Feminist Weekly July 8
News clippings and #FeministWins curated by Contributing News Editor Annie Wu Henry, The Recount, and Good Good Good Co. From feel good news to headliners keeping you on the pulse. Here is the round up for the week!
The UK Government is deciding on if it should open the Cambo Oil field. Environmentalists say no. #StopCambo.
Oil giant Shell and Siccar Point Energy are seeking permission from the UK Government to open a huge new oil field, called the Cambo field, in the sea West of Shetland. The climate impacts of opening the Cambo field are devastating and funding new oil and gas projects goes against meeting the 1.5°C target in the Paris Agreement and the UK’s own climate goals.
ICYMI — Curated by The Recount
Toyota has been funding election deniers.
Toyota is funding 2020 election deniers … and Toyota is OK with that. The automaker gave $55,000 to 37 Republicans who objected to electoral certification on January 6th, claiming it’s “not appropriate to judge” members of Congress for doing that. Sooo ... If you can’t judge a lawmakers for objecting to a fair election, what *can* you judge them by? Sourced by The RecountBye Bye, Confederate Statues! The house voted to remove these traitorous statues from the Capitol. The House voted on Tuesday to remove all Confederate statues from public display in the U.S. Capitol. The measure passed 285-120 — with all 120 “no” votes coming from Republican members. Before the vote, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy noted all the Confederate statues within the Capitol were "statues of Democrats." It was a curious point to make considering every single House Democrat voted in favor of their removal. (Via The Recount)
Bill Cosby walked free based on prosecutorial misconduct— but we still BELIEVE SURVIVORS.
After serving nearly three years of his sentence, in which he himself admitted to drugging and taking advantage of women, 83-year-old disgraced comedian Bill Cosby walked free on Wednesday. This is a devastating blow to the 60 brave women who came forward and publicly brought forth sexual assault against him. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosby’s indecent assault conviction after finding an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented Cosby from being charged in the case. The previous prosecutor? Bruce Castor aka Trump’s (not-so-great) second impeachment defense attorney. The decision bars any retrial in the case. Sourced by The RecountA leaky gas pipeline caused an ocean fire in the Gulf of Mexico—On Friday, a 12-inch gas pipeline leaked gas into the ocean which sparked a fire... IN THE OCEAN. This obviously shocking sight appeared as a ring of fire, an image that quickly went viral, sounding a worldwide alarm. In an attempt to extinguish the fire, boats surrounded it and used a combination of water and nitrogen. It was extinguished about 5 1/2 hours later and Pemex — the Mexican oil monopoly that manages this pipeline that runs beneath the Campeche Sound in the Gulf of Mexico — resumed pumping gas through the pipeline.
The Investigative Committee to look into 1/6 is a go—The House voted on Wednesday to establish a select committee to investigate the January 6th Capitol insurrection, 222-190. Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney were the only Republicans to vote yes. Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her first round of picks for the 13-member committee — with Cheney making the cut. But we need to talk about Kevin: Although he denies the claims, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly threatened to strip any Republican member of their committee assignments if they accepted an offer to serve on the committee. (Via The Recount)
On the Pandemic Front…
By the AXIOS
COVID-19 dropped to the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. last month — this is a decline from Jan. 2021 when it was no.1 according to data.
This week in Culture
The U.S. Pacific Northwest experienced an extreme heatwave — at least 230 died.
An astounding heat obliterated all-time records across the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada in June 2021. Over the four-day period of June 26-29, daytime high temperatures skyrocketed to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, setting all-time records in dozens of locations, with Portland and Seattle hitting record highs of 116 degrees and 108, respectively. At least 118 people died from the extreme temperatures and while it can be difficult to immediately quantify how much impact climate change has had on a climate extreme, there is plenty of evidence to show that these high temperatures and heat waves have become worse due to climate change. For example, heatwaves across the contiguous United States have occurred more often and lasted longer since the 1960s, which is consistent with a warming climate due to climate change. (via climate.gov and WSJ)
Racism is attempting to hinder Black Women in the 2021 Olympic Games.
From testing for cannabis use to policing swim caps, there have been several rules and regulations surroundign the Olympics that have raised concerns over their true motives. While Sha'Carri Richardson indeed broke the rules by using and testing positive for weed use, the historical sigificance of the criminalization of the drug cannot be ignored — especially now that it is becoming more and more legalized and as the (disproportionately white) cannabis industry is making millions off the "drug". Meanwhile, the International Swimming Federation made a decision to barr a swimming cap designed specifically for natural Black hair from being used in competition. After backlash, the International Swimming Federation, also known as FINA, released a statement on Friday acknowledging the public response and announcing that it was "reviewing" the situation. Additionally, two Namibian Olympic medal contenders were also ruled ineligible for women's 400m due to naturally high testosterone levels and as the conversation around Black Women at the Olympics heightens, many are also bringing up the fact that gymnast Simone Biles, while widely praised as the GOAT, has been not properly valued for the difficulty of the skills she can compete. Maybe most obviously, the International Olympic Committee said specifically that the slogan “Black Lives Matter” will be banned from athlete apparel at the Summer Olympics — however they are allowing more generic words like “peace,” “respect,” “solidarity,” “inclusion” and “equality” to be allowed on T-shirts.
