By Kelsey Cowger We’re just a couple weeks into the Trump presidency, and right now, trans people are under threat. That’s not hyperbole; that’s not a metaphorical statement where “threat” means “subject to mild inconvenience.” The threats to trans people are both real and immediate. We have just come out of a brutal campaign season […]
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Glenn Youngkin’s Worst Nightmare: Fair Pay and Rights for Public Workers
by Ashleigh Crocker Let’s cut to the chase—Virginia’s public workers are the backbone of our communities. These are the home health care workers who take care of your parents and grandparents, the teachers who spend all day trying to teach your kids to read, bus drivers, firefighters, social workers, and many others who keep our […]
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It’s True: Rent Is Still Too Damn High
by Kimberly Nario After a particularly nasty breakup several years ago, I found myself in need of a place to call my own–or at least a place to rent on my own. I remembered an apartment building I lived in years prior with one of my best friends. Perhaps it was sentimentality or desperation, but […]
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Feeling like the Hopeless Pit of Despair is Engulfing You Whole? Get Involved In Your Community!
By Ashleigh Crocker I don’t know how you’re feeling, but this last week, and if we’re being honest, the last six months, or year, or since November 2016, things have felt especially grim. Between a debate that left me feeling hopeless, Supreme Court decisions on immunity and Chevron with far-reaching consequences, and Project 2025 looming, […]
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Conservatives Can’t Keep Blaming Immigrants for Everything
By Kierra Johnson Conservatives are blaming marginalized people for social problems again, and this week it’s because of a terrible, yet isolated crime that was reported over the weekend. Hiuder Pedro Javier Sacul Caal, who is a 21-year-old undocumented migrant, was arrested over the weekend for the sexual assault of a minor. If the alleged […]
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The Heart of My Head
By Kimberly R. Nario “There’s not really anything we can do to help you.” Or maybe it was, “We can’t do anything to help you.” His exact words are lost to my memory, but I know I was around 16 years old when I found myself sitting in a guidance counselor’s office, ugly crying to […]
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Almost Every Other Country Has Paid Family & Medical Leave: Why Don’t We?
Here’s a story about me: when my son was born, I was back at work four days after going into labor. I was working at a job I adored, with a lot of very tight deadlines, and that played into my decision to go back so fast. But also, I knew that if I took […]
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Rae Cousins
by Kierra Johnson Every seat is up for re-election in the next cycle, and Virginia needs candidates who understand what’s at stake. If conservatives gain power, they’ll pass more restrictive legislation next year. NO THANK YOU! With the June primaries right around the corner, the 79th District can vote with confidence for a candidate who […]
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Republicans Want To Ban Abortion In Virginia
by Ashleigh Crocker Well, we’ve known this was coming since Roe fell in June. Republicans in Virginia are trying to ban abortion in Virignia. Tomorrow, the Health Professions Subcommittee of the Senate Education and Health Committee will hear two bills and a resolution that would ban abortion. Everyone, everywhere, all the time, should be able […]
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Get Ready for the General Assembly Session
By Ashleigh Crocker It’s December, so you might be drinking hot chocolate, decorating a tree, lighting a menorah, shopping til you drop, spending time with family, or marking the holiday season with your own special traditions. But for us at Progress Virginia, December means something else too: it’s time to get ready for the General […]