In This Issue:
Representation matters + How do I comfort someone who's getting an abortion? + What's the Trump admin's gag rule?

The FX series Pose, which depicts 1980s New York City ball culture, is making history. From casting to directing, the show hired more than 100 trans people on the cast and crew. The show’s storytelling features diverse and complex characters: they are LGBT, they are people with HIV, they are sex workers, they are Black or Latinx. They experience discrimination, shame, and stigma — but also resiliency and community. Read more: Janet Mock's 'Pose' Directorial Debut Proves Why Hollywood Needs To Hire Trans People.

Mitsuye Yamada was one of the 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast interned in camps by the U.S. government during World War II — a moment in history that's top-of-mind, given the current development of immigrant detention camps along the U.S.-Mexico border. Yamada wrote poems about her internment decades later, and transformed her pain into a path forward as a feminist writer and human rights activist. She helped lay the groundwork for Asian-American feminists by challenging stereotypes, and encouraging Asian-American women to speak out and defy the myth of the "model minority."

Just last fall, Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Kavanaugh, used his judicial power to try to prevent a young, undocumented woman in U.S. custody from accessing the safe, legal abortion she had asked for.

The Trump administration blocked "Jane Doe," who was detained in Texas, from accessing an abortion for over a month. Kavanaugh ruled in favor of allowing further delay. Fortunately, the full court on which Kavanaugh sits intervened and allowed her to access the health care she needed.

While Jane Doe was able to have the abortion, Kavanaugh's actions show a disregard for the constitutional right to abortion and the human right of undocumented immigrants to health care and dignity. The Trump administration attempted to "run out the clock" until her pregnancy passed the 20-week mark — at which point abortion is banned in Texas — and Kavanaugh would have let that happen.

Supreme Court judges are appointed for life, which means that if Kavanaugh is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, there will be far-reaching effects on issues like reproductive rights, immigration rights, LGBTQ rights, gun reform, criminal justice reform, environmental protection, voting rights, and more — and not just for Trump's presidential term, but for decades to come.

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+ Brett Kavanaugh's One Abortion Case

+ Teenage Immigrant Forced by Government to Remain Pregnant

+ Massachusetts Moves to Protect Abortion Rights Following Kavanaugh Nomination

Looking for more?

+ Report: Trump is Using HIV Funding to Jail More Migrant Children

+ Pregnant Women Say They Miscarried in Immigration Detention and Didn't Get The Care They Needed

+ RAICES to donate millions to pay for flights for separated families

+ Trump's Supreme Court Nominee Threatens Contraception Access, Too

Everyone deserves this kind of support when they’re going through a hard time. Knowing someone cares and will be there no matter what can be the most comforting thing of all. Here are five other ways to support someone who’s having an abortion:

Listen to them and remind them that you support and love them no matter what.

Remind them that there’s no right or wrong way to feel about abortion. It's okay to feel some guilt. It's okay to feel some relief. It's okay not to feel much at all.

Offer to be there with them on the day of their appointment, if they want. Offer other practical help — like driving them home, getting them pads, or watching their kids.

Don't tell anyone unless they ask you to. Even though abortion is nothing to be ashamed of, it's up to them to decide who they tell — not you.

Help them get accurate information about abortion — and if they're having a really hard time, offer to help them find a professional they can talk with. The staff at their nearest Planned Parenthood health center may be able to connect them with local resources. Exhale, an online abortion support group, is another great resource.

Your sister's going to be okay. And the comfort you're providing her is a great reminder of that.

— Emily at Planned Parenthood

  Blair Imani NY
  Blair Imani — a Black, queer, and Muslim activist — founded Equality for HER, a nonprofit offering free educational resources about issues affecting women and nonbinary people. The goal is to make learning about social justice issues more accessible to everyone. As an activist, Blair engages with a wide range of issues, including protesting for reproductive justice, Black Lives Matter, and more recently, organizing a protest of ICE's family separation policy. Check out one of Equality for HER's resources on trans inclusive language: Pregnant People.

What we're reading:

+ The U.S. Bullied the World to Stop a Pro-Breastfeeding Resolution? That's the American Way

+ We Can't Keep Ignoring Native American Women's Health & Human Rights

+ Asian American Women Struggle with Birth Control Use and Safe Sex—and the Trump Administration's Policies Aren’t Helping

+ Planned Parenthood to Open 14 New Health Centers Across the American South

Last week, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts announced that they now offer gender affirming hormone therapy for trans patients! If you are looking for these services in your area, visit our website or call 1-800-230-7526 to check with a Planned Parenthood health center near you.

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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