# data[].attributes.body
Men are typically are what come to mind when you think of engagements, men, and the big diamond ring. This article discuss why men were considered the only ones who could propose to women. This was created under the idea that men were the main provider of the family or to some because of biblical reason, I.e. Adam created Eve therefore Eve belongs to Adam.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Luxury White Plains Resort | Doral Arrowwood

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Now that it's the month of love, it's the ideal time to take a look at the many ways in which our society celebrates the iconic emotion. Fewer gestures excite romance and dreams than a proposal. In modern society, proposals have been erupting into grander and grander affairs every year. Or, perhaps there has always been exciting proposals, but today we get to see them more often on social media.

It does beg the question though, why do men get down on one knee? Why is it (almost) always a diamond ring? When did the concept of a proposal begin? Has it always been this way? In honor of a month that will be filled with couples deciding to commit forever, let's take a stroll through the history of proposals!

Marriage Proposal History
Why is it The Man Who Proposes?
For centuries, in most cases, men were responsible for making money to support everyone. Because of this, a proposal generally occurred once a man deemed himself ready for the financial responsibility of a family.
History of Kneeling to Propose
No one is quite sure when the concept of a man kneeling to ask for the hand of a lady began, it turns out. Yet, it is shown throughout history, that kneeling as a sign of honor and reverence has been going on for quite some time. In the days of the Knights, said Knights would kneel before their "lords" to receive honors. In ancient Christian paintings and artwork, there are many images of people kneeling before God. The idea of kneeling in humility before ones, hopeful, future wife fits in with why people kneel in other situations.
Why The Diamond Ring, Eh?
To be perfectly honest, the notion that a diamond ring is the way to go to propose was created by marketers. There are a few instances of engagement rings being given over the ages, but in most cases, they were used to show sincerity and as a form of insurance. Our modern notion of a diamond engagement ring came about with the extremely famous De Beers Jewelry advertising campaign.

In the late 1800s, a mining company hit the jackpot by finding a huge amount of diamonds in Africa. At this time, though, the demand for diamonds was minimal, so the company needed to create a demand. De Beers Jewelry was created, and in the 1930s and 40s the "Diamonds are Forever" advertising campaign began and is still known today as one of the most successful campaigns of all time. Seeing as how diamond rings are still the main factor in proposals, we can see why it's considered a great success.

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: Get The Ball Rolling on Your Wedding Planning With 5 Steps
The (Not So) Classic Diamond Ring Setting
As it happens, the diamond ring setting we're all accustomed to, with the diamond being perched atop the band, is a relatively new concept. The engagement ring gurus at Tiffany & Co. introduced the above-the-band-setting in . Before then, diamond rings were set in what is known as a bezel. In a bezel, the gemstone is on the same level as the band, drawing much less sparkle and shine, but still lovely nonetheless.
Today's Proposals
There have been quite a few surveys done over the past decade trying to discern if women feel the desire to take on an equal role in proposing. The general consensus has been a resounding NO ; women are quite content with their male counterparts asking the question and gifting the ring. Will we start seeing the roles reversed? Certainly! Women do propose to the men, but it's still less common. More likely than not, though, female proposals will start to trend in the coming decades.

If you're ready to pop the question, plan a wedding, or simply spend some quality time romancing your sweetheart, we've got the perfect venue for you! Visit us at Doral Arrowwood where we can either help you plan a romantic proposal, a wedding, or a cozy weekend for two! Happy love month!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
History of the Proposal; Why a Kneeling Man with a Diamond Ring Became the Tradition - Luxury White Plains Resort | Doral Arrowwood

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Now that it's the month of love, it's the ideal time to take a look at the many ways in which our society celebrates the iconic emotion. Fewer gestures excite romance and dreams than a proposal. In modern society, proposals have been erupting into grander and grander affairs every year.

# data[].attributes.body
In this photo we can see the how the stores market to small girls. All the toy options they have are pink, they usually simulate some form of nurture action i.e. taking care of a baby, cleaning, cooking, playing dress up to look nice, etc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Free Kids' Play and Imagination and Remove the Pink and Blue Aisles

Target is a fun place to shop for toys. But Target divides their toys aisles into pink and blue with toys meant for girls only or boys only. And the toys in those aisles show the worst and most limiting stereotypes. Building, engineering and robotics toys are found in the blue aisles, with stuffed animals, dolls, art and design toys in the pink aisles.

As girls, we think this is just wrong. It's narrow-minded to think that kids today should pick toys by old stereotypes. We don't want to be told who we are by the toys we like. We're on the Girls Editorial Board of New Moon Girls and we and our members want the pink vs. blue segregation to stop now.

