‘Sup, Meteor readers,

Today is my wedding anniversary. I’d do a mildly sappy opening since we’re all friends here, but then I became aware of a more pertinent life event: Taylor Swift announced that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is dropping in October.

Speaking of music and important dates, tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of hip-hop!

In honor of The Bronx’s greatest export, we asked some friends to share their favorite lyrics of the last 50 years. (And not to spoil anything for you, but we’ve got a lot of Lauryn Hill fans in the house.)

But first, before we bop down memory lane, the news.

All the way up,

Shannon from the block

WHAT'S GOING ON

History in flames: A massive wildfire has torn through the town of Lahaina in Maui, Hawaii, killing at least 36 people. The blaze began as a result of an unseasonably dry summer and passing hurricane winds in the region.

Compounding the number of lives lost (which fire officials believe will only rise) is the loss of historical landmarks. Lahaina was once the royal capital of Hawaii prior to the colonization of the archipelago. The town was home to a heritage museum and the Old Lahaina Courthouse, both of which have burned to the ground. The executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation told the Times, “This is the worst destructive thing that has happened in this town’s entire history.”

This particular wildfire is also one of the worst ever to strike the U.S. and is quickly becoming the deadliest. Residents are being evacuated to fire shelters, but many don’t know if they’ll have a home to return to once the fire is contained.

To help those affected by the fires, you can donate to Maui Strong Fund, Kākoʻo Maui Fund, or Maui Mutual Aid.

  AND:

• It’s been more than 100 days since the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Last month the writers were joined on the picket lines by members of the actors’ guild SAG-AFTRA. Both groups are committed to the fight for a fair contract despite the great cost—for example, Billy Porter, who says he will now have to sell his house because he doesn’t know when he’ll be able to go back to work. Find out how to help writers and actors affected by this work stoppage here.

• If Greg Abbott wasn’t already on your most hated list, let us help you: Last month the Texas governor ordered an enormous floating buoy be placed in the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from entering Texas from the river. Seven people have died as a result and the DOJ is now suing Texas. Instead of having a shred of humanity, Abbott doubled down on the barrier and had “‘chainsaw-type’ devices” added to the buoys. No words.

• Ohio voters came out in droves this week to show lawmakers that they’re paying attention by stopping their legislature from amending the state constitution to make it harder to pass pro-abortion initiatives.

CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO JOIN OUR AMBASSADOR PROGRAM! 

MUSIC TO OUR EARS

The Rhymes That Changed Us

11 women on their hip-hop click moment

BY REBECCA CARROLL

WYCLEF JEAN, LAURYN HILL, AND PRAS MICHEL OF THE FUGEES, 2023 (IMAGE BY TAYLOR HILL VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Hip-hop as a genre is complicated. But at its core, it’s about bearing witness to the world and telling a story directly from that personal vantage point. Whether they be stories of revolutionary rage, tender triumph, sheer joy, or all of the above, the hip-hop canon is undeniably rich. This year marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop as an art form, and to celebrate, we asked our favorite creatives to share a lyric from one song that impacted them in some profound way.    

It could all be so simple
But you’d rather make it hard
Loving you is like a battle
And we both end up with scars

— “Ex-Factor,” Lauryn Hill 

I write to music. I look for songs that open me up to the emotions I’m writing. These lyrics are so deep and gutturally poetic. I put this song on repeat to write the “fourth quarter” of Love and Basketball. I have literally heard it over a thousand times. And it rocks me still. —Gina Prince-Bythewood, filmmaker

And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?

— “Keep Ya Head Up,” Tupac

I spent some time with Pac before this song was written. I was in a black feminist rock group called Subject to Change. He would come to my band rehearsals, and afterwards we would share deep and heavy conversations about the depiction of Black women in Hip Hop. We also talked about the incredible women of The Black Panther Party. My heart expanded when he wrote these powerful lyrics. He was such a beautiful man inside and out. —Cree Summer, actress, singer/songwriter 

You ain’t a bitch or a hoe

—“U.N.I.T.Y.,” Queen Latifah 

I've been a hip-hop fan since I was a little girl, but I've always resented how misogynistic the music can be. I didn't have the greatest understanding of why that was when I was small, but I knew that our men were using it to call us mean names and I didn't like that. When I was about nine, Queen Latifah released “U.N.I.T.Y.,” a powerful clapback towards sexism in both hip-hop music and the Black community. I was entranced. Latifah was so strong, so beautiful, and she was standing up for us. It's one of my favorite songs to this day. —Jamilah Lemieux, cultural critic

WEEKEND READS 📚

On bodily autonomy: “Birth Control: The Insidious Power of Men Over Motherhood” may take you more than a weekend to read, but every second will be worth it. (Bookshop)

On music: Meet the Palestinian pop singer bringing new life into the resistance. (Teen Vogue)

On education: Do HSI’s (Hispanic-serving institutions) actually help the students they claim to be supporting? (Refinery29)

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Hey Meteor readers,

We’ve got a THICC newsletter for you today so I’m not going to slow you down. But before we get to the goods, a quick announcement: We’re launching a newsletter ambassador program. Just click the banner below to enter your information and get your unique code to share with friends and family—and earn a Meteor tote bag once five of your referrals sign up. And the prizes only get better from there!

