Top Stories This Week

• What’s happening at Woodhull;
• Honoring the life of Nex Benedict;
• Keeping the Kinsey Institute intact; 
• Sexual expression and getting fired;
• A draconian anti-trans bill in Missouri;
• Telehealth abortions; and
• Woodhull’s take on de facto censorship in West Virginia. 

Join us on March 27 at 2:30 pm ET for our Next Virtual Censorship Series!

Registration is free (but required), and, as always, ASL will be provided.

It’s a good thing it’s held in a virtual space, or we’d be blowing off the roof with these revolutionary, easy-to-implement ideas for YOU, {{Constituent First Name}}: now, you can do something to stop the rampant censorship impacting all of our lives. And guess what? You can access and deploy these tools right from your desk!

In March, we are bringing you two successful anti-censorship and intellectual freedom advocates for a hands-on workshop about how to fight against censorship in your backyard! Angela De Luccia and Barry Lynn will school us on the tactics and strategies they used to successfully fend off censors.

Our program on March 27th will be interactive, and attendees will work with Barry & Angela to create their own campaign against censorship. This is one you don’t want to miss! 

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

At Woodhull, we are often asked to educate politicians about human rights and sexual freedom. Do you think your legislator would benefit from a quick refresher?
Fill out our Legislative Support Request Form, and we'll send them a note, or who knows? Maybe we’ll pay them a visit! 

It’s been another busy few weeks of legislative advocacy at Woodhull as state legislatures rush to pass laws before they adjourn. We’ve been on the ground in four states these last two weeks. One HUGE victory (we’re still doing the happy dance over here!) is that by working in coalition with allies and sending our own compelling testimony in two different hearings, we won, and The Board of Trustees will not sever The Kinsey Institute from Indiana University!  Take a peak at all the letters and testimonies we’ve submitted in just the last two weeks!

There’s been a lot of action in the state houses, where we sent letters or submitted testimony at the beginning of February. Here’s an update on everything we shared in our newsletter on February 28th. 

• Florida HB 3, FL’s take on an online age verification bill,  passed the Florida Senate and was combined with HB 1, a social media age verification bill. The bill will have to pass the Senate and House again with the new changes. Luckily, Florida’s legislative session ended last week before these bills could be revised and voted on again. Under Governor DeStantis’s leadership, Florida has a habit of passing bills that encourage censorship in the Sunshine State and has also been considering a bill that would censor teacher preparation programs. Our allies at PEN America brought over 20 groups together to oppose FL SB 1372/HB 1291 and sent a letter to Florida leadership voicing our opposition. 
  
  
• In Berkeley, CA, as is often the case with the government, the meeting on their Non-Discrimination Ordinance for those in Diverse Families and Relationships was moved to May 7th. The measure has gained an an additional councilmember co-sponsor, which is excellent news! We will update you once the City Council hears the measure. In the meantime, Berkeley Locals can make their voice heard with this tool from our friends at Open! 
  
  
• New York State is still considering the Immunity Bills A.7471/S.1966 we supported earlier this month. This legislation would enable victims and witnesses of a crime to be able to seek help without fear of being prosecuted for prostitution. Our allies at Decriminalize Sex Work were in Albany on February 25th, speaking directly to legislators. So far, they have added two more Senate co-sponsors and Six more assembly co-sponsors to the bills.  We hope to see some movement on this bill soon. If you live in New York, you can make your voice heard using this link!
  
  
• In Rhode Island, the House Judiciary Committee has recently heard testimony on several important bills. On February 15, advocates went to the capitol to speak in favor of H7165, which would provide immunity from prosecution for commercial sexual activity for victims and witnesses of crime who report their experience to law enforcement and/or seek healthcare. They also testified in support of H7452, which removes additional fines assessed only to people convicted of commercial sexual activity and repeals Rhode Island's "loitering for prostitution" law. The committee held all three bills for future study, which is a procedural decision in Rhode Island that allows them to continue a discussion of the bill.

