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Today’s the day. Give now to preserve our bold, timely, critically needed reporting on gender and identity.
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Dear Reader,
Novelist Toni Morrison once said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” When we decided to begin producing Selves, our weekly newsletter focusing on gender and identity reporting, I very much needed to read something like it. I wanted to read something that didn’t treat gender and identity issues as abstract, academic discussions but as the deeply personal, life-altering considerations they felt like to me and many others I spoke with. The conversations and decisions happening about gender and identity at the national and state levels have massive repercussions on the lives of people in the Pittsburgh region.
What healthcare choices will be available for people who are pregnant? Can children of all gender identities safely enjoy playing a team sport without harassment from authorities? How much of a risk is it to show up at a local Pride celebration? These are frightening questions to consider, and they reflect the reality of a distressing time when everything feels at risk. Like many others, we felt called to do something in response. Selves has shown me how much power there is in sharing our stories, and in sharing ourselves.
This project has already brought so many needed conversations into being. From a Pittsburgh psychiatrist who helped women in the 1960s access abortion but no longer feels safe talking about it, to Tahirah Walker’s moving essay “Letter to a future legendary: Affirming a Black child’s gender identity,” to the beautiful illustrations by local artist Andrea Schockling on stories like Pittsburgh CAPA students addressing the lack of menstrual products at their school, to the profile of four local women who wrote a book about how to say no, I see so much courage and feel so inspired by hearing people share who they are, sharing things about themselves that maybe they never thought they'd speak about publicly.
But our ability to continue producing this reporting is not guaranteed. We didn’t start this project with a year’s worth of budget lined up to support it. We saw a need and responded. We believe the need for stories of this kind is only going to grow — whatever happens next, there'll be many more stories to tell, more community to create, more of ourselves that needs to be known. So we’re taking this one day to ask readers: Will you help keep this reporting going by making a gift today?
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Thank you.
Natasha Vicens
Creative Director
PublicSource
P.S. Want to go the extra mile? Forward this email to a friend who cares as much as you do about gender and identity!
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To be removed from fundraising messages, please email [email protected]. Donations by check can be made payable to PublicSource and mailed to 1936 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15219. So that we can credit you properly, please include your email address with your gift.
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