Amy Poehler Fights For Gun Control on Twitter
After CNN’s town hall in Florida yesterday, the NRA tweeted at spokeswoman Dana Loesch with a Leslie Knope GIF. The amazing team behind Parks and Recreation immediately intervened. “Hi, please take this down. I would prefer you not use a GIF from a show I worked on to promote your pro-slaughter agenda,” wrote creator Michael Schur. He added, “Amy isn’t on Twitter, but she texted me a message: ‘Can you tweet the NRA for me and tell them I said fuck off?’” Amy, if you ever create a Twitter account, we’ll be your first follow.
Yet Again, Students Are Doing More For America Than Trump Is
Yesterday evening, Florida students, teachers, and parents confronted Senator Marco Rubio and NRA representatives at CNN’s town hall meeting. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was murdered at the Stoneman Douglas school shooting, repeatedly asked Rubio to explain why he was opposed to banning the assault weapon that killed his child. Though Rubio seemed to agree that access to guns played a role in the shooting, he insisted that the problem of gun violence “cannot be solved by gun laws alone,” reported The New Yorker. When asked by a 17-year-old Douglas student, Cameron Kasky, if he would continue to accept money from the NRA, Rubio said, “I will always accept the help of anyone who agrees with my agenda.” Read The New Yorker’s coverage here.
Florida Governor Rick Scott declined to attend the meeting. Trump didn’t show, either.
Trump did, however, suggest we arm teachers, reported ABC News. As he usually does, he then went on Twitter: “I never said “give teachers guns” like was stated on Fake News @CNN & @NBC. What I said was to look at the possibility of giving concealed guns to gun adept teachers with military or special training experience.”
Meryl Streep Shuts Down Harvey Weinstein’s Claims
Meryl Streep has previously stated that when working with Harvey Weinstein, he was always respectful — but after hearing that earlier this week, Weinstein used her statement as evidence that he hadn’t abused other women, Streep had more to say. “Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys’ use of my (true) statement — that he was not sexually transgressive or physically abusive in our business relationship ‚ as evidence that he was not abusive with many OTHER women is pathetic and exploitative,” she told Deadline. “The criminal actions he is accused of conducting on the bodies of these women are his responsibility, and if there is any justice left in the system he will pay for them.”
Photo via DreamWorks Pictures / The Post
Hate Groups Increased In 2017
The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that, in 2017, there was a 4% increase of hate groups in America. In their annual “Year in Hate and Extremism” report, the SPLC identified 954 hate groups. While there was a decline in Ku Klux Klan groups, there was a large increase in Neo-Nazi groups.
Of course, the SPLC cites Trump’s presidency as an inspiration to both the rise in hate groups. Check out the full report on the SPLC’s website.
#MeToo In Children’s Literature
Children’s authors and librarians are the latest to stand up against sexual misconduct in the workplace. Fantasy author Anne Ursu spoke with over 90 writers and illustrators who pointed out instances of coercion, gross sexual comments, and groping, at the hands of both higher-ups at meetings and peers at festivals and conferences. She shared her findings online. More recently, Daniel Handler — better known as Lemony Snicket — has been under fire for a history of crude comments, including racist remarks and invasive sexual questions. Read a full report on Pacific Standard.
Women’s Hockey
In better news, the U.S. Women’s Hockey team took home the Olympic Gold for the first time in 20 years. Largely thanks to Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson’s final goal, they beat longtime rival Canada 3-2 in a shootout. The team garnered attention last year when they led a boycott, demanding equal pay and treatment. They even had close to a hundred athletes from the national team pool back the boycott, ensuring USA Hockey would be unable to put together a competitive team. After receiving the equity they deserved, it’s clear that this year, the team is stronger than ever. Read more on The Washington Post.
Letitia Wright Is Just As Badass As Her Black Panther Character
If you’ve already seen and loved Marvel’s latest, check out W Magazine’s profile on breakout star Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri.
Photo via Marvel Studios / Black Panther
More Lupita!
And speaking of the Black Panther cast, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o has signed on to play the role of Trevor Noah’s mother in the film adaption of his autobiography, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Read more on Deadline.
#TransRightsAreHumanRights
Soap and cosmetic brand Lush is known for incorporating social movements into their marketing, and this month, the company is showing support for the trans* community with a new bath melt called “Inner Truth.” Money raised from the sales of each $6 product will go towards advocacy groups including the National Center for Transgender Equality. Additionally, the store windows feature quotes from trans* employees on their identities and how to be an ally. Read a full report on the Huffington Post.
This post was published on February 22, 2018
Top photo via NBC / Parks and Recreation
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