“This is for the girls that look like me”

April 4, 2023

And Happy Trump Arrest Day, everyone! ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

April 4, 2023

Hello again, Meteor readers,

Happy Trump Arrest Day to all who celebrate! In case you hadn’t yet heard, the former Home Alone 2 actor surrendered to authorities today, facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely we’ll ever have the sweet satisfaction of getting to see his mug shot—even if he does end up taking one. We’ll just have to satisfy ourselves with these AI-generated substitutions. (Look at him go!)

We’ve got a bit of a short one today because we’re in conversation with Dr. Jane Goodall tonight at the Brooklyn museum. If you can’t join us in person, you can still watch the livestream here.

Today’s newsletter still has it all, though: powerful trans allyship, racial double standards, and an announcement from the Vatican that came 500 years too late.

In celebration,

Bailey Wayne Hundl

WHAT’S GOING ON

“For the girls that look like me”: On Sunday, college basketball star Angel Reese was named Most Outstanding Player of 2023 after leading the LSU Tigers to victory in the NCAA Women’s Championship. She also set the measure for most double-doubles in a single season with a total of 34. But all anyone can seem to talk about is…the fact that she did some light trash-talking?

After her win, Reese did the “John Cena,” waving her hand in front of her face at rival player Caitlin Clark. Pundits derided the move as “classless”—despite the fact that Clark herself did the same move earlier in the tournament. In the post-game press conference, Reese responded to the double standards: “I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y’all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you.”

As our own Mik said on Instagram yesterday, “When do we see this debutante-level decorum ever expected from male players?” A word of advice: Maybe if you are going to call a Black woman “classless,” make sure you’re holding everyone else to the same standard.

AND:

Nebraska state Senators Machaela Cavanaugh and Megan Hunt, known for their tireless fight against their state’s anti-trans bills, joined state Senator John Fredrickson to launch the Don’t Legislate Hate PAC on Monday. The PAC seeks to fight back against more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the country; you can help them in their cause here.

A man in Iran had the audacity to throw a tub of yogurt on two women in a store who were not wearing hijabs. Following the incident, authorities arrested the man for the attack—as well as the two women for not covering their hair.

Last week, Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson (D) exercised her right to peacefully protest for gun reform following the shooting in Nashville—and was swiftly punished for it. The Republican leadership of the House retaliated by stripping Johnson of all her committee assignments on Monday. On that same night, Florida state Sen. Lauren Book and Nikki Fried, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, were arrested in Tallahassee for protesting for abortion access. Not a great day for the First Amendment, apparently.

After over 500 years of being used to justify violent colonization (including good ole’ Christopher Columbus), the Vatican formally repudiated the 1493 “Doctrine of Discovery” on Thursday in response to decades of Indigenous demands to do so. A bit slow on the draw on the Vatican’s part, but still! Love to see activism actually work.

Check out this touchingly personal piece from Anna Holmes in The New Yorker about her complicated feelings surrounding her upcoming hysterectomy.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” two-time winner (and recent Broadway star) Jinkx Monsoon has scored a major role in the upcoming season of BBC’s hit show “Doctor Who.” Not sure who this is a bigger win for: non-binary people or drag queens. But as both, I am ECSTATIC.

Wisconsin readers, we hope you voted today! Just as a reminder, today’s election could possibly have been the most important election of the year. (And here’s why.)