The Fierce Feminine: Wins For the Planet This Week

Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer Shows How It's Done: Governor Whitmer just signed Michigan's seventh bipartisan budget that includes free meals for 1.4 million students, eliminates taxes on overtime and tips, protects Medicaid for 2 million people, and delivers the biggest education investment in state history - all in the midst of a government shutdown. She's proving that even in a deeply purple state with a divided government, you can deliver transformative wins for families, without watering down your agenda. 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Rejects Dehumanizing Language: When a reporter tried to discuss "illegal aliens" with Mayor Johnson, he powerfully shut it down. The reporter backfired it's the "legal" language to use, while Johnson stated his ancestors were legally called "slaves" - refusing to accept what he called "racist, nasty language to describe human beings." 

Cardi B Partners with Bobbie Formula: Grammy-winning artist Cardi B has partnered with Bobbie Formula to address the maternal health crisis that kills Black women at three times the rate of white women, while also normalizing the reality that not every woman can or wants to breastfeed exclusively. The campaign empowers mothers to choose what works for them - whether breast milk, formula, or both - without shame, while Bobbie fights for policy changes around paid family leave and maternal health. 

Chappell Roan's Charity Raises $400K for Trans Youth: Lesbian pop icon Chappell Roan formally launched her Midwest Princess Project, which has already raised $400,000 for trans youth organizations through her 2025 tour, with one dollar from each ticket going directly to local LGBTQ+ organizations. The funds have been distributed to six organizations across New York, Los Angeles, and her home state of Missouri, focusing specifically on trans youth support and resources. 

FDA Approves Bayer's Non-Hormonal Menopause Drug: The FDA just approved Lynkuet, a non-hormonal treatment for hot flashes that showed significant relief for menopausal women in clinical trials, offering an alternative to hormone therapy. This approval comes after extensive studies proving the drug reduces both frequency and severity of symptoms and improves sleep disturbances. Millions of women suffering through menopause finally have more options beyond "just deal with it" or hormone treatments they may not want or be able to take.

South Korea Will Count Same-Sex Couples in 2025 Census: South Korea's Ministry of Data and Statistics quietly made a historic change allowing same-sex couples to register as "spouses" or "cohabiting partners" in the 2025 census, rather than being forced to identify as mere "flatmates." While the country still doesn't legally recognize same-sex marriage, this data collection shift makes LGBTQ+ relationships visible in government statistics for the first time. Visibility in data drives policy - you can't address what you refuse to count, and this could lead to actual marriage equality.

Brazil Launches AI to Combat Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Speech: Brazil has deployed an AI platform called Aletheia that continuously scans social media, blogs, and news sites to identify and collect anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech and disinformation for potential prosecution under the country's hate crime laws. The system, costing about $26,000 annually, represents a new frontier in AI-powered speech surveillance that could help track hate campaigns. It's a bold experiment in using technology to protect marginalized communities from online violence.

California Adds LGBTQ Crisis Hotline to All Student IDs: Governor Newsom signed a new bill requiring all California public school IDs to include The Trevor Project's crisis hotline number, acknowledging that 35% of LGBTQ youth in California seriously considered suicide last year. The law ensures that every student carries a lifeline in their pocket, making support impossible to miss for youth who face higher rates of mental health challenges due to bullying and discrimination. 

London Petition for Women-Only Tube Cars Nears 10,000 Signatures: A UCL student launched a petition for women-only carriages on the London Underground after sexual offenses rose over 10% year-on-year. The petition has nearly 10,000 signatures calling for at least one dedicated women-only carriage per line, similar to systems in Tokyo, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro. 

Epstein Survivors Sue Bank of America: Bank of America faces a lawsuit alleging they facilitated and profited from Jeffrey Epstein's operation, with claims they ignored red flags and failed to file suspicious activity reports until after his 2019 death. The suit alleges the bank processed $170 million in suspicious transactions and that a victim was forced to open an account there for trafficking purposes, following JPMorgan's $290 million settlement for similar allegations. This exposes how major financial institutions enable sex trafficking when there's profit involved, and accountability for these banks could disrupt future operations.

That restless, edgy energy you're feeling is activation. It's your soul recognizing that something needs to shift, and the conditions are perfectly aligned to support that change.

The same energy that has you questioning everything in your life is the force behind Whitmer feeding millions of kids, Chappell Roan funding trans liberation, and green sea turtles coming back from near extinction. 

The divine feminine is done waiting for ideal conditions, because we CREATE the conditions by moving forward anyway. We don't need permission. We don't need perfect timing. We need purposeful action.

So as this energy stirs up everything that needs to change, remember that discomfort is just transformation in progress. 

How will you shift this week?