Items
Subject is exactly
Gender & Sexuality
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2021-03-04Colorado Governor Jared Polis Gets Engaged
The Governor of Colorado Jared Polis proposes to his boyfriend of seventeen years Marlon Reis due to their COVID-19 diagnosis where one of them had to be hospitalized. Members of Congress in his state had issues with him getting engaged to his longtime boyfriend due to their conservative views and the governor's response to the pandemic. The two long-time partners have two children together as well. Some residents of Colorado showed hate towards the Governor's news as he was an open and out government official and was the first Gay Colorado Governor in history. -
2020-11Comparing the Impact of COVID-19-Related Social Distancing on Mood and Psychiatric Indicators in Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) and Non-SGM Individuals
"There has been direct correlation with mental health disparities and sexual and gender minority (SGM) compared with cisgender heterosexual individuals. SGM members report having elevatedrates of emotional distress, symptoms related to mood and anxiety disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation and behavior. Social support is inversely related to psychiatric symptoms, regardless of SGM status. The COVID-19 pandemic—with its associated limited social interactions—represents an unprecedented period of acute distress with potential reductions in accessibility of social support, which might be of particular concern for SGM individuals' mental well-being. In the present study, we explored the extent to which potential changes in mental health outcomes (depressive symptoms, worry, perceived stress, positive and negative affect) throughout the duration of the pandemic were related to differences in perceptions of social support and engagement in virtual social activity, as a function of SGM status. "-Front Psychiatry. 2020; 11: 590318. Published online 2020 Dec 22. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.590318 -
2021-03-15Missouri Dad Testifies Against Trans Youth Athlete Ban
“As a parent the one thing we cannot do…is silence our child’s spirit.” Brandon Boulware, father of a transgender daughter, urged Missouri lawmakers to stop discriminating against trans youth while testifying in a hearing about trans youth athlete ban HJR 53. Parents, coaches, doctors, and student athletes are all coming together to say that trans people belong everywhere. Trans girls are girls, and they shouldn’t be barred from participating in sports. -
2021-03-21How does the pandemic affect children?
This is an article that provides an inside on taking care of a newborn during the pandemic. -
2021-01-20Inclusivity at the Inauguration
Georgia Fire Captain Andrea M. Hall recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday morning. She also signed in American Sign Language as she spoke. -
2021-03-20Deb Haaland Sworn in as the First Native American Cabinet Head
Photos of Deb Haaland proudly wearing the ribbon skirt I designed for her brings me so many emotions that are difficult to describe.It is such an honor to see an Indigenous woman be sworn in as the first Native American Cabinet head. Deb Haaland is such a gracious, humble, and compassionate leader who exemplifies all the teachings that are pretty universal for Indigenous Peoples. The teachings of love, kindness, humility, honesty, truthfulness and courage can be felt every time someone meets Deb or each time we see her speak. Today not just as a ribbon skirt maker but as an Indigenous woman….I feel SO SEEN. I know that feeling echoes tremendously with relatives all across Turtle Island. I am so proud to have been a part of this historic moment in some way. Thank you and shoutout to my friends Margaret Gonzalez and Shane Balkowitsch for asking me to make her a ribbonskirt. ✨✨✨✨✨✨ The ribbon skirt reminds us of the matriarchal power we carry as Indigenous women. They carry stories of survival, resilience, adaption, and sacredness. As survivors of genocide we wear our ribbon skirts to stay grounded in our teachings, to stay connected to the earth and our ancestors. ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽 Wearing it in this day and age is an act of self empowerment and reclamation of who we are and that gives us the opportunity to proudly make bold statements in front of others who sometimes refuse to see us. It allows us to be our authentic selves unapologetically. This is extremely important to me because when I was a little girl, the hate and racism I experienced as a First Nations person left me feeling shame. As the daughter of a Residential school survivor and a Sixties scoop survivor, sewing ribbon skirts has brought so much healing to my life. Expressing myself in a cultural and creative way that allows me to feel the strength of my ancestors has given me the space I needed to shed that shame I carried. Sewing is my love language. Extremely honored ~ Agnes Woodward @agneswoodward #ribbonskirts #ribbonskirt #IndigenouswomenEmpowered #DebHaaland #MatriarchalPower -
2021-03-21
"The American Rescue Plan Act – the largest bump in child care funding since World War II."
