From the ongoing fight for abortion rights and access, to elections, to the drive for the Equal Rights Amendment, there are a multitude of battles to keep up with. In this weekly roundup, find the absolute need-to-know news for feminists.

Former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on June 22, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

BY JACKSON KATZ | The upcoming presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump promises to be a pivotal event in this extraordinarily consequential election year. Much of the commentary about the debate has focused on how the respective parties manage expectations: Will Biden be able to demonstrate that he’s capable and vital enough to do battle with Trump head on, and thus allay deep concerns in the electorate about his age? Will Trump be able to contain his immature and vulgar impulses and reassure independents and other non-MAGA voters that it’s socially acceptable to vote for him, despite his recent felony convictions and many other legal cases? 

As usual, what’s largely been overlooked in conventional punditry about the debate is the way in which it is highly gendered. In every modern debate, with the exception of Hillary Clinton versus Trump in 2016, voters have been presented with a choice between two (and occasionally three) competing versions of masculinity—both in style and substance. 

In fact, presidential debates can be understood less as a forum for the clash of competing political philosophies and more as the stage for a performative contest between two men about who is the stronger man/leader. The boxing metaphors that dominate political commentary about these debates reinforce this frame. It’s male-on-male combat stripped down to its essence, notwithstanding the reality that violence—while an ever-present subtextual factor as suggested by the regular boxing references—is officially taboo in this setting.

As in previous presidential debates, the millions of American voters who tune into this one will encounter a media spectacle that functions as a kind of metaphorical showdown. The antagonists in this struggle are two older white men who represent very different conceptions of the present and future of gender and power—and how they’re linked to both identity and policy. 

At the risk of oversimplification, Trump embodies a kind of masculine anti-hero: the bad boy bully and misogynous joker who beats up on immigrants and China, the tough business dealmaker willing to throw and break stuff, the supposedly non-ideological figure whose political success has nonetheless catalyzed a deeply ideological rollback of societal progress toward greater gender and sexual equality.

By contrast, Biden embodies a wonkish, managerial masculinity that is calm, measured and empathetic. He is the type of CEO whose competence and experience are respected by the highly educated professional classes and whose initiatives and appointments have advanced—however imperfectly—gender, racial and economic justice and fairness, even as he is often derided and disrespected by conservative “populists” in the working and middle classes as hapless and ineffectual.  

(Click here to read more)

Because it's hard to keep up with everything going on in the world right now. Here's what we're reading this week:

• "Far-right Republicans’ latest target? No-fault divorce” — The Guardian

• "Black Women Are Leaving Journalism & It’s A Huge Loss” — Refinery29

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on

Apple Podcasts + Spotify.

In this episode, we continue our series: The Trump Indictments. On May 30, 2024, Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts by a New York jury. In this episode, we unpack the criminal charges that Donald Trump engaged in illegal business, electoral and campaign activities. This week, we’re rejoined by Moira Donegan to discuss why the New York trial was about more than about “hush money” and how the case marks the first time a former president has stood trial for criminal prosecution and been convicted .

We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!

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