Molly Culhane, 14: "In preschool and kindergarten, I was what some people call a 'girly-girl.' I loved My Little Pony, princesses, and absolutely thought in terms of boys vs. girls. Now I see how ridiculous that is, and how much my thinking was influenced by toys segregated into pink and blue categories. I think all kids should have the opportunity to be themselves, without outside pressure sending the message that the only way to be is to fit into the category of pink or blue, boy or girl. Segregating toy store aisles into 'boy' and 'girl' aisles hurts kids' ability to be themselves, and absolutely sends the message that they have to be a certain way in order to fit in or be accepted, or even be 'good' at all

Phoebe Hughes, 14: "Gender divided aisles make me feel insecure with myself when I'm drawn to mechanical toys and toys that aren't preparing me to be a mom. I think boys would be more sensitive and respectful to girls if they weren't made to feel weak or homosexual for wanting to play with dolls. When the aisles are divided it divides boys and girls into specific roles which divides society and makes fighting for equality that much more difficult.

Autumn Lukomski-LaPolice, 14: "I used to love playing with trains. I would build elaborate routes, add stations along the tracks, and make up stories about all of it. Although the target market of these toys appeared to be boys, I never felt as if I should be playing with Barbie instead. I believe that is because my family has always encouraged me to defy these stereotypes. I didn't like all of the pink, glittery items that seemed to be rampant throughout toy aisles. If I received that sort of thing as a gift, I felt annoyed. Many people assume that purely because of your gender, you will like certain things. From a young age, marketers of these toys bombard us with advertisements and commercials. Subconsciously, when children see other kids of their gender playing with certain toys, they begin to associate these items to girls or boys. Ads and people alike reinforce these messages. These stereotypes need to end, and banishing toy aisle segregation is a step in the right direction.

Color-coding toys by gender stereotypes gives kids (and parents and grandparents) the idea that they should limit the toys they pick to the pink aisles for girls and the blue aisles for boys. Girls and boys already get too much pressure to live up to other people's ideas of who we should be. We need the creativity to try out all kinds of toys and not feel judged for picking the wrong thing - that includes girls who enjoy science and building and superhero toys and boys who want to make art and play with stuffed animals and dolls.

We want to grow up in a world where both girls and boys have the freedom to choose our own interests and play with the toys we want, without stores trying to force us into narrow categories. Target does a lot for schools already that helps girls and boys equally. We don't think they should be segregating girls from boys in their toy aisles.

It's a very simple thing for Target to change. Just take down the pink & blue aisle walls and make them all the same color, or a rainbow of colors - then kids and parents won't feel stuck in limited categories of what toys to play with. Girls who love science and boys who love art won't feel judged or limited.

Please sign our petition to Target calling on them to free the toy aisles from harmful stereotypes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free Kids' Play and Imagination and Remove the Pink and Blue Aisles Target is a fun place to shop for toys. But Target divides their toys aisles into pink and blue with toys meant for girls only or boys only. And the toys in those aisles show the worst and most limiting stereotypes.

# data[].attributes.body
The difference between the two covers of sports illustrated is amazing. If you look at the males one you can see that it is a man fulling clothed, surrounded by text and his helmet. The females photo is sexy. Very sexy, she is wearing a swimsuit that is low cut, and there are very few words on the cover so you don't get distracted from her! Obviously its because women's sports are sexy and mens are tough Duh! Not.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Women Appear on Less Than Five Percent of Sports Illustrated Covers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A recent analysis of 11 years of SI covers shows that if you take out the swimsuit issue, women appear just 4.9 percent of the time

# data[].attributes.body
When you are broken down on the side of the road 9/10 you are going to be dealing with a man helping you get it fixed. Dads, boyfriends, brothers always seem to know the most but why? Sometimes I find myself wondering what would happen if I learned how to fix something, I know this for certain, whatever I fixed would be wrong according to them.

# data[].attributes.body
When you listen to county songs one common theme you might see is buds just drinking a beer with their buds. This is a common one, men love their beer, in these songs they will even give up their "women" for their beer and friends.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Excited men drinking beer and cheering for their favorite team

# data[].attributes.headline
On one hand her sexuality interferes with learning?

# data[].attributes.subject
On one hand her sexuality interferes with learning?

# data[].attributes.body
A teacher was recently fire from her teaching position at a christian school after coming out as Lesbian, as a white woman she is completely qualified to teach, as a gay white women she in unqualified.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The show was cast, the scripts were distributed and choreography rehearsals were already underway for the joint middle school and high school production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," scheduled to take place in February at Covenant Christian School in Palm Bay, Florida.

