"Equal pay isn't just about our earnings..."
Planned Parenthood
TBH Just the facts. No judgment.
No apologies.
In This Issue:
Equal Pay Day + Are menstrual cups a good alternative? + Say #CountMeIn
 
Dolores Huerta
To put it simply: Attacking Planned Parenthood for providing Latinas with reproductive health services is another way of saying that Latinas shouldn't have access to reproductive health services at all."
— Dolores Huerta
On April 10, we celebrate Dolores Huerta's birthday and legacy. She is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who led the fight for racial and labor justice. Most notably, Dolores co-founded the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) and coined the iconic rally cry, "Si, se puede!"
 
Not Everyone's Equal Pay Day
"Equal pay isn't just about our earnings...the inability to become financially independent has ripple effects across all aspects of our lives. Wage gaps make it harder for us to make decisions about if, when, and how to parent, or escape situations of family or domestic violence..."
— National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum1

April 2nd was Equal Pay Day, because it takes a white woman three additional months into the new year to make the same as your average white man2. But it's not Equal Pay Day for all women — this date doesn't account for the widened gap experienced by women of color, trans women, queer women, and gender non-conforming folks.

Black women made 63 cents, Latina women made 54 cents and Native American women made 59 cents to the white man's dollar. While white women made 80 cents and Asian women made 85 cents to a white man's dollar, respectively. You've probably heard these stats before, but who gets overlooked?

As a Sri Lankan-American, I notice that nearly 50 ethnicities are all lumped together as a monolith — perpetuating the idea that Asians are a "model minority": The myth that all Asian Americans are successful and educated compared to other marginalized communities of color may sound like a compliment, but it actually does a lot of harm. For one, it erases our diverse experiences and results in underfunding or cuts to important federal programs such as Medicaid, which 10% of non-elderly Asian American women rely on for their health care.

Looking closely at the data, several Asian diaspora groups make much lower wages, such as Samoan and Burmese women, who respectively earn 62 and 50 cents to every dollar a white man earns1. These disparities that exist across ethnicities can also be made worse by homophobia and transphobia.

Although we are far from pay equity, some progress is being made. Last month the House passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, thanks in part to the efforts of groups like the National Partnership for Women and Families and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum.
Amanda Silva
Amanda Silva, Mobile Specialist
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
 
Amanda is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplaces. Amanda has lived and worked in Sri Lanka and Australia, and served in Peace Corps Indonesia.
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1. National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
2. Forbes, Equal Pay Day 2019: How To Close The Wage Gap For Good

Get the Details:
+ We're No 'Model Minority': Addressing the Myth Through Equal Pay Day
+ It's Not Really AAPI Equal Pay Day. Here's Why.
+ New analysis shows startling levels of discrimination against API transgender people
 
Defier of the Month
 
Jamie Margolin WA
 
"Twenty thousand people die from air pollution alone each year in the United States, and the majority of those people are people of color. That's not a coincidence."

Jamie Margolin is a 17-year-old queer Latina activist and co-executive director of Zero Hour, a movement made up of high school students and led entirely by women of color.

Last July, Jamie and her organization mobilized thousands of youth across the country for the Zero Hour Youth Climate March. Their movement focused on dismantling the systems of oppression that created the climate crisis by lifting the voices of indigenous communities and making sure that those who feel the worst effects of climate change are the experts and at the forefront of the solutions. Jamie was recently recognized as an ALMA Awards Trailblazer (American Latino Media Arts) and part of Teen Vogue's 21 under 21.
 
Sexual and reproductive health should never depend on where you live, whether it's a blue state, a red state...or another country!"
— Jennie Wetter, host of rePROs Fight Back
rePROs Fight Back is a podcast that focuses on issues like abortion, birth control, sex education, and LGBTQ rights. rePROs Fight Back features interviews with leaders who are fighting back against those who would deny or restrict our reproductive health and rights. Listen to their latest podcast on The Future of Roe: Upcoming Cases Challenging Abortion Rights.
 
"Are menstrual cups a good alternative to pads and tampons?"
Menstrual cups aren't only reusable and cost-effective — they're eco friendly too! They usually cost $20 to $40 and can last up to 10 years with proper care.

The menstrual cup is a bell-shaped cup made of rubber, silicone, or soft plastic. It's inserted into the vagina and kept in place by the walls of the vagina and collects menstrual fluid. You empty it every 8-12 hours, or when it's full. Many brands recommend that you wash your hands, remove the cup, discard the contents, then rinse it with warm water and soap about twice a day while you're using it. Cleaning your cup more thoroughly between periods — by boiling it in a pot with water for 5-10 minutes — is also a good idea.

Is the menstrual cup right for you? Learn more about menstrual cups and other types of period protection.

— Nathan at Planned Parenthood
Last issue we focused on menstrual equity — but we didn't mention Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, co-founder of Period Equity, who literally wrote the book on menstrual equity policies in the U.S. Check out Jennifer's work and the work of 6 other menstrual activists here.
 
Say #CountMeIn

We're just about one year away from the 2020 census, the United States' decennial process of counting every person who lives in the country. While the census ensures that federal funding for programs like Medicaid, Title X, and many others, are sent where they're needed, it also plays a significant role in determining people's long-term representation and political power at the federal, state and local level. We recognize that marginalized communities are often underrepresented in this count and many identities are not included at all.

Say #CountMeIn by signing the Census Count pledge to advocate for a fair and accurate 2020 census.

 
 
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TBH (To Be Honest) is a monthly newsletter dedicated to learning about our bodies, talking about sex and relationships, and challenging health inequity and injustice. Send us your feedback.

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