In today’s newsletter we look at the USWNT’s World Cup loss and chat with Flamy Grant, a drag queen who has the number one Christian album on iTunes right now.

Jammin’ with Jesus,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

Not goodbye, but see you later: On Sunday the US Women’s National Team was eliminated from the Women’s World Cup after its game against Sweden went into penalty kicks. It was a crushing defeat and not the send-off anyone was expecting for Megan Rapinoe’s final World Cup appearance. The loss is especially difficult to accept considering that it was the Round of 16 and even on their worst day, the USWNT is better than that.

But hear me out for a moment. Perhaps this loss was actually a good thing for women in soccer overall?

The USWNT and a bevy of European nations have been the dominant squads at the World Cup for 30 years. Occasionally China has made it into the quarterfinals but in general, when you think of the most competitive and dominant teams you’re thinking of England, The Netherlands, maybe France, and the United States, with a handful of strong threats like Brazil, Japan, or Canada, which can, under the right circumstances, topple the favorites.

And there is a reason for this dominance: investment. Like many sports, soccer was intended to be a “gentleman’s” game, and the inclusion of women at the professional level is still a relatively young concept.  The nations which have put the greatest time, money, and infrastructure behind their women’s teams have yielded the greatest results, and for some time it was the USA blazing that trail. Because of this initial investment, the USWNT was arguably the best team in the world from 1999 to 2019. But the cost of being the best is that everyone starts figuring out how to beat you.

Which is exactly what happened. Sunday’s loss wasn’t as simple as poor on-field chemistry or Vlatko Andonovski’s lackluster coaching. It was the culmination of a lot of things, but most especially the growing talent and skill on the pitch. Women on teams like Jamaica, South Africa, and Colombia have been clamoring for more support and resources from their nations for years and are slowly but surely starting to get it from their local sport-governing bodies and their fans as well. Europe, as a whole, has also further stepped up its contribution to women’s athletics with some of the biggest organizations in soccer (like Manchester, Madrid, and PSG) pouring more money into the development of their women’s leagues.

And now we find ourselves in a golden age for women’s soccer with an abundance of bona fide legends. In her final World Cup post-game interview Brazilian star Marta summed it up best, “When I started playing I didn’t have a…female idol. How could I? You guys didn’t show female games. Now when we go out on the street, parents stop us and say, ‘My daughter loves you…[she] wants to be just like you when she grows up.’”

AND:​​​​​​​

• In related news: Last week a judge ruled in favor of pregnant people across Texas in the case of Zurawski v. State of Texas. You may remember Amanda Zurawski, the Texas woman who developed sepsis and nearly died when doctors refused to perform an abortion on her unviable pregnancy—and who went on to sue the state, along with 14 other plaintiffs. As a result of their win, there is now an injunction blocking abortion bans in Texas “as they apply to dangerous pregnancy complications.” The Meteor asked Zurawski what message she hopes this win sends. “I hope this victory validates those who have been harmed and wronged in similarly restrictive states,” she said. “I hope those who have been hurt feel seen and empowered. I want everyone to feel the momentum and the strength of this movement and see that when we work together, and when we fight back, we will not be silenced and we will make change to better the lives of pregnant people in this country. By refusing to back down, we will claim back the right to our own bodily autonomy and reproductive health that we all deserve.”

• Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the killing of George Floyd. Thao was found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter after he held back bystanders while his fellow officers used lethal force to arrest Floyd.

• Finally, some relief is in sight for low-income Puerto Ricans who have been living without reliable power since Hurricane Maria which made landfall in 2017. Last week the DOE committed $450 million to install solar panels for islanders.

SLAYIN' AND PRAYIN'

Serving Looks While Serving the Lord

Meet Flamy Grant, the drag queen with a chart-topping Christian music album

BY BAILEY WAYNE HUNDL

FLAMY GRANT'S ALBUM COVER. (PHOTO BY HALEY HILL)

Flamy Grant is a “shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting” drag queen from western North Carolina. Her name is a reference to 90s Christian pop star Amy Grant, and her album Bible Belt Baby centers on her journey as a queer person of faith—which, apparently, some people aren’t too happy about.

On July 26, infamous MAGA pastor Sean Feucht angrily tweeted about Grant, lamenting that “these are truly the last days,” and that Christian music from a drag queen was the “end goal” of the progressive Christian movement.

“End goal?” Grant tweeted back. “Baby, we’re just getting started. 😘”

And she meant what she said. Feucht told Grant that “hardly anyone listens or cares what you do,” so she rallied her fans on social media to get her songs on the Christian music charts. And by the next morning, her album had reached No. 1 on iTunes.

As a drag queen/queer Christian myself, I had to sit down with this diva and get into it all: the drama, the trauma, and what she hopes to give any Christian—both queer and the other kind.

GOD'S GORGEOUS CREATION (PHOTO BY HALEY HILL)

Bailey Wayne Hundl: Over the last ten days, you have been in People, Rolling Stone, Billboard—when you put out your album, did you ever envision something like this happening?

Flamy Grant: Not to this degree. You know, I saw what happened with Semler, a good friend of mine, and they're the first out queer artist to hit number one on the [Christian] iTunes charts. So I knew that it would be a big deal if a drag queen got on the iTunes charts. But I just thought it would be a cool moment of representation. I would've been happy with that, but like, my gosh, to have a Rolling Stone article that I can now point to… It's crazy. It's massive.