The pandemic has created an increasing issue in employment rates, and those with children to care for have continued to struggle. "Black and Brown women have lost the most economically, and women in general have been forced to leave the workforce." These women are forced to sacrifice even more just to have basic child care. Hopefully, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) can help financially support these families and services with "nearly $4Billion in child care funding" headed California's way. These funds are being split into two categories. One is towards the child care industry (including staff salaries, safety practices, and supplies), while the other is towards families and child care providers. The legislators are aiming to provide more equal policies and services to all Californians. It's in no way going to solve everyone's child care problems, but it's a start. -
2021-03-15I'm Ready 2020
We are building out our work beyond social media. Until we can share more details, here are some notes from the #ImReady2020 “Hope, Healing, Accountability” convening we held last year, which included community organizers, healing practitioners, youth leaders, teachers, scholars, legal experts, and more. Thank you to everyone who continues to share their wisdom about why this moment is happening + for doing the work to demand resources + to build accountability structures across all of our communities. We honor the work community members, including organizers and educators - do every single day to create change + to take care of our communities. . . #IMREADY2020 @aapiwomenlead works every day to make sure our progressive communities are highlighted, informed, held and organized. Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander women and girls, gender non-conforming communities have BEEN here surviving + resisting CENTURIES of white supremacy, colonial violence. We have been leading in solidarity with all BIPOC communities- even when we keep getting erased. We will stay at it. Here are a few notes from yesterday. Videos to come. . . . Posted @withregram • @aapiwomenlead We can’t be happy enough with today’s news!!!! Thank goodness for all the organizers that worked so very hard to change the administration! AND we finished our first day of the #IMREADY2020 conference, “Hope, Healing, Accountability.” We learned about the history of militarization, colonization, police violence and war against our communities. And we learned about the ways that AAPI women and girls - across the gender spectrum, queer communities, and youth have always been at the forefront of liberation work. We will stay at this work to transform this place. For today - we celebrate. . . . (image description - image 1: there is an increase in hate violence against Asians through the trump administration and COVID. but will this violence end with this new regime? -Dr. Mimi Kim #IMREADY2020; captions continued in comments] #aapiwomenlead #insolidarity -
2021-03-16We Are Not Your Jokes, Your Vacation Spots, of Your Toys
To all of our community members who are hurting and angry, please take time and space. Be easy on yourselves and each other. We will do the same. To our teammates, thank you for checking in. We are grateful. Please continue to work with us + each other to end violence against Asian and Pacific Islander women, girls and gender non-conforming communities. Tonight we are talking about the Asian women massage parlor workers who were killed - but we work for all of us. In solidarity. To everyone else, we hold the entire racist and misogynist system + culture accountable (and that’s only the tip of the iceberg). We are not your jokes, your vacation spots, or your toys. Take care, community. We need you. End this violence. In pain and outrage, AAPI Women Lead [retweet- @jennyyangtv Asian women are your punchlines Sex workers are your punchlines Kung flu is your punchline You fucking did this] #aapiwomenlead #intersectionalfeminism #insolidarity -
2021-03-19
Resurfacing
The people, surfing on America, Their board. Relying on it to carry them above the waters of Bigotry and chaos, the board is old and Bloated with water, but it works. Then a wave, which we did not want to catch, a wave called covid hit the people and we were thrown off our board and into the water. Every time we tried to resurface, one of the currents that made the wave more powerful, Racism, Bigotry, power hunger and greed would pull us back under right as we were about to resurface. Dragging us deeper than when we were thrown off the board and slamming us into the sandy ground. Finally the wave had ceased and we, the people tried to swim back up, trying to get a hold on our board. I'm thinking about what I will do when we finally resurface for air. Maybe I will go to school and see multiple friends at the same time, watch some new movies instead of the ones that are being recycled. I look forward to the day when the people get back on our board and I can see my friends. Maybe people will have learned by then that racism, sexism, Homophobia and bigotry in general are our enemies, Who knows, as long as we’re dreaming. -
