Ann Friedman - Visibility, memory, and a big-ass salad

Straight on to the links...

A pediatric trauma surgeon tells Marin Cogan what bullets do to kids. Every politician who has refused to move gun control laws forward should be required to read this. Meanwhile: Where do your reps stand on the Assault Weapons Ban? If they're not on the cosponsors list, it's worth sending them an email.

Say it with me now: Abortion. Wins. Elections. Rebecca Traister on what might be possible if the Democrats applied even a modicum of legislative muscle to this issue.

Helen Lewis on how Florida, once the narrowest swing state, came to embody an emotional new strain of conservatism. 

"In my dreams, my body resists change. There is no transformation, no chrysalises. In my daydreams, the person who is meant for me must love, does love, the things I dislike about my body, the handfuls of it." Autumn Fourkiller on living and loving and desiring in a body that defies what a woman's is "supposed" to be.

Trish Bendix on 50 years of Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle and the state of the lesbian bar.

Tammie Teclemariam praises the Big-Ass Salad, "a complete vehicle of veggies, protein, crunch, flavor, and sauce." I could have read another 1,000 words on the virtues of salad-as-main-course.

Jessica Hopper's documentary series Women Who Rock is streaming on Amazon Prime until tonight, though if you miss that window you won't regret getting a 7-day free trial of Epix so you can watch these 4 episodes.

I cannot understate the joyful, healing power of watching women musicians of different eras commenting on the influence and power of each other's work. So many stories I'd never heard, so much footage I'd never seen. When I interviewed Jessica on Call Your Girlfriend in 2019, we talked about the importance of feminist memory. This show is an incredible document.

Trans Day of Visibility isn't just about seeing and honoring the lives of trans people—it's also an invitation to allies to become more visible and more vocal in our support. This clip from the Texas legislature really underscored this for me. (Here's another view.)

"Your newsletter remains a favorite." -Kate. Even on a hodgepodge week like this? Awwww.