Hi John,

I’m coming to you from the depths of intense summer heat [[link removed]] and devastating news headlines. June should be for donning your brightest eye makeup to celebrate Juneteenth and Pride Month. Instead, I’m cowering in the air conditioning as my phone buzzes with notifications that range from bad to worse; peaceful protests against ICE raids and kidnappings were met with military resistance [[link removed]] , emergency abortion and reproductive health guidelines were removed [[link removed]] , and devastating, partisan political violence [[link removed]] . It has been hard to stay alert and stay hydrated, but I hope you’ll take a water break with me and catch up on the latest news and actions.
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ICYMI: More SCOTUS [[link removed]] mess… 🏛️✊🏾

Every time I feel like I’ve hit my limit for bad news, in walks the Supreme Court. Here's a gender justice wrap-up of some of this month's SCOTUS decisions:

* In U.S. v. Skrmetti [[link removed]] , the justices ruled to uphold a ban [[link removed]] on gender-affirming care for trans youth in Tennessee.
* In Mahmoud v. Taylor, [[link removed]] the court ruled that parents can pull their children out of the classroom anytime LGBTQI+ people are acknowledged so long as parents claim it violates their religious beliefs.
* In Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services [[link removed]] , a “reverse-discrimination” case, the court ruled unanimously in favor of the plaintiff, a straight woman, who twice lost positions to gay workers.
* In Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic [[link removed]] , the justices effectively gave South Carolina the green light to block Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.
No matter what the courts decide, NWLC will continue to fight for reproductive freedom, gender-affirming care, and for accessible education free from censorship for everyone in the country. We will not give up, and we hope you are fighting with us.

Relentless Title IX attacks aren’t stopping us 🔔📜

June 23 marked Title IX’s 53rd anniversary and we released a fact sheet [[link removed]] to acknowledge the significance of the civil rights law and the attacks it's facing under the Trump administration. In just six months, Trump has investigated state education departments that have trans student inclusive policies, created a Title IX “special investigations team” to bully schools into discriminating against trans students, and laid off half the staff in the Department of Education and its Office of Civil Rights.
Obviously, our lawyers saw right through it and are working to protect students at every turn. We’ve already filed two motions to intervene in cases to safeguard Biden’s Title IX rule protections for student survivors. We also coordinated and submitted comments opposing the Trump administration's latest move to eliminate civil rights rules, including Title IX rules, by bypassing routine rulemaking procedures–and we collected over 12,000 additional comments from folks like you who know that students deserve to have safe learning environments. We will continue to advocate for and protect students, especially trans students and student survivors, from the harmful tactics of the Trump administration.
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Must-Dos and Must-Reads ✅📖

* Read [[link removed]] one of our pride month blogs about how some of our queer staff members are relishing in queer joy. 🌈
* Tell Senators [[link removed]] to vote “no” on a tax bill that would expand tax breaks for billionaires as Congress continues to prioritize making the rich even richer instead of the well-being of women and families. 💸
* Read [[link removed]] our latest blog about what Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys can teach us about equal pay.
* Jessica’s monthly media menu 🍽️ (if you’re looking to spice up your media diet) * Read a summer romance like Can’t Get Enough [[link removed]] by Kennedy Ryan (this is the third installment of a stand-alone trilogy [[link removed]] ).
* Watch Forever [[link removed]] , a show about Black teens coming of age and falling in love in Los Angeles, on Netflix.
* Listen to summerovlove setlist [[link removed]] by flowerovlove [[link removed]] .


Person that lived rent free in my head this month: Janelle Monáe ☀️🥂
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Janelle Monáe has always effortlessly danced on the line between marching to their own drumbeat and paying homage to her musical influences. Janelle has always met me where I am at in my life, from delving into the history and culture of Black music during their Prince tribute, to discovering my queer identity when they released “Make Me Feel” and Dirty Computer , to embracing my freedom and exploration with their latest project The Age of Pleasure (which I will have on repeat for yet another summer.) If you want to feel like you’re the baddest person in the room, put on any Janelle Monáe album and thank me later.
Feminist Moment of Joy: Being a Tourist in My City

To cope with the heat and the chaos, I have set out to spend the summer checking mini-adventures off of my Washington, D.C. bucket list, and it has filled my life with so much joy. From belting along to Hairspray (2007) at an outdoor movie showing, to working from new-to-me local coffee shops and ordering whatever catches my eye, to visiting Black art exhibits at the Renwick Gallery [[link removed]] and National Gallery of Art [[link removed]] . Scheduling community-engaging, soul-nourishing, and affordably-priced (if not free) fun into my week has energized me in the midst of this sweltering season. Joy and rest are crucial elements of resistance, but so are action, education, and strategy. I hope you strike the balance that works best for you.

With electrolytes and headache medication,
Jessica Baskerville
she/her/hers
Media Relations Manager, Education
National Women’s Law Center
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