2020-10-27WI, MI Voters Speak Out On Impact Of Pandemic, Social Justice Protests On 2020 | NBC Nightly News
NBC’s Lester Holt hears from voters in the battleground states about the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the social justice movement and their 2020 decision. -
2021-03-16Surge in Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans
As the U.S. continues its battle against COVID-19, it is also battling a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. A recent report found that hate crimes against Asian Americans in major U.S. cities surged by nearly 150 percent in 2020 —even as the number of overall hate crimes fell. Stephanie Sy looks at how the violence has marred one community, and how they are coming together in its wake. -
2020-11-09Biden thanks his gay, straight, transgender supporters
Joe Biden credits the LGBTQ community while appreciating the "broadest and most diverse" coalition of support ever seen in a successful campaign for President. Swipe up in our stories for more. -
2021-01-14Religious Leader Claims Covid-19 Vaccine "Turns You Gay"
A popular rabbi is claiming that the vaccine for COVID-19 “could make you gay.” And it's all part of Bill Gates's plot to "cull global population." Swipe up in our stories to read more. -
2021-01-21You Got This
There were many moments that took my breath away during yesterday’s Inauguration ceremony. When @michelleobama and @kamalaharris fist-bumped was definitely one of them. These two women are bonafide American royalty. The sisterhood, the beauty, the style, the grace, the elegance, the brilliance, the charisma, the ground-breaking careers, the determination, the dedication to creating change. I felt like this was a moment where Michelle was passing the torch to Kamala and saying “Take it away, you got this”. What were some of your favourite moments? [Image description: Title: Michelle and Kamala, on yellow bubble, Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2021, on dark purple bubble. Michelle is on the left, Kamala is on the right. They are both wearing crowns. Michelle is saying “You got this”.] #inauguration2021 #michelleandkamala #kamalaandmichelle #americanroyalty #bidenharris2020 #sisterhood #feminism #celebrateblackwomen #inaugurationday #bidenharrisinauguration #bidenharrisinauguration2021 #thankblackwomen -
2021-03-16Bill's Against Trans Children
Verified Reposted from @chasestrangio PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY. 1. Watch this video of a father begging his government not to silence his trans daughter’s spirit. 2. Share this video and raise all the alarms to #ProtectTransKids. 3. Help contact South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and tell her to veto HB1217 a bill that bars trans kids from sports and forces all kids to turn over private medical information to the state. Gov. Noem could sign the bill at any moment. Call! 605-773-3212. E-mail: governornoem@state.sd.us. 4. Help share info about Alabama bill SB10/HB1 which makes it a FELONY to provide gender affirming care to trans people under 19. The House is voting TODAY. Call Alabama Reps and tell them to Vote NO on SB10. I am not exaggerating when I say trans kids’ lives are on the line. Act now!! -
2020-06-25Proud Boys Clash With BLM
"The Proud Boys, who claim to espouse "Western chauvinism," are a fratty, white power-y redux of the Men's Rights movement—except they say it's not about race, and that honoring a traditional patriarchal domestic structure isn't sexist. Less central to their beliefs but mostly just hilarious, their name comes from an Aladdin song called "Proud of Your Boy." They also happen to be led by mustachioed Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes. And if the rumors are true, their initiation proceedings include getting a tattoo and abstaining from masturbation, getting jumped in in a ritual, and beating up an antifascist." - Emma Grey Ellis, Wired -
2020-07-072020 can feel like a nonstop spectacle of grief and exhaustion led by a menacing villain.
