Feature image Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
I’m filling in for Autostraddle Editor in Chief Carmen Phillips for today’s news link round-up. I wish I had something cool to say like she usually does in her introduction, like oh, you know, “I made some Thin Mint brownies with a recipe I concocted on the fly with peppermint leaves I grew in my own garden, and while I was waiting for them to bake, I kicked everyone’s butts in the Autostraddle WNBA Fantasy Basketball League.” Alas! I did have a brownie today but it came from Jersey Mike’s.
Queer as in F*ck You
+ Yesterday was Karine Jean-Pierre’s first press conference as White House Press Secretary!
.@PressSec Karine Jean-Pierre: "I am a Black, gay, immigrant woman. The first of all three of those to hold this position. I would not be here today if it were not for generations of barrier-breaking people before me. I stand on their shoulders." pic.twitter.com/KZj3Z4GkEL
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 16, 2022
+ The brave life of lesbian trailblazer Leslie Cohen.
+ Urvashi Vaid, legendary activist for LGBTQ+ civil rights, dies at 63.
+ Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Griner’s wife over the weekend.
+ WNBA players back petition for Biden to ‘prioritize’ Brittney Griner’s release.
+ Getting sober hits different for queer people.
Saw This, Thought of You
+ Southern Baptists have lost 1.1 million members in the past three years.
+ The many costs of breastfeeding.
+ A landmark study tracks the lasting effect of having an abortion — or being denied one.
+ There’s already a revolution happening in abortions — and the Supreme Court can’t stop it.
+ Welcome to the Sports Bra: First-of-a-kind bar features only women’s sports.
+ Congress has been shown some new UFO videos, apparently.
+ An urban wildlife bridge is coming to California.
+ Your iPhone is vulnerable to a malware attack even when it’s off.
Political Snacks
+ Karine Jean-Pierre makes history but inherits a world of trouble.
+ Democrat Michele Rayner-Goolsby has suspended her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, where she would have been the first openly gay Congressperson from Florida. Instead she’ll run again for her state House seat, where she’ll continue to use her voice to fight Florida’s anti-trans and anti-gay laws.
+ Florida’s Don’t Day Gay bill is part of the state’s long, shameful history.
+ Greece bans conversion therapy.
+ Apparently today is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia — and here’s President Biden’s statement on it.
I’d personally rather see laws passed to protect us instead of words, but that seems like a tall order.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gim2kprjL50
thank you for stepping in, heather! i especially appreciate the links on breastfeeding (no, actually, a parent can’t switch from formula to breastfeeding when their infant is six months old) and the Turnaway Study
Thanks for the broad scope of this round-up, Heather! I say as someone who breastfed two babies for more than 2 years each – I had wonderful experiences although with challenges (tongue tie and 5 bouts of mastitis, I’m looking at you) – and in fact because my experiences were relatively straightforward, it makes my head explode to hear that “just breastfeed” arguments being leveled –– evidently by people who have never chestfed, since if they had, they wouldn’t be spouting that garbage. I know how demanding it was even for me, even with as much privilege, support, and flexibility as I had in my work/home life.
The formula shortage also really feels just too on the nose against the backdrop of the assault on Roe. Or is this what my middle school English teacher referred to as “show, don’t tell” in terms of America/the right’s priorities?