HELENA, MT -- Yesterday, the Montana House of Representatives voted to ban Representative Zooey Zephyr, the state’s only transgender lawmaker, from the House floor, anteroom, or gallery for the rest of the session after she spoke out against proposed legislation to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. House Republicans began purposefully silencing Rep. Zephyr last Thursday and voted on Monday to continue disallowing her to speak. Rep. Zephyr’s constituents and supporters were arrested on Monday during a peaceful protest of the vote. Montana Republicans used unprecedented means to push bills targeting the state's environmental protections, public participation, and democracy this session. To date, 11 other states have passed similarly extreme anti-trans legislation.
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WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the US Supreme Court issued its final ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, overturning the long-held precedent in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. This ruling, made by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court, undoes nearly 50 years of precedent set by Roe v. Wade, and 26 states are now poised to outlaw abortion immediately or as soon as possible, immediately curtailing the reproductive choice of more than 135 million people.
During its first meeting since adding five newly-elected members, the Sierra Club’s Board of Directors advanced a forward-thinking agenda of climate justice, environmental protection and social transformation this weekend – and passed a new policy endorsing “comprehensive, voluntary reproductive health care for all.”
El Senado Federal fracasĂł hoy en su intento de aprobar la Ley de ProtecciĂłn de la Salud de la Mujer por segunda vez, ya que el Senador Joe Manchin (D-WV) votĂł junto con sus 50 colegas republicanos.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Senate failed to begin debate on the Women’s Health Protection Act for a second time, as Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted with all 50 Republicans to block the bill’s advancement. The Women’s Health Protection Act would codify the abortion and reproductive health protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law and block many of the extreme state-level restrictions on reproductive healthcare that have been recently passed.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Late last night, a narrowly divided Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ignored its precedent and undermined the Constitutional rights of millions of people by declining to block Texas’ abortion ban (S.B. 8). S.B. 8, which took effect Tuesday, bans abortion care after six weeks of pregnancy, making it all but impossible for millions of Texans to receive essential healthcare. S.B. 8 is the most restrictive abortion law in the nation and it also incentivizes private individuals to file lawsuits against anyone they believe is either providing abortion care or assisting someone in accessing an abortion.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Today marks International Trans Day of Visibility, an annual day celebrating the resileince of transgender people and that reminds us all of the discrimination trans and gender non-binary people experience each day in employment, housing, and navigating society at large. International Trans Day of Visibility was first celebrated 12 years ago when its creator, Rachel Crandall-Crocker, wanted to create unity and honor and uplift her community.
Washington, D.C.-- Today, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), National Partnership for Women & Families, and the Sierra Club released a brief focusing on the environmental and Reproductive Justice injustices experienced by Black, Latinx, and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities as a result of not having access to clean and affordable water.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s extreme abortion law that would have gutted reproductive health rights in the state. Louisiana’s law was nearly identical to a Texas abortion law that the Supreme Court overturned in 2016. Read more about the Sierra Club’s previous Gender Equity work here.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that LGBTQ workers are protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Sierra Club’s Gender Equity and Environment Program and Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA) launched the second annual U.S. Accelerator for Grassroots Women Environmental Leaders. Building on the success of the 2019 U.S. program, the 2020 Accelerator will continue to support a diverse group of women leaders working on the frontlines of environmental and climate justice. The program will deepen cross-organizational strategies for change, build powerful alliances within and across movements, and scale solutions for environmental protection, health, and justice.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) and the Sierra Club released a new report, Gender and Climate Change in the United States: A Reading of Existing Research, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive gender review of scientific literature in the U.S. Through careful analysis of existing literature, the report details how gender shapes experiences with the climate crisis through the themes of human health, extreme weather events, employment in climate-affected sectors, and public knowledge and perception of environmental issues. In sum, the report underscores that as we begin to craft climate policy in the face of the climate crisis, gender and a comprehensive gender analysis matters.