2020 can feel like a nonstop spectacle of grief and exhaustion led by a menacing villain (think of the bad guy from @disneyaladdin) . One thing that helps me break free from this is taking a moment, putting on my favorite song, and dancing like no is watching. (think of the bad guy from @disneyaladdin) . One thing that helps me break free from this is taking a moment, putting on my favorite song, and dancing like no is watching. -
2020-07-10The average life expectancy of BIPOC trans women in North and South America is 30 - 35 years old
The average life expectancy of BIPOC trans women in North and South America is 30 - 35 years old. In just the last week, six Black trans women were found dead in the US. Say their names: Bree Black (27), Shaki Peters (32), Draya McCarty, Brayla Stone (17), Merci Mack (22), and Tatiana Hall (22). BIPOC trans lives under the constant threat of violence + murder. We need to protect trans lives, speak out against these killings, and end the systematic devaluation of trans lives in our society, culture, and politics. Here are just a few orgs to get involved with and stay informed: @transjusticefp - a community-led funding initiative to support grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people @forthegworls - assisting Black trans with rent + affirmative surgery @tgijustice - ending the human rights abuses committed against transgender, gender variant and intersex people in California prisons and beyond @blackxcollective - Black trans/Queer youth organizing using art, direct action & political education -
2020-07-20Photos from Justice for Womxn Lost To State Violence protest
"Most rape and assault is never reported to law enforcement in the first place. Of the cases that are, less than 1 percent are referred to prosecutors, and even fewer result in convictions. There are currently hundreds of ongoing lawsuits against police departments across the country, alleging a culture of institutionalized negligence, antipathy, and outright hostility toward survivors. Beyond the structural violence endemic to policing, police themselves are four times more likely than the average person to be domestic abusers. These things are often framed as proof that policing is “broken,” but that again accepts the premise of the police on their own terms. Gender-based violence enabled by and within the criminal legal system is by design, and it is inseparable from the way that “crime” itself is construed: racialized, atomized, and alienated from broader social problems. Far from being protected, it’s under the guise of “fighting crime” that Black women, trans women, indigenous, undocumented, and poor women have been subjected to a system of violent policing that continually exposes them to gender-based harm at the same time as it hems them into the margins of society. This system is self-protecting—it conspires to conceal the means through which it reproduces and justifies itself, making it difficult to imagine an alternative." - Isabel Cristo, The New Republic Photos from Justice for Womxn Lost To State Violence protest, July 18, 2020 -
2021-03-14Brenda Cohen Oral History
In this oral history, I interview my mom, Brenda Lee Cohen on her pandemic experience with a particular focus on her work with the Calgary police service as a crime and intelligence analyst supervisor. In this interview, Brenda talks about her initial experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, she recalls the first day of the pandemic as she and her husband were stuck in America. This particular interview touched upon what her work environment was like during the pandemic and topics such as systemic racism, the police ‘culture’ and the revocation of a popular program for city employees known as the ‘golden handshake’ in the midst of the pandemic. Brenda also spoke briefly about her experience with misogyny within the workplace and how these ideas are so prevent within a space which mixes the civilian and police worlds. Finally, Brenda also spoke about what she is most thankful for in this pandemic, and ultimately reflects on her own inability to express her thoughts and emotions – and how one day when she is out of the police environment, things will be different. Interviewee Name: Brenda Cohen Interviewer Name: Padraic Cohen Date of Interview: 03/14/2021 Location: Cochrane, Alberta Canada. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Partially transcribed by Padraic Cohen -
2020-10-23Dance to Express Grief
It's been 39 days since Dawn Wooten, a nurse at a Georgia ICE facility, exposed mass hysterectomies were being performed on women for unexplained reasons. This week, 19 women at this facility came forward confirming Dawn's complaints and sharing doctors performed, or pressured them to undergo “medically unnecessary” surgery without their consent, including procedures that limit their ability to have children. In these photos, Ananya Chatterjea, Founder of the Ananya Dance Theatre, shares a dance piece expressing grief and resilience. -
2021-02-28Transphobia
From Drew Arrieta: Dolores "Lola" Gonzalez was an employee at a South Minneapolis Cub Foods for seventeen years. After asking management at the location to act on ongoing transphobic and discriminatory harassment received from co-workers and customers, she was dismissed from her position on February 17th. Yesterday, community members and customers rallied to show support for her and condemn Cub Foods for upholding transphobia. -
2021-03-10Artists decorate COVID-19 masks to raise $13,500 for LGBTQ charity
Artists in Baltimore were encouraged to create and donate masks to be auctioned off. 40% of the profits from the masks went to local artists while the remaining amount went to Baltimore Community Foundations" LQBTQ fund. The fund supports numerous LGBTQ organizations in Baltimore such as peer counseling, suicide prevention, and health services. -
2021-02-23Republican senators to Tennessee's public colleges: Stop athletes from kneeling during national anthem
In a virtual interview, Rennia Davis explains why the Lady Vols knelt during the national anthem. From the article: Tennessee Republicans are up in arms over a state college basketball team's decision to kneel last week during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," prompting legislators to warn the public university system not to allow student athletes to do so again. -
2021-03-04Teachers spell out racial slur with giant Scrabble letters. Parents are pissed.
