A messaging document on Alabama’s abortion ban compiled by the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House, recommends that its members describe abortions people receive after being raped or in cases of incest as a “second violent act” that could “physically or psychologically wound her further.”
VICE News obtained the document, which was distributed to members of the RSC at a recent meeting. Calling the Alabama ban “bold new pro-life legislation,” the talking points in the document defend the near-total ban on abortion passed by the Republican-controlled state.
Author: mcequality
Rainbow Caravan: The long journey to LGBT freedom – BBC News
“Are you ready?” says the voice behind the smartphone, which pans along a queue.
Six gay men and 11 transgender women stand together in single file, clutching their papers. Just metres ahead are the revolving grilled gates of the US-Mexico border.
Each member of the group looks nervous, and each has dressed for the occasion. One of the trans women, in a lacy white dress and diamanté tiara, exhales deeply and looks up at the ceiling. One of the gay men, wearing a checked shirt and smart black trousers with bleached blond hair gelled firmly into place, takes an anxious glance at a guard standing behind them.
via Rainbow Caravan: The long journey to LGBT freedom – BBC News
Facebook Pilots Anti-Hate Speech Moderation Team Because, Y’know, All the Nazis and Stuff
Four million. That’s the number of pieces of content on Facebook that the platform claims it took action against for containing hate speech from January to March this year, according to its most recent transparency report. (And to put a fine point on it, that’s just the content it actually caught.) In a press briefing this afternoon, vice president of global operations Justin Osofsky teased a plan to pilot a subgroup of moderators who are specifically tasked with handling hate speech.
via Facebook Pilots Anti-Hate Speech Moderation Team Because, Y’know, All the Nazis and Stuff
Governors Can Succeed in Criminal Justice Reform Where Legislatures Fail | American Civil Liberties Union
With legislative sessions winding down across the country, states have an opportunity to explore an often untapped resource for ending mass incarceration and addressing racism in the criminal justice system: the power of Governors.
The power of the executive presents significant and often untapped opportunities to shrink the jail and prison population. Unlike state legislation, policy decisions by a governor are less vulnerable to political infighting or trading. To address this problem, here are the top three ways a state’s governor should utilize their authority to end mass incarceration and address racism in the system.
Immigrants’ Rights Aren’t Possible If We Don’t Stop Criminalizing Border Crossing | American Civil Liberties Union
Last night’s Democratic presidential debate shined an unlikely spotlight on a little-known section of the federal code — 8. U.S.C. 1325. This law makes crossing the border without legal authorization a federal misdemeanor. Its counterpart, 8 U.S.C. 1326, makes re-crossing the border a felony. They are the laws the Trump administration has leveraged to take thousands of children from their parents at the border.
‘His only tool is racism’: why Trump’s bigoted tirade could be a vote winner | US news | The Guardian
It was foul and repugnant. But was it a vote winner?
Donald Trump’s bigoted tirade against four congresswoman of colour, telling them to “go back” to the countries they came from, prompted widespread revulsion – the comments “drip with racism”, said the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer – and yet will not necessarily damage his chances of reelection.
On the contrary, the US president seems to regard divisive and nativist rhetoric as his best chance of clinging on to the White House next year. And, analysts say, he may be right.
‘Shout queer!’ The museums bringing LGBT artefacts out of the closet | Culture | The Guardian
It’s the hottest day of the year so far, and the people fanning themselves with gallery maps have come to join the monthly LGBTQ tour, which Vo, a volunteer, helped set up four years ago. “On the count of three,” he bellows, “we’re just going to shout ‘queer’ – celebrating Stonewall, remembering how hard we fought to be here. One, two, three…” The word echoes off the barrel vaults of the sculpture hall and subsides as we head off in different directions – the tour is so popular that the group has to be split into at least six parties.
via ‘Shout queer!’ The museums bringing LGBT artefacts out of the closet | Culture | The Guardian
Domestic abuse report exposes hidden side of rural life – BBC News
Domestic abuse victims there suffer for longer, are less likely to report abuse and struggle to get support, it said.
Victims are isolated, unsupported and unprotected in a “rural hell” that protects the perpetrators, the National Rural Crime Network report found.
via Domestic abuse report exposes hidden side of rural life – BBC News
Women Get Quietly Photoshopped In to Photo of Exclusively Male Tech CEOs
Recently GQ ran a story about a group of major tech players, including Jeff Bezos and company executives from LinkedIn and Dropbox, who met up in an Italian village to hang out with designer Brunello Cucinelli, for some reason. But Buzzfeed reporter Ryan Mac noticed something peculiar about one of the photos used in the article. Mainly, he thought the only two women in the photo, CEO of solar power company Sunrun Lynn Jurich and CEO of Peek.com Ruzwana Bashir, had been Photoshopped in.
via Women Get Quietly Photoshopped In to Photo of Exclusively Male Tech CEOs
Hacker Conference Disinvites U.S. Congressman Over Abysmal Women’s Rights Voting Record
U.S. Congressman Will Hurd has been disinvited to the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas this year where he was set to deliver a keynote address after questions were raised about his voting record.
Members of the security community this week drew attention to Hurd’s record on women’s issues, including the right to abortion, with some directly rebuking Black Hat over the decision to invite Hurd. TechCrunch first reported the story on Thursday.
via Hacker Conference Disinvites U.S. Congressman Over Abysmal Women’s Rights Voting Record