ProgressWomen

courtesy of blogs.longwood.edu

Designed to examine voters’ attitudes toward women candidates and elected officials on both sides of party lines, this poll explores whether voters agree with the President and their beliefs about the disparities in leadership between women and men.

The statistics are widely reported: Women make up only 17 percent of Congress but are over 50 percent of the U.S. population. Even President Barack Obama believes Congress would get more done if there were more women in Congress, saying, “I think it’s fair to say: That is almost guaranteed.”

Here, we give you a first look at our findings:

• An overwhelming majority of voters believes it is important to support a qualified woman running for elected office (80% say this is very/somewhat important and 51% say very important).
• To motivate voters to vote for women candidates, it is best to focus on how women elected officials are in touch with real life.
• Among young women voters, it is also effective to highlight the gap between women’s representation in Congress in relation to proportion of the general population.
• Voters sense that there are not enough women currently in office and the nation would be better governed if there were more women in office than there are today.

Click here to view the full report.

The Barbara Lee Family Foundation advances women’s equality and representation in American politics through non-partisan political research, strategic partnerships, and grants and endowments.To learn more  visit www.barbaraleefoundation.org.

MEDIA RELEASE – April 24, 2012 

courtesy of babble.com

Jefferson City, MO - Today the Missouri Progressive Caucus and other Democratic State Representatives sent a formal letter to Speaker Tilley, Floor Leader Tim Jones, Rep. Steve Cookson  and Rep. John Diehl (along with 16 other co-sponsors) -asking them to withdraw their support of House Bill 2051.

“Public outrage has shown us that we are not doing enough to protect all students in schools.  Students, teachers, administrators and those involved in the care of students all support being able to address sexual orientation and gender identity openly and compassionately,” said State Rep. Stacey Newman (D-Richmond Heights), chair of the House Progressive Caucus.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students in Missouri commonly hear homophobic, sexist and negative remarks about themselves in schools.  These remarks come from both other students and staff members.  In fact most of these students have been victimized and bullied in school.  The majority of these incidents are not reported to adult authorities.

63% of students who were harassed or assaulted in school never reported it to school staff and 48% never told a family member about the incident.  Among students who did report incidents to school authorities, only 12% said that reporting resulted in effective intervention by staff.

Newman continued, “I applaud and join with 37 of my colleagues in the House in standing up for all students. We urge the bill sponsors to withdraw HB2051 which would have very serious ramifications if passed.”

Bullying or harassment of any student has no place in Missouri schools. Turning our back on Missouri students to advance a political agenda is mean-spirited.  HB2051 is simply wrong.

Note: Signatories include: Representatives Ira Anders, Bert Atkins, Gail Beatty, Susan Carlson, Chris Carter, Mike Colona, Rochelle Walton Gray, Rory Ellinger, Brandon Ellington, Leonard Hughes, Tishaura Jones, Jason Kander, Chris Kelly, Jeanne Kirkton, Sara Lampe, Tracy McCreery, Tom McDonald, Eileen McGeoghegan, Margo McNeil, Genise Montecillo, Jeanette Mott Oxford, Judy Morgan, Mary Nichols, Stacey Newman, Sharon Pace, Tommie Pierson, John Rizzo, Jill Schupp, Scott Sifton, Churie Spreng, Mary Still, Jay Swearingen, Mike Talboy, Sylvester Taylor, Steve Webb and Stephen Webber.

Courtesy of Huffington Post

By John Celock, Huffington Post — April 23 

Republican lawmakers in Missouri are defending their controversial bill to ban the teaching of sexual orientation in schools as a way to prevent students from learning about the “homosexual agenda,” the “heterosexual agenda” and bestiality.

A group of 20 Republican state representatives introduced the so-called “don’t say gay” bill last week to prevent the teaching of sexual orientation in public schools, with the exception of classes relating to human reproduction. The group includes some of the most powerful Republicans in the Missouri legislature — House Speaker Steve Tilley (R-Perryville), Majority Leader Tim Jones (R-Eureka) and the Rep. John Diehl (R- Town & Country) who chairs the Rules Committee .

• Fact: Missouri LGBT students frequently hear homophobic, sexist, and offensive remarks regarding their gender expression.
• Fact: Most LGBT students have been victimized at school; reporting of incidents are limited and when reported, offending parties are not reprimanded.
• Fact: Most LGBT students in Missouri do not have access to support or resources.

Check out - OktoSayGay.org - read testimonies of why this extreme bill is wrong:

Jen, St. Louis: ”As a person who works in the field of child abuse prevention and anti-bullying prevention, I find this bill to be horrifying, barbaric and embarrassing. Too many kids are afraid to go to school and too many kids are harming themselves because a bunch of closed-minded jerks are afraid of LGBT individuals. The more LGBT issues are talked about, the safer these kids will be.”