From the article: One parent said that her son is “tired” of the racism because it is a common occurrence at the school. “He absolutely told me, ‘Mom, I’m tired of it, do what you need to do because this is not fair and I’m tired of feeling like this,'” she said. But one of the school’s basketball coaches, John Smith, is standing up for the teachers. “This isn’t our school, this was a mistake,” he said. “Everybody in the world makes mistakes, everybody in the world has faults and this is just a little fault that we’ve had. This is not our school. I truly believe that they did not know what they were posting.” The school, though, openly supports discrimination. Their website says that the school teaches that marriage is “the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture” and denounces the “immorality and sinfulness of sexual relationships outside of biblical marriage and of sexual relationships between persons of the same sex.” -
2020-07-04Podcast In a Pandemic
During the pandemic, I've decided to create a podcast with my friends discussing relationships and social issues relating to men and women in their 20s. The idea came to us after we decided to turn our daily debates into content -
2021-02-28Kimberly Anyadike
This is an instagram post made in dedication to black history month. This instagram posts just talks briefly about a woman named Kimberly Anyadike. Kimberly was the youngest female black pilot to fly across the United States. She went from California to Virgina and is now speaking across the country about her adventure to inspire others. -
2021-02-08#JOTPYSilver submission from Victoria Burnett
My friend of 5 yrs became my roommate and she is now my loving girlfriend so sheltering together is v convenient @covid19archive1 #JOTPYSilver @LaughLoveLarry @hlafweard @heatherhedderly @alexofthewyatts @BezaireKat -
2020-11-10Sustainable Finance Addresses Social Justice As COVID-19 Raises The Stakes
From the article: Economic shocks from the pandemic have widened existing inequities around the world, leading to calls for greater social justice in dealing with this health threat. Poorer people, minorities, and women are suffering disproportionately from growing health, housing, income, and education gaps under measures to contain COVID-19 that could set them back for years to come. To fund programs to address the problem, governments, supranationals, and corporations, among others, have accelerated issuance of sustainable instruments--including social bonds, where issuance jumped nearly four times so far this year to US$71.9 billion from the 2019 level. We think the sustainable debt market, partly because of the rapid rise in social bond issuance, could exceed $500 billion this year. -
2021-02-07Canada's LGBTQ+ Community Struggles with Housing & Health (On Top of the Discrimination)
Unfortunately, the LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to discrimination. From school, to work, to finding a safe place to stay. We have heard about campuses closing due to the pandemic, and thus left many in the community to reevaluate their housing options. Some have had to return to their family home, despite some of those homes being less than accepting of them. With everyone concerned over their health, it is only right to allow everyone to feel safe where they live, too. However, this does not only affect the youth populations. The older members of the community have also been struggling with housing and healthcare. As one of the linked articles wrote, there is a lack of data collection regarding the LGBTQ+ populations. Their needs and concerns cannot be tackled with if the data were never there to begin with. It seems to go downhill from here as health concerns increase while their mental health deteriorates. -
2021-01-07As the pandemic puts strain on LGBTQ youth mental health, here's some advice
A news article discussing the mental struggles of the LGBTQ+ youth, and how quarantine is negatively affecting their health, as well as some helpful tips. -
2020-12-21A look at powerful social justice moments this year
Many photographs in this article show a beautiful moment within the context of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Some photographs show other events marked by the year 2020 such as the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the anniversary of women having the right to vote. If anything, 2020 was the most volatile year most of us have ever witnessed in our lives. -
2020-03-169 Biggest Social Justice Issues of 2020
This advertisement/article discusses nine different social justice issues North America is facing: voting rights, climate justice, healthcare, refugee crisis, racial injustice, income gap, gun violence, hunger, food insecurity, equality and how the Yeshiva University located in New York can help prepare people for the social work that can improve these issues. The article talks about how access to vital treatment during Covid-19 has impacted communities. -
2019-09-13Canceled Pride Parade
My first time at a Pride parade was in 2019. The time at the pride parade made me super proud of who I am and that facet of my life. The photo I chose from the parade is that of the giant unicorn. I chose to use the unicorn photo because it truly represents LGBTQ+ people I feel because many people in my community consider themselves a unicorn which represents a mythological creature that is a myth and shows people view them as unique. The reason this picture represents Covid-19 is that for the past two years the Pride Parade in Durham, North Carolina has been canceled. It has bummed me out not being able to go to the Pride parade because having a new excitement for my community made me sad that I could not continue this. Also, I was looking forward to this event annually and making it a tradition. -