When you started doing drag and mixing that with Christian music, was that your intention—to get as many eyes on it as possible? 

My intention has been to have a career, so whatever it takes to pay my bills. That's been my intention.

And that's just the first rule of drag. Get your bag.

(laughs) Exactly. Yes. My second purpose and intention is to— I always tell people that I write for queer folks, specifically queer folks who grew up in evangelicalism or other high-demand religions who will resonate to that story of having to unburden yourself of a whole heap of oppression that was dropped on you. And then finding freedom, finding liberation, finding your sparkle.

You’ve been a worship leader in church since high school. What led you to add drag to that?

Well, the pandemic, honestly. I got super into drag in my mid-thirties. I've always been a late bloomer at everything because, you know, religious trauma. I mean, I didn't even come out fully until I was 28. So it took a few more years to really become ingrained in queer culture. So once I fell in love with drag, I was just all about it.

And the pandemic gave me the time. I live [in] this house with some housemates who are also musicians. So we started a livestream, like many artists did during the pandemic, where we would just sing cover songs every Thursday night to, like, 30 people on Facebook. I started showing up to those in drag and really that's where Flamy developed her chops, if you will.

[One day] my pastor asked me to give the sermon in drag…so I made a TikTok video to practice and gave a little [uplifting message] in 60 seconds while I was painting my face. And I woke up the next morning and it had completely blown up and gone viral. And I was floored at the responses: “This makes me feel so seen.” “It makes me feel so safe.”

And that inspired you to release a Christian album.

First of all, my record feels like a spiritual record, and I come from the evangelical world, so why not call it a Christian record? It's telling a spiritual journey. It's speaking to people who are still in the church. It's speaking to people who have oppressed queer people in the church. That's the audience that it's for, really. So it just made sense to put it in the Christian category.

I struggled with that a lot because the word “Christian” is so loaded in America—because it's been co-opted by evangelicals. I always like to make this point: Evangelicalism is a sect of Christianity. It is not representative of the entire faith. What we understand to be mainstream Christianity in America is not actually, like, historically Christian.

One thing that queer people of faith get asked a lot is, “How do you reconcile these two disparate worlds?” But I'm curious: Why do you continue to reconcile the two worlds?

Well, I mean, first and foremost, I think the main reason is simple: It's representation. I don't see anybody else who's intentionally trying to be a Christian in the [contemporary Christian music] genre, trying to do that as a drag queen in particular.

And then, because I grew up the way I did, I know what it's like to be a kid who has just nothing to look at that looks or feels like me—to feel like you are such an anomaly and to feel like you are such a broken thing.

So knowing that I can be there, present, especially in such a visible way—because that's the thing about drag: It's a very visibly queer art form. You know, we can see a picture of a drag queen, but then if you get to spend 45 minutes with her, listening to her heart…to hear a full record where I'm talking about this stuff…that's gonna make [an impact].

And a good record, too, if you don't mind me saying.

Thank you! I don't mind you saying it at all. You can say it many times. I'm very proud of it.

SHINING BRIGHTER THAN THE BURNING BUSH. (PHOTO COURTESY OF FLAMY GRANT)

Last question: If you could get just one thing across to the church, what would that be?

My answer might be a little skewed right now, because the past two weeks I've just been inundated and saturated with comments from Christians on the internet who make wild assumptions.

But my encouragement to Christians would be to just listen a little bit. Go listen to three of the songs on my record. And if you don't wanna engage with me, at least take that posture to queer people in your life. And if you don't know any queer people in your life: Yes, you do. You just don't know that they're queer yet.

Just push pause for just a little bit. I know you feel righteously compelled to speak. You feel educated about it because you've read six Bible verses. But there's a whole life story in each of us that I promise if you really hear—it's gonna have an impact on you. And it may not change your mind about homosexuality, but it may give you a window into a life that you would otherwise roll your eyes at or type a vomit emoji at.

Just listen as hard as you can for as long as you can. And see what happens.

AROUND THE WORLD CUP ⚽️

Just because the US is out doesn’t mean the action stops!

• Confused as to why ‘Merica loving right-wingers are taking a 💩 all over the USWNT? Vox offers up an explainer.

• For the first time in the team’s history, Colombia has made it to the World Cup quarterfinals.

• England’s Lauren James has issued an apology after stepping on the back of an opposing player during the match against Nigeria.

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Sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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This newsletter was written by Shannon Melero and Bailey Wayne Hundl. 

Hola, Meteor readers,

I recently caught up on “And Just Like That,” and finally saw the episode where Steve gives Miranda a piece of his mind regarding their much-stalled divorce. As a SATC fan, one of my biggest issues with AJLT is the mistreatment of Steve’s character, and it really felt like his “This is my house” speech was vindication for the hours of Steve-slander I’ve had to endure. Give that man an Emmy. But more importantly, give the writer who penned that monologue a fair wage.

In today’s newsletter, we take a look at Lizzo’s response to the lawsuit against her, offer some good reading for your weekend, and hear from an actual hero, Farkhunda Muhtaj, who helped evacuate teen soccer players from Afghanistan.