But so far, most of the drama has taken place offstage after the show's director was fired for being gay earlier this month.

The director, Monica Toro Lisciandro, a theater teacher, arrived at the school and began prepping for rehearsal on Oct. 2 as she did every Wednesday when she was unexpectedly called into a meeting with school administrators.

"They told me that someone called the school with allegations against me and said I was in a relationship with another woman, that I attend pride events and that I host 'homosexual' activities at the studio," Toro Lisciandro told NBC News. "I spent 35 years of my life in the closet, and I'm not going back. What was I going to say? I told them, 'Yes, it's true.'"

Toro Lisciandro owns the Viera Studio for the Performing Arts, a local business that offers acting, musical theater and dance classes, as well as a program called the Rainbow Project - a volunteer youth group that she called "an LGBTQ safe haven." The group, which operates as a separate entity from Covenant Christian School, meets approximately twice a month to work on projects pertaining to suicide prevention, mental health awareness and other salient issues in the community.

After the meeting, during which she said she was lectured about sin and instructed she could no longer teach at the school, Toro Lisciandro went to the rehearsal and acted as if nothing had happened.

"I taught that day and acted like I was coming back to the kids," Toro Lisciandro said. "It was traumatic. ... It's hard to stomach that the message they're sending is you can't be gay and be a teacher."

According to Toro Lisciandro, school administrators sent parents an email stating that she had to stop teaching for "personal reasons." That contradicted a statement sent to NBC News by the school, which confirmed that Lisciandro had been fired because of her sexuality.

"Covenant Christian School also requires that all employees must agree to and model our position on human sexuality, which is based on the biblical teaching that asks all Christ followers to abstain from any sexual activities outside of a one-man, one-woman marriage," the school wrote in an email. "Teachers are asked to believe, model and instruct students in all matters of faith, including its doctrines."

Toro Lisciandro said that while she had worked at the school for nearly three years, she was never explicitly told about a rule regarding the sexuality of staff members. She identifies as Christian and thinks it's harmful to insinuate that being gay is the antithesis of religious faith.

"For me, the biggest thing is the kids. I want them to know it's OK to be gay and that God loves you," Toro Lisciandro said. "Some students have come out since the real reason behind why I am no longer teaching there has gotten out, which makes me so happy ... and I really want change to happen so no student has to face what I face."

Florida, like most states, has no laws explicitly prohibiting workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. And in February 2016, the Palm Bay City Council, which oversees the district where Covenant Christian School is, rejected a proposed human rights ordinance that would have protected LGBTQ people from being unfairly evicted from their homes or fired from their jobs.

Though Toro Lisciandro has no plans to sue the school, she said she plans to continue speaking up.

"We're going to fight until the end so things change for the future. Our voice is our biggest gift," Toro Lisciandro said. "Theater has always been a safe haven for me. It's given me so much that I want to pass on."

Toro Lisciandro's experience is not unique. Last week, a third employee was fired from an Indianapolis Catholic school in a growing controversy over the institution's treatment of LGBTQ staff and their allies. And earlier this year, Vice President Mike Pence's wife made news after returning to a Virginia religious school that bans LGBTQ employees and students.

While there is no federal law that explicitly protects workers from anti-LGBTQ discrimination, workers in some parts of the country are covered by state laws, local ordinances, federal court rulings and federal EEOC rulings, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank. Florida and Indiana, however, are not among the 21 states that explicitly protect LGBTQ workers. This legal patchwork could come to an end next year, depending on how the Supreme Court rules on three cases before it involving LGBTQ employment discrimination.
Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'It was traumatic': After being outed, lesbian teacher fired from Christian school

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The show was cast, the scripts were distributed and choreography rehearsals were already underway for the joint middle school and high school production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," scheduled to take place in February at Covenant Christian School in Palm Bay, Florida.

# data[].attributes.headline
On the other hand... I guess he's a hero for coming out.

# data[].attributes.subject
On the other hand... I guess he's a hero for coming out.

# data[].attributes.body
In this article we can see Tim Cook CEO, being awarded the LGBTQ award this year for helping the community of LGBTQ do more for their youth, as amazing as this is, this article also highlights how proud Tim was after coming out to his as gay wife after 26 years of marriage.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, the cast and producers of CW's "Riverdale" and Apple CEO Tim Cook gathered at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Friday evening to be honored as advocates for LGBTQ youth at the 15th annual GLSEN Respect Awards ceremony.