2021-01-21A Quarantine Gender Tale
Living in a pandemic, navigating through the ins and outs of being (almost) 17, and self-reflecting on who I am during quarantine has shaped me into an entirely different person than who I was at the start of 2020. I remember sitting through a speaker presentation for a club I’m in during Transgender Awareness Week; In part because of LGBTQ+ education being moved into virtual spaces and in part because I feel the term now deeply resonates with me, I quickly took this screenshot of the slide defining the term non-binary. Before the pandemic, gender and how I viewed it was never a thought in my head because I often had no time to even reflect on what it meant to be a girl, to be a boy, or to simply exist beyond the binary. But I feel like if this prolonged period of isolation has taught me anything, it’s that gender and my relation to it will always remain an agglomeration of everything and nothing at all, and sometimes that’s perfectly normal. -
2020-12-11Bumble's "First Moves Forever" Campaign
As I sat scrolling through Snapchat one day, I was presented with an advertisement. At first I skipped, however, when I saw the Bumble logo, I immediately went back to look at it. Sure enough, I had stumbled upon a perfect addition to this mini collection that I am putting together about dating during the pandemic. The ad was for the Bumble campaign “First Moves Forever” (https://thebeehive.bumble.com/firstmovesforever) which recaps how Bumble was used in 2020, and shares the stories of some users in an interactive way. This website may interest future historians, as it shares the stories of real individuals in relationships, and tells how social media/dating apps were used during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also gives another look into the ways that brands are now using the pandemic as a way of advertising. -
2020-12-11A New Path
During quarantine, another way that I tried to spend my time was reading books that focused on the religion of Wicca as someone that is interested in the practice. In this photo are the two newest books which focus on Paganism and Tarot, mainly an introduction to both as someone just starting back in November. I like to complain that I haven’t read anything this year but forget about the four different books on Wicca and witchcraft in general I’ve found, along with various articles. This ties into an item that “demonstrates something significant about your generation” since the rise of TikTok and quarantine have created the perfect launching pad to spread the word. Before, it was mainly a niche group on Tumblr that needed specific search terms to find. With this growing popularity, much of my time is spent double checking information and making sure that the author is a trusted resource in the community, especially since many authors often leave out the trans and non-binary community because of the stereotype only women can be witches. There is also the need to educate me on close practices like Voodoo and the different types of sages to avoid using the endangered white sage that was illegal for natives until the 1970s. -
2020-08-31Photo of LGBTQ protesters
This photo shows protesters, one holding a pride flag, and police. -
2020-11-16Queer History
Queer history is one often unknown sector of history designated to historians writing things such as "good friends" or "roommates" to muddy the waters when it comes to discussing queer individuals. In such examples, people who write to their "friend" of the same sex of their undying love for one another in a romantic sense would be played off not as lovers but "great friends". Another example would be the painting dubbed "Sappho and her Friend" where they are quite literally two women having sex. This Twitter thread goes through the ins-and-outs of bits of queer history that have been hidden and not much discussed for these aforementioned reasons. -
2020-12-07American History's influence on Current events
Says that the pandemic is influenced by previous ones and helped us gain knowledge on how to control and prevent the spread. -
2020-11-19bluestockings bookstore
An NYC bookstore collectively owned by queer, trans people, and sex workers as well as a cafe operating during the pandemic. -
2020-04-08"Viktor Orbán is Using the Coronavirus Emergency to Crush Minorities" - Jacobin
In an article for Jacobin Magazine, Imre Szijarto and Rosa Schwartzburg describe in length how the far-right government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to pass a law to give itself emergency powers over civil society and the other branches of government. These emergency powers, which include the ability to censor journalists, attacks on LGBTQ rights, the power to grant government contracts (to Orban's cronies), and the takeover of art institutions, represents a blatant power grab that is unprecedented in Europe since the 1930s. Indeed, Orban's emergency power decree has drawn comparisons to figures as varied as Adolf Hitler and Emperor Palpatine (in Hungarian language memes), and the European Union leadership has strongly condemned Orban's decree as akin the "Enabling Act," which was passed by the Nazis in 1933. Orban's autocratic power grab and the democratic backsliding experienced by Hungary were already underway before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has allowed Orban to use a "state of exception" to effectively suspend liberally democracy in Hungary for the foreseeable future. -
