Weekly Feminist Cheat Sheet

Another long 2017 week (only two more left!) but this one had some highs. Here is what we are reading:

Net neutrality — or safeguards preventing internet service providers to interfere with our access — was repealed this week. Here’s what comes next.

This isn’t the only instance of our government doing corporations’ bidding. The Environmental Protection Agency has fulfilled almost all major demands made by the American Petroleum Institute within its first year under Trump. And while the Administration is actively thwarting all attempts to stop climate change, this year’s Defense Authorization Act contains extensive discussion of how climate change will affect U.S. security, leading to droughts, famines, failed states and more terrorism (narrowly, of course, defined as the “non-white kind.”). In Juliana’s words: climate change doesn’t exist when it comes to the fossil fuel industry’s profits, but it does when we’re planning how to “protect” our country from disasters and brown people.

Also, both public and private financial institutions are beginning to recognize the risks associated with investing in oil and coal.

Also also, please read this new report published in the journal Sciences Advances on how fracking hurts infants’ health.

This is a tough and important read: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher Shalon Irving dedicated her life to researching the effects of racism on black women’s maternal health outcomes — black women are 243% more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth related causes than white women — and then died 3 weeks after giving birth due to medical negligence and racism.

The CDC — the agency tasked with protecting the lives of the most vulnerable — also just banned the words ‘vulnerable’, ‘fetus,’ and ‘transgender.’

On the #MeToo avalanche: Salma Hayek’s piece in the New York Times on the endless sexual harassment from Weinstein, and how she had to fight tooth and nail to get Frida made; on the “abstract language and passive voice” used by perpetrators; the terminology of ‘sexual misconduct’ vs. sexual harassment; and Dayna Tortorici’s piece in n+1 Mag on whether history must have losers:

Some things are zero sum — perhaps more things than one cares to admit. To say that feminism is good for boys, that diversity makes a stronger team, or that collective liberation promises a greater, deeper freedom than the individual freedoms we know is comforting and true enough. But just as true, and significantly less consoling, is the guarantee that some will find the world less comfortable in the process of making it habitable for others

And of course, women who have publicly accused President Trump of sexual misconduct will call for Congress to investigate the allegations.

Doug Jones narrowly beat out racist, creep Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race. The victory, without a doubt, was due to turnout from voters of color (especially black women). Catch up on Jess’ round-up of important writing from black women responding to the Alabama election — and the ways in which the rest of us can actually do better. Also read Zak Cheney Rice’s piece in Mic on whether this is what black Alabamians died for:

The indignity of black people shedding literal blood to gain the franchise, only to be tasked — in 2017 — with preventing white people from electing an alleged child molester to the Senate, is unfathomable. As is the shameless and amoral partisanship that defines GOP politics today, such that 91% of self-identified Republicans voters in Alabama felt that Moore’s homophobia and plans to ban abortion were values more precious than stopping a man who likely preyed on children from making major policy decisions.

I don’t have words yet for how disgusting this is: check out this piece in The Intercept on Red Fawn and the criminalization of indigenous women and protest.

Despite such efforts, a group of indigenous Maya Q’eqchi’ women launched a precedent-setting legal challenge that could cast a chill over Canada’s vast mining interests.

And last but not least: some dear friends and Native organizers in DC created a viral #GoRedhawks hoax this week to help us imagine a world without the Washington football team’s racist mascot. Here’s the group Rising Hearts’ statement. And here is the team’s (garbage) response. Follow Rising Hearts and join their action at FedEx Field (and Twitter storm) on Sunday.

Header image via Propublica