In the latest attack on women’s global health, officials at the United States State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor will curtail the section on women’s reproductive rights and family planning in the annual report on human rights.
Title VII Covers Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation Says Court
On Monday, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that sexual orientation is protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination against employees based on sex.
West Virginia Teachers Enter Third Day of Strikes
Teachers in West Virginia participated in a third day of strikes on Monday to demand higher salaries and better benefits, closing every public school in the state’s 55 counties and impacting nearly 277,000 students. This is the first ever state-wide teacher walk out.
Delegation of Afghan Women Discuss Country’s Progress
A delegation of eight high-ranking Afghan women officials visited Washington DC last week to discuss their country’s progress in women’s equality, fiscal reforms, peace efforts and foreign relations. The delegates included:
Austin Passes Mandatory Paid Sick Leave
Last week, the Austin City Council voted to become the first city in Texas, and the first in the entire South, to mandate that all employers offer paid sick leave. More than 200 people testified in favor of the measure, which received a final vote of 9-2.
Supreme Court to Hear Major Labor Rights Case
This coming Monday the Supreme Court will hear one of the most important labor rights cases of the 21st century. The decision in Janus v. AFSCME will determine whether or not public sector unions can require public employees to pay “fair share fees”, even if the employee opts out of being a member of that union.
Equal Pay Day for Asian American and Pacific Islander Women
Today is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Equal Pay Day, the day into 2018 that AAPI women would need to work to in order to earn the same amount that white men earned in 2017 alone. There are currently 10 million AAPI women, transgender, and gender non-conforming people living in the United States.
Assault Weapons Ban Gets Renewed Attention
Florida State Representatives rejected a proposal Tuesday to move forward with debate on a bill that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The measure was rejected 36-71 as survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida watched on from the gallery in tears.
Students Demand Gun Reform, Condemn NRA Influence
Students across the country are demanding that politicians address the epidemic of gun violence and are calling out those who take money from the National Rifle Association (NRA) in exchange for silence and inaction. These actions come in the wake of last week’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, during which 17 teachers and students were killed by a 19-year old man armed with a semiautomatic assault rifle.
Trump Administration Collaborated with Hate Group to Target Planned Parenthood Says Whistleblower
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) colluded with the national hate group Alliance Defending Freedom to rescind Obama-era Medicaid funding protections for Planned Parenthood and other women’s health centers, according to a letter written by Representative Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Trump Again Sabotages Senate Attempts to Pass an Immigration Bill
On Thursday, after voting on several immigration amendments, including a promising bi-partisan agreement, the Senate failed to pass any bill to protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program from deportation.
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Gunman Kills 17 Students and Teachers at Florida High School
On Wednesday, at least 17 teachers and students were killed by a 19-year-old man armed with a semiautomatic assault rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The gunman has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
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Winter Olympics Kick Off with 109 Women Athletes Representing Team USA
The Winter Olympics kicked off last week in Pyeongchang, South Korea and women athletes comprise a record 43 percent of the competitors; 45 percent of Team USA’s diverse group of 242 athletes are women.
Activists Call for Resignation of Scott Lloyd, Office of Refugee Resettlement Director
Women’s rights activists are calling for the immediate resignation of Trump-appointed Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Director Scott Lloyd, who is abusing his power over pregnant teenagers in his custody by pursuing a policy that systematically denies them access to abortion.
Education Department Will No Longer Protect Trans Student from Bathroom Discrimination
The Department of Education told BuzzFeed News on Monday that they will no longer investigate or take action to protect transgender students who are denied access to the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity. The Department has yet to release an official statement.
House Passes Unanimous, Bipartisan Bill to Address Sexual Harassment on Capitol Hill
The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill last week that reforms the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, which provides the current guidelines for how sexual harassment, discrimination and other related claims are handled on Capitol Hill. The new reform bill awaits a vote in the Senate.
Afghan Women Coders Make Anti-Drug Trafficking Video Game
A group of Afghan women who broke gender barriers by becoming the first female coders in the country have designed a game called “Fight against Opium,” underscoring Afghanistan’s struggle to combat opium trafficking.
Budget Bill Passes Without Protections for Dreamers
Early Friday morning, a contentious Congress passed a two-year budget bill that did not include protections for Dreamers, ending the litany of short-term spending bills that have threatened government shutdowns every few weeks since September, but that Democrats have also been using as leverage in the immigration debate.
Labor Department Audited after Reports it Misled Public on Proposed “Tip Stealing” Rule
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Labor (DOL) announced Monday that it will audit the Department’s rulemaking process for its proposed tip rule after a report from Bloomberg BNA that the Department intentionally hid its own economic analysis showing that the proposed rule would cost tipped workers billions of dollars in income.
Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Against Pennsylvania Congressional Map
On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to block the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling invalidating the state’s heavily gerrymandered congressional map and requiring that Pennsylvania’s districts be redrawn before the 2018 election.