Sent every Wednesday

Advocates Warn of Record Rates of Violence Towards Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People

According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), there have been 22 known murders of transgender and gender nonconforming people in the US. (This number is likely higher, but because of limitations in the way this data is collected, these murders often go unreported or misreported.)

 

The trend is alarming, given that HRC tracked 27 total killings in 2019, with the number of victims reaching 22 in November. Advocates warn that 2020 may be on track for record-breaking rates of fatal violence against transgender people, as well as domestic and intimate partner violence.

 

The most recent victim of this wave of killings is Marilyn Cazares, a 22-year-old Latina transgender woman who was found murdered in Southern California last week. Others include Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Monika Diamond, and Selena Reyes-Hernandez.

 

This violence is proving to be deadliest for Black transgender women, who make up a majority of the 22 known victims. Of the 157 known transgender and gender nonconforming people murdered since 2013, about 70% of them have been Black transgender women.

 

Take Action: Donate or encourage others to donate to organizations that support Black trans Americans, like The Okra Project and The Marsha P. Johnson Institute.

An Emoji Update is Coming to iOS: Face Masks, Transgender Symbol, Piñata, and More

For World Emoji Day (July 17), Apple gave a first look at some upcoming additions to the emoji keyboard in 2020.

 

Among the released emojis were a transgender symbol, bubble tea, anatomical lungs, and a nesting doll. Some Latinx folks were especially pumped to see previews of the new piñata and tamale emojis (though personally, I’m still waiting on a pupusa to really make my texts complete).

 

Especially relevant in the age of COVID-19, Apple also previewed how we’ll soon be able to customize our Memojis with different colored face masks, as well as various headgear.

 

It was announced earlier this year that Emoji 13.0 will also continue to add more gender neutral emojis options. There are expected expansions of the tuxedoed, veiled, and baby feeding emojis to include men, women, and non-binary people.

Jewish Communities Recovered From COVID-19 Turn Out in Huge Numbers to Donate Life-Saving Plasma

Researchers are using a promising new plasma therapy to treat folks with severe cases of COVID-19, making plasma from those who’ve recovered from the virus absolutely essential. Fortunately, Jewish communities are mobilizing massive turn-out at donation facilities, and Jewish people have contributed half of all plasma used in US treatments so far.

 

Orthodox Jewish communities (in New York especially) were among the hardest hit at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreaks in the US. Now, having recovered, they’re able to donate blood (and potentially life-saving antibodies) to those still struggling.

 

Communities in New York and New Jersey collaborated with the Mayo Clinic to organize drives and send over 1,000 vials of blood to the clinic in less than 36 hours.

 

“Because we were ravaged by COVID so early on, we recognized that we had the opportunity to give back to the scientific community and to our fellow brothers who are suffering,” Dr. Israel Zyskind, a Brooklyn pediatrician, told CBS News. “We don't just care about ourselves. We care about everyone, and we will do what we can.”

 

Take Action: If you qualify, consider donating blood plasma to help COVID-19 treatment research.

Why aren’t more people talking about… how unidentified federal agents are arresting people in Portland, even though its mayor, governor, and senators don’t want the feds there?

 

Meanwhile, in Pakistan… the country met its UN climate goals one decade before their deadline, including protecting natural lands and implementing clean water systems.

 

My hero today is… 11-year-old Carter Carey, who has raised $3,000 to support single mothers with his lemonade stand.

 

My *other* heroes today are… the volunteers at Beauty2theStreetz, who are providing hair cuts, makeovers, hot meals, and showers to the homeless community in Los Angeles.

 

This week in Black joy… this all-Black former high school football team finally received their championship rings, 50 years after their historic victory.

 

Today in viral cuteness… this little doctor-in-the-making gives his dad a “daily check-up,” and it’ll make your heart melt.

 

I’m obsessed with… the strangely pleasant music genre, bardcore (or tavernwave if you’re fancy). Please listen to these medieval renditions of “Bad Romance” and “Hips Don’t Lie” because they truly took me there.

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