Women, Gender, and Sex

Independent News and Analysis on the U.S. Supreme Court

We must stand up to politicians who want to restrict people’s ability to make their own health care decisions in consultation with their doctors.

National Background and ContextEach year, a broad cross section of people in the United States obtain abortions. In 2017, 862,320 abortions were provided in clinical settings in the United States.The U.S. Supreme Court recognized the constitutional right to abortion in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and has reaffirmed that right in subsequent decisions.

At the International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC on July 25, 2012 sex workers activists loudly disrupted a special session on the United States Congress and the global AIDS epidemic. Activists rose up from the audience several minutes into the panel, as Senator Bill First praised panelists Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) for their bipartisan support of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Although PEPFAR is the world's largest government-generated fund for HIV/AIDS, it contains a policy, known as the "anti-prostitution pledge" that requires recipients of funds to oppose prostitution. Activists raised red umbrellas, unfurled a banner reading "Stop Criminalization, Change PEPFAR" and chanted "repeal the pledge, reform PEPFAR," "sex workers' rights are human rights," and "nothing about us without us." The activists made their way to the front of the packed room, to cheers from the audience, while Senator Frist tried to silence them. The group refused to step down, and remained seated at the front of the room for the duration of the session. After the group sat down, Senator Frist introduced Representative Barbara Lee, who announced planned legislation, bill HR 6138, which was introduced last week but for which the text is not yet available, which will eliminate the anti-prostitution pledge. As Rep. Lee exited the stage, the activists chanted "We love Barbara Lee!" This video includes documentation of the disruption, Barbara Lee's announcement about the new legislation, and commentary on the action by Kelli Dorsey (Different Avenues), Daisy McCloud (Red Umbrella Project), and Sharmus Outlaw (Desiree Alliance).

1M Likes, 25K Comments - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@aoc) on Instagram

Sex, Gender, and the Politics of ERA is the most profound and sensitive discussion to date of the way in which women responded to feminism. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, Mathews and De Hart explore the fate of the ERA in North Carolina--one of the three states targeted by both sides as essential to ratification--to reveal the dynamics that stunned supporters across America. The authors insightfully link public discourse and private feelings, placing arguments used throughout the nation in the personal contexts of women who pleaded their cases for and against equality. Beginning

"In the tradition of Notorious RBG, a lively, beautifully designed, full-color illustrated celebration of the life, wisdom, wit, legacy, and fearless style of iconic American Congresswoman Maxine Waters. "Let me just say this: I'm a strong black woman, and I cannot be intimidated. I cannot be undermined. I cannot be thought to be afraid of Bill O'Reilly or anyone."-Maxine Waters. To millions nationwide, Congresswoman Maxine Waters is a hero of the resistance and an icon, serving eye rolls, withering looks, and sharp retorts to any who dare waste her time on nonsense. But behind the Auntie Maxine meme is a seasoned public servant and she's not here to play. Throughout her forty years in public service and eighty years on earth, U.S. Representative for California's 43rd district has been a role model, a crusader for justice, a game-changer, a trailblazer, and an advocate for the marginalized who has long defied her critics, including her most vocal detractor, Donald J. Trump. And she s just getting started. From her anti-apartheid work and support of affirmative action to her passionate opposition to the Iraq War and calls to hold Trump to account, you can count on Auntie Maxine to speak truth to power and do it with grace and, sometimes, sass. As ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee and one of the most powerful black women in America, she is the strong, ethical voice the country has always needed, especially right now. Reclaiming Her Time pays tribute to all things Maxine Waters, from growing up in St. Louis "too skinny" and "too black," to taking on Wall Street during the financial crisis and coming out on top in her legendary showdowns with Trump and his cronies. Featuring inspiring highlights from her personal life and political career, beloved memes, and testimonies from her many friends and fans, Reclaiming Her Time is a funny, warm, and admiring portrait of a champion who refuses to stay silent in the face of corruption and injustice; a p owerful woman who is an inspiration to us all."--;To millions nationwide, American Congresswoman Maxine Waters is a hero of the resistance and an icon, serving eye rolls, withering looks, and sharp retorts to any who dare waste her time on nonsense. Throughout her forty years in public service and eighty years on earth, the U.S. Representative for California's 43rd district has been a role model, a crusader for justice, a game-changer, a trailblazer, and an advocate for the marginalized who has long defied her critics-- including her most vocal detractor, Donald J. Trump. Andrews-Dyer and Thomas pay tribute to Waters, with highlights from her personal life and political career in a funny, warm, and admiring portrait of a champion who refuses to stay silent in the face of corruption and injustice. -- adapted from publisher info

"Gendered Citizenship outlines how the original conflict over the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) altered the nature of American Citizenship, creating justification for sex-specific treatment and rights that still exist today"--

"On August 26, 1920, these words became part of the United States Constitution as its Nineteenth Amendment. The requisite thirty- six states had ratified the amendment in the year since its enactment by Congress on June 4, 1919. A revolution in women's rights, spanning over seventy years, came to a quiet conclusion as Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the measure into law in the privacy of his home at eight o'clock in the morning.1 None of the prominent suffrage leaders of the day, including the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) president, Carrie Chapman Catt; or the National Woman's Party (NWP) chair, Alice Paul, were at the signing.2 Catt was later invited to go to the State Department to see the proclamation, but no similar invitation was extended to the more militant Paul. Paul had been a thorn in the side of President Woodrow Wilson, with her White House picketing and willingness to be imprisoned for the vote.3 Ratification was followed by ten years of litigation- most of it in state courts- during which the meaning and scope of the Nineteenth Amendment was contested. In its most literal sense, the Nineteenth Amendment did not confer a "right" to vote per se. Rather, it simply prohibited the states or the federal government from using sex as a criterion for voter eligibility.4 In other words, its ratification meant that state and federal impediments to voting based on sex were now unconstitutional. It did not mean that all women in the United States could vote.5 As a matter of law, the Nineteenth Amendment meant that states could not prevent African American women from voting based solely on their sex. Yet vast numbers of African American women were prevented from voting in the November 1920 presidential election that followed on the heels of ratification.6 They faced the same impediments- poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and physical intimidation- used to prevent their male counterparts from voting after ratificat ion of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments.7 Those amendments conferred citizenship on previously enslaved persons and barred state or federal restrictions on voting based on race, color, and previous condition of servitude"--

