Voices From Inside Iran's Freedom Movement
NEWSLETTER
Mahsa Amini's death was only the beginning
By Gelareh Kiazand
Today marks exactly a year since the death of Mahsa “Jina” Amini, a young Kurdish woman who had been detained by what’s known in Iran as the Morality Police for “improperly” wearing her hijab, and who went into a coma while in custody and died shortly after. Despite the government’s attempts to cover up the circumstances of Amini’s arrest, pictures of her in the hospital and the eventual news of her death sparked massive protests and set the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in motion, the scale of which took many by surprise. Tens of thousands of people spilled into the streets in around 100 cities, in an explosion of suppressed pain over years of censorship, patriarchy and government coverups.
The government harshly retaliated: It’s estimated that in the first six months of the protests, more than 500 police and protesters were killed, 20,000 people arrested—and at least six executed. Internet access was disrupted in an attempt to suppress the protests.
The brutality and murders did scare some people off the streets. By January, many acts of defiance had migrated to social media, where high school girls were dancing, removing their headcovers, and pulling down the pictures of government officials, including the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Soon, people began reporting cases of school poisonings that ultimately affected more than 1,000 girls, most suffering from breathing problems. Even though the government arrested those who carried out the so-called “nitrogen” gas poisonings, many parents suspect authorities were involved, or at the very least looked the other way.
In April, the streets of Tehran were again filled—this time with women not wearing any form of hijab, in violation of national law. The government started issuing economic fines to celebrities, business, and ordinary citizens. Small cafes with customers who refused to cover became prime targets of police harassment and closures. Around 150 businesses were shut down.
As the anniversary of the protests approached this summer, authorities are still arresting, intimidating, and threatening protesters and their families. Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, the two women journalists who first reported on Amini’s death, are still under arrest and awaiting trial with charges of espionage. Seventeen more journalists remain detained.
Whatever comes next may make history. The government has taken no steps to address the movement’s cries of injustice, and President Ebrahim Raisi, who won in a highly engineered election with the lowest turnout on record, hasn’t improved Iran’s struggling economy. But voices seeking to topple the regime, both on the ground and online, have only grown louder.
Women have always been a political force in Iran. We spoke with several of these women (and one man), all of whom have been profoundly affected by the past year’s uprising. All of them have been given pseudonyms to protect their identities.
Pardis, 24, runs her family’s small cafe in Tehran. During the peak of the uprising, she sheltered injured and runaway protesters. The authorities ordered her to refuse the protesters or be arrested. She chose the latter, and was taken to prison for 24 days.
“If anyone can change this situation, it is the people of Iran. Look, I was not a political person at all; I was thinking about parties and boys and these things. I went to prison because of my beliefs—it’s ridiculous to be afraid now. They are forcing us to show a reaction to the killing of Mahsa Amini, which was not even justified. Why should teenagers be killed? I was living my life, but after these events, how can we remain silent? [The movement] has changed everything, in my opinion. Even the most distant people, the most religious people, whether they like it or not, are affected by this revolution.”
Ameneh is a 28-year-old woman from Zahedan, Baluchistan, a conservative and underserved province that was one of the country’s most active areas during the uprising. Her family prohibited her from continuing her studies at a young age, and never let her venture far from her home city. The uprising was the first time her family allowed her true independence.
“Here, the conditions are again like those first weeks. The city is very controlled. People’s phones are checked. They are very sensitive to the anniversary and scare the people so they don’t come out. People have no right to participate in the rally and the mosque.
“From the first day, [prominent Sunni spiritual leader] Molavi Abdul Hamid criticized the killing of Mahsa Amini. The people of Zahedan are very fond of Molavi and they also supported him. [As a result] Friday prayers were and still are strictly controlled, and they even put checkpoints in the city a day or two before. My brother was arrested by intelligence forces in mid-November [for being] a member of mosque security and the liaison to deliver medicine to the injured people of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday. Later they attacked our house many times and searched and took all my brother’s belongings. At that time, one of our acquaintances said that these drugs should be brought from Tehran, but it was very risky. Finally, I decided to go to Tehran and bring these medicines.