Cook, leader of the first company in the world to be worth $1 trillion, dedicated his award to a 62-year-old man who came out to his wife of 26 years after reading the 2014 Bloomberg op-ed where Cook came out publicly. Apple also sponsored the annual event, along with Disney, Wells Fargo, Gucci and Amazon Studios.

"GLSEN knows well and has held as its mission for nearly 30 years, that what we learn and what we're told to value as children can define the course of our lives," Cook said onstage, accepting the Champion Award. "If a teacher, a parent, an authority figure takes time to show kindness, to represent the great diversity of our humanity and to create space for authentic conversations when we're young, it stays in our hearts forever and it builds better people as a result."

"Unfortunately, we still see far too often the consequences of failing our kids. Trans and non-binary young people kicked out of their homes and attacked on our streets. Bullying and harassment in our schools," he continued. "And a broader society that still sends the message, when the going gets tough, it's the least among us who get targeted first. There is so much more each of us can do to change these things and that's what brought me here."

Originated in 2004, GLSEN hosts its annual Respect Awards in Los Angeles and New York to highlight the work of people who have made an impact on the lives of LGBTQ youth. Founded in 1990 by a group of teachers, GLSEN dedicates itself to creating affirming learning environments for LGBTQ students in grades K-12, conducting research and creating resources for educators to use in their communities.

"This is our third time together since our world changed," GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard said in her opening speech, referencing the 2016 election. "Each time we gather, the exact dimensions of what we face become clearer. It is crucial that we are here because two weeks ago, the attorney general of the United States, William Barr, described LGBT issues in schools as ground zero in the secular war on religion."

Things continued to get political during the evening with moments like the crowd's one-minute booing of United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and exasperated references to the country's current state of affairs. Alabama became a recurring butt-of-the joke as both "Hidden Figures" star Spencer and Cook closed out the night with references to humble beginnings in their southern, Conservative home state.

"I can't help but imagine how much it would have meant to me, growing up in a small town, just a few mostly empty miles from the Gulf Coast, to know that somewhere out there was a room like this, filled with people who cared so much," Cook said. The event also celebrated the cast and creatives behind the CW's "Riverdale" with the Gamechanger award. Executive producer and writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa explained to Variety how he went from receiving a cease and desist letter from Archie Comics after writing and planning to premiere a play depicting beloved comic book character Archie as gay in 2003 to being honored for his work on the television adaptation of the same character.

"It's such a Cinderella story," Aguirre-Sacasa said. "When that happened, I reached out to the very nice lawyer that sent the cease and desist letter and I said, 'I love these characters and this is a love letter to them. It's my dream to work for Archie Comics and write for Archie Comic books and write the Archie musical.' The guy was like, 'That will never, ever happen.' Times change."

Madelaine Petsch, who plays lesbian character Cheryl Blossom on "Riverdale," also shared what the award meant to her.

"It's such an incredible feeling to be able to bring to life a character on screen that can inspire real lives. It's life changing," Petsch told Variety. "I've had so many people come up to me and tell me they had the courage to come out to their family and friends because my character came out."

Also honored at the event were Amazon Studios CEO Jennifer Salke, introduced by "Transparent" star Judith Light, and Texas high school senior Elle Smith, who was honored as the student advocate of the year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Apple CEO Tim Cook: There's 'much more' to do to help LGBTQ youth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, the cast and producers of CW's "Riverdale" and Apple CEO Tim Cook gathered at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Friday evening to be honored as advocates for LGBTQ youth at the 15th annual GLSEN Respect Awards ceremony.

# data[].attributes.body
Well, its finally come, Missouri is on its way to having the highest teen pregnancy and STI statistics in the country. These officials are not affecting their own families nor friends as they all share an economic status that is well above your average person, nor are they affecting the individuals who are planning for children. No, they are damning those who receive poor public education, low SES, and are now creating a hamster wheel cycle for that group. P.s. this article focus on the last abortion clinic, what about the last STI testing, pregnancy testing, prenatal, free contraceptives, free condoms, family planning, etc. They aren't just only the last abortion clinic in Missouri.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A hearing began Monday in Missouri over the fate of the state's lone abortion clinic, pitting Planned Parenthood against state officials who have refused to renew the clinic's license.

If health officials prevail, the hearing could result in Missouri becoming the only state in the country without a legal abortion clinic.

The licensing issue at the embattled Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region has created so much tension, Missouri officials asked St. Louis police for added security ahead of the start of the hearing, the Associated Press reported.

