On Saturday California Governor Jerry Brown signed the historic SB 1172, a bill banning so-called “reparative” therapies for LGBT youth, the first bill of its kind to be signed into law in the United States. The bill was authored by State Senator Ted W. Lieu (D) and co-sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, […]
Yesterday, Right Wing Watch released a video from early in Todd Akin’s Senate campaign in which Akin admits to having been arrested for blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic. The video, from a “pastor’s briefing” in 2011, features Akin alongside David Barton addressing an audience about when religious values must submit to government authority. […]
Yesterday, the City Council of Austin, Texas, passed a resolution supporting same-sex marriage. While the resolution is not a law, the city council’s unanimous vote to officially support marriage equality is the first in the state. Marriage equality activists hope that the council’s decision can lead to more action in the struggle to legalize same-sex […]
A pilot program initiated in private school health clinics in New York City was expanded into 13 public schools. The program called CATCH, Connecting Adolescents to Comprehensive Health, seeks to reduce teen pregnancy by providing contraceptive care. Through CATCH students can receive condoms, pregnancy tests, birth control pills, Depo-Provera (an injection that prevents pregnancy for […]
The Canadian Parliament voted to defeat an anti-abortion motion last night by a vote of 203-91. Motion 312, proposed by conservative Member of Parliament Stephen Woodworth, would authorize investigation into the rights of the fetus. Many pro-choice activists believe the motion would have restricted abortion access in Canada. During discussion on Motion 312, Woodworth doubted […]
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli approved new regulations yesterday designed to force existing abortion clinics to meet the same building codes as new hospitals. The TRAP laws (targeted-regulations-of-abortion-providers) will now head to Governor Bob McDonnell for approval. The Virginia Board of Health met on September 14th and voted 13-2 to reverse their June decision to […]
Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO) has passed the deadline for withdrawing his campaign for the United States Senate, meaning he will officially be on the ballot in November challenging incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO). Many had urged Akin to drop out of the race before today’s deadline after his infamous statements on “legitimate rape.” “For the […]
Following an investigation into the handling of sexual assault reports at the University of Montana in Missoula launched last spring, the university is receiving a $300,000 grant to hire a violence intervention director and expand campus wide programs addressing violence. The director position will be funded for one year, and will work out of the […]
Voter registration day may be coming to a close…but you still have time to register! Most voter registration deadlines are in early October though, so you don’t have much time left! In 2008, six million Americans didn’t vote. Today, September 25th, marks National Voter Registration Day. If you haven’t registered already, register now. Then tell […]
Are you or someone you love in a committed same-sex relationship, hoping to get married? The national debate over marriage equality is about to enter a new phase, as multiple cases make their way to the United States Supreme Court. SCOTUS begins a new session next Monday, and today, in private conference, the Court will […]
I’m proud to be a part of a growing movement—a multiracial, multicultural, global movement of men who are challenging male violence and outdated notions of masculinity. I have been inspired by, taught by and befriended by men across the world who have dedicated their lives to reducing male violence. Men and boys around the world […]
The Chamber of Deputies of Uruguay will vote today on a measure that could legalize first trimester abortion. The measure has already passed in the Uruguayan Senate. The measure would legalize abortions under 12 weeks and 1 day in gestation. However, the measure also requires a five-day waiting period for women seeking an abortion as […]
A federal judge has agreed to hear arguments is a sex discrimination case brought by women employees of Walmart in California. The case, Dukes vs Walmart, is a class-action suit that alleges that female employees in California did not receive the same pay or promotion rates as their male counterparts in Walmart stores throughout the […]
Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO) has passed the deadline for withdrawing his campaign for the United States Senate, meaning he will officially be on the ballot in November challenging incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO). Many had urged Akin to drop out of the race before today’s deadline after his infamous statements on “legitimate rape.” “For the […]
Women are running for congress in record numbers this year. Now that all candidates have been nominated for the November 6th elections, 18 women are running for Senate (the previous record was set in 2010 at 14), and 163 women are running for House seats (more than the 2004 record of 141). “Not since the […]
Michelle Obama gave a speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation last Saturday night focused on getting out the vote. Although Obama made no direct reference to the voter-ID laws that have dominated much of the news cycle this election season, she drew comparisons between turning out the vote to the civil rights struggles of […]
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez (R) removed a provision of new proposed updates to the state’s Child Care Assistance Policy that would add “forcible rape” as a condition for those seeking assistance. The Children, Youth, and Families Department’s (CYFD) policy originally stated that a woman seeking assistance for a child must be in contact with […]
Arguments began yesterday over a 1995 Illinois state law requiring anyone 17 years or younger to notify a parent before seeking an abortion. The 17 year old law has yet to be enforced because of a string of multiple lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the law. Medical professionals who are represented by the ACLU are […]
Proscovia Alengot Oromait has been elected to the Ugandan Parliament at age 19. She is the youngest politician elected in not only Uganda, but all of Africa. According to Buzzfeed, Alengot Oromait won in a landslide, receiving twice as many votes as her runner up. The teenager decided to run for Parliament to fill her […]
Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress, yesterday in ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was joined by House and Senate leaders alongside Buddhist monks and women in traditional Burmese dress in presenting the award. Suu Kyi met with […]
