Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week:

 

Florida’s redistricting fight continues. The head of the state League of Women Voters talks about what’s at stake.

Barbara Rodriguez, The 19^th* 

On Tuesday, Florida state lawmakers kicked off a dayslong special session to approve a map that will set congressional district lines for the next decade. As a result, the League of Women Voters of Florida, along with several other organizations, reached out to voters to alert them of the special session, and ask them to urge their elected officials to vote against the proposed map. Cecile Scoon, President of the League of Women Voters of Florida, worries that if approved, the new map will lead to partisanship and uncompetitive districts when it comes to voting in elected officials.

Read the full story here.

 

#MeToo’s Influence Paying Off in Congress

Carrie N. Baker, Ms. Magazine

Unfortunately, up to sixty percent of women “report experiencing unwanted sexual attention, sexual coercion, sexually crude conduct or sexist comments in the workplace.” Since Alyssa Milano’s #MeToo tweet went viral five years ago, based on the framework of #MeToo founder and activist Tarana Burke, advocates have fought for more protections and services for sexual assault survivors.  In a recent victory for advocates, President Joe Biden signed the long-delayed reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) which funds crisis lines, emergency shelters, and legal services, among other things, to assist sexual assault survivors.

Read the full story here.

 

Venus Williams reflects on her fight for equal pay at Wimbledon

Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune

In a recent interview, tennis star Venus Williams reflects on her fight for equal pay at Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world. Williams says that she always thought of her 2007 Wimbledon win as poetic justice given that it was the first time both genders received equal prize money, something she had been speaking out about for years. Continuing her fight for equal pay for all women, Williams’s lifestyle brand EleVen launched a Privilege Tax initiative last March, drawing awareness to pay inequalities and raising funds for Girls, Inc. – an organization dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged young women.

Read the full story here.

 

What’s the Big Deal About a Woman Being Bald?

Vanessa Friedman, New York Times

X González, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student then known as Emma, showcased how hair is political when they served as the face of #NeverAgain with a shaved head. When Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley reflected on having alopecia, a condition that causes temporary or permanent hair loss, she said that her hair was intertwined not only with her personal identity and how she shows up in the world, but also her political brand. Congresswoman Pressley wanted to show the world her new normal, proudly showcasing her baldness. Hair, or lack of it, proves to still be a public issue for women.

Read the full story here.