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:

 

100 Utah women sign statement ‘standing together’ against harassment in politics

Eliza Pace, KSLTV TV 5

On Monday, 100 Utah Democratic and Republican women in politics signed a statement “standing together” against harassment. Local mayors, state legislators and others shared the statement. Part of the statement reads, “We stand together in stating unequivocally that there is no place for harassment in Utah politics…We are united in our resolve to fight for a safe and healthy environment for women to create and influence policy in all areas of government.…”

Read the full story here.

 

After going into labor during a convention speech, this candidate wants to close the motherhood gap in politics

Erin Delmore, MSNBC

In April, Minnesota state Senate candidate Erin Maye Quade went into active labor during her Democratic-Farmer-Labor-Party (DFL) nominating convention. A video of Quade enduring contractions and pausing her speech in between them went viral. After Quade finished her speech and Q&A session, her contractions intensified, and she asked her opponent Justin Emmerich to suspend the convention and instead go to a primary. Quade’s request was denied, and she ultimately headed to the hospital and withdrew from the race she long campaigned for. Quade has since spoken out about her experience, advocating for the gap between motherhood and politics to be closed.

Read the full story here.

 

Period equity is expanding in Texas. Austin schools are the latest to provide free pads and tampons.

Nadra Nittle, The 19^th*

This fall when Austin public school students return to the classroom, they will find dispensers of free maxi pads and tampons. In total, Austin Independent School District spent $85,000 on dispensers and $70,000 on the first batch of menstrual products to provide to students for free. The Texas school district is the latest to join the national movement toward period equity. So far the movement has seen 23 states lift taxes on menstrual products and 17 states and Washington, D.C., require schools to give these products to students.

Read the full story here.

 

With primary win, Becca Balint is likely to be Vermont’s first female and openly gay member of Congress

Dareh Gregorian, NBC News

Vermont’s state Senate president, Becca Balint, won the Democratic nomination for the state’s at-large congressional seat on Tuesday. With this victory, Balint is projected to be the first woman to represent Vermont in Congress, the only state that has never had a woman in their congressional delegation. If she wins in November, Balint would also be the first openly gay lawmaker to represent the state on Capitol Hill.

Read the full story here.