The Summer Olympics in Paris have achieved full gender parity for the first time in history. The question is whether the media will rise to the moment and cover the Olympics and women’s sports with equality, fairness and respect.
Category: Sports
In the 2024 Olympics, Afghan Women Defy the Taliban Ban on Women in Sports
In September 2021—less than a month after the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan—the Taliban banned women and girls from participating in sports.
Three women and three men will represent Afghanistan in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, yet the Taliban has refused to acknowledge the female Afghan athletes playing for their home country.
Kimia Yousofi, one the three Afghan women Olympians, said she will be representing the “stolen dreams and aspirations” of women still under the Taliban’s gender apartheid.
Keeping Score: Trump Convicted of 34 Felonies; Biden Celebrates Pride Month; New Anti-Abortion Law in Louisiana
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: Trump convicted of 34 felony charges; President Biden officially recognizes Pride Month; a new law criminalizes medication abortion in Louisiana; Meghan Markle reflects on Ms.; the first Professional Women’s Hockey League championship; Mexico elected their first woman president; and more.
No, Harrison Butker, Women Aren’t Here to Serve You
A lot has been said (and none good) about Kansas City Chief’s kicker, Harrison Butker’s dystopian and controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College. There was a lot to dislike. He claimed abortion, IVF, surrogacy and euthanasia come from “the pervasiveness of disorder.” He trashed birth control and took a swipe at the LGBTQ community.
What garnered the most attention was this: “I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and children you bring into this world.”
The diabolical lie we have been told is to stay in our lane. Those who believe that can expect us to run you off the road.
Keeping Score: Women’s Basketball Reaches New Heights; France Protects Abortion, While Florida Tightens Its Ban
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: Women’s college basketball smashed viewership records; France passed a constitutional amendment protecting abortion; Florida will soon have a six-week abortion ban; Beyoncé makes history on the country album charts; IWMF honors Palestinian journalist Samar Abu Elouf; Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) managed to include $1 billion for childcare in the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills; federal employees will soon have access to insurance plans that cover fertility services; President Biden announced a new plan to cancel student debt; the Supreme Court allowed Idaho to maintain its ban on gender-affirming care for minors; and more.
Keeping Score: Democrat Wins in Alabama on IVF and Reproductive Rights; State Lawmakers Fight Over Contraception; Gloria Steinem Turns 90
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: the horrifying effects of Louisiana’s abortion ban; state lawmakers fight over access to contraception and IVF; Gloria Steinem turns 90; soccer players advocate for uniforms without white shorts; fighting against deepfake voter suppression efforts; West Texas A&M university bans drag shows; transphobia from healthcare providers; and more.
The Women of the Winningest Team in Pro Football History
Amid a national backdrop of the call to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, the National Women’s Football League was founded as something of a gimmick. However, the league’s star team, the Toledo Troopers, emerged to challenge traditional gender roles and amass a win-loss record never before or since achieved in American football.
‘Turbocharge’ Gender Equality—Like Caitlin Clark
We are seeing success and the benefits of investing financially in women, but how can we fast track gender equality? How can we help the younger generation strive for equality? Maybe the answer is “The Caitlin Clark effect.”
On March 1, the The Star Tribune out of Minneapolis posted a heartfelt and moving op-ed by Dr. Asitha Jayawardena, a proud dad to two young daughters that went viral: “Dear Caitlin Clark … You’re amazing on the court—but that’s just the start of your influence.”
The Anti-Gay, Anti-Trans and Anti-Abortion Groups Behind Those ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl Commercials
Before the news cycle moves on, we must discuss the right-wing He Gets Us campaign’s two religious ads during the Super Bowl, which highlighted that “Jesus loved and cared for anyone and everyone” and which the Washington Post voted “the most controversial” of the game.
This claim of love and acceptance is directly undercut by the campaign’s connections to far-right anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion groups.
Taylor Swift Is a Threat to the Right—and So Is Travis Kelce
The right is worried about Taylor Swift—and they are right to be. Her influence on millions of young women is legendary, and the way she chooses to wield this influence could make a difference in a close presidential election this November, not to mention electoral battles in years to come.
But there’s another reason MAGA should fear Swift’s cultural power in this volatile political moment. It has to do with Kelce, and the impact he could possibly have on young men.
Travis Kelce, especially if he votes Democratic, profoundly disrupts the right-wing appeal to (white) male identity.