More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on social media that he proudly ended the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) program inside the Department of Defense (DOD). He tweeted: “WPS is yet another woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative that overburdens our commanders and troops—distracting from our core task: WAR-FIGHTING.”
This attack on WPS efforts at the DOD undermines the safety and security of America and its troops, at home and abroad.
In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.
This week: HHS promotes conversion therapy-like policies and opposes gender-affirming care; new executive order could lead to discrimination from credit lenders; Trump guts the Women’s Health Initiative; Wyoming abortion clinic celebrates a TRAP law injunction; Olivia Rodrigo received Planned Parenthood award; and more.
Clara Bingham, Jamia Wilson and Jessica Valenti on the state of abortion access and the feminist resistance rising up in every state in the U.S.:
“The 14th Amendment is what antiabortion activists are using right now to fight for fetal personhood. Anytime you see the 14th Amendment mentioned, that’s what it’s about.”
“We are no longer first-class citizens in banned states.”
“There are countries in this world where the pro-life movement is the movement that is about choice. … They’re surprised when they hear the framing of pro-life being used to dominate and control women’s bodies.”
“As terrible as things are every single day, in every single community and in every single state, there are rooms full of women, and there are rooms full of activists who are working their asses off, who are using their time, their money, their energy to make sure that if someone needs care, they can get it, whether or not we see it.”
Trump’s promised ‘baby bonus’ isn’t the solution to the many struggles of postpartum life—better paternity leave policy is.
A sweeping budget bill moving quickly through the House threatens to make draconian cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—two of the nation’s most vital programs for women and children.
The bill is being framed as “all or nothing” legislation by Republican leadership—a vehicle designed to pass the entire Trump agenda without needing Democratic votes. And the changes are being presented as necessary for fiscal responsibility—but here is what they won’t say out loud.
Profiles in Courage is a new series honoring the extraordinary women and men who have transformed American institutions through principled public service. At a time when trust in government is fragile, these stories offer a powerful reminder of what ethical leadership looks like—from those who litigate for civil rights and resign on principle, to those who break military barriers and defend democracy on the front lines.
As chair and board member of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), Cathy Harris dedicated her leadership to preserving the independence and integrity of the federal civil service, ensuring that government employees are hired, promoted and protected based on merit—not politics.
On President Donald Trump’s first day back in office in 2025, Harris was demoted from her role as chair, and just weeks later, she was fired entirely from the board—a direct violation of the Civil Service Reform Act. Determined to defend the independence of the board and the rights of federal employees, Harris sued the administration … and won.
With just 3.5 percent of the population engaged in sustained, strategic resistance, history shows democracy can prevail over authoritarianism—starting right where you live.
“Your body, my choice.” That misogynist credo is the crux of the blockbuster Netflix mini-series, Adolescence, the third most-watched English language show of all time on Netflix. The show continues to provoke debate about the impact of social media on the mental health of boys, in a world dominated by the manosphere, and its power to transform boys’ into violent misogynists.
Surprisingly, porn was the one missing element in the otherwise brilliant four-part Netflix drama.
The show centers on a 13-year-old boy, Jamie—a typical lad, vulnerable, like so many other young men, to the venom of online misogyny spewed through unbridled social media, chatrooms, blogs and podcasts. This angry ideology, masquerading as manly virtue, blames women for male alienation and promotes violent sexuality and the dehumanization of women—the very narratives of porn.
“Parenthood is shaped by the broad systems our societies have built over time,” writes award-winning journalist and mother Abigail Leonard in Four Mothers: An Intimate Journey Through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries. “Many of the big decisions, like how much time to spend with their children and how to divide the emotional and physical labor with their partner, are heavily determined by the social structures of the place women give birth.”
The ways this works to reinforce or expand ideas about gender, family, reproduction and out-of-home work are at the core of Leonard’s deeply reported interrogation of the social, emotional and physical toll of parenthood in Finland, Japan, Kenya and the United States.
Speaking about Harvey Weinstein, Joe Rogan recently said, “I thought he was guilty of, like, heinous crimes, and then you listen, and you’re like, ‘Wait, what? What is going on?”
Podcaster Brendan Schaub added, “If this happened in the ’80s, it probably would have been thrown out. But in the #MeToo movement, it was a hot witch hunt. It’s 2025—that shit’s over.”
We are here to state unapologetically that “this shit” is not over—no matter how much apologists for predators want it to be. No matter how loud the voices of darkness are, no matter how much apologists for toxic predators like Weinstein may wish it, the progress towards holding them accountable is inexorable.