The hearing is expected to last for five days, although a ruling is not anticipated until at least February. It started Monday morning and is taking place at a state office building in downtown St. Louis, where a state arbiter is hearing arguments from both sides.

Health officials have characterized the clinic as failing to meet safety standards, while Planned Parenthood argues it has addressed all concerns.

On Monday, Assistant Attorney General John Sauer described cases of at least four patients who had "failed abortions" at the clinic, including one who needed up to five procedures to complete the abortion and another where clinicians did not realize a patient was pregnant with twins, resulting in the need for a second procedure to abort the second fetus.

Planned Parenthood attorney Chuck Hatfield, meanwhile, played a video deposition of a health department official who indicated there were no signs the clinic was unsafe.

The hearing is the latest development in a protracted legal battle. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services first decided not to renew the clinic's abortion license as of June 1 after an inspection in March found problems, including "at least one incident in which patient safety was gravely compromised," "failed surgical abortions in which women remained pregnant," and an alleged failure to obtain "informed consent."

Planned Parenthood has said it addressed those issues months ago and argues the licensing battle is part of a broader anti-abortion push by the state's administration. In May, Missouri's Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill banning abortions on or beyond the eighth week of pregnancy without exceptions in cases of rape or incest - one of the nation's most restrictive abortion bills.

Commissioner Sreenivasa Rao Dandamudi of the state's Administrative Hearing Commission is presiding over this week's hearing, and will act as an "independent trial judge," a commission official told the AP.

Planned Parenthood initially challenged the case in a St. Louis Circuit Court, where a judge sided with the clinic but kicked the legal battle to the Administrative Hearing Commission. The commission granted a stay that allowed the clinic to continue providing abortions until the hearing.

During the hearing, the state is calling three physician witnesses, which Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri referred to in a statement as "experts in anti-abortion advocacy dressed up as misleading medical jargon."

"The State is calling them because they support the coordinated effort to ban safe, legal abortion in Missouri," it said ahead of the hearing.

Missouri is one of six states that has only one abortion clinic. The other five states are Kentucky, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.

The licensing fight comes amid a slew of recent anti-abortion legislation across the country, including a near-total ban on abortions in Alabama. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union are suing to block the bans, which they say are unconstitutional under the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that federally legalized abortion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Missouri begins hearing over state's lone abortion clinic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A hearing began Monday in Missouri over the fate of the state's lone abortion clinic, pitting Planned Parenthood against state officials who have refused to renew the clinic's license. If health officials prevail, the hearing could result in Missouri becoming the only state in the country without a legal abortion clinic.

# data[].attributes.body
Sometimes when we think about privilege we don't realize how it is everywhere. In this instant, a boy with a wheel chair was unable to find a costume for halloween that allowed him to use his wheel chair so instead he built one. We do not think about going to the store and not having a costume to be accessible to us.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
father makes halloween costumes for his son with cerebral palsy - cnn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Halloween costumes wouldn't fit his son's wheelchair. Now he builds epic outfits himself

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tom Hardy builds epic Halloween costumes for his teen son Tommy, who has cerebral palsy. He's transformed Tommy's wheelchair into a dragon, a pineapple and, this year, an Air Force jet.

# data[].attributes.body
When we elect people to represent us in choices being made we must include the public, however this board thought it was important to discuss budgeting issues in a private meeting that should have been open to the public.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Stillwater school board violated open meeting law, state says | INFORUM

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
STILLWATER, Minn. - Stillwater Area Public Schools violated The opinion was requested by a resident based on a complaint that a quorum of the District 834 School Board was present at a Finance and Operations Working Group meeting on Aug. 29. A quorum in this case consists of four members.

# data[].attributes.body
We can see forms of intersectionality in Presidential Candidate Pete Burrigieg, he is a young white male, putting him at an advantage when it comes to becoming president. However, Pete, is gay. That is right he is GAY and peoples are having a hard time coming to terms with the idea of a GAY man being our president, discrediting the fact he is a white male.

# data[].attributes.body
Piper on OITNB, is a white straight women walks the straight and narrow until she gets caught and goes to prison due to an ex lover, as the story unfolds we see Piper's layers and discover that she was a lesbian in her life, was a drug smuggler, and still carries those traits throughout the series even if they were repressed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Vauseman: Alex & Piper Love Story | Orange Is The New Black | Netflix

# data[].attributes.body
This a youtube blogger who strips for a living, in it we can see she is Latino, young, and although she makes a lot of money through stripping, you would not assume nor put her in a high class due to her occupation. Some strippers are gay, straight, etc but they all serve a purpose that mostly services to men.

