News at Woodhull: 

Community Access Fund Update 

Thanks to your generosity and that of our matching donor, we made our $7,500 match. That means, with your donations, that we're $13,000 away from our annual goal of $30,000. Accessibility isn't a one-time commitment; it's year-round. Please consider making a first (or second, or even third!) donation to support full accessibility for everyone!

Our Upcoming Sexual Freedom Summit

Woodhull is looking for dedicated volunteers to help us out at the Sexual Freedom Summit this August! Volunteers give 10 hours of their time in exchange for a free Summit registration. Apply today!

What we know about the victims at Robb Elementary School (CNN) 

Holly Yan, Harmeet Kaur, Melissa Alonso, Amir Vera and Sharif Page share details on the victims of the Uvalde massacre: “One of the 10-year-olds aspired to be a lawyer someday. Another loved video games and anything with wheels. And another was saving up for a trip to Disney World. More details are emerging about the 19 children and two teachers who were killed after a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. [...] In the midst of their grief, family members are sharing photos and memories about the loved ones they lost.” Read more.

These 7 Trans Pride Events Are Bringing Some Much-Needed Joy to 2022 (them.) 

Cáne López highlights events for Pride 2022 focused on trans folks: “Even though Pride was created thanks to the labor of Black and brown trans organizers, many contemporary events still fail to center trans people or consider our safety. That’s why organizers in several cities have started trans-centered Pride events that give trans folks the opportunity to learn, access resources, meet community, and just cut loose in a safe environment. And in 2022, with right-wing attacks on trans people ramping up to fever pitch, these spaces are more necessary than ever.” Read more.

America’s Dark History of Criminalizing Queerness (The Appeal) 

Adam M. Rhodes explores America’s history of criminalizing queerness: “Politicians across the country are launching a seemingly endless stream of cruel and baseless attacks on trans youth. Out of the hundreds of anti-trans bills that have been introduced in recent years, some make a familiar target of gendered bathrooms or the discussion of gender and sexuality in schools. Others target school sports or students’ pronouns, or take the extraordinary step of banning or outright criminalizing gender-affirming care for trans youth.” Read more.

The Urgency for Reproductive Freedom: From Slavery to the New Jane Crow (Ms.) 

Michele Goodwin outlines the urgency for reproductive freedom: “During the past decade—with the chilling rise of extremism in American state legislatures and buttressed by the former president’s alarming promise to only nominate anti-abortion judges—a dramatic proliferation in anti-abortion legislation in the United States has coincided with this nation becoming the deadliest in the ‘developed world’ to be pregnant and attempt to give birth. This crisis in America affects all women, girls and people of reproductive age and capacity. Yet, this crisis does not affect all women equally: Black women are 3.5 times more likely to die due to maternal mortality than their white counterparts. Thus, despite claims to the contrary, banning abortion will not help Black women. In fact, the opposite will occur.  Many will die.” Read more.

How to Protect Yourself When Seeking an Abortion: Learn your legal risks. (The Cut) 

Bindu Bansinath writes about self-protection when seeking an abortion: “Right now, only Nevada, Idaho, South Carolina, and Oklahoma have laws that outlaw self-managed abortions, but that could change. ‘Legislatures are going to find themselves up against a reality that today, illegal abortion is done by procuring medication,’ says Michelle Oberman, a law professor at Santa Clara University. ‘There’s no doctor to prosecute. It’s not a ’50s-style sting operation outside the clandestine abortion clinic.’ Still, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from legal scrutiny.” Read more.

Tess’ Take: The Right to Adequate Postpartum Health Care (Woodhull’s Sex & Politics Blog) 

Tess Joseph writes about the right to adequate postpartum health care: “To be clear: everyone deserves accessible, quality healthcare, free of charge. “Everyone,” of course, includes those who have pregnancy- and birth-related health needs, from sonograms to difficulty with feeding to postpartum depression. States across the U.S. have Medicaid programs to address those needs. People who might not otherwise qualify for full-scope Medicaid might still qualify for pregnancy-related Medicaid. These specialized Medicaid programs cover individuals during and after pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, they differ state-by-state.” Read more.