From congresswomen to activists, women in politics have been making an impact in the world and they are using social media platforms to communicate their opinions. This week on Twitter, some women showed great advances in bipartisan legislation while others did not hesitate to call out their political nemeses on certain issues. Some women are breaking glass ceilings while others are struggling to achieve equality in the workplace. Find out who said what with this week's edition of That's What She Said!
What do a Democrat from Massachusetts and a Republican from Georgia have in common? Apparently, their strongly held beliefs on the importance of scientific research. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia have tag-teamed a bipartisan initiative to increase legislative funding to the National Institutes of Health.
2. Janet Mock
The Bill Cosby scandal continues to shock the world as more and more women come forward with accusations of sexual assault and rape. In an exclusive New York magazine issue, 35 women tell their stories of their encounters with Cosby. Renowned author, advocate and Shift by MSNBC host Janet Mock makes note of #TheEmptyChair in the magazine cover in an effort to highlight the shocking truth that a lot of these women remained silent because “we, as a culture, wouldn’t believe them.” Cosby has never been charged with a crime, and he has denied the allegations against him.
Donald Trump has made offensive and alienating comments during his presidential campaign, which would lead one to assume that his staff would make an effort to do some damage control. However, this is not the case, especially when his lawyer, Michael Cohen, grappled with the definition of rape. Sen. Claire McCaskill, who used to serve as a prosecutor specializing in sex crimes, called out Cohen.
Men have unequivocally dominated the coaching world of the National Football League since its formation -- until now. Jen Welter has become the first ever female coach in NFL history and Hillary Clinton, who is no stranger to breaking glass ceilings herself, congratulated the trailblazer on this unprecedented achievement.
The Boy Scouts of America has been a strong opponent of the LGBT movement for several years – most notably in the 2000 Supreme Court case Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, the nation became aware of the organization’s discriminatory policies when Jame Dale’s membership was revoked after he came out as gay. Flash-forward 15 years and the Scouts has finally reevaluated its antiquated policies. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to the Senate and the first woman to represent Wisconsin in the state, applauded the Boy Scouts for lifting the ban on LGBT scout leaders.
Singer-songwriter Solange Knowles voiced her sorrow and anguish via Twitter in reaction to the most recent incident of police brutality. Samuel DuBose was fatally shot in the head after being pulled over for driving without a front license plate by a University of Cincinnati police officer. The entire timeline of events was captured on a body camera that the police officer was wearing at the time. Officer Ray Tensing has since been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty on Thursday.
7. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Move over, Trump – presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee stirred controversy and captured the headlines with his comments over the weekend. In an effort to express his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, Huckabee equated Obama’s agreement with Iran to the horrors of the Holocaust. Congresswoman and Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz demanded an apology from Huckabee for his comments, which she later described as “disgusting.”
While some celebrated National Milk Chocolate Day on Tuesday, July 28, others were tackling more important issues, like the race-wage gap. Atlanta Women for Equality designated July 28 as Black Women’s Equal Pay Day in an effort to raise awareness of the glaring gap in wages that black women make versus white men. California Attorney General Kamala Harris joined in on the conversation, which rapidly took to Twitter, highlighting that black women are not only making 64¢ to a white man’s dollar, but black women are also making less than their white female counterparts.
In a congressional era when the Republican-Democrat divide can often encumber legislative efforts, it is always reassuring to see that many bills are proposed across party lines. The Campus Accountability and Safety (CAS) Act is an ideal example where a bipartisan group of 34 senators have introduced legislation to address the pervasiveness of sexual assault cases on college campuses. Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire was just one of the many politicians tweeting about the #CASAct.
House Speaker John Boehner announced in a closed-door meeting that House Republicans would vote to extend highway funding and leave for the August recess before their Senate counterparts could finish debating the bill. The funds would assist in highway, transit and road projects, however, many members of Congress, such as Sheila Jackson Lee, expressed their discontent with Boehner’s actions. Lee directly called out House Speaker Boehner for disappointing “hard-working Americans” who clearly “deserve better.”
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