“[Growing up] I really wanted to study or dress the way I like, but it was impossible. At that time, when I said I wanted to do this, I was alone, there was no one to support me, there was no other girl like me. But now I don’t feel alone anymore and I have more courage. I see this change in both women and men.”
Soha is a 17-year-old student who is religious and attended the protests with a headscarf. For her, the movement was about standing for the freedom of women, who should not be defined by hijab. Her mother, Mitra, 54, who also is religious, joined her in the protests.
Soha: “I have never been insulted by people who don’t believe in hijab. But I have seen many times that girls who don’t wear a headscarf are insulted or made to feel insecure by the morality police or by women who are hired by the Islamic Republic to intervene in the issue of hijab.”
Mitra: “As a Muslim woman, I cannot allow them to kill people under the pretext of my religious beliefs. In my opinion, the Islamic Republic is not only not Muslim, but [also] fueling anti-Islamism. In the religion of Islam, it is not said to keep people hungry and to keep the hijab. Islam does not say kill or imprison anyone who disagrees with you. Hijab is important in Islam, but not as important as a person’s life. Was there a problem with [Amini’s] hijab from the point of view of Islam?”
Soha: “The new wave of the movement will start soon, and in my opinion, religious people will play a big role in this new wave.”
Mehdi, 19, is a student in Tehran. At the rallies, he witnessed his friend getting shot, and he himself was beaten by the security forces. He and his friends believe the forced ruling of “old men” needs to end.
“In 2009, I was very young, but I understood that people were protesting and I saw that they were being suppressed. At that time, my family was not against the Islamic Republic and my father even worked in the Revolutionary Guards, but he had seen things up close that had an impact on him, and since then, his perspective changed. So he resigned from his job. Many people who thought that the Islamic Republic had no problems realized that they were on the side of corruption. People see that this government is only lying to them and this is no longer acceptable to many. My father always said that if anyone can oppose the [clerics in the Islamic republic], it is women.
“People want stability. They want a good economic situation. A few nights ago, one of my friends told me to go to the embassy for immigration. I said that the future is here; we just have to build it.”
Rana, 35, is a teacher from Kurdistan, the province where Amini is from. Kurdistan, like Baluchestan, faced some of the harshest crackdowns. Doctors were working secretly in people’s basements to help the wounded. Many homes were open to neighbors so the community would not be weakened.
“In Kurdistan, I feel the meaning of women is different than in the rest of the country. They are raised as fighters, live as fighters, and die as fighters. Because we as Kurds have always fought for our ethnicity, this seems to have been born within the women. The slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” [signifies] a freedom of humanity which shouldn’t be defined by what is worn or not worn. It is the freedom…of choosing who I am, bearing its responsibilities, and shaping my life through that. I feel the women of Iran are finally starting to understand what freedom can hold.”
Gelareh Kiazand is a Canadian-Iranian based between NYC and Toronto who has worked in Iran’s film and documentary industry for 12 years as well as covering stories in Afghanistan and Turkey. In 2016, she became Iran’s first female DoP for a fiction feature film, post-’79 revolution.
