Letter from an Editor | June 5, 2021

Dear John,

June is here, and you know what that means—happy Pride month! 

This week, we are celebrating the beginning of Pride with a wonderful piece introducing you to the co-founders of WMN, a lesbian publication of art and poetry based in Queens, N.Y. WMN provides a platform for lesbian-identifying artists to have their work seen and heard—and we know that you will enjoy their powerful work just as much as the Ms. team did. 

During this month we’ll be watching to see if the Senate passes the Equality Act, which would ban discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives back in February of this year, and the White House and business leaders have come out in strong support, not to mention that a majority of Americans agree. And yet—as we’ve been reporting for many months now—the Equality Act is another example of critical legislation with broad public support being held up in the Senate by the filibuster. 

Often touted as a way to force compromise, the filibuster has functioned only to hold up progress on bills that will have a significant and positive impact on the lives of the American people. It’s holding up passage of the Violence Against Women Act, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and the For the People Act, a comprehensive set of reforms to make it easier to vote in federal elections. And the threat of a filibuster is blocking final action on a resolution that would clear the way for the Equal Rights Amendment to be added to the Constitution—despite having MAJORITY support in the Senate.

Also this week, we are thrilled to share a wonderful piece by Representative Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Chelsea VonChaz, founder of Happy Period, and Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a leader in the fight for period equity. Together, they call for a whole of government approach to ending period poverty in the United States, writing that, “Period poverty is one of America’s alarming—and often hidden—inequities.” And we look at the cost of abortion restrictions to women, business and states. (We’re still looking for business leaders to stand up against these draconian laws being passed by state legislatures, to stand up for women.) 

And we are watching this weekend’s elections in Mexico. As Jennifer Piscopo writes, “While U.S. feminists were focused on breaking the 25 percent barrier for women in the House of Representatives, Mexican feminists … championed a groundbreaking constitutional reform: gender parity for all candidates for elected office, and for top posts in the executive and judicial branches.” Sunday’s elections will be the first time the gender parity rule applies to the gubernatorial races. 

Finally, I hope you’ll listen to our newest On the Issues podcast. Michele Goodwin interviews the “Fab 5” – the all-female Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. They preside over 10 million residents, control a budget of $38 billion and govern what would be the 19th largest economy in the world if Los Angeles was its own country. You won’t want to miss their stories! 

For equality,

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.

On The Issues Podcast: Meet the Badass All-Women LA Board of Supervisors [[link removed]]

The U.S. Electoral System Is Not Set Up for Moms Who Want To Run for Public Office [[link removed]]

“Parity in Everything”: What Mexico Can Teach Us About Women’s Representation [[link removed]]

Dark Money, Bright Future: The Equality Act Takes on New Urgency During Pride Month [[link removed]]

Fighting For the Term “Lesbian”: An Art and Poetry Publication Strives to Uplift Lesbian Writers [[link removed]]

$200 Million of American Rescue Plan Will Support Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Children [[link removed]]

Abortion Restrictions Cost Women, Businesses and States $105 Billion Each Year [[link removed]]

Biden’s Budget Keeps Campaign Promise but Neglects Global Commitments [[link removed]]

It’s Time for a Whole-of-Government Approach to Address Period Poverty in the U.S. [[link removed]]

The Story Behind Her: Kim Bui and Emma Carew Grovum Are Dedicating Space for and by Newsroom Leaders of Color [[link removed]]

Honoring Women in Politics With Big Ideas—from Lani Guinier to Stacey Abrams: Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation [[link removed]]

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Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on Apple Podcasts [[link removed]] + Spotify [[link removed]].

Meet the badass women running the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors—the largest local government in the nation.

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



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