Top Stories This Week

• What’s happening at Woodhull;
• Redefining obscenity;
• The erasure of trans people from crime data;
• Death and abortion bans;
• Missouri lawmakers’ anti-democratic efforts;
• Digital autonomy; and
• Woodhull’s take on sexual freedom and freedom of speech.

May Censorship Program: Happening Tomorrow! 

The surge in book bans is more than a policy debate. It’s a direct threat to LGBTQ+ lives, sexual freedom, and mental health!

You’re invited to a unique, expert-led panel discussion tomorrow,
May 22nd, at 1 p.m. ET, live on Zoom, exploring the profound impact of censorship and the urgent need to protect inclusive literature!

In the News! 

Last week, Senator Mike Lee and Representative Mary Miller introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA). The act seeks to redefine the legal definition of obscenity.

Several publications reached out to Woodhull President & CEO Ricci Levy to comment on the censorship implications of this bill, should it pass.

TLDR - the bill is bad news for free expression. Thanks to our friends at Reason, Mashable, and Ashley Manta for asking our opinion! Working on a story about human rights, sexual freedom, or a current event related to those issues?  Reach out to press@woodhullfoundation.org for our thoughts.

What is the blueprint for resistance? 

Don’t miss this electrifying live conversation on June 12th at noon ET as Ricci Levy, President & CEO of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, sits down with Nadine Smith, Executive Director of Equality Florida, to help make sense of what’s really happening in our country.

While the nation grapples with escalating attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, Florida has been ground zero for these attacks for years. This unfiltered discussion