Typing from Steve’s house,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

Truth hurts: As you’ve certainly been made aware of by now, on Tuesday, three of Lizzo’s former dancers filed a lawsuit against the singer, her production company, and her dance captain. The lawsuit painted a picture of a hostile work environment, rife with racist and fat-phobic comments, an “excruciating” 12-hour audition in which one dancer soiled herself, and the now-infamous instance in which a dancer was allegedly pressured to eat a banana out of a nude performer’s genitals.

Lizzo posted her response this morning, and the messaging was…well, pretty much exactly what we’ve come to expect from celebrities called out on their behavior. In fact, there’s already a term for it, coined by Dr. Jennifer J. Freyd—DARVO: Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender. Here are some examples straight from Lizzo’s post:

• Deny: “Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound,”

• Attack: “These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.”

• Reverse Victim and Offender: “My character has been criticized.” “I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be.” “I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this.”

This is a well-worn roadmap. But seeing it used by this person, this time, stings. Lizzo represented so many things that felt new: self-celebration, body positivity, sexual liberation—wonderful qualities that people on the right have tried to “cancel” her for time and time again.

She had a chance to do something different and new in her response, too—like address the charges with empathy and humility, rather than taking a page from the DARVO playbook and putting her hurt feelings first. But as a singer once sang, people are only great until they’ve gotta be great.

AND:

• A health crisis you wouldn’t expect is on the rise. Public pools across the U.S. have been unable to open due to staffing shortages, leaving urban communities with one less tool to fight the extreme heat.

• The WGA has been on strike for nearly 14 weeks now, and for the first time since the strike began, representatives from the Guild will be heading back to the negotiation table with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Let’s hope the AMPTP is bringing a checkbook

• Still not sure what to do when your student loan provider comes knocking on your door for repayment? The good news is, you may be able to ignore them for another year.

• WNBA star Brittney Griner—who was wrongfully detained in Russia last year—is taking a break from basketball after playing 20 games in the WNBA’s regular season. Griner is scheduled to miss two games to focus on her mental health.

• Hijarbie is back.

FLEEING AFGHANISTAN

“The World Has Stopped Paying Attention”

The soccer captain behind We Are Ayenda is still working to free the women of her home country.

BY THE METEOR TEAM

FARKHUNDA MUHTAJ SPEAKING TO PRESS AFTER MEMBERS OF THE AFGHANISTAN YOUTH TEAM WERE GRANTED ASYLUM IN PORTUGAL. (IMAGE BY HORACIO VILLALOBOS VIA GETTY IMAGES)

In August 2021, with the world’s eyes on Afghanistan, the teenage soccer players on that country’s Under-18 Women’s National Team left their homes and began a weeks-long journey to evacuate from their country. The experience of these players—many of whom now live in Portugal and compete as Ayenda, which means “future” in Farsi—is the subject of not one but two films this month, the first of which, We Are Ayenda, is out now on Amazon Prime. The second, Ayenda, will be available on Peacock later this summer.

We talked to the extraordinary person who led the girls through the rescue process—not an intelligence officer, but a then-23-year-old Afghan-Canadian soccer player, Farkhunda Muhtaj, the captain of the Afghan Women’s National Team.

The Meteor: The film shows your day-by-day work evacuating the youth team from Afghanistan. How did you come to be the person entrusted with the job to begin with?

Farkhunda Muhtaj: Because I was the captain [of the women’s national team] and I also lived abroad…I was very much trusted from individuals within Afghanistan. And so I think immediately when they needed help, they turned to me. The women's department secretary...reached out and said to me that Canada was supporting 20,000 Afghans and could I help get the families to either Canada or any other kind of safe nation.

What impressed you the most about the girls as they navigated the process of trying to leave the country?

I would say their courage and determination and resilience for sure. The girls really went through hell. They were trusting me blindly—they didn't know what the next move was, where they were headed, why they were headed [to] a certain location, who they were waiting for, and how they were going to get into the airport and out of the country. But they risked everything and…whether it took them ten tries, 20 tries, traveling all over the region in order to [find a safe way out], they were doing that. And it's not easy for a 15- or 16-year-old girl to…convince their family that this is the best way out. At the time there was a lot of fraud; it was hard to trust anyone.

And what really impressed me was their sisterhood as well, the fact that they recognized that they weren't the only ones trying to leave Afghanistan.

MEMBERS OF THE YOUTH TEAM ALONG WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS IN PORTUGAL. (IMAGE BY HORACIO VILLALOBOS VIA GETTY IMAGES) 

You’re now living in Europe, and because the Taliban has banned women from playing sports, you’re not allowed to play for your home country. What are your hopes for your own future, and for the future of other Afghan women athletes? 

Just to quickly give you some context: I was a student-athlete in university. I was the captain of the women's soccer team there. And afterward I wanted to continue my education, so I completed my Bachelor of Education [at] a teacher's college in Canada, and became a science and high school teacher. Now I’ve decided to go pro [and play for Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands]—it's something I've wanted to do since I was younger, but I realized that the girls saw me as a role model. And so I [went pro] just to show the girls that, you know, it doesn't matter that we're from Afghanistan, a war-torn country; we're just as capable as any other European, any other American or Canadian. And what I want for other Afghan women athletes is the same journey that I took: They deserve to be educated. They deserve to have the right to play football, and we deserve to represent our country. I want us to be able to represent and officially compete in FIFA competitions once again. Of course, since the Taliban took over, they have banned that.

