ColumnGratitude is a big deal this time of year. Here are five things that have happened this year (so far!) that I am grateful for.

1. Wendy Davis Secured her Spot as a National Figure

My personal Superbowl took place June 27 when Wendy Davis tied on her pink sneakers and performed a 13-hour filibuster to prevent the passing of an incredibly restrictive anti-choice law in Texas. The bad news is that, as of November 20, The Supreme Court cleared the way for Texas to enforce strict abortion regulations that will close at least one third of the state’s clinics. The good news is that Davis’ attempt to protect the women of Texas made her a national figure and she’s running for Governor. Stand with Wendy!

2. Ash Beckham’s TED Talk Went Viral

Ash Beckham’s TED Talk, Coming Out of Your Closet, is so much more than a talk about a how a woman handles being mistaken for a boy. It is a beautiful take on facing the fear of being yourself and sharing yourself with the world. Since her talk has picked up steam, Beckham has used her popularity for good. She shares inspiring coming out stories of all kinds on her Facebook page.

3. “Orange Is the New Black” Brought ALL of the Awesome

The new Netflix trend of releasing entire seasons of a series at once is magical for a binger like me. This year brought us the long-awaited return of “Arrested Development” and, I think, one of the most socially interesting and entertaining shows of the year, “Orange Is the New Black.” With great roles for women, women of color and trans actresses, I am on edge waiting for season two.

4. Lululemon Exposed

See-through pants led to the exposure of Chip Wilson as a total douche as he fat-shamed women on national TV—and then Stephen Colbert shamed him right back. This brand has irked me for a long time (for eco-washing, Ayn Rand-loving and general creepiness), but I’m hoping that this year’s PR mess will be the last straw for many women. Let’s all set a mantra together, shall we? “My values are more important than a cute ass. I will not shop at Lululemon. I will buy woman-friendly, eco-friendly yoga and athletic clothes.”

5. Gay Marriage Picked Up Steam

We’re long overdue for total marriage equality in this country, but some states caught up this year, including my home state, Illinois. We’re number 16!

To be sure, there are a lot of things to hate on right now, too. It has been a truly shit year for rape culture and abortion—and don’t even get me going on Return of the Kings. But I will save that list for Christmas.

Image: Ash Beckham

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The post Gratitude and Feminism: That Happened appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnTexas passed an abortion law banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and requiring new restrictions that will close almost every clinic in the state.

Despite Wendy Davis’ best efforts, and outrage in Texas and around the country, the state has passed a restrictive, controversial abortion law banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy—which is terrible, but given that only 1.3 percent of abortions occur after 20 weeks, it’s not even the worst part of the new legislation.

The ambulatory surgical center regulation requires that all clinics performing abortions become designated as ambulatory surgical centers. This will cause the shuttering of all but five abortion clinics in the entire state. The five are all located in larger cities, which will limit access to abortion and healthcare for rural women, those without transportation options and those who don’t have the money to travel.

But, as with most things in life, there’s a bright side. In a post on the Dallas Observer blog, Amy Silverstein suggests great abortion road trips. The obvious concern is for those women who can’t afford a road trip. Gas is expensive, as you know, and we haven’t all upgraded to the Volt or Leaf.

I have a solution: For the people who can’t afford to travel, perhaps a walkabout. You know what’s great after an abortion? A 200-mile walk through Texas. Boots on, ladies!

Sadly, I am unable to dream up a viable option for women who can’t take time off for a walkabout. But, luckily, being pregnant, giving birth in a hospital and choosing to raise a child isn’t a big time or money suck.

This loss for Texas women (and all women given the shitty precedent it sets), might be a gain for lady-hater Rick Perry’s sister. Salon reports that she is an executive at a company that operates ambulatory surgical centers. Well, well, well. Seems Rick’s sis may stand to make some cash on this whole thing. The only problem is, most of the clinics that are going to be closed don’t have money for the upgrades and licensing it would take to get ASC cred. Maybe they didn’t think this through.

If you think not living in Texas means this law won’t impact you, think again. While there will be a court challenge on this ruling and it could get shot down (Wendy willing), New York Times writer Ross Douthat makes an interesting case about the global impact of restricting abortion, examining restrictions across the globe to see what happens when abortion is hard—or impossible—to obtain easily, affordably and legally.

Abortion News From Across the Country:

Illinois: A decision by the Illinois Supreme Court means that starting August 15, Illinois’ parental notification law must be followed. The state will notify a minor’s parents 48-hours before the procedure, unless there’s an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which I’m hoping for.

Mississippi: There’s one abortion clinic in all of Mississippi. One. Read Lori Gregory-Garrott’s account of what it means to work at the Last Clinic. Thank you, Lori!

Missouri: Senate Majority Whip Brian Nieves (R) got all pissy on Facebook and replied to a comment stating that abortions to save the life of a mother are “a matter of convenience.” He’s right in that being alive is very, very convenient.