2020-11-17Women Face Unique Issues During Pandemic
For millions of working women, the coronavirus pandemic has delivered a rare and ruinous setback. Job losses, childcare closings and remote schooling are not just pushing women out of jobs they held, but also preventing many from seeking new ones. -
2020-10-05The Pandemic in Prisons: Covid-19, Repression, and the Carceral State
This podcast episode is from the Revolutionary Left Radio podcast featuring show host Breht and guests. -
2020Ben S. and his Art
My friend Ben has been creating art ever since lockdown started and continue to make art for his studies and own enjoyment with all the extra free time some have gotten due to COVID-19. Ben is a queer artist who enjoys drawing anything from monsters to people and every iteration inbetween. -
2020-10-25Trapped at the Border: Asylum seekers protest Matamoros camp conditions
On October 25, 2020, over fifty of 1000+ people in the Matamoros Border Camp gathered along the barbed-wire fence to protest their living conditions. The Migrant Protection Protocols (M.P.P.), a Trump Executive Order, requires many Spanish-speaking asylum seekers to stay in Northern Mexico until granted a court date. In March 2020, the administration sealed U.S. borders and closed immigration courts as part of the COVID-19 emergency response. Many asylum seekers trapped in the camps may never get a full hearing. Although protests could provoke retaliation from Mexican and U.S. immigration officials, these families demonstrated because they felt desperate. As in much of the southern border, cartels plague the Brownsville-Matamoros region. Many South and Central American migrants have experienced kidnapping, theft, extortion, and rape on their journeys through Mexico. In the camps, bounded by a fifteen-foot fence and heavily armed security forces, they face daily threats from poisonous snakes, hurricanes, flooding, and unsanitary conditions. Because the Mexican government does not give camp occupants sufficient resources, nonprofit organizations like Catholic Charities and Team Brownsville provide food, water, and medical care. On the day of the protest, two U.S. citizens from a Methodist ministry stood with demonstrators inside the camp. The asylum seeker who organized this demonstration sent her two daughters (ages 9 and 11) across the Rio Grande, accompanied only by a cartel-affiliated coyote (guide), to turn themselves into Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While she misses her daughters every day, she believes that separation is safer for them than remaining in Mexico or returning to Honduras. She trusts that God will protect everyone in the Matamoros camp because their cause is just. After the protest, I held her hand through the gate’s wire diamonds and promised to pray. Some protesters held signs with Bible verses like Matthew 25:35-40, while others called for the protection of LGBTQ+ migrants and an end to MPP. Many protesters addressed the U.S. presidential election. Voten inteligentemente, one sign reads – vote intelligently. Joe Biden promised that, if elected, he would repeal M.P.P. within the first hundred days of his presidency. Asylum seekers realize that without a leadership change, they have very little chance of entering the U.S. I witnessed this reality while I stood in an hour-long customs line, waiting to cross the International Bridge back into Brownsville. The line held a mix of Mexican and U.S. citizens, including a family carrying spider-shaped piñatas and orange-frosted cupcakes for a Halloween party. A group of two adults and three children passed me in line. I watched them approach CBP officers, a journalist following close behind. Five minutes later, a security officer was escorting the family back to Matamoros. The journalist noticed me watching and stopped to explain: “They asked for asylum, but CBP said no. They have to wait in Mexico.” “No somos malas personas. Solo queremos vivir.” The mother repeated this phrase like a mantra as she passed us, holding her six-year-old daughter’s hand. We are not bad people. We just want to live. *This is a photograph that I took on my cell phone outside the Matamoros, Mexico border camp on Sunday, October 25, 2020. Faces are blurred to protect their privacy. -
2020-09Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA Elul Stories
The National Council of Jewish Women of Australia compiled and shared "24 personal stories from Australian Jewish Women About Covid-19 and High Holidays" -
2020-10Apollo
As per quarantine, most people have had more time to create. With that time, my friend Apollo has drawn out a picture of him and his boyfriend. As with a lot of queer individuals, art can be a form of escapism and it certainly has come to flourish with the times of quarantine as many closeted individuals find it harder to grow in less than great positions. -
2020-10-17Women's March goes virtual in North Dakota
This screenshot captures a story published by a local news provider in North Dakota. The story is important because it describes another effect of COVID, relying heavily on technology. Having to organize a women’s march via Zoom showcases the resiliency of people and their dedication to a cause.