Beyond sport, I hope that Afghan women can be educated again. But we're kind of out of time. It's been two years already. The situation in Afghanistan is only getting worse, not better.

Yes—there's a moment in We Are Ayenda when you say that you knew [in 2021] that you had to get the girls out quickly because the world was paying attention—and that it might stop. Two years later, has the world stopped paying attention?

Absolutely. The world has stopped watching. Right when the Taliban had taken over Afghanistan, people cared—partly because the U.S.’s reputation was on the line as well. People cared and were very anxious about what the future of Afghanistan might look like. But after the war in Ukraine happened—and nothing against Ukraine, they deserve all the attention and care—everyone forgot about Afghanistan. And you really saw how Afghans were treated compared to Ukrainians…When I was trying to help [evacuate] Afghans and vulnerable communities [after evacuating the players], no country seemed to have space. But as soon as other issues around the world happened, they had the budget; they had the space; they had the time. It was really disheartening for me. It was something I didn't expect from the global community.

And so the world has stopped paying attention. In Afghanistan, women are just there trying to [gain access to] education. I think the most powerful tool is education. Once you're educated, you're aware of your rights and responsibilities, and the fact that women cannot be educated shows that they're trying to silence them. And if our mothers, our sisters, our daughters are not being educated, then what can we expect for the future generations of Afghanistan? I don't think it's going to turn out well at all.

But Afghanistan has been in a desperate situation for decades. And regardless of that, our generations continue to thrive. So although we want the global community to act and be a part of the change and help us, we are also very much trying to do our best to help from within.

WEEKEND READS 📚

On the NFL: “It’s not every day a group of women defeat a white billionaire man.” But for the women who sued former Commanders’ owner Dan Snyder, that day is here. (The Athletic)

On cool kids: A 10-year-old girl threw a water balloon at a local politician from 100 feet away. She got him right in the back of the head and he was so impressed, he suggested she should be playing for the Yankees. So the Yankees invited her for a game. (The Washington Post)

On BookTok: Smutty. Hockey. Drama. Need we say more? (The Cut)

On climate: The heat isn’t only on land. Unda the sea, an “astonishing” heat wave has been lethal for marine life. (The New York Times)

This newsletter was written by Shannon Melero and Bailey Wayne Hundl.

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Beloved Meteor readers,

Can you believe it is August? I actually can’t. I think I have an easier time believing that aliens are here on earth than believing we’re eight months into this year.

In today’s newsletter, we hold space for O’Shae Sibley, celebrate a hijabi champion, and take a spin around the Women’s World Cup.

Boarding the spaceship,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

Break my soul: O’Shae Sibley was a 28-year-old gay Black man, a professional dancer and choreographer. And on Saturday evening, while vogueing to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” with his friends at a Brooklyn gas station, Sibley was approached by a group of men who assaulted him, first with homophobic slurs and then with a knife, stabbing him to death.

Sibley’s friend Otis Pena described him in a Facebook Live as a “beacon of light” who was “always out and loud.” According to Pena, Sibley “was just saying we may be gay, and we’re listening to our music, but there’s no hate. It’s all love—when you stabbed him. You stabbed my brother.”

It’s ironic, but not accidental, that Sibley was voguing to “Renaissance,” one of the queerest albums of 2023 and a joyous love letter to ballroom culture and Black queer joy. All it took was that joy being displayed publicly for his attackers to decide to take his life.

Unfortunately, this sort of violence is on the rise. According to a report issued by the Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD, the first three weeks of June saw 101 incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ harassment and violence—more than twice the number as during the same period last year.

In his video, Pena said, “We as a community don’t deserve this. We’re not going to live in fear. We’re not going to live hiding.” And he’s right. Queer people have always battled beatings with brashness, and they will continue to do so. But that doesn’t make it any easier to face the onslaught of violence—and anti-queer legislation. To all of our queer readers: We feel this loss with you. And we believe in your—our—joy.

You can contribute to Sibley’s memorial fund here.

AND:

• “A religious school can’t be a public school, and a public school can’t be religious,” the ACLU explains. Makes sense, right? Not in Oklahoma, where the state just approved using taxpayer money to fund a “virtual Catholic public charter” school. The school will be managed by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, which means every facet of its operations and curriculum must conform to the teachings of the Catholic church. Needless to say, the ACLU is suing.

• The website formerly known as Twitter and the CEO formerly known as Elon Musk are suing a research group which investigated hate speech on the site.

• You may remember North Carolina state rep Tricia Cotham, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican this winter and went on to cast a crucial vote against abortion rights. Well, according to The New York Times, that may have been the plan all along.

• Kimberly Mata-Rubio’s daughter, Alexandria, was one of the students killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last year; now Mata-Rubio is running for mayor of Uvalde, Texas. “Navigating our political system has been frustrating, and I realized I needed to be the change I seek,” Mata-Rubio told The Washington Post.

• Fani Willis, the district attorney set to release charging decisions for Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, revealed one (of many) racist threats her office has received, in which she is called the n-word and a “Jim Crow Democrat whore.” According to Willis, the email was “not very unique. In fact, it is pretty typical and what I have come to expect.”

• Congratulations to 12-year-old Aaminah Abdrabboh of Dearborn, Michigan, who became the first hijabi ever to earn gold at the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s kids’ tournament.