North Carolina: The North Carolina House passed the motorcycle abortion bill this month restricting access to abortion—oh and increasing safety measures for motorcyclists, which makes tons of sense. The bill would allow the state’s health department to create temporary rules for North Carolina’s abortion clinics as it sees fit (a helmet on every fetus!). The bill also prohibits government-administered insurance plans (including the Affordable Care Act) to pay for abortions and would require a doctor to be present when a patient is administered abortion-inducing drugs—which will cause the same widespread closures we may see in Texas.

North Dakota: Thankfully, a federal judge has temporarily blocked a law banning abortions as early as six weeks of pregnancy, before most women even know they are pregnant. The judge said that this law is, “clearly unconstitutional under an unbroken stream of United States Supreme Court authority.” Also, kids that attended  the North Dakota State Fair got a creepy treat in their candy bags: a toy fetus.

For more information, check out this clip of  Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro Choice America, discussing what happens after a 20 week abortion ban goes into effect.

Image: Ann Harkness

The post Texas Passes Restrictive Abortion Law: That Happened appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnIt’s been a wild week for civil rights. Here’s what you need to know about DOMA, Wendy Davis, Voters’ Rights and…vaginas.

Oh my god; my head might explode. It’s only Wednesday and this week has been so chock full of news that I feel compelled to offer a round-up. Last night, I was getting ready for my next Lean In circle meeting about the power of storytelling—and in many ways, what connects all of these events is the power of stories.

In the presentation I was watching, I learned that people are 22 times more likely to remember—and connect with—a story than they are to recall or be inspired by a statistic alone. What we saw yesterday in Texas is an amazing example of the power of stories, not to mention perseverance and comfortable shoes.

Don’t Mess With Wendy Davis

It all started yesterday at 11am. The Democratic Texas State Senator attempted a 13-hour filibuster to prevent the passing of an incredibly restrictive anti-choice law that would criminalize abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy and put into place a number of restrictions on doctors to provide care (we’ve seen this before). If it had passed, SB5 would have left Texas with only five abortion providers. If you haven’t noticed, Texas is a pretty massive state.

Davis arrived prepared with pink sneakers, a back brace and—most importantly—stories about  reproductive choice from real women. In a dramatic 15-hour battle, Davis was not allowed to get water or go to the bathroom, receive assistance, lean on an object for support or stray from her topic. The republicans tried some shady moves to shut her down, supporters gathered, Twitter blew up. At the end of the long day, she won!

But not all is right in Texas, today. The state is executing its 500th person and Davis’ fight may not be over.

The Right to Marry, Defended!

In the best pride month celebration to date, the Defense of Marriage Act, the law barring the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages legalized by the states, was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court by a 5-4 vote. I would have appreciated a larger number, but a win is a win.

Here’s a piece of the majority opinion: “The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. “By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment.”

This is a huge step toward equality, but the fight isn’t over. While the federal government has to recognize the legal marriages of same-sex couples, individual states are not required to legalize marriage equality. Hopefully, those who haven’t will see this as a sign that it’s time to get on board. (Looking at you, Illinois.) Throughout this fight, countless minds have been changed because of people brave enough to step forward and share their stories before the world, and sometimes their families, were ready to hear them.

A Terrible Day for Voters’ Rights

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) that kept discriminatory voting laws from going into effect in areas of the country with histories of disenfranchisement, reports Think Progress. The justices struck down a provision requiring certain jurisdictions, mostly counties in the South, to receive permission from the federal government before changing any law related to voting. In 1965, the slim majority argued, this was necessary to prevent sneaky tricks to keep blacks and Hispanics from having an impact on elections. Apparently, the five Justices who voted to remove the provision believe that racism is over. Had you heard? Great news, huh?

Once again, the Daily Show helps us put this in perspective. John Oliver pointed out that this portion of the VRA has been invoked to protect voters 74 times since the year 2000. And, there’s a direct connection to last night’s events in the Lone Star State. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced this week that the state would advance the nation’s most restrictive voter ID law—the very same redistricting map that was designed to keep Davis out of office.

As Oliver said, “Two hours! They couldn’t even wait for two hours. It takes Texas less time to disenfranchise minority voters than it takes for them to barbecue a pig.” Hopefully, these real stories of the impact of the VRA will inspire people to fight back.

The Vajayjay Monologues

The world doesn’t want to hear your vagina’s story. Earlier this week, iTunes censored the word “vagina” in Eve Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues on its e-book page, spelling “vagina” as “v****a.” This comes on the heels (can I still say heels?) of a newspaper in Wisconsin replacing the repulsive and terrible anatomically correct word with XXXXXXX in an ad for the play. I have said it before and I will say it again, vagina is not a dirty word. Say it loud, say it proud. And with that: Vagina.

Images: Planned Parenthood and The ACLU

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