The fight to end child marriage can no longer be confined to the shadows. The COVID-19 crisis, climate change and food insecurity have only compounded the problem. If we don’t act fast, we leave millions of girls at risk.
‘I, Joan’ Centers Trans and Nonbinary Visibility
I, Joan is a feminist, queer and trans re-telling of the iconic story of Joan of Arc written by Charlie Josephine. It is also a much-needed respite from the onslaught of transphobia that pervades popular media today.
Nevadans to Vote on ‘Revolutionary’ ERA: ‘Equal Rights Crosses Party Lines’
Twenty-six states already have state-level Equal Rights Amendments. Advocates are fighting to make Nevada the 27th state by passing the most comprehensive ERA in the country.
If passed, the Nevada ERA would be the first time that an equal rights amendment explicitly protects people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender expression.
What Michigan’s Prop 3 Could Mean for National Abortion Rights
Ahead of the midterms, feminist and civil rights groups are urging Michiganders to vote yes to Proposal 3, a ballot measure that would add an amendment to the state constitution explicitly establishing the right to abortion, as well as a broad range of other reproductive healthcare, including prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, miscarriage management and infertility.
The ballot measure will determine whether the state’s 1931-era abortion ban can remain on the books—a law prohibiting abortions without exceptions for rape, incest or health of the pregnant woman. (It only allows abortions that “preserve the life” of a patient.)
Facing a Post-Roe World, the U.S. Should Look to Polish Activists for Inspiration
Advocates across the U.S. were shaken by Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — threatening abortion rights across the U.S. — this past June. For women in Poland, this is a painfully familiar story.
From Black Death to COVID-19, Pandemics Push People to Honor Death and Celebrate Life
Even though death is symbolically very much present in Halloween, it’s also a time to celebrate life. The holiday draws from mixed emotions that resonate even more than usual during the COVID-19 era.
Looking at the ways survivors of past pandemics tried to celebrate the triumph of life amid widespread death can add context to the present-day experience. Consider the Black Death—the mother of all pandemics.
#MeToo, Five Years Later
In the five years since it took off like wildfire, the #MeToo campaign has made widespread sexual abuse in the U.S. visible for the first time and inspired a record number of sexual harassment lawsuits against employers. It exposed how our decades-old workplace anti-harassment laws were outdated and often ineffective. In the last five years, 22 states and the District of Columbia passed more than 70 workplace anti-harassment bills in the last five years—many with bipartisan support.
Even still, U.S. rape culture persists and creates an environment where women and girls are disbelieved, survivors are discouraged from reporting abuse, and male abusers are forgiven—or even rewarded—for sexually abusive behavior. Congress must do more.
Walking Through the Red Zone: The Reality of Campus Sexual Violence
Centering the voices and needs of students and survivors, Every Voice Coalition is addressing systemic gaps in higher education’s approach to handling campus sexual violence.
Iconic Book ‘Our Bodies Ourselves’ Goes Digital
In September, Our Bodies, Ourselves went digital as Our Bodies Ourselves Today (OBOS Today)—a definitive knowledge hub for trusted, peer-reviewed information from a feminist perspective, with content by over 100 experts.
“We are living in an era where our civil rights and human rights are being taken away from us—not only the right to abortion in many states but also the right to talk about it,” said Amy Agigian, director of OBOS Today.
Why You Should Always Talk Politics at the Dinner Table
People think elections are run by a boogeyman—a faceless man behind the curtain, pulling the strings. But, the truth is, elections are run by everyday people with familiar faces—the face of my grandmother, the face of your uncle, our neighbors, friends. People who believe the right to vote is precious and should be protected. People who believe what I do: that elections are the lifeblood of our government.
The ballot is our greatest equalizer. It is how we can give everyone an equal voice and an equal impact on our government. But that is only true if people show up to the polls, cast their vote and trust the results.