I had the most unexpectedly beautiful day, and I can’t wait to end it on the couch with stir fry and a glass of rosé.
You ever wake up in an awful mood, after an awful and anxious week, and have a friend come sit next to you gently to help you out of your funk? Or have that friend say “hey, I have to run some errands, just take your laptop in the car and you can keep working while I take care of these things, then we’ll grab some barbecue for lunch?” Because wow being that cared for, that made a big difference for me when I needed it most.
Wishing you some of that same sweetness, wherever you are.
Queer as in F*ck You
At last night’s ESPYS (which you maybe already heard about because of this Tobin Heath and Christen Press news, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about right now) the WNBA was honored as the Sports Humanitarian League of the Year. While presenting the league with their award, 2022 NBA Finals MVP and 2022 NBA All Star MVP Steph Curry, one of the biggest names in basketball and arguably one of the greatest men’s basketball shooters to ever play the game, stood with the LA Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike (2016 WNBA MVP, current President of the WNBA Players Union) and the Phoenix Mercury’s Skylar Diggins-Smith (Griner’s teammate and 6x WNBA All Star) and said: “We Are BG.”
Curry wore BG’s jersey as he said, “Brittney isn’t just on the Phoenix Mercury, she isn’t just a member of her team in Russia. She isn’t just an Olympian. She’s one of us — the team of athletes in this room tonight, and all over the world.”
Nneka added, “the more we say her name, the louder our voices will be” before Diggins joined in, “the more we see her face, the closer we’ll feel to her, and her to us.”
Curry ended their call to action simply: “We cannot stop fighting for her. We cannot stop believing for her. And we will not stop hoping for the day when we can welcome her home safely.”
I always say that I don’t know a lot about sports, but I know the NBA because I grew up Black and in Detroit. I know first hand what a difference and impact those players have, the depth of the leadership roles they play. And it has been disheartening to watch how little of the NBA’s very large mic has been set on Brittney Griner, a fellow baller and All Star. Slowly that is changing, NBA superstars Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and the Boston Celtics have all taken time in front of camera to say what we all know is true — that Brittney Griner should be home. I don’t often take time to say “oh we need the help of others” for pretty much anything, I always believe that we got our own. But thing is, we shouldn’t have to. The WNBA, Black women, queer women — we shouldn’t be holding this water alone, we should not be the only ones keeping Brittney Griner’s name in headlines and pressure on our government that we haven’t forgotten her, that we expect it to be a continued top priority to bring her home. I’ve been so heartened to see Brittney Griner finally getting the national attention she’s long deserved and I hope, I hope, this is just the beginning.
And in other news for you to read…
“I am a 21-year-old Black nonbinary person. My pronouns are they/he. But, there are times when I feel at home identifying as a Black woman — particularly on Sundays.” Why I’m Only A Black Woman On Sundays
3 LGBTQ+ Creators Show How They Express Themselves Through Makeup
Same-Sex Marriage Bill, Considered Dead on Arrival, Gains New Life. “The larger-than-expected G.O.P. vote in the House in support of legislation to codify marriage equality caught both parties off guard, suggesting there could be a narrow path to enactment.”
Saw This, Thought of You
Six Ways We Can Have Safer Sex in the Time of Monkeypox
Alone@Work: Miles To Go Before I’m Me. “Two American women in long-haul trucking discover new reflections in the windshield while traversing the countless miles before it.” (this audio reporting comes recommended to you by Vanessa!)
Dream-Journaling to Have Hard Conversations
And No One Is Having a Better Summer Than Freya the Walrus
Political Snacks
The Real Reason Why the GOP Is Rushing to Pass Abortion Bans Without Exceptions for Rape. “A new generation of draconian laws punish rape victims and kill women. That’s by design.”
Also(also.also.): HBCU Students Are Being Disproportionately Affected by Roe’s Reversal. “Roughly three-quarters of HBCUs are located in states that have banned or mostly banned abortions.”
ICYMI, President Biden Tested Positive for Virus and Is Experiencing Mild Symptoms
And Never Forget, Bring BG Home
A new mural in Washington DC featuring wrongfully detained US Nationals including our member, @BrittneyGriner, is being unveiled TOMORROW in DC by the @BOFHCampaign.
The press conference begins at 11:30am at 3125 M Street NW. #WeAreBG #BringThemHome pic.twitter.com/CBC9Q5imIP
— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) July 20, 2022
There is so much anxiety surrounding SCOTUS overturning gay marriage so it would be nice if they would codify it in law. There are 54 votes for it right now. The 50 Democrats and GOP’s Susan Collins, Rob Portman, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis. We need six more to pass it. There are a few soft maybe’s out there so it might happen but I don’t want to get my hopes up.
Fyi: there are some epidemiologists asking to use the abbreviation MPXV for the the monkeypox virus, because the common name risks stigmatization and people not taking it seriously. (MXP is for the disease.) Especially since it’s going around in the MSM (men who sleep with men) group, at least here in Western Europe after it hit a gay fetish festival, stigmatization and ridicule is already happening. And we know that that increases risks because people don’t want to come forward after exposure.
And just in case people don’t know and the linked atricle didn’t mention it: the virus can also be transmitted through bedcoverings and sharing clothes, though ususally a more direct transmission route is needed.
very appreciative of the freya the walrus article, i deeply respect a creature that sleeps for twenty hours a day and causes chaos for the other four