It’s June, which means it’s Pride Month! Whether we’re standing up for birth control, libraries, diversity and inclusion, or trans rights, it’s all the same fight against extremism. Right-wing leaders like Ron DeSantis might try banning rainbow lights on bridges this month by calling it “Freedom Summer,” but what’s more free than a beautiful rainbow?

Last week, all but 2 Republican Senators blocked a bill that would protect access to birth control, despite Republicans continuing to insist that they support access. Some, like JD Vance, were too cowardly to even vote - but their silence spoke just as loudly as a No vote. Access to birth control helps prevent abortions, but it’s clear they don’t actually care about that. It’s just about control.

Then we’re joined by Vanessa Joy, a trans woman in Ohio who was disqualified from running for the Ohio House of Representatives for not putting her former name on her petition. Vanessa explains why she wanted to run for office in the first place and the “gotcha” law that prevented her candidacy. But she’s not letting this stop her - she’s still a passionate advocate, hosting a podcast called Transcending Humanity and serving as Co-Executive Director of Ohio Equal Rights.

Finally, Amanda and Jasmine raise a glass to self-care and great questions from kids in this week's Toast to Joy.

If you want to support the LGBTQ community with us this summer, our Pride collection is now available. We have shirts, stickers, buttons, and a new mug perfect for proud moms, members of the LGBTQ community, and anyone who wants to support Pride.

And don’t forget to sign up for our Substack newsletter! It’s free and we’d love to hear from you in the comments.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

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Whether we’re talking about the devastating consequences of abortion bans or the legitimacy of Trump’s criminal trial, there are too many people in this country who can’t seem to handle the truth.

Stories like that of Ryan and Jess Hamilton, who couldn’t get medical care in Texas after a miscarriage, might be difficult to read but that doesn’t make them false. We can only solve problems by facing them head-on, so here on The Suburban Women Problem we want to loudly proclaim that yes, we CAN handle the truth!

Gun violence is another issue where we must first confront difficult realities before we can make real change. So this week we’re joined by Sefanie Feldman and Greg Jackson from the new White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Greg and Stefanie share some wins that they’ve already been able to accomplish and what got them interested in working on this work personally. We also get to hear what it’s like to work with Vice President Harris!

Finally, Rachel and Jasmine raise a glass to summer in this week's Toast to Joy.

The Senate vote on the Right to Contraception Act is set for Wednesday 6/5. If you want to learn more about the bill, who voted for it (and who didn’t!), and what we can do now, please join us on Tuesday June 11th for an emergency Troublemaker Turnout. You can learn more and RSVP here.

And don’t forget to sign up for our Substack newsletter! It’s free and we’d love to hear from you in the comments.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

When we hear news like Nikki Haley changing her tune and endorsing Trump, there’s no denying that politics can feel icky. But we have the power to make our voices heard - not just at the ballot box, but by reaching out to our representatives between elections too.

This week, Amanda and Rachel sat down with NPR reporter Sarah McCammon to learn more about her new book The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. It may be hard to understand how the evangelical church came to support someone like Trump, but Sarah walked us through the connections between evangelicalism and right-wing politics as well as her own journey with the church.

Finally, Amanda, Rachel and Jasmine raise a glass to naps, kids growing up, and not waiting until everything is “perfect” in this week's Toast to Joy.

On June 5th, the Senate will vote on whether to protect birth control, so it's important that we call our senators and tell them to vote yes to protect our rights. Even if you think your senator is a definite “yes” (or a definite “no”), we need to flood the Senate with calls so they know how much we care about this issue. If you click here, you can be connected to your senators and urge them to do the right thing.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA

Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA

Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA

YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA