Ms. Global: Paris Olympics Near Gender Parity, Afghan Women Banned from Third Doha Conference, and More

PUBLISHED 8/6/2024 by and

The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.

This week: a special report from the Paris Olympics, as well as news from Afghanistan, Iran and more.

LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto on Fighting Child Sex Trafficking—Because Kids’ Rights Are Not for Sale

PUBLISHED 8/6/2024 by

LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto—the first female city attorney in the city’s history and the first Latina elected citywide—has made fighting child sex trafficking a priority since her election in November 2022.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, today Feldstein Soto leads a team of 1,000 legal professionals. She was driven to tackle this issue after witnessing the extent of the problem firsthand during a ride-along on South Figueroa Street. Ms.spoke with her on her multifaceted approach includes rescuing minors, prosecuting predators, and disrupting the demand for trafficked children.

Harris Chooses Gov. Tim Walz—an Abortion Rights and Public Education Advocate—as Running Mate

PUBLISHED 8/6/2024 by and

Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 election.

Walz, 60, is a former high school teacher and football coach, non-commissioned officer in the Army National Guard, and member of the U.S. House. He was elected as the state’s top executive in 2018 and again in 2022. He is a strong supporter of abortion rights, called to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy related to LGBTQ+ people serving in the military in a speech delivered several years prior to its repeal, and has advocated to legalize recreational marijuana. 

What if We Were All Witches?: The Ms. Q&A With YA Author Jill Baguchinsky

PUBLISHED 8/2/2024 by

So Witches We Became, a YA horror novel by Jill Baguchinsky, combines the supernatural, a queer romance and suppressed trauma to tell a fast-paced and cathartic feminist story about collective healing and reclaiming power.

Ms. spoke with Baguchinsky about what inspired her to tell a story about witches, friendship and recovery from sexual assault and rape.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: U.S. Politics Is Halfway to Gender Parity; Feminists’ Presidential Dream Team

PUBLISHED 8/2/2024 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Influential figures in Brussels are backing away from equality commitments; women make up less than 27 percent of all U.S. House candidates; rank your presidential dream team; two U.S. states receive an “A” grade for gender parity; and more.

Donald Trump’s Pants-on-Fire Claim That Kamala Harris ‘Became’ Black

PUBLISHED 8/1/2024 by

Trump said Harris was Indian and then “made a turn” and “became a Black person.”

This is blatant mischaracterization of Harris’ heritage and how she has spoken about, and has identified with, her racial background and ethnicity. Harris, born of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, has long identified as a Black woman who grew up in a multicultural household. She attended a historically Black university, pledged a historically Black sorority, and has given interviews and written about her experience embracing her Indian culture while living as a Black woman.