Big white lies
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No images? Click here  September 20, 2023 Greetings, Meteor readers, The first week of school is just about done. Congratulations, you’ve all survived! Only an entire academic year to go.  In today’s newsletter, we examine the new(ish) way conservatives are trying to reshape history, applaud successful women, and share some weekend reads. Academically yours, Shannon Melero  WHAT'S GOING ONBig white lies: Over the last few months, a particular threat has been in the air: inaccurate historical teachings. What once felt like a uniquely red-state problem has now crept its way into the curriculum of a Pennsylvania school district. According to Popular Information, the Pennridge School Board is requiring teachers to incorporate lessons from the 1776 Curriculum into their social studies classes. The simplest way I can think to explain this curriculum, developed by Hillsdale College in Michigan as a right-wing guideline for educators (and in direct response to the historically accurate 1619 Project), is slavery apologetics for kids. This new K-12 curriculum teaches students that although the founding fathers participated in slavery, not all of them actually wanted to and eventually freed their slaves. It also trots out the tired argument that the Civil War wasn’t really about slavery at all but was instead about states’ rights. (Ahem, no.) Ninth graders will be served a piping hot plate of propaganda that claims “what was unique to America was the right to vote at all” and the “rapid rate” in which the vote was given to women. (The latter is demonstrably false.) The 1776 Curriculum is just the latest far-right attempt to rewrite history—and cater to the relatively small but loud voices reinvigorating American exceptionalism. It’s become so pervasive that Florida’s public university system is about to approve a heavily Westernized Christian alternative to the SATs called the Classic Learning Test. Previously only used as an admission test for private Christian colleges, the CLT promotes a “classical” curriculum and will be an option for students applying to public universities across the state. What’s clever about the CLT is that its inherent racism is not immediately obvious. The reading comprehension portion of the exam focuses on writings by figures like Martin Luther and Thomas Aquinas. It also places “an emphasis on Greek, Roman, and early Christian thought.” That’s fine if you’re trying to get into seminary school, but a “classical” education isn’t exactly a marker of a student’s readiness to enroll in Florida State. Not to mention that the test legitimizes a style of teaching that cuts out the works of women and writers of color. This move toward a revisionist, borderline-white-power version of history would be laughable if it weren’t all so insidious. Even before modern white supremacists and Moms for Liberty started infiltrating school boards, most American history classes were struggling to provide the full picture to students. It’s bad enough that most Millennials got a gentle, glossed-over version of world events like Columbus “discovering” America (i.e. committing genocide), but now basic, long-held facts are up for debate. AND: 
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 WEEKEND READS 📚On fútbol: Spanish soccer has been holding our attention for the last few weeks. But the women of La Roja have been fighting an uphill battle for years. (The Athletic) On the optimal self: Fitness and sleep tracking can be great. Until your tracker starts gaslighting you. (Slate) On trial: Google. (The New York Times)  FOLLOW THE METEOR     Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Subscribe using their unique share code or snag your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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Let Us "Girl Walk" In Peace
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No images? Click here  August 24, 2023 Hey there, Meteor readers, I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram the other night and I came across a Story from Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, in which he described having the Sunday scaries but for the end of summer. So now, of course, I’m having summer scaries. Summer is almost over? That means the year’s almost over. Literally, where did 2023 even go?  In today’s newsletter we attempt to take the clown car of Republican candidates running for president seriously, consider “girl trends,” and share some reading for your weekend. Already wearing a sweater, Shannon Melero  WHAT'S GOING ONJust girl things: It seems like everywhere you turn, normal everyday activities that women do are now “girl” trends with a bevy of accompanying think pieces: Girl dinner. Girl math. Strawberry girl. That girl. Soft girl. Tomato girl summer. Hot girl walks. Lazy girl jobs. The reaction to the girlification of women’s lives has been largely negative. The trend has been called infantilizing and toxic, particularly the idea of “girl dinner,” which shows women eating snacks like popcorn and calling it dinner. Are these videos reinforcing eating disorders or is it reflective of the varied ways in which American women approach food and mealtimes? Is it both? Is it neither? But let’s think about this for a sec. Is it being called a girl that’s supposed to be so offensive? It wasn’t offensive when Beyoncé told us that girls run the world. In what context are we okay with “girl”? Does the hot girl walk