At Woodhull, we use the human rights framework to remind our legislators of their duty to protect and defend our human rights. We are consistently educating politicians about human rights and sexual freedom. 

(GoFundMe)

Nex Benedict: Everything We Know About 16-Year-Old Oklahoma Student’s Death (Teen Vogue)

Trans lives are precious. Trans rights are human rights. We join countless people across the world in honoring the life and mourning the death of Nex Benedict. Lex McMenamin writes: “Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old Oklahoma high school sophomore, was beaten by three girl classmates in the bathroom of Owasso High School on Feb. 7. On Feb. 8, Nex – who identified within the Two Spirit, transgender, and gender nonconforming (2STGNC) umbrella – was declared dead at the hospital. Now LGBTQ+ Oklahomans are mourning the loss of a straight-A student, a Minecraft fan, and animal lover – a teenager.” Read more.

(Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times)

Kinsey Institute to remain at Indiana University after Board of Trustees vote (The Herald-Times) 

The study of sex and sexuality is essential to the protection of the right to sexual freedom, which is why we were so worried when Kinsey Institute was threatened. Happily, as Brian Rosenzweig writes: “The Kinsey Institute will remain at Indiana University and not be transformed into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, after IU administration changed course and asked the Board of Trustees to pursue accounting solutions to keep the institute at IU. The administration's proposal, which the trustees approved unanimously, says IU will work with the Indiana State Board of Accounts to ensure compliance with an Indiana law passed last year that barred state dollars from coming to the institute.” Read more.

(Kinkly)

Your Right to Sexual Expression Can Get You Fired (Kinkly) 

Our right to sexual freedom includes the right to sexual expression. Many note that this right is protected by the U.S. Constitution, including under the First Amendment. Robin Zabiegalski writes: “Ricci Joy Levy, the President and CEO of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, explained that [...] consensual sexual expression of any kind falls under the First Amendment’s protections. Ricci added that the Harnishfeger v. United States case established the precedent that firing an employee for creating adult content outside of work is a First Amendment violation.” Read more.

(Artur Widak/Nurphoto via Getty Images)

Missouri Bill Would Put Teachers Who Use Trans Kids’ Pronouns on Sex Registry (Truthout) 

We cannot achieve sexual freedom without trans liberation. Missouri is gearing up to mount a new attack on trans youth and the people who support them. Zane McNeill writes: “A new bill at the Missouri House would criminalize teachers who validate a transgender child’s gender by utilizing their chosen names and pronouns. [...] Those found guilty under House Bill 2885 would be subject to a $10,000 fine, imprisonment, and placement on the state’s sexual offender registry as a Tier 1 sex offender. Given that sex offenders in Missouri are not allowed to reside within 500 feet of a school or daycare, the bill would essentially end the teacher’s career.” Read more.

(Olga Fedorova/SOPA/Sipa/AP)

Telehealth Abortions Continue to Rise—Even in Banned States, A New Study Shows (Mother Jones) 

Abortion rights and sexual freedom are intertwined. In the face of the ongoing erosion of our right to abortion in the U.S., many are turning to telehealth options. Julianne McShane writes: “Abortions obtained through virtual providers accounted for 15 to 16 percent of all abortions conducted between July and September of last year—amounting to about 14,000 abortions each month—up from 11 percent of abortions, or about 8,500, in December of 2022 [...] The increase is partly thanks to the rise of shield laws, which protect providers who virtually prescribe and mail abortion pills to people in states with abortion bans, according to one of the report’s co-authors, Ushma Upadhyay, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.” Read more.

Woodhull’s Take: De Facto Censorship in West Virginia (Woodhull’s Sex & Politics Blog) 

Censorship fueled by moral panic around sex is on the rise, and it’s threatening our human rights. We at the Woodhull Freedom Foundation share our take on de facto censorship in West Virginia: “Currently, West Virginia’s obscenity law exempts schools, public libraries, and museums from being prosecuted under the code. But with HB 4654, the obscenity law will apply to those institutions, allowing for the criminal prosecution of librarians, teachers, and museums for displaying ‘obscene’ material to minors.” Read more.

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