Today… is the birthday of Willie Mae (“Big Mama”) Thornton (1926-1984), the blues singer/songwriter who was the first to record “Hound Dog,” as well as writing and recording “Ball and Chain.”
I’m pretty shruggie about Elvis. I am not at all shruggie about this song as sung by a grown-ass woman.
God damn: “Thornton’s version of ‘Hound Dog’ topped the R&B charts for seven weeks and sold >2 million copies nationwide. Though the song brought acclaim to Thornton, it only yielded her about $500.” I never cease to be amazed at how incredibly lousy some of those old recording contracts were. Those artists got nothin’.
Abortion
AP | Judge refuses to reinstate rule for dispensing abortion pill | Michael Kunzelman
A federal judge in Maryland has denied the Trump administration’s request to reinstate a rule that would require women to visit a hospital, clinic or medical office to obtain an abortion pill during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that public health risks for patients only have grown worse.
More from CNN, The Hill, Jezebel, Washington Post
POLITICO | Abortion rights groups look to hold Biden’s feet to the fire | Alice Ollstein, Theodoric Meyer, Alex Scott Thompson
Abortion rights groups were thrilled last year when Joe Biden … came out in support of a swath of policies to ease abortion access. Now, they’re working to make sure he follows through as president. So far, they feel the pressure campaign has been wildly successful.
Sojourners | Biden Is a Pro-Choice Catholic. Will He Expand Reproductive Health Care? | Stephanie Russell-Kraft
Alaska
Juneau Empire | Superior Court declares abortion funds veto unconstitutional | Brian J. Mazurek
Massachusetts
Boston.com | Pastors urge Baker to veto budget bill's abortion amendment | Ainslie Cromar
Ohio
Columbus Dispatch | Fetal remains bill headed to Gov. DeWine's desk after another party-line vote by lawmakers | Anna Staver
LGBTQ
The Daily Beast | LGBTQ Leaders Watch Biden Cabinet Selections With Increasing Anxiety | Scott Bixby
As President-elect Joe Biden’s high-stakes game of cabinet musical chairs comes close to a conclusion, the number of seats available for an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person to join the highest ranks of Biden’s administration is decreasing every day.
HuffPost | Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Anti-Transgender Bill After Claiming To Be LGBTQ-Friendly | Dominique Mosbergen
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation in the House on Thursday that would bar schools from receiving federal funding if they allow transgender girls and women and non-binary people to compete on sports teams consistent with their gender identities.
More from Los Angeles Blade, Sports Illustrated,
INSIDER | What you should know about puberty blockers, a standard treatment for trans youth | Canela Lopez
An explanation of hormone blockers, what they do, and why they are considered standard gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Medscape | Transgender Individuals Less Likely to Undergo Prostate Cancer Screening | Marilynn Larkin
Transgender individuals are less likely than lesbian, gay or bisexual people to undergo prostate cancer screening and participate in informed decision making, researchers say.
Michigan
The Hill | Michigan AG to appeal court ruling that companies can refuse service to gay customers | Joseph Choi
MLive | Michigan court says companies don’t have to serve customers who are gay | Gus Burns
New Jersey
Metro Weekly | Lesbian firefighter claims she was sexually harassed, "groped" daily, and fired after complaining | John Riley
West Virginia
LGBTQ Nation | Lawmaker who resigned after calling gays “fa***t” gets reelected | Bil Browning
Pregnancy & Parenting
Bloomberg News The U.S. Child-Care Crisis Is Torturing Parents and the Economy | Cynthia Koons
It didn’t seem possible that the U.S. child-care crisis could get much worse. Then came the pandemic, and parents were thrust into full-time caregiving roles for months on end. Beyond being stressful and exhausting, that reality has forced millions of parents, mostly mothers, to make tough decisions about how much to work, if at all.