#FreeBritney — A judge denied the request to remove her father from the conservatorship.
In leaked audio from court, Britney Spears said she had been drugged, forced to perform against her will and prevented from having children through a non consentual IUD. She asked to have her father removed from her conservatorship and said "I deserve to have a life." The judge refused to remove Jamie Spears from his position, but did agree to the Bessemer Trust's role as co-conservator of the star's multi-million dollar estate.
Calls to cancel Canada Day.
There have been the discoveries of over 1,000 unmarked graves from former residential schools for indigenous children. With these injustices, Indigenous groups and communities throughout Canada have called for a the traditional national holiday not to be celebrated. The holiday, July 1st, celebrates when the three British colonies were united to create the Dominion of Canada; however, many Indigenous people view the citizenship as something that was forced rather than something they wanted. Instead of acknowledging this day, many Indigenous groups wore orange to spread awareness of the tragic and abusive history of Indian Residential Schools and the devastating legacy that continues even today.
‘Kill the bill’ protesters rally across England and Wales
Protesters rallied in central London and throughout other cities in England and Wales against a crime bill that many say will impose major restrictions on the right to protest and that it is a step towards authoritarianism. The police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, passed its second reading in parliament last month. The pupose of the bill is to modify existing public order legislation to make it easier for police to ban or shut down peaceful protests if they are considered too disruptive or likely to lead to disorder. During the recent protests against the bill, there were rallies outside parliament to hear speeches against it and protestors then blocked the road. Police and protesters clashed in many cases and in Hyde Park there were over 20 arrests.
The Trump Organization is in hot water — A grand jury is said to have indicted the Trump Organization and one of its top executives.
The House voted on Wednesday to establish a select committee to investigate the January 6th Capitol insurrection, 222-190. Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney were the only Republicans to vote yes. Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her first round of picks for the 13-member committee — with Cheney making the cut. But we need to talk about Kevin: Although he denies the claims, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly threatened to strip any Republican member of their committee assignments if they accepted an offer to serve on the committee. (Via the Recount)
#FeministWins
The Olympics will allow breastfeeding athletes to bring babies to the Tokyo Games.
Olympic organizers announced Wednesday that the babies of breastfeeding mothers will be able to attend the Summer Games in Tokyo in July. This is an update from the previous policy regarding family members at the Olympics. Due to COVID-19, no international guests are allowed at the Tokyo Games, including both friends and family members.
Over 325 Million people worldwide are pledging to go plastic-free for the month of July!
#PlasticFreeJuly has begun! In 177 countries around the world, more than 325 million people have taken @plasticfreejuly's pledge to go plastic-free for the month of July. From refusing all single-use plastics, to refusing the top 4 plastic items (bags, bottles, straws, and coffee cups), to going completely plastic-free for the entire month, Plastic Free July is a great way to raise awareness about our daily plastic consumption, practice making sustainable swaps, and form new, better, long-term habits that are healthier for the planet! Because it's such a durable, cheap (except for the environmental cost) material to make, plastic has found its way into so many areas of our daily lives. It's extremely difficult to recycle, lasts forever, are made with chemicals that come from fossil fuels, microplastics are extremely harmful to waterways and marine life, and much more. There are rare cases where plastic can be a useful material, but our daily use of it has far exceeded its value. The good news: there are so many other options. Many coffee shops are accepting reusable containers again, you can bring your own bags to the grocery store, opt for non-plastic-packaged food items, choose soda in a can instead of a bottle, and much more. Want to join in, take action and be the good in July (and beyond)? Sign up to take the @plasticfreejuly challenge (link in their bio!), and you'll even get resources, ideas, and encouragement throughout the month.
(Via Good Good Good Co)
The U.S. announced it will add a third gender marker to all U.S. passports!
Non-binary, intersex, and gender non-conforming will soon be able to select a gender other than "male" or "female" when applying for a U.S. passport. The U.S. State Department announced this week that it would be adding a third gender marker to the current "male" and "female" options. In a statement released by the department, the move is part of its commitment "to promoting the freedom, dignity, and equality of all people – including LGBTQI+ persons." The department said it the process of adding the third gender marker to its systems would take time, and they were "evaluating the best approach to achieve this goal." But starting right away, people will be able to self-select either "M" or "F" on their passport application without providing medical documentation if their passport does not match their gender on other citizenship or identity documents. The same will be true once the third marker is added (reportedly, it will be an "X"). “This is an important step towards achieving meaningful progress for LGBTQ equality in America, and will empower and enable millions of citizens to travel domestically and internationally with greater confidence that the United States recognizes their gender identity,” Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said in a statement. The U.S. will join countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Nepal and New Zealand in having a third gender marker option on its passports. (Via The Good Good Good Co)
Annie Wu Henry is a journalist, social media expert and politics + pop culture junkie. On the cusp of being a gen-z and millennial she understands the power and privilege that social media holds and chooses to use her platform to utilize these tools for good. Through sharing news in digestible, entertaining and easy to understand content, Annie seeks to promote the message that anyone can be an activist and make an impact. She believes people are important and thrives on building meaningful connections with others through sharing our stories and perspectives. As a proud adopted Asian-American, her work focuses on equality, mental health, intersectionality and education.