# data[].attributes.body
Jeffree Star is a YouTuber best known from his makeup company. Jeffree identifies as androgynous, and is in a committed relationship with his straight boyfriend Nate. Nate has always identified as a straight male and still does. Jeffree and Nate are both white, however are still persecuted against for being gay/straight.

# data[].attributes.body
Lizzo "truth hurts" is a new hit single that discusses getting over a ex. In it Lizzo talks about how she gets over it. She talks about getting her hair "pressed" and getting a new man. Lizzo is a black women and often her music has a theme of being a women but more specifically being a black woman.

# data[].attributes.body
Social media can be used in may ways to help activist. Earlier this year we saw a lot of issues surrounding abortion rights. This article is a good example of what has been going on in our society. Feminist went to twitter when they found out Missouri wished to track patients periods. Women began using the hashtag, #TrackThisRandy and created a social movement using the platform of twitter.

# data[].attributes.body
Climate change is something that affects everyone. In this podcast "Mothers of Invention" take on this topic of climate change, in this podcast, the creators find women from all over the world who are enacting their own responses to the climate change happening around them. Whether it be through seeking justice for women and girls who are affected by climate change, to women seeking more renewable resources that help better the communities this podcast creates a foundation for female activist to have their voices heard in a larger audience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The women who make the podcast "Mothers of Invention" stand apart in the field of climate communication.

Credit... Harriet Lee-Merrion

This article is part of our Women and Leadership special section, which focuses on approaches taken by women, minorities or other disadvantaged groups challenging traditional ways of thinking.
In 1991, when a cyclone and flooding hit Bangladesh, 90 percent of the victims were women. In New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina displaced over 83 percent of poor, single mothers. In Senegal, a 35 percent decline in rainfall means that women, often responsible for fetching water for their families, have to walk farther to collect enough.

Around the world, women - predominantly poor black, brown and indigenous women - are disproportionately affected by climate change. They live intimately with climate chaos that can seem distant or abstract in space and time from the lives of many in the global North.

For some, statistics like the ones above are enough. For most people, the catalyst for caring, let alone taking action, is stories - the lived experience of others who can translate their own narrative into something more essential about what it is to live with climate change.

The women who make the podcast " Mothers of Invention " already know all of this, which makes them stand apart in the field of climate communication.

Mary Robinson, the first woman to be president of Ireland and a former United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights and climate justice advocate, co-hosts the show with Maeve Higgins, an Irish comic and writer who hosts her own immigration podcast and is a contributing opinion writer to The New York Times. Thimali Kodikara, a British producer, artist and activist, is the series producer.

Ms. Robinson lives in Dublin, but for almost all of the episodes she comes to New York City to record the show with Ms. Higgins and Ms. Kodikara.

The show focuses on stories of women of color and indigenous women from around the world in the climate crisis who are implementing solutions in their own communities. These are the women, the show argues, who need to be involved in higher-level discussions about policy and about who is really affected by climate change.

They have featured women like Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a member of the nomadic Peul Mbororo community in Chad, who seeks justice for women and girls, and Wahleah Johns, a member of the Navajo (Dine) tribe, helping to bring solar energy and green jobs to her community through the organization Native Renewables, one of her many efforts to achieve climate and environmental justice. These women and others appear on the show as guest hosts to tell their own stories, making manifest the show's tagline: "Climate change is a man-made problem with a feminist solution."

In defiance of outdated stereotypes depicting feminists as humorless and self-serious, Ms. Robinson and Ms. Higgins, working off Ms. Kodikara's scripts, deliver levity and brightness to a discussion that so often emphasizes fear, hoping to leave people feeling informed and empowered, rather than scared and depressed. Though not a comedy show, their approach makes room for everyone, from the novice to the expert. All this, even though until two years ago, Ms. Robinson "didn't know what a podcast was," she said.

Ms. Robinson has said that one of her regrets during her tenure at the United Nations from 1997 to 2002 is that she did not make any speeches about climate change. Even though she found climate change worrying, to her, the issue had so often been framed as a story about polar bears and melting glaciers, and not always one about people. But during her travels around the world advocating human rights, she began to hear more stories from people living on the front lines of climate change, and they kept saying things were getting worse.

While visiting South Africa not long before the 2009 Copenhagen summit on climate change, she heard an affecting story. A Ugandan farmer and grandmother, Constance Okollet, said that the changes - farming made more difficult by flooding and drought - in her village were unprecedented. "'They are outside of our experience,' Constance told me. It was an unusual sentence, and I will never forget that sentence," Ms. Robinson said.

