By Ivan Sanchez Across the United States, the 2023 off-year elections had a significant impact on the abortion rights debate, offering insight into party directions for 2024. Elections in Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Virginia spotlight the significance of abortion issues in a post-Roe v. Wade landscape. In Ohio, voters determined to codify abortion rights into the state Constitution. In August, voters decisively rejected a proposal seeking to raise the referendum passing threshold from 50 percent to 60 percent. This vote was widely seen as a proxy for abortion rights, and now Ohioans have enshrined women’s access to reproductive services in…
Author: Ivan Sanchez
By Ivan Sanchez While the recent US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision in Alabama regarding redistricting, created a new Black opportunity district that would enable Black voters to elect the candidate of their choice, other Southern states have seen backsliding on the principle of one person, one vote. States across the Southeast are going for broke in eliminating or reducing minority voting power. In the otherwise middling midterms of 2022, North Carolina lost their Democratic majority on their Supreme Court. A few months into the new legislative term, the North Carolina Supreme Court summarily reversed the previous court’s decision that banned…
By Ivan Sanchez One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Most of us have known someone that has battled this disease, and many of us know someone that has lost the battle. According to the American Cancer Society “Black women have the lowest 5-year relative breast cancer survival rate compared to all other racial/ethnic groups for every stage of diagnosis and every breast cancer subtype. There is a 6 percent to 8 percent gap in 5-year survival between Black and White women for every breast cancer subtype.” The Tigerlily Foundation, a breast cancer advocacy…
By Ivan Sanchez Alabama has appealed the decision of the three-judge panel to the US Supreme Court. The state of Alabama requested a review from Justice Clarence Thomas, the current Supreme Court Justice overseeing the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, where Alabama sits. The stay decision can be decided by Justice Thomas alone or referred to the entire court for decision. Instead of complying with the decision from the district court or the Supreme Court, Alabama once again punted with new arguments. The state of Alabama seeks to have the remainder of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act gutted. …
By Ivan Sanchez Tennessee has led the nation in anti-gay laws, with book bans and drag bans proliferating throughout the state. With artists like Madonna protesting the never-ending slew of anti-LGBT laws, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stand ready to fight back. Mark Murphy, executive and artistic director at OZ Arts is bringinglegendary artist John Cameron Mitchell to OZ Arts for a benefit concert for the ACLU of Tennessee’s LGBTQ+ Justice initiatives. “John Cameron Mitchell is one of our most legendary queer alt-culture creators, launching to fame with the unforgettable stage musical-turned-film Hedwig and the Angry…