Kyle, Raytown: “It is completely unacceptable to not allow one person to be proud of who they are as an individual. How are you going to restrict one person simply for being born the way they are”

Jessica, Kansas City: “It’s not just about not talking about LGBT issues, its a life or death situation for some. Taking away the support system for these kids is just plain wrong. There needs to be a safe place for these kids to go to a teacher at school and tell them that there being bullied… I beg you not to take away the support system for these kids.”

Cody: “I was harassed all through high school. This did not occur on a weekly basis, or even a daily basis. No, harassment because of my perceived sexual orientation took place on an HOURLY basis. I seriously contemplated suicide, all based on the hateful and hurtful things I heard at school (and at home) on an hourly basis. It’s far beyond time to do the right thing in Missouri! It is time to pass the Safe Schools Act and send a strong NO to HB2051.”

Russell: ”Making gay kids feel invisible is a very destructive act. We need to be inclusive of all students all the time! It’s completely OK to say ‘gay!’ Stop the bigotry.”

Chris: “People are people. It’s 2012. We shouldn’t be going backwards.”

If you agree with this message, travel to this site and sign the petition to end this dangerous legislation! Also read more on this issue here.

President Barack Obama shakes hands with supporters after a speech at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida on April 10, 2012., Kevin Lamarque, Reuters / Landov

By Kirsten Powers, The Daily Beast — April 18

Unmarried women are coming back to the Democrats after their 2010 fling with Republicans.

HAPPY NATIONAL EQUAL PAY DAY

Rep. Stacey Newman (D-St. Louis County) speaking at Capitol Rally for Equal Pay

In honor of supporting this issue, AAUW (American Association of University Women) hosted a State Capitol Rally April 17th to promote equal pay for women in Missouri.

The rally in Jefferson City highlighted the wage gap issue as well as pointing out how women are treated in the workplace, the struggles they still face in this economy and their affected unemployment and pension benefits.

U. S. women on average earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man, which is true in Missouri as well.  It is unfair to women but also to families who suffer from this statistic.  For 34% of working mothers, they are the sole bread-winner- either because they are single parents or their spouses are not in the labor force.

Courtesy of office of State Rep. Stacey Newman

The study said the pay gap was smallest in Washington, D.C., where the women’s median was 91 cents on the men’s dollar. The gap was broadest in Wyoming, where the women’s median was 64 cents on the dollar.

The numbers come from the National Partnership for Women & Families, a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group that promotes equal access to workplace pay and benefits.

The Importance of Equal Pay for Missouri Women:   read more here.

courtesy of www.breitbart.com

ALERT:  HB1274 MAY BE HEARD ON THE HOUSE FLOOR NEXT WEEK

By Jeremy Truitt – The Maneater (University of Missouri) 

It is difficult not to imagine certain Missouri legislators plotting to take away women’s rights with the latest step dictating what women can and cannot do with their health and bodies.  The war on women continues.

The Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act is a current bill in Missouri seeking to place tight restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs; meaning it could be tougher to obtain a medically induced abortion in Missouri.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Andrew Koenig, R-District 88, and is aimed at further restricting the use of RU-486 and other abortion-inducing drugs. Currently, there is little specificity regarding the administering of abortion-inducing drugs in Missouri, with the exception that a physician administers it.

RU-486 is a drug used in combination with Misoprostol and when taken two days apart, they block progesterone, which is vital to pregnancy. This causes the woman’s body to expel the embryo, effectively terminating the pregnancy without a surgical procedure, according to the FDA.

Rep. Koenig goal with these restrictions is an overal reduction in abortion in Missouri as well as give women what he believes is proper care in a controlled, clinical environment.

In some countries, such as France, RU-486 is available at pharmacies with a prescription, and a woman self-administers the pills at home. In the United States, the pills must be administered at a medical facility in the presence of a licensed physician, according to the FDA.

Koenig also said the bill would require more information be given to patients so individuals can make more informed decisions.

Some people the bill places too many further restrictions on women when they already have to see a licensed physician to obtain the drug, according to a Planned Parenthood news release.  They are given a surplus of information and completely understand their options before getting the abortion-induction drug.

“At a time when the Missouri legislature should be focusing on creating jobs and fixing the economy, it is troublesome to find the legislature, once again, focused on restricting access to basic reproductive health care for women,” Planned Parenthood stated in a news release. “HB 1274 places such medically unnecessary and burdensome requirements on medical abortion as to virtually prohibit access in Missouri—clearly the intent of the legislation.”

Women who need abortions will find ways to receive them.  This bill makes it less safe and more expensive for them to do so.

The bill, HB 1274, has passed in the initial committee vote and is proceeding through the normal legislative process with an anticipated enactment date of August should it pass.

Read HB 1274 here and the source of this article here.