That story and others made international justice and human rights concerns inextricable from climate change for Ms. Robinson. Now, those most vulnerable - the poor, the marginalized and the disempowered - are at the forefront of her agenda and her efforts to bring their stories to a global audience.

But justice, and gender equality in particular, has always been a motivating force for Ms. Robinson - she gave a speech in the late 1960s in deeply Catholic Ireland calling for repeal of the constitutional bans of divorce and contraception, and the legalization of homosexuality. "I did always have a sense of justice," she said, "and I wanted to study law because I wanted it to be a kind of way to effect social justice and to take cases to correct discrimination."

She wanted to bring that sense of justice, and her understanding of the intersection of climate change and human rights, to a broader audience, which is what got her to the podcast.

And despite her status as a global moral leader and knowledge of climate policy, she maintains a profound sense of humility. "I have learned as much for the podcast as I have contributed to it," she said. "I am so impressed by the women that we have been interviewing and listening to, with that humor and banter but a seriousness about the urgency of the problem on the ground."

And while she sees feminism as the solution to the problem, she stresses the inclusivity of her approach: "We don't exclude men; we just keep them in their place," she said with a laugh.

Ms. Higgins is a comedian, but "Mothers of Invention" is not a comedy show, she said. However, she sees a vital role for humor in any discussion of climate change, and politics in general.

"Where I'm at right now with humor is that it's actually maybe dishonest or unprofessional to not use humor in writing or talking about very serious things, because it's very human to make a joke at dark times," she said.

Ultimately, she has found, focusing only on the unrelenting bad news about climate change is a disservice to the people who live with it every day and to the people who are taking action. "It's the same information," she said, "but how you present it and how you leave somebody feeling is important as well."

"We need to make space for these women because they are affected, and they are the ones coming up with solutions," Ms. Higgins said.

She also emphasizes the need to help listeners feel that they can take action too. Like many others, Ms. Higgins was a customer of JPMorgan Chase, which has reportedly committed nearly $200 billion to fossil fuel exploration over the last three years. For a bonus episode, she recorded her call to Chase asking them for comment on their investment in fossil fuels. "It felt like a prank call to call them and get hung up on, but that's the action that I took," she said.

Ms. Higgins joined "Mothers of Invention" after an extensive audition process.

Before working with Ms. Robinson on the podcast, she was not a climate expert, though through her interest in immigration, she was beginning to see the effects of climate change on displacement and migration.

She also was not about to turn down an opportunity to work with Ms. Robinson, who Ms. Higgins said was the first president she really remembered from growing up in Ireland. "She is impressive and clear-minded and clever, and she stands up for others," she said. "All of the things I thought about her as a child proved true, and that was pretty special."

Ms. Robinson agreed: "I'm very happy to find myself in this wicked company at this stage in my life."

Ms. Kodikara has been thinking about climate justice for her entire life, she just did not know it.

An artist by training and a producer by profession, Ms. Kodikara, who was born in England to Sri Lankan parents, had been involved with organizations championing immigration reform and helping asylum seekers, but, she said, "I hadn't really thought about the connections between migration, immigration and climate because the common narratives hadn't made climate appear relevant to black and brown people at all."

That changed after a conversation with her friend, Thanu Yakupitiyage, associate director of United States communications for 350.org, who had previously worked in immigration reform. As Ms. Kodikara started learning more about the issue, she said, "I realized with all that has separated us from each other, climate justice is the great unifier."

Producing the show became an opportunity to change the behaviors and attitudes of the climate-curious-but-maybe-complacent (and mainly white) in the global North, by putting faces and voices to the science.

She and the co-hosts "understand the value of supporting these women and listening to the knowledge that they've hoarded for generations," Ms. Kodikara said. "I don't see anyone else doing that." To her, it's inherently logical: "What kind of solution are you really going to end up with if you don't listen to all of the intelligent and experienced and informed voices?" she said.

For her, the show's emphasis on levity complements that mission. "It is a phenomenal source of power for marginalized communities to be able to laugh and take control back into their hands. You can't make a joke in a vacuum, you have to be in a room, in a community with other people to feel that way."

The humor also captures the interest of those who might otherwise turn away.

"I know how huge and beautiful and expansive things can be when we know how to exist around each other," she said. "We can do anything, but we have to understand more of where we came from in order to be able to do that, and also how to just exist and be around each other.

