vaccines.
POLITICO | Trump’s health nemesis gets a new starring role: Reversing Trump’s policies | Alice Ollstein
Critics are keying on Becerra's defense of a California law, which the Supreme Court struck down, that required pregnancy centers that advocate against abortion to post information on the legal right to obtain an abortion.
The 19th | Transgender Americans see new health care champion in Biden’s HHS pick | Kate Sosin
Roll Call | Biden faces pressure on women’s health, LGBT issues | Sandhya Raman
LGBTQ
The Atlantic | TERFs and The Donald: The Future of Reddit's Banned Groups | Kaitlyn Tiffany
As major social platforms clamp down on toxic communities, their members are simply building new, more hidden websites.
LGBTQ Nation | New Trump rule gives federal contractors a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people | Alex Bollinger
Donald Trump’s Department of Labor issued a final rule yesterday allowing federal contractors increased rights to discriminate against racial minorities, women, and LGBTQ people if they claim that their business’s religious beliefs would be violated by following anti-discrimination laws.
Daily Kos | LGBTQ rights take a hit with new 'grotesquely overbroad' religious exemption from Labor Department | Laura Clawson
GoMag | Trump Administration Finalizes Order Allowing LGBTQ+ Discrimination In The Federal Workplace | Isabelle Lichtenstein
NBC News | Trump's new religious exemptions for employers an invitation to discriminate, critics say | Dan Avery
Out Magazine | Trump Admin Is Still Chipping Away at LGBTQ+ Rights, In Final Months | Donald Padgett
Out Magazine | Here's Why Cis-Het Actors Should Not Play LGBTQ+ Roles - For Now | Mikelle Street
There has been much talk about who should play queer and trans roles over the past few years. As representation onscreen has gradually increased, the biggest roles have gone to cisgender heterosexual actors.
North Carolina
Oregon
Metro Weekly | U.S. Supreme Court lets Oregon district's transgender bathroom policy stand | John Riley
Out Magazine | Supreme Court Affirms Rights of Trans Students In Latest Move | Donald Padgett
Brands
The Advocate | Hate Group Assails Ritz Ad for Promoting 'The Transgender Lifestyle' | Daniel Reynolds
Fast Company | Chobani’s founder is launching a business mentorship program for LGBTQ refugees | Talib Visram
Marketing Dive | Bubly uplifts LBGTQ+ elders with drag performances, original song | Chris Kelly
Pregnancy & Parenting
Health Affairs | Despite Many States Doing What They Can, The Federal Government Must Act Now To Extend Postpartum Medicaid Coverage | Emily Eckert
Extension of Medicaid coverage for the full year after delivery is a critical step in our nation’s efforts to combat unacceptable maternal mortality and morbidity rates.
Vox | Pandemic parenting: the burnout crisis has reached a tipping point | Anna North
The ever-shifting demands of parenting in a pandemic are leading to stress, anxiety, and depression. “I don’t know anyone that is not struggling” at this point in the pandemic, one mom says.
Georgia
Georgia Public Broadcasting | Pilot Projects Target Economy, Health Care In Rural Georgia | Dave Williams
Kansas
Wichita Eagle | Working mothers face a reckoning in the workplace with elementary students home | Megan Stringer
Texas
Washington Post | Foster parents need a village. This Austin mom gave them one. | Vanessa Infanzon
Virginia
WAVY-TV | Parents call for additional P-EBT payments as some struggle to feed students during virtual school days | Jackie DeFusco
Reproductive Health & Justice
Mashable | This activist is a beacon of hope for reproductive justice in the South | Siobhan Neela-Stock
LaKia Williams is optimistic about a future without reproductive health injustices.
Medscape | COVID-19 Impacts Women's Contraception Choices | Heidi Splete
The rate of unintended pregnancies in the United States has decreased to approximately 45%, based on data published in 2016, and "for the first time in many years, this decrease affected women of all race/ethnicity, income levels, and education levels.”
New York Post | Paragard IUDs break apart and cause infection, infertility: suit | Hannah Frishberg
Women are increasingly coming forward with horrific allegations about their Paragard IUDs breaking apart inside them during removal, according to two recently filed lawsuits.
Rolling Stone | 2020 Was the Year of Period Blood on TV | EJ Dickson
How shows like ‘I May Destroy You,’ ‘Pen15,’ and ‘Big Mouth’ are treating menstruation like more than a shameful secret or a punch line — and why it matters
Work & Money
Barron's | Giving to Women’s and Girls’ Causes in the U.S. Reached $7.1 Billion in 2017 | Fang Block
Charitable giving to women’s and girls’ organizations in the U.S. reached $7.1 billion in 2017, increasing 36.4% over the past five years and on par with other charitable organizations.
Bloomberg | How Medela Lost Moms | Esme Deprez
The company invented the modern breast pump and led the cultural shift that made its use ubiquitous. Today’s mothers don’t seem impressed.
Changing America | 14 Fort Hood soldiers fired or suspended over violence at base after investigation | Joseph Guzman
14 Army leaders have been fired or suspended following a five-month investigation initiated by the murder of a soldier at the Fort Hood, Texas, base and several other instances of sexual assault, harassment and suicides.
HuffPost | Report From Katie Porter Shows 1 In 5 Women Have Left Workforce Since Pandemic | Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
The congresswoman is calling for more support, especially for women of color, who’ve been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19-related economic crisis.
Michigan
The State News | The woes of womanhood in the modern workplace | Dina Kaur
Missouri
St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Maryland Heights company agrees to pay $38,000 over pregnancy discrimination claims | Robert Patrick
Rhode Island
Boston Globe | Rhode Island Supreme Court could be majority women for the first time in history | Amanda Milkovits
More, More, More
Ms. | Free Expression and the Internet Are Key to Combating Violence Against Women | Judy Taing
Now more than ever, it is critical for governments to prioritize gender equality in their responses to COVID-19 and in their promotion and realization of fundamental human rights, particularly the right to freedom of expression and information.