I take every day to clear my head betray my allegiance to intersectional feminism? Here’s my two cents on it (which, in girl math, is worth about 100 USD): The act of turning adult behaviors into cutesy girl trends may just be a new way in which young women are using social media to communicate longstanding gender disparities to their peers. What is a girl dinner if not commentary on food insecurity? What is girl math if not highlighting how women uphold the economy despite inflation and the gender pay disparity? What are lazy girl jobs if not a referendum on the idea that we should be working all the time? What are Strawberry/Soft/Tomato girls if not eviscerating the unnatural standards women are expected to adhere to when they present themselves to the world? So maybe the question shouldn’t be “does girl math make sense” and should instead be why do women have to figure out such creative ways to explain how cost, worth, and value are all completely different concepts? Maybe the “girls” are just too smart for everyone.  LOLsob: Your evening hours are limited and your mental health is precious, so we’ll understand if you opted out of watching the first debate of the 2024 presidential race last night and mostly enjoyed the memes about Chris Christie today. But since each of the eight Republican candidates on display (Trump, awaiting arrest, wasn’t there) represents a vision of America that is one election cycle away from becoming our next reality, it’s worth considering who they are. A majority of these candidates, including front-runner (behind Trump) Ron DeSantis, don’t believe in climate change. Mike Pence and Tim Scott want to institute national abortion bans after 15 weeks of gestation. The whole lot of them want to revive the failed war on drugs and use the military to suppress the import of fentanyl and slow immigration. And while some of that seems absolutely absurd, it also seemed absurd that the guy from The Apprentice could be president…and look what happened there. While Nikki Haley was voted Closest to An Adult in the Room by debate analysts last night, we all know that Ron DeSantis has the most potential to snatch this nomination out of Donald Trump’s hands. If you live in a blue state, perhaps you are checked out. But the fact of the matter is, he’s coming into this election with the might of Florida behind him, the support of powerful mom groups, and his youthful appearance. (That last one shouldn’t matter, but, alas, it does.) Sadly—and I literally hate to say this—we can’t afford to discount DeSantis or the other contenders; even if they don’t win, chances are high they’ll land somewhere in the cabinet should a Republican win the presidency. And the road to an election day isn’t as clear cut as Democrats might hope it is. AND:
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 WEEKEND READS 📚On Afghanistan: Two years after Yalda Royan fled Afghanistan, she examines why so many refugees are still trapped in “legal limbo.” (Slate) On shopping IRL: The experience of actually going to a store is becoming an artifact of the past. But why? (Vox) On rush week: Unpacking the inherent whiteness of the internet phenomenon Bama Rush. (The New York Times)  FOLLOW THE METEOR     Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Subscribe using their unique share code or snag your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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Gold Medals and Sexual Harassment
 August 22, 2023 Evening, Meteor readers, It was a wise philosopher (Aaliyah) who once said, “If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again”—and that’s apparently the advice Joe Biden is following with his new SAVE program, which aims to limit interest-rate accrual on student loans and improve some existing repayment plans. I’ll give him an A for effort and an I for execution. What’s the I stand for, you ask? *I* am not paying back these loans in this lifetime.  In today’s newsletter we dig into the full story on The Kiss during the Women’s World Cup trophy ceremony, a change to abortion restrictions in Texas, and a little bit of good news. Consensual xoxo, Shannon Melero  WHAT'S GOING ON“It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this”: On Sunday afternoon, Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (REFF) had the honor of handing out gold medals to Spain’s women’s national team after their World Cup win over England. But what should have been a proud and beautiful moment for all the women of La Roja (the team’s nickname) turned into an international debacle when Rubiales grabbed team captain Jennifer Hermoso by the back of her neck and kissed her on the mouth. He then proceeded to smack her on the bottom—all while cameras rolled. As if that wasn’t enough, Rubiales later entered the women’s locker room and joked to the team that they were all invited to his wedding with Hermoso. In a social media video, Hermoso said of the moment, “¿Qué hago yo? Mírame…No me ha gustado.” What do I do? Look at me…I didn’t like it. After the moment became an international story, though, Hermoso downplayed the incident, saying, “It was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude.” But it wasn’t just a gesture. Not only did it read like sexual harassment in real time, the “kiss” is also symptomatic of much deeper issues which have been plaguing La Roja and the REFF for years.  