"I know how to do that, so let me show people how."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Telling Stories to Battle Climate Change, With a Little Humor Thrown In

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The women who make the podcast "Mothers of Invention" stand apart in the field of climate communication. This article is part of our Women and Leadership special section , which focuses on approaches taken by women, minorities or other disadvantaged groups challenging traditional ways of thinking.

# data[].attributes.body
"On The Basis of Sex" is a movie that was created in 2018. It tells the story of Ruth Ginsberg and her fights against sexist and anti-women laws and policies. This movie helped show how in rooted sexism is and was in our country and how one woman tried to change it all. The movie is centered around Ruth, her life, and the men who tried to quiet her voice. This is an important film as it show cases how far we have come, yet how far we have left to go.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ON THE BASIS OF SEX | Official Trailer | Focus Features

# data[].attributes.body
Ms. Magazine was started by Gloria Steinem in 1979 and is still around today. This magazine follows activist and feminist events happening around the country. It offers a platform for women to learn about and ask questions about things that are happening in our society today. In the most recent issue, The gag rule is discussed and how its practices are harmful. Along with the publishing, Ms. Magazine offers a website platform that allows females the opportunity to ask potential presidential candidates on their opinions and views on feminist movements and policies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We asked our readers what they would ask at tonight's debate. These were some of our favorite questions they posed to the candidates.

Maddy Pontz

Get the Ms. Weekly News Digest:

Feminist Daily Newswire

Highlights from the Current Issue:

We know from the many stories shared within our community that those who are remembered today suffered not only a truncated, and frequently grisly, end to their lives, but that they experienced violence and exclusion on a daily basis, for years or even decades. That pervasive ostracization forms the backdrop-as well as the enabler-of so many incidents of acute, debilitating, tragic violence directed at the transgender community, also referred to as trans-directed gender-based violence.

Chloe Schwenke

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We asked our readers what they would ask at tonight's debate. These were some of our favorite questions they posed to the candidates.

# data[].attributes.body
The Equal Rights Amendment has been in the works since the late seventies. Needing 38 states to ratify the amendment, the dead line was set to 1982. This did not happen. However this year Jackie Speier went to house to eradicate that dead line, and thanks to her, she did. Because of Speier, if one more state accepts this amendment then men AND women will be viewed as equal under the law.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The House on Wednesday took a major step in clearing the way for the advancement of the Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment to the Constitution that would offer all Americans equal legal protections regardless of sex. A resolution passed by the Judiciary Committee this week could bring the measure significantly closer to fruition.

It might seem like odd timing to take a vote on the Equal Rights Amendment. It was first passed by the House and Senate in 1972 and after an initial flurry of states approving it (the next step needed to amend the Constitution), momentum died down for over three decades. But there's recently been new energy, and Democrats retaking the Virginia state legislature earlier this month means it's closer to becoming a reality than ever.

The amendment still needs two things to happen in order to move forward: It requires ratification by three-fourths - or 38 - states. And it requires Congress to change the deadline for ratification, which was previously set as 1982.

With Democrats now in control in Virginia, the state is poised to become the 38th state to ratify the ERA. In light of that momentum, House lawmakers are now trying to remove the prior ratification deadline. The Judiciary Committee this week approved a resolution that would do just that and it's now up for a vote by the full House, where it's likely to pass with the Democratic majority.

If this resolution is ultimately approved by the House and the Senate, the measure could potentially become an amendment to the Constitution. What that would guarantee is equal protection under the law for all individuals, a change that could lead to wide-ranging updates to existing policies, according to the New York Times's Maggie Astor:

For women, it would bolster pay equity, domestic violence laws and pregnancy discrimination protections, among many other things. It could also affect men, such as by guaranteeing paid paternity leave equal to maternity leave.

The momentum behind the ERA has lagged since its congressional passage several decades ago, but interest in it has been rekindled in recent years - a product, in part, of a growing focus on gender equity, as Vox's Emily Stewart noted:

Activists point to a number of factors contributing to the amendment's revival, including the #MeToo movement, the backlash to Donald Trump's presidency and Hillary Clinton's 2016 loss, and the number of women who have entered into the political arena as of late. During the 2019 State of the Union address, many Democratic women in Congress wore pins that read "ERA Yes."

The Senate, too, has its own resolution that would eliminate the deadline needed for its ratification, but it's currently unclear how the upper chamber plans to handle the measure.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
House Democrats took a big step to get the Equal Rights Amendment moving again

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The House on Wednesday took a major step in clearing the way for the advancement of the Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment to the Constitution that would offer all Americans equal legal protections regardless of sex. A resolution passed by the Judiciary Committee this week could bring the measure significantly closer to fruition.