More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Despite women making history in the top categories at the Oscars, the number of female nominees in the 18 non-acting categories increased by only two percentage points this year, according to a Women’s Media Center analysis.
“Media frames our democratic debate, interprets and amplifies our policies and our politics. Media tells us who has power and who matters.”
Each time the United States has a new first—first woman running on a major party ticket (Hillary Clinton), six women vying for their party’s nomination (2020)—I wonder how many more countries have pulled ahead of us with a female chief executive. Seven were elected last year.
R&B queen Kehlani’s coming out story encouraged me to reminisce on my own story of coming out and delve into some of the roles Black lesbians have played in popular culture over the years from TV and movies to queer literature.
Across the globe, women’s voices are not being included in coverage of the pandemic, even though they are the most vulnerable to its impacts.
It matters who decides what is news, whose voices we hear, and whose stories get told. When women are seen, and highlighted in a manner that accurately reflects their role in society, it changes public perceptions. To date, the people at the top of the news media have not reflected this, nor have media writers or critics adequately examined the problem within their own house.
If the unborn have 14th Amendment rights, any loss of pregnancy, whether intentional or not, will become the basis for arrest and prosecution. Pregnant people could be sued, or prevented from engaging in travel, work or any activity that is believed to create a risk to the life of the unborn.
The fact that Lil Nas X’s recent queer, campy music video and song became an instant hit at the same time that anti-trans legislation swept the country demonstrates a serious contradiction—if the American public is increasingly supportive of trans rights and increasingly celebratory of gender nonconformity, why are Republican legislators hooking their talons into revoking trans rights?
For the Biden administration’s female appointments to succeed, they will need the public to call out when they see sexist coverage of women leaders. After all, it takes guts for women to agree to live a public life.
Meet Jenni Monet, journalist and founder of the weekly newsletter Indigenously: Decolonizing Your Newsfeed and tribal citizen of the Laguna Pueblo.
For many years, women played less visible roles in national and international media, doing their jobs while fighting for their seats at the leadership table.
This Women’s History Month, the International Women’s Media Foundation is spotlighting women journalists who are shaking up the industry, bringing their full identities to the table to make the news media stronger, more diverse and equitable.
This week, meet Charo Henríquez (@charohenriquez), editor of newsroom development and support at the New York Times.