An American hero. Nothing less can be said of Barbara Jordan. One of the most influential women of the 20th century, she held an unwavering faith in the American people and heralded patriotism, justice, and compassion. With exclusive cooperation from the Jordan estate, Mary Beth Rogers gives us an intimate look at the woman born in poverty in Houston's Fifth Ward, who went on to become a savvy politician and dynamic leader, exemplifying courage, honor and dignity. Refusing to be "an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution",* Barbara stirred the nation with her forceful and eloquent oratory during the Watergate hearings, yet in 1977 decided not to seek reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives, turning instead to a life of teaching amid rumors of a serious illness.A true woman of heroic proportions, Barbara Jordan spent her entire life shaping the way people think. With her powerful convictions and her flair for oratorical drama, Barbara Jordan helped change the landscape of America's 20th century. Her patriotism, her fire and her perseverance have touched us all. Through this book, her life and the footsteps she left will be reintroduced to a country that is inarguably better for her presence.Mary Beth Rogers taught American Politics with Barbara Jordan at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. A chief of staff for former Texas Governor Ann Richards, Mary Beth is now

"In the vein of Notorious RBG, fifteen writers explore the multiple meanings of a young Latina politician who has already made history. From the moment Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat a ten-term incumbent in the primary election for New York's 14th, her journey to the national, if not world, stage, was fast-tracked. Six months later, as the youngest Congresswoman ever elected, AOC became one of a handful of Latina politicians in Washington, D.C. Just thirty, she represents her generation, the millennials, in many groundbreaking ways: proudly working class, Democratic Socialist, of Puerto Rican descent, master of social media, not to mention of the Bronx, feminist-and a great dancer. AOC investigates her symbolic and personal significance for so many, from her willingness to use her imperfect bi-lingualism, to the threat she poses by governing like a man, to the long history of Puerto Rican activism that she joins. Contributors span a wide range of voices and ages, from media to the arts and politics; they include Rebecca Traister, Jennine Capo Crucet, Andrea Gonzalez-Ramirez, Patricia Reynoso, Pedro Regalado, Natalia Sylvester, Carmen Rita Wong, Tracey Ross, Erin Aubry Kaplan, Mariana Atencio, Wendy Carrillo, Nathan J. Robinson, Elizabeth Yeampierre, Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez, and Maria Cristina "MC" Gonzalez Noguera."--

Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government. This is Public Law No. 92‑318, 86 Stat. 235, codified at 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681–1688.

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. The first version of an ERA was written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman and introduced in Congress in December 1923.

The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (“FOSTA”) rescinded legal immunity for websites that intentionally host user-generated advertisements for sex trafficking. However, Congress’s mechanism of choice to protect sex-trafficking victims has faced critique and backlash from advocates for those involved in commercial sex, who argue that FOSTA’s broad legislative language does far more to harm sex workers—a group distinct from sex-trafficking victims—than it does to end sex trafficking, chilling significant protected speech in the process.

Title IX Oral History, Women and Sports Oral History, Women and the Law Oral History

A Senate aide directed staff to protect the three mahogany boxes containing the certified electoral votes while rioters stormed the Capitol Wednesday afternoon.

Reproductive freedom and voting are intrinsically linked. 'As long as women's reproductive freedom continues to be politicized, women must vote.' 'Controlling women’s bodies has been a method of subjugation for

WASHINGTON • The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives plans to debate and vote on legislation aimed at stopping states from enacting tough anti-abortion regulations like the one in Texas, Speaker

Fifty years ago, Title IX changed the landscape for women across the United States. To celebrate the landmark civil rights law, here are nine (or so) who paved the way for Title IX and have championed its transformative legacy,

The ERA would formally ban discrimination on the basis of sex and guarantee equality for women under the Constitution.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's outrage over a Republican lawmaker’s verbal assault broadened into an extraordinary moment on the House floor Thursday as she and other Democrats assailed a sexist culture of “accepting violence and violent language against women” whose adherents include President Donald Trump...

In the #MeToo era and with more women entering Congress, activists are hopeful another state could ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. But is it too late?

Female attorneys like Loretta Lynch and Jeannie Rhee of Paul Weiss and Beth Brinkmann with Covington & Burling are filing amicus briefs in a Democratic lawsuit seeking to force the addition of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.

The bulletin moved just after 1 p.m. on Aug. 18, 1920, conveying the breaking news that the 19th Amendment had been ratified giving women the constitutional right to vote...

As a senator, President Biden played a key role in passing the landmark 1994 law, which he called "one of my proudest legislative achievements." It wasn't reauthorized in 2018 over partisan disputes.

What supporters and opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment say the amendment would do if enacted.

Three Democrats – Bush, Barbara Lee and Pramila Jayapal – spoke before House oversight committee hearing on reproductive rights

Text for S.3165 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): SAFE SEX Workers Study Act

Text for H.R.2694 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Pregnant Workers Fairness Act