Diverse Stakeholders Implore Supreme Court to Preserve Abortion Pill Access

PUBLISHED 10/19/2023 by

On Thursday, Oct. 12, a wide range of organizations filed 14 amicus curiae briefs supporting a Justice Department petition asking the United States Supreme Court to overturn a Fifth Circuit decision imposing nationwide limits on access to the abortion pill mifepristone. 

The opposition has until Nov. 9 to file response briefs in the case. If the justices take up the case, they could hear oral arguments early next year and issue a decision by late June 2024, which would likely factor into the fall elections.

Reporting Under Fire: Honoring the Journalists Covering the Israeli-Gaza War

PUBLISHED 10/19/2023 by

Journalists covering the Israeli-Gaza war bear witness to stories of tragedy, despair and resilience. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is following the work of journalists, especially women on the frontlines amidst the relentless torrents of war and civil unrest, risking their lives to shed light on the truth.

Why Sororities Should Admit Nonbinary Members 

PUBLISHED 10/19/2023 by and

Fa Guzmán, a nonbinary student, was thrilled to join a sorority in August 2022. Thus, they were shocked in April 2023, when the national sorority organization decided to interpret their policies differently: Fa was banned, kicked out of the sorority with no opportunity to appeal, due to being nonbinary. 

Gender nonconforming, nonbinary and transgender children, teens and adults have been increasingly subjected to restrictive legislation and policies that deny their gender, their bodily autonomy and their agency. On college campuses, sororities could offer close friendships and a deeper sense of belonging on campus—if it weren’t for national policies that often restrict membership based on sex assigned at birth.

The Last Two Years Saw Record Wins for Women in Politics Worldwide. How Can Election Rules and Voting Systems Shape Opportunities for Women?

PUBLISHED 10/19/2023 by

While the U.S. is making slow progress toward political parity, other countries are making more significant gains over time.

This month, RepresentWomen released the Golden Year Analysis, which identified the factors influencing global progress toward gender parity in politics in 2021 and 2022. Of 85 countries that held elections in these years, 43 achieved a “golden year” by electing a record-high number of women to their national legislatures.

While this is certainly cause for celebration, gender-balanced governance remains far from reach for many countries, including the United States. 

Front and Center: ‘We’re Working and Making Money, It’s Still Not Enough. Our Kids Are Going Without.’

PUBLISHED 10/18/2023 by

Front and Center is a groundbreaking series created in partnership with the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which aims to put front and center the voices of Black women who are affected most by the often-abstract policies debated at the national level.

“The last time I applied for SNAP, they told me I made too much to qualify. So, I’m not making enough at work to be able to care for my people, and at the same time I can’t get food stamps? It doesn’t make any sense. … And what we do bring home goes toward rent. And just like the Rental Assistance Program, as soon as I’m making a little bit more money—boom, I’m paying the full amount of rent. So how can we ever save? How can we ever do better for ourselves?”

This November, Abortion Is on the Ballot in Ohio. Here’s What You Need to Know to Vote

PUBLISHED 10/18/2023 by

This November, Ohioans will decide whether to add to the state’s constitution the right for individuals to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions, including abortion. Early voting in the election has already begun. 

A coalition of reproductive, women’s and civil rights organizations, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, is urging voters to vote YES on Issue 1 to protect reproductive freedom.

Ohioans, here’s all you need to know about how to vote in this election.

‘Babies Are Good. More Babies Are Better’: Pro-Natalism Takes Center Stage in Austin

PUBLISHED 10/17/2023 by

On Dec. 1, 2023, the Natal Conference will be held in Austin, Texas. Promising to gather the “brightest minds in the world,” the conference is aimed at turning around the world’s “shrinking population,” which represents “the greatest population bust in human history.” The meeting will solidify links between the far right and right-wing influencers. Fiercely anti-feminist speakers will join them.

“It’s not surprising to see far-right folks, eugenicist types and white nationalists joining forces at a conference like this,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project on Hate and Extremism. “They have become bedfellows.’”

Teach Students Asian American History and Advocacy: ‘Our Movements Are Stronger When We Stand Together’

PUBLISHED 10/17/2023 by and

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are creating a movement to implement accurate and culturally representative curricula in public schools. The majority of Ohioans want this education—and we see this desire echoed nationally: In Illinois, we saw the historic passage of the TEAACH Act in 2021. Similar legislation was passed in New Jersey and Connecticut in 2022, showing a need and desire for inclusive curricula across the country. These education bills encompass a wide array of identities and histories.

We understand that our histories and our futures are tied to one another. This is the core of the AAPI curriculum movement.