JENNIFER HERMOSO DOING THE ONLY KIND OF KISSING WE WANT TO SEE AT A MEDAL CEREMONY. (IMAGE BY ALEX PANTLING VIA GETTY IMAGES) In the lead up to the World Cup, 15 of the best players in Spain who had mostly been expected to play on the national team withdrew themselves from consideration in protest of the way the REFF, led by Rubiales, and coach Jorge Vidal had been treating them. The players—who became known in Spain as Las 15—sent an email accusing Vidal of creating an oppressive work environment and highlighting the ways in which the REFF had provided subpar training facilities which they believed had led to injury. (A familiar accusation, also present in the 2020 lawsuit between the USWNT and the US Soccer Federation.) For their part, Las 15 wanted to resolve the issues internally. But in an effort to control the narrative, Rubiales went public with the email and, according to some players, willfully misconstrued what was written in an effort to paint Las 15 as merely disgruntled athletes. All of this behind-the-scenes tension is what makes The Kiss more than just an act of celebration gone wrong. Rubiales holds the fate of Hermoso’s career in his hands. If she wants to continue being a part of the national team, not only does she need to perform at an elite level, she needs, as a huge sports star in Spain, to be a peacemaker between the REFF and the players. After two days of pressure from fans and Spain’s minister of culture and sport, Rubiales issued a halfpology in which he acknowledged the kiss as a “mistake” and then followed it up with, “Here we saw it as something natural and normal. But on the outside it has caused a stir, because people have felt hurt by it, so I have to apologize; there's no alternative.” He basically hit the world with a “sorry you feel that way” and kept moving. This World Cup win is Spain’s first and it’s the kind of accolade the players desperately need to further fuel their fight for equal treatment. It took the US Women’s National Team toiling for 20 years for their federation to start listening to them and they didn’t even see the fruits of that labor until their fourth World Cup win. Here’s hoping we see a faster turnaround for Spain—and all the other women’s teams around the world battling for respect. AND: 
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A Livestreamed Femicide in Bosnia
 August 17, 2023 Hey there, Meteor readers, I hope you’re getting pumped up for the World Cup finals this Sunday between Spain and England, or, as my husband calls it, Our Original Colonizers versus Our Second Colonizers. I’m rooting for England—but no matter who gets the trophy, the real winners are the record-breaking seven-million-plus viewers who have tuned in to watch women make history.  In today’s newsletter we look at a femicide in Bosnia, check in on Moms for Liberty, and offer up some weekend reading. English for a day, Shannon Melero PS: We’re going to SXSW next spring to have a desperately needed conversation about the state of feminist media. Vote for our panel and leave a comment about what you’d like us to talk about!  WHAT'S GOING ON“We won’t live in fear”: Last Friday, a man in Bosnia went live on his Instagram and shot his former partner, Nizama Hećimović, at point-blank range in the presence of her nine-month-old baby. Over 12,000 people watched the video. Hećimović had filed a restraining order against him just a few days earlier. After broadcasting her murder, the gunman went on to kill two more people, filming his actions all the while before taking his own life. It would be hours before authorities got in touch with Meta to have the footage taken down—but not before it was duplicated and reposted across the internet. As shocking and horrific as this crime is, violence against women has become commonplace in Bosnia. A report on human rights practices in Bosnia and Herzegovina found that “48 percent of women and girls older than 15 suffered some form of gender-based violence” in 2020 and a majority of women—84 percent—didn’t report acts of violence to the police. But Hećimović had reported the harassment by her ex, who had a criminal record. Not only were officials not able to protect her, the Prime Minister had the gall to say in response to her murder that “situations like this cannot be predicted.” Except for when they can. This week, thousands of Bosnians across the country took to the streets in protest, demanding that more be done to protect women from violence, harassment, and femicide. More than that, Bosnians are putting more pressure on Meta to explain how exactly a man was able to live stream three murders before having his account shut down.  PROTESTORS IN SARAJEVO, BOSNIA (SCREENSHOT VIA TWITTER) AND:
  HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR OUR AMBASSADOR PROGRAM? JUST CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO GET YOUR UNIQUE SHARE CODE AND START EARNING POINTS TOWARD MERCH!  WEEKEND READS 📚On doing too much: Barbie-mania came for every corner of pop culture, even home renovation shows. Here’s how it all went wrong for one California neighborhood. (The Ringer) Online: Dating apps were all fun and games until they became a hunting ground for “con artists, rapists, and murderers.” (Mother Jones) On education: How natural disasters have decimated math scores for young students in Puerto Rico. (NPR) On “girl” things: Womanhood is being repackaged online. A “blogger girl” explains the trend. (Vox) On Scandoval: Rachel is ready to talk. Again. (The Cut) 
FOLLOW THE METEOR Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? This newsletter was written by Shannon Melero.
