As always, the news is moving along relentlessly, so it seems these recent reading posts may be going up fairly frequently. Here’s a roundup of some of the things I’ve been reading over the last few weeks:
White supremacy, the patriarchy, politics & privilege
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably seen the abortion bans passed in states like Alabama and Ohio. Here’s an explainer on why abortion bans don’t stop abortion, they just lead to the deaths of a lot more women/people with uteruses. – Harper’s Bazaar
Also, this isn’t new information, but recent abortion news meant that I ended up in a conversation with someone who had a very inaccurate understanding of New York’s new abortion laws from the start of this year. Here is a factual explanation of what New York’s law entails, for context. – Fact Check
Here’s a guide to what you can for abortion rights – Teen Vogue
Plus, Elizabeth Warren launches plan to protect abortion rights – Common Dreams
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that would protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity – Refinery29
Trayvon Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, is running for Miami-Dade County Commission – Miami Herald
Dutee Chand became India’s first openly gay athlete – Al Jazeera
Overt racism has risen since the Brexit vote – The Guardian
Mena Mengal, champion of Afghan women’s rights, was murdered – Gal Dem
Muhlaysia Booker, a transgender woman who was attacked by a mob last month, was murdered. We should all be angry. – Refinery29
This is what therapy is really like for queer people of colour – Gal Dem
Billionaire Robert F. Smith promises to pay off student debt for the entire graduating class of Morehouse College – Common Dreams
The rape allegations against Julian Assange, explained – Vox
International
Uber drivers went on strike around the world – Vox
Here’s exactly who’s profiting off the war in Yemen – In These Times
Why Western Museums should return African artefacts – Quartz Africa
Climate
Greenpeace activists block BP London HQ – The Guardian
CO2 Levels Hit 415 PPM for First Time in 3 Million+ Years – Common Dreams
What people in Kentucky Coal Country really think about the green new deal – In These Times
Australia’s election was… not good. But Frank Jotzo argues that climate policy can still progress – The Guardian
Plus, Indigenous Torres Strait Islanders file landmark human rights claim over the Australian government’s inaction on the climate crisis – Common Dreams
An American explorer broke the record for deepest ever dive, and found plastic – BBC
Earthworms are just as important as bees for the planet – The Guardian
The divestment movement is growing – Vox
The UK is planning to plant over 130,000 new trees in the next two years – The Guardian
Jay Inslee is the only 2020 candidate treating the climate crisis properly – Vox
In French Guiana soldiers have been protecting the Amazon from illegal gold mining – BBC
(related: read more on ethical gold mining here)
Is it still cool for celebrities to pose with their private jets? (I’m gonna go ahead and say no) – BBC
Fashion
4 models talk about how fashion can become more inclusive – Vogue
Culture
Greta Thunberg was featured on the cover of TIME – TIME
In fact, their whole next generation leaders section is really interesting – TIME
We found out that Mr Ratburn is gay, and got married, on Arthur! – The Atlantic
Visionary architect IM Pei passed away aged 102 – The New York Times
There’s a male makeup brand called ‘War Paint’, and it hasn’t gone down well – Vox
Conan Gray made his London show debut, and talks about his experience of being Asian American (please listen to his EP after reading, it’s great) – Gal Dem
Game of Thrones ended and, while fan opinion is divided, this piece titled ‘Game of Thrones ends as it began, inferior to Lord of the Rings’ is a fun little read – Quartzy
The evolution of Dr. Bronner’s soap is fascinating – Vox
Chella Man is the first deaf, Asian, trans actor to be cast in a superhero series – Gal Dem
Why we shouldn’t be defined by our careers – Man Repeller
We officially changed the definition of a kilogram – Vox
And last but not least, please enjoy this trailer for Always Be My Maybe which looks excellent!