AROUND THE WORLD CUP ⚽

Here’s what’s going on for those of us who can’t stay up until 3 AM to catch a game.

• The U.S. has advanced to the knockout rounds but just barely. And people are starting to wonder if they’ve still got what it takes. Doubters gonna doubt!

• Jamaica’s team, The Reggae Girlz, aren’t just here to prove a point. They’re here to make history.

• Ticket sales for the Women’s World Cup are approaching 1.7 million. What’s that you said about no one caring about women’s sports?

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Good evening, Meteor readers,

As you have likely heard, singer and activist Sinéad O’Connor passed away yesterday at 56. The tributes pouring in in her honor have been gorgeous and gutting.

I want to add one more. As a young transfemme person in the mid-2010s, I searched for examples of who I wanted to look like when I grew up. And so many versions of femininity seemed unattainable to me, too far a leap from my current reality. But Sinéad gave me a roadmap. In a 1991 Spin magazine interview I found online, she said, “Shaving my head to me was never a conscious thing. I was never making a statement. I was just bored one day and wanted to shave my head, and that was literally all there was to it.”

When I read that, it occurred to me: Oh. I can do whatever the hell I want. So I shaved my head too. Women are told left and right how femininity should be expressed. But alongside her many other contributions, Sinéad gave me—and so many others—the power to realize my self-expression didn’t have to be this huge, profound decision. I could choose something just because I wanted to.

In today’s newsletter, Keisha N. Blain, professor of Africana Studies at Brown University, brings historical perspective to Florida’s curriculum whitewashing. You can read her discussion with Rebecca Carroll down below.

But first, the news.

Having a drink before the war,

Bailey Wayne Hundl

WHAT'S GOING ON

• Yesterday, a British court acquitted actor Kevin Spacey of multiple charges of sexual assault. The news is heartbreaking for Spacey’s accusers—and additionally infuriating because of Spacey’s disingenuous defense that he was being targeted by homophobes. “It’s not a crime to have sex with someone of the same sex, because it’s 2023 not 1823,” Spacey’s attorney argued. On behalf of the queer people at The Meteor, leave us out of this.

• Relatedly: After an organizer for the Miss Italy pageant created a rule saying only people who were “women from birth” could compete for the crown, 100 trans men entered the competition. A truly stunning example of fuck around and find out. Applausi!

• Today is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. For every dollar a non-Hispanic white man makes, Black women make 67 cents. Friendly reminder, the projected date to achieve gender pay parity is now 2056.

• Ohio is putting abortion on the ballot!

• Yesterday was the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To commemorate the occasion, singer-songwriter Lachi, dedicated her latest track “Lift Me Up” to Judith Heumann. Check out the music video here!

• As the U.S heads toward another week of extreme heat, the most vulnerable groups are the unhoused, especially those without a reliable shelter where they can stay. If you’re looking to help a local unhoused person in your area, your first step should never be calling the police.  Instead, offer items like cold water, personal fans, or hats with brims. Consider going a step further by getting in contact with nearby shelters—some are setting up cooling centers and can pick up unhoused people to provide temporary relief.

• Please enjoy this The Marvels trailer with me which features The Meteor’s favorite Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan. It’s my thousandth time watching it. Today.

IT'S ALWAYS FLORIDA

What Exactly Does Ron DeSantis Want Students to Learn About Enslavement?

A professor and historian breaks down Florida's new propaganda campaign disguised as a school curriculum. 

BY REBECCA CARROLL

(IMAGE BY JOSHUA LOTT VIA GETTY IMAGES) 

Last week, the Florida Board of Education unanimously approved a new set of standards for how Black history will be taught in schools. Included in these new standards is an emphasis on teaching “the ways slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” and highlighting “acts of violence” perpetrated by Black folks against other Black folks during slavery. Neither of those claims are factual, and both attempt to mask the actual brutality of white people during enslavement.

I needed to understand more, so I reached out to professor of Africana Studies at Brown University and MSNBC contributor Keisha N. Blain Ph.D., because, honestly, help.

Rebecca Carroll: I know you’ve written about the Florida Board of Education’s new standards for teaching Black history in the classroom—but what was your initial reaction to the curriculum changes both as a historian and a teacher?

Keisha N. Blain: As a professor, I know these standards are poorly designed. But far beyond the poor quality of these standards, I am deeply disturbed by the whitewashing of history and the negative impact these standards will ultimately have on the teaching of United States history in Florida—and beyond.

Even if, in some instances, enslaved people developed skills that ultimately helped them survive/thrive, why does that immediately humanize the enslavers rather than emphasize the resilience of enslaved people?  

The new instructional guidance reveals a complete misunderstanding of chattel slavery as it was practiced in the United States. The goal of these standards is to hide the harsh conditions of enslavement and protect white Americans from grappling with the ugliness of slavery. The goal is clear: The Florida Board of Education wants to foreground a version of slavery wherein enslaved people could benefit. This framing underscores that the plan is not to discuss the resilience of enslaved people; they want to make slavery appear less evil. This effort also cannot be separated from past methods of instruction: Until the 1960s, white historians and educators often promoted a narrative of benevolent white slaveholders and content enslaved people.