ELLE | I Was Certain I Wanted 2 Kids Before the COVID-19 Pandemic Happened | Caroline Chirichella
In this moment, I can’t imagine having a second child. Before COVID, it was a definite yes. I thought we had our future figured out. I thought we were going to have two children that would grow up in our perfect house, go to school, and be surrounded by friends and family. But now?
I say this not to suggest that this author or anyone should have more children than they want or can handle. Only that for me, having two is actually less work sometimes. They at least have each other to talk to, tell stories, keep company. They’re close in age, so know the same teachers, music, games, YouTubers the other one’s talking about (so I don’t have to learn). If it had been only me and this 13yo in this apartment for the past 10 months? Madonna mia, I get tired thinking about it.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Courier | Reproductive Justice Is on the Ballot in Georgia | Nadya Okamoto
Georgia is a maternity care desert in a maternal mortality crisis. Georgia voters will determine if Biden has a cooperative Senate to help reverse this tragic course.
Kentucky
Lexington Herald-Leader | Rep. Scott: New legislation would address Kentucky’s alarming maternal mortality rates | Attica Scott
West Virginia
WOWK-TV | Where’s the state lacking when it comes to health realities? | Moriah Davis
Work & Money
Changing America | The first woman may walk on the moon in 2024 | Joseph Guzman
Nine of the 18 astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis moon-landing program are women.
CBS | Meet the 9 astronauts on NASA's Artemis team who have a chance to be the first woman to walk on the moon | Sophie Turner
If you’ve never, I can’t recommend this enough.
“I would have said maybe 33… ‘cause even it were my period week, I probably already brought some with me. But, you know, thanks… I guess.”
CNBC | Nonprofit helps Latina women address stark race, gender disparities amid the Covid crisis | Sharon Epperson
“We want to ensure that families are able to thrive from generation to generation,” said New Economics for Women co-founder Bea Stotzer. “You cannot do that unless you leave a legacy of assets. We see homeownership as critical to that.”
Honolulu Civil Beat | Women Earn Less Than Men – And They Are Charged More Too | John Bickel, Yoo Ra Sung
It is not enough to simply outlaw pay discrimination on the basis of sex. Ultimately, we, as a society need to create strict guidelines for the way women are treated by employers and by our economic systems.
Scary Mommy | For Every Dollar Made By Single Men, Single Black Women Make 2 Cents | Sophia Fifner
The New Republic | Nick Kristof and the Holy War on Pornhub | Melissa Gira Grant
Having declared victory in its war on Backpage and sex work, the liberal-conservative coalition has pivoted to porn.
Prism | Firings at Fort Hood are an important step, but advocates still demand #JusticeForVanessaGuillén | Tina Vasquez
In a historic move Tuesday, the Army said it fired or suspended 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordered policy changes to address chronic failures of leadership that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence, including murder, sexual assault, and harassment.
Army Times | Simply sacking Fort Hood leaders doesn’t solve its problems, investigators say | Kyle Rempfer
Stars and Stripes | Leadership failures outlined in Fort Hood report could go beyond the Texas base | Rose Thayer
More from CNN, New York Daily News, Washington Post
Tennessee
The Tennessean | Nashville health director Michael Caldwell resigns after sexism investigation | Brett Kelman
Virginia
WAVY-TV | Pandemic led-recession dubbed “she-cession” for disproportionately affecting women | Madison Glassman
More, More, More
Forbes | 3 Hard Truths About Gender Inequality In America | Mark Travers
America has achieved some important gender equality milestones in recent years, not least of which was the election of its first female vice president. But there’s still work to be done. Here are three studies that illuminate how gender disparities continue to propagate through the fabric of American society.
Ms. | "Women’s Rights Are Human Rights": How Equality Became a U.S. Foreign Policy Priority | Melanne Verveer, Rebecca Turkington
“Women’s rights are human rights” still reverberates around the world as it did in Beijing 25 years ago. Yet gender equality has not been reached in any country, though it is both a moral imperative and smart policy.