Both abortion rights and anti-choice activists have slammed a recent Oklahoma bill that would take away licenses of physicians who perform abortions. Last week, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed Rep. Jim Olsen’s bill, H.B. 1182, which would mandate the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision to revoke a doctor’s license for a year […]
Study Finds Young People Still Hold Conservative Views on Gender Roles
A new survey from Gallup reports that opposite-sex couples between the ages of 18 and 34 still harbor and uphold traditional views about who should do what within the home. A new study in Sociological Science also shows that high school seniors believe that the ideal family arrangement involves the man working full time while […]
Speaker Pelosi Holds Press Conference In Support of House ERA Vote Tomorrow
This morning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Jackie Speier, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and a host of other members of Congress held a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s vote on H.J.Res. 79 to remove the arbitrary timeline put in the preamble to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Carol Jenkins spoke for the ERA Coalition as leaders […]
Pulitzer Winner Talks Immigration at Literacy Event
Jose Antonio Vargas, critically-acclaimed author and winner of the Pulitzer prize, began his lecture at the Washtenaw Reads event put on by Ann Arbor District’s Library this past week by saying, “If you want to call ICE on me, please wait ‘til after the lecture.” The annual event in Michigan is designed to “promote reading […]
Trump’s New Budget Cuts Benefits for the Most Vulnerable
President Trump released a $44.8 trillion budget on Monday which includes deep cuts to student loan assistance, affordable housing, food stamps, and Medicaid. It does however include an increase in spending for the military, national defense, border enforcement, individual income tax cuts, and even allocates money for the “Space Force” initiative. The budget plans recommends […]
Prominent Doctors’ Groups Standing for Medicare For All
The second largest doctors’ group in the country, American College of Physicians (ACP) endorsed Medicare For All challenging other large doctor’s coalitions. This shift signifies changing ideals within the healthcare industry about a government plan. Second only to the American Medical Association (AMA), the ACP published a position paper arguing the benefits of a single-payer […]
New Film Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Women Gaining the Right to Vote
Set to debut on June 30, a PBS film inspired by the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment will feature a number of feminist icons and activists. The 2020 MAKERS conference, happening today in Los Angeles, will announce the new documentary, NOT DONE, that celebrates the suffragists’ win in gaining the right to vote. The […]
U.S. House to Have First Vote on DC Statehood Since 1993
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a meeting today for H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would grant the District of Columbia statehood. The committee’s chair, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY 12), stated that it would be the first markup and vote for a D.C. statehood bill since 1993. H.R. […]
Documentary About Skateboarding Girls from Afghanistan Wins Oscar
At the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, a documentary featuring young girls learning to skateboard in Afghanistan won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. According to Diaa Hadid, International Correspondent for NPR, Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl), features a group of young girls in the Afghan capital of Kabul “clutch[ing] […]
Rep. Maloney Announces the Smithsonian Women’s History Act
Today Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) introduced the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act, which has 293 cosponsors and is expected to go to the U.S. House floor for a vote tomorrow afternoon. This bill will establish a Smithsonian museum dedicated to women’s history on the National Mall. “We are […]
Postpartum Recovery Ad Rejected by the Oscars for Being “Too Graphic”
ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected an ad for postpartum recovery products that would have aired during the Oscars for being “too graphic.” The commercial depicts a new mom adjusting to her post-birth body and placing a pad in a pair of mesh underwear. Frida Mom, the company behind the […]
Rep. Ayanna Pressley Responds to Trolls After Going Public with Alopecia
Rep. Ayanna Pressley has a message for those who called her Mr. Clean after she went public with an autoimmune disease. Last month Representative Ayanna Pressley publicly revealed her hair loss from alopecia, which is an autoimmune disease. In the video interview, Pressley opened up about the medical condition which in her situation, resulted in […]
Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite Makes History at the Academy Awards
The South Korean film Parasite made history last night at the 92nd Oscars when it was named Best Picture. “This is very first Oscar to South Korea,” director Bong Joon-ho said in his first acceptance speech of the night, after he and fellow writer Han Jin Won won for Best Original Screenplay. The cast and […]
Switzerland Passes Amendment Banning Homophobia
On Sunday, Swiss voters participated in a referendum deciding whether they wanted to extend Switzerland’s racism statutes to sexual orientation, and 63.1 percent voted in favor of it. Previously, Switzerland did not have a law protecting the LGBTQ community, but this amendment is a big step in the right direction. Nearly two years ago lawmakers […]
Trump to Cut Safety Net Programs, Increase Security Spending in Proposed Budget
President Donald Trump is expected to propose a $4.8 trillion budget that includes cuts to safety net programs, government agencies, and foreign aid and increases to national security programs, according to a senior administration official. Trump is proposing a $4.4 trillion spending cut to safety net programs over 10 years. The budget includes $130 billion […]
Karen Pierce Appointed First Female British Ambassador to US
Karen Pierce has been appointed as Britain’s first female to hold the prominent position of ambassador to the US. Pierce is currently serving as the UK’s permanent representative to the United Nations. Pierce, has served as a diplomat for much of her career, joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1981, and holding diplomatic posts in several […]
Virginia Senate Passes Bill Banning LGBTQ+ Discrimination
Yesterday the Virginia Senate passed the “Virginia Values Act”, which adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the commonwealth’s anti-discrimination law, with a 30-9 vote. The Bill (SB 868 in Senate and HB 1663 in the House), makes sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes in regards to discrimination for things such as housing, employment, […]
One Year after Peace Deal, Many Children in Central African Republic Still Suffering
Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of the most recent peace deal between the government of the Central African Republic and the 14 major armed groups involved in a civil war. The peace deal of February 2019 was the eighth agreement regarding the civil conflict in seven years. The African Union and United Nations took on […]
Female Russian Journalist and Lawyer Attacked in Chechnya
Famous Russian journalist, Elena Milashina, along with lawyer Marina Dubrovina were assaulted by a gang of men and women in the lobby of a hotel in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. Milashina is well-known for exposing the kidnap and torture of gay Chechen men. Chechnya, a federal subject of Russia, has been ruled by President […]
U.S. Jobs Report Includes Data on Same-Sex Couples in Historic First
Today, the U.S. government has released their monthly jobs report of historical significance. This monthly report will be the first time which the Bureau of Labor Statistics will include same-sex couples in its count of workers within the U.S. economy, allow for greater LGBTQ+ representation in government statistics. This is not the only significant change […]