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A Generation of Women Held Back
 August 15, 2023 Dear Meteor readers, Two years ago this week, the United States and Great Britain withdrew troops and diplomatic resources from Afghanistan as the Taliban claimed rule in that country. Since that fateful day in 2021, over 1 million people have fled Afghanistan and some have found themselves displaced, detained, and separated from their families. Many, like Zaki Anwari, died attempting to escape; the devastating images of people hanging from planes while they were taking off remain seared into our minds. Then there are those who stayed or were left behind and have seen their nation impoverished and their rights curtailed. In today’s newsletter, we look at what the last two years have been like for Afghan women and girls—along with that big Trump indictment, some good news in Massachusetts, and more trouble in Texas. With love, Shannon Melero  WHAT'S GOING ON...IN AFGHANISTAN FAMILIES LINE UP TO BE TAKEN OUT OF KABUL THE DAY AFTER THE TALIBAN RETURNED TO POWER. (IMAGE BY MASTER SGT. DONALD R. ALLEN VIA GETTY IMAGES) Not a “comfortable and prosperous” life: In June of this year, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada shared a message which claimed that “The status of women as a free and dignified human being has been restored and all institutions have been obliged to help women in securing marriage, inheritance and other rights.” But the difference between reality and propaganda is stark. Beginning in early 2022, girls were banned from attending school beyond the 6th grade. As the year rolled on, women were banned from universities, government jobs, non-government jobs, and eventually all public spaces. Women who want to leave their homes are required to wear burqas and must be accompanied by a male relative. If a man isn’t available, as can easily be the case for widows and divorcees, a woman must remain out of sight. The implications of this oppression are far-reaching. Not only are entire generations of women being denied rights, resources, and access to education, but the national economy is suffering as the countries Afghanistan previously relied on for aid have largely withdrawn their money because of the Taliban’s human rights violations. That loss of aid coupled with several years of drought-like conditions has triggered a near-famine in most of the country. Unable to work outside of the home, women are left to starve or resort to extreme measures to survive. Those who attempt to fight back, like the women who protested the banning of beauty salons last month, are met with more violence. And yet the women of Afghanistan continue to fight. A new report from Sky News reveals that some have created “underground” businesses to help themselves and others earn an income. One business owner who started a secret craft shop used the funds from her business to open an underground school for girls; it now services 200 students. “I don't want Afghan girls to forget their knowledge and then, in a few years, we will have another illiterate generation,” she told Sky News. But without proper government infrastructure or international aid, even the most resilient Afghan woman is up against insurmountable odds. So are some of those who managed to escape the country: In the UK, Afghan refugees are now facing homelessness after a program which paid for their hotel stays ended; those who settled in America dealt with a similar housing crisis last year. The road to the “comfortable and prosperous life” that Akhundzada claimed Afghan women already possessed is as of yet uncharted. It certainly cannot be obtained with the Taliban in power, but with no other group remaining to challenge them the Afghan people have been left with few choices. This morning in Kabul, Taliban soldiers celebrated their triumph with a parade. Click here to donate to relief programs in Afghanistan. For more on Afghanistan feel free to revisit our interview with two Afghan journalists, and our talk with Afghanistan Women’s National team captain, Farkhunda Muhtaj.
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Celebrating 50 Years of Hip-Hop With the Lyrics That Changed Us
  August 10, 2023 ‘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. Shannon from the block  WHAT'S GOING ONHistory 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:
 CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO JOIN OUR AMBASSADOR PROGRAM!  MUSIC TO OUR EARSThe Rhymes That Changed Us11 women on their hip-hop click momentBY 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 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 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 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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iTunes' #1 Christian album is by a drag queen
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No images? Click here  August 8, 2023 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 ONNot 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: 
 SLAYIN' AND PRAYIN'Serving Looks While Serving the LordMeet 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!
FOLLOW THE METEOR Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? This newsletter was written by Shannon Melero and Bailey Wayne Hundl.
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"The world stopped paying attention"
  August 3, 2023 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 ONTruth 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:
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:
 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. FOLLOW THE METEOR Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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A "beacon of light" snuffed
  August 1, 2023 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 ONBreak 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:
 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.
  FOLLOW THE METEOR Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Sign up for your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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