This discussion also ignores how the economic exploitation of Black Americans through sharecropping, prison labor, and redlining continued to rob them of opportunity. Emancipation did not free Black Americans from discrimination or racism; those practices continued as white Americans continued to reap all of the “benefits” from Black laborers.

And what is the nuanced conversation that we should be having here? Because if I believe that the history of racism is about dehumanizing and terrorizing Black and brown people, and Florida believes the history of racism is biased against white people, we have a real problem.  

One of the reasons I became a historian is because I came to the recognition that a deep understanding of the past is one of the ways we can build a better future. If we don’t carefully access what has already taken place over the last few centuries, then we run the risk of making the same mistakes over again. We cannot be “wishy-washy” about topics such as slavery. We have to be firm in acknowledging that slavery was a brutal and exploitative economic and labor system that attempted to strip Black people of their inherent humanity. Anyone who dances around this fact has already embraced white supremacist ideology, and deep down inside, they don’t mind returning to an era of slavery.

How do you think these new standards will affect classroom dynamics—will students start recording teachers in an effort to catch them saying something “bad,” meaning something accurate? 

On the one hand, students could absolutely weaponize these standards against teachers. Some of this will likely emerge from parents pushing their children to report these matters; some will also likely arise from students wanting to target certain teachers they don’t like. These standards are intended to curb free speech and push teachers to endorse a false version of history out of fear.

On the other hand, I am also thinking about those students and educators who are bold and savvy enough to bypass these new restrictions. One of the benefits of living in the age of computers is that we have quick access to a lot of information. Banned books in schools can still be accessed elsewhere and students can find deeply researched and accurate accounts of history in other venues. Educators are also skillful at coming up with ways to share information with their students—even if it means defying these new standards. Ultimately, Black people have dealt with this before—others have tried to block our ideas and history in the classroom setting for decades. But Black history education has persisted through decades of repression. 

This all feels similar to the “stand your ground” laws, which say that if anyone (often a white person) feels threatened they can use force. 

I think the impact of these standards—and the Florida state government’s recent attempt to outlaw making white people uncomfortable—is to spread misinformation. Gov. Ron DeSantis and other conservatives are trying to render history into moral statements—such as “the United States is faultless”; “no one is to blame for slavery”; and “racism no longer exists.” This is nothing more than propaganda, [and] when public institutions are pushing this form of propaganda, conflict will emerge whenever someone points out historical facts. Seen from this perspective, this has a real chance of turning classrooms into powder kegs where fights can erupt at any moment. It also makes teachers’ jobs much more difficult. Educators in Florida are now fighting the state simply by telling their students an accurate and unadulterated version of history based on years of research.

In your opinion, what do you think DeSantis wants students to learn? Like, specifically? 

I think the basic lesson that Gov. DeSantis and the Florida Board of Education want students to learn can be boiled down to the idea that white Americans carry no guilt for the enslavement and exploitation of Black Americans. This is why their standard that mentions the 1921 Tulsa Massacre and the 1923 Rosewood Massacre makes sure to state that the lessons should include the “acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.” They are designed to conflate the violence committed against Black communities with the actions of Black Americans defending themselves from white mobs. In short, they are trying to instill a narrative that exculpates white Americans and tacitly embraces the nation’s history of white supremacy.

There is this sense that Black folks can (and should?) endure anything, which, in effect, is normalizing our trauma, no? 

We do run that risk. But I also think it is important to take pride in how our ancestors fought and resisted against white supremacist forces. We can avoid this pitfall of “normalizing our trauma” by recognizing how the history of Black liberation contains lessons for the present. When we look back on figures like Fannie Lou Hamer, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, and others, we cannot ignore the toll their activism took on them—but their lives also show us strategies and tactics we can use today to resist white supremacy.

WEEKEND READS

On education: Sex ed teachers have been forced into hiding by right wing “activists.”

On sports: U.S. Soccer is trying to support working moms on the pitch. How can the rest of us get some of that?

On money: “How student loan debt has fueled the pay gap for Black women.”

On gawd: How Catholics reconsidered their relationship with The Vatican after Sinead O’Connor tore an image of Pope John Paul II on national television.

This newsletter was written by Bailey Wayne Hundl, Shannon Melero, and Rebecca Carroll. 

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Hey Meteor readers,

I hope you all enjoyed Barbenheimer weekend. I’m sure Greta Gerwig did, as she watched her film become the biggest box office opening for a female director ever. And I personally am just glad the world is finally getting on board with liking Barbie, an agenda I have been pushing since 1997.

In today’s newsletter, we are spotlighting the World Cup, shaking our heads at Greg Abbott again, and discussing the power of community organizing in Barbieland. You didn’t think you’d only get one Barbie newsletter, did you?

Cleaning my Misty Copeland Barbie,

Shannon Melero

WHAT'S GOING ON

• Legend in the making: Marta. Rapinoe. Hegerberg. Hamm. Chastain—just a small handful of the names that come to mind when you think of iconic World Cup appearances. Now there’s a new name to add to that list: Caicedo.

  You might have first noticed Linda Caicedo on Sunday, when she scored a beautiful goal for Colombia in its group-stage match against South Korea. It was an exclamation point on Caicedo’s World Cup official debut. But what makes her first cap so special is that she’s now the first player in history to score in THREE World Cups the same year.

  How is that possible? Well, in case you’re not breathing cut grass and soccer ball leather 24/7, you’re definitely not aware of the Under-20 and Under-17 World Cup games that took place earlier this year. Caicedo, who is now 18, competed in both and performed so impressively, she was brought onto Las Cafeteras’ main roster for the Women’s World Cup.

  But her story is deeper than soccer. Born in Valle del Cauca, Columbia, Caicedo started her professional soccer career at just 14 with America de Cali Femenino. But just one year later, Caicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer; she didn’t know if she would play again. After surgery and treatment she went into remission and went on to be the top-ranked player in Copa America 2022 and helped Colombia qualify for the 2023 World Cup—something the team hadn’t done since 2015.

  And it’s not just Colombian fans who see her potential. The second she turned 18, Caicedo was scooped up by global powerhouse Real Madrid, a team that closed out its previous season as number two in its league. (Caicedo had also been courted by Barcelona, the number one team in the league.) As a sports director at a Colombian radio station told the AP, Caicedo “is everybody’s hope. Linda is Colombia’s promise.”

THE INTENSITY! THE DRIVE! THE FUTURE! (IMAGE BY PATRICIA PEREZ FERRARO VIA GETTY IMAGES)

AND:

• Thirteen schools in the East Ramapo School District in New York—home to over 9,000 mainly Black and Latine students—have been cited for having unsafe drinking water. In a letter to Governor Hochul, the New York Civil Liberties Union likened the water situation in East Ramapo to that of Flint, Michigan, mentioning that “lead in the water at East Ramapo public schools was discovered seven years ago, yet it remains unaddressed.”

• Republicans in the Ohio legislature tried to sneak through a new measure to prevent voters from changing the state’s abortion policy. But Ohioans aren’t having it.

• Swimmer Katie Ledecky is making history! Her gold medal in the women’s 1500 meter at the World Aquatics Championships this morning means she is now tied with Michael Phelps for most individual world golds. One more and she will surpass the water GOAT.

• Just when you think it’s not possible, Texas governor Greg Abbott descends into a layer of hell so deep even Dante Alighieri is asking, “Where are we?”

THINK PINK

This Barbie Is a Community Organizer

Consciousness-raising was effective in Barbieland. I bet it would be here, too.

BY SAMHITA MUKHOPADHYAY

(IMAGE BY THE CHOSUNILBO  VIA GETTY IMAGES)

SPOILERS AHEAD

There has been no shortage of ink spilled about the cultural, political, social, and feminist meaning of the new Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie. The fantastical pink plastic joyride is many things: a box office record breaker; an exploration of Barbie’s legacy; a meditation on gender and masculinity; a rigorous look at the impossible standards we hold women to; and a referendum on easy narratives about girl power.

This was all a surprise to me—I had walked into Barbie with a good bit of skepticism. Barbie, the doll, was never a feminist mascot to me, even if she had certain qualities that were radical, especially for her time. At the end of the day, she represented the exact untenable beauty standards that grated at me as a young woman. My protests started young: I shaved all my Barbie’s heads, something that still horrifies my mother. (To be fair, I later shaved my own head as well—it was the ’90s!)

But Barbie tackles my ’90s feminist judgments head-on—implying that simply hating Barbie was also limited in its scope. The movie ultimately sends the message that the problem isn't other women—it's the system. Midway through, America Ferrera’s character Gloria gives a powerful speech about the competing pressures of being a woman that serves as a turning point in the film, a profoundly earnest scene in what is up to that moment airy, humorous fare. She tells a despondent Robbie, “It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.”

Barbie has an awakening at this moment, what feminists including my friend Courtney Martin have called the “click moment”: the moment you realize you have been living a limited version of yourself thanks to the patriarchy™ and that feminism is a real and tangible thing that can make your life better. So the Barbies hatch a plot to convince other Barbies who have been brainwashed that they need to think for themselves, not in the service of their beer-drinking, Godfather-watching counterparts. They quickly come to their senses and band together to overthrow the Kens and, literally, rewrite the Constitution.

And that’s the truly radical thing about Barbie. Like the feminists of the 1970s, who used consciousness-raising circles to let women air their grievances and figure out what to do next, the film uses coming together as Step One. Step Two is overthrowing the patriarchy.

Before the film came out, the right was stressed about the movie being anti-man or too “woke.” They were right to be worried about this doll movie—but less for those reasons than for the road map it makes. As we navigate the aggressive assault on women’s rights, Barbie perhaps gives us a path forward: When we share our stories and come together—we can make anything happen. That is a lesson in community organizing and the power of democratic majorities we’d do well to consider.

AROUND THE WORLD CUP ⚽️

If you’ve been waking up at all hours of the night to catch live matches, I salute you. If not, here’s a quick rundown of what the world’s best soccer players are getting into.

• South Korea’s Casey Phair (who trains in New Jersey, woo!) is the youngest person ever to compete in a Women’s World Cup at only 16 years old.

• In another heartwarming record breaker, the Philippines won its first-ever World Cup match against co-host nation New Zealand.

• Not interested in what’s happening on the pitch? Fear not: Writer Lindsay Gibbs reported on all of the good, bad, and sexist behind-the-scenes machinations leading up to this year’s Cup. And most importantly, she breaks down the math on all that prize money.

You can tune into Fox Sports and FS1, or stream games on YouTube TV. Here’s the match lineup for this week!

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