Dear John,
This week at Ms., the threads connecting our reporting could not be clearer: Those who raise their voices—whether for equality, democracy or reproductive freedom—are facing escalating threats.
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf’s latest column explores how women leaders online face harassment. A frequent writer on issues of gender, feminism and politics in America, she writes, “As the nation grapples with the murder of Charlie Kirk and its fallout … being on the receiving end of yet another violent and targeted email from a stranger hit a little differently this week.”
Of course, we know online threats can, and do, spill over into real-world violence—the vast majority of which (80 percent) is perpetrated by men. Our reporting on antiabortion violence traces a deadly line from the murder of Dr. George Tiller 16 years ago to the recent killing of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and now to the increased targeting of providers today. Our new investigation, released in four parts this week, shows that despite escalating threats—and despite the Department of Justice stepping back from enforcement of the key federal law dealing with violence against clinics—providers refuse to be silenced.
The backlash is not limited to clinics and legislatures. In South Carolina, two Clemson professors were just fired for their online posts in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Columnist Karen Attiah revealed she was pushed out at The Washington Post after refusing to soften her work on race and gender. And of course, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel had his show pulled after the Trump administration took aim at the comedian and the network for Kimmel’s comments about Kirk.
Not yet satisfied with the state of play, state and national legislators, GOP activists and bad-faith agitators are calling for more firings.
This week, a group of Senate and House Democrats—including Sens. Chris Murphy (Conn.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Alex Padilla (Calif.) and Reps. Jason Crow (Colo.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.), Greg Casar (Texas), and Maxwell Frost (Fla.)—announced plans to introduce the NO Political Enemies (NOPE) Act. The legislation would protect individuals and organizations, including nonprofits, media outlets and educational institutions, from politically motivated harassment or prosecution by the federal government, reaffirming the constitutional right to free speech and creating clear safeguards to deter abuse.
The pattern is impossible to ignore: Powerful institutions and individuals are working to punish those who speak too boldly, to drive women and their allies out of public life, and to chill the movements for justice. But history reminds us that these attacks are not signs of weakness on our part—they are signs of our progress. The louder the backlash, the clearer it is that our words and actions are reshaping the world.
This week also marked Constitution Day, Sept. 17, commemorating the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Beneath every one of these battles for women’s rights lies a deeper truth: Without explicit constitutional equality, no right we’ve won is truly safe—not reproductive freedom, not equal pay, not protection from violence. That’s why so many scholars and advocates continue to press for recognition of the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. With 38 states already ratified, the legal foundation is there. What remains is political will—and in this moment, the outcome may be decided in the very districts and states where women’s votes will soon be cast.
Voters in Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, Texas and Tennessee, we issue you a special call to action: Vote. Elections happening over the next few months in these states will decide not only who holds power locally, but also how fundamental rights are defended or dismantled.
At Ms., we will keep reporting on the dangers women face—but also on the strength, resolve and vision they bring to every fight. We will keep teaching the next generation of writers to speak boldly, even when hate follows. And we will keep standing with you, our readers, in defense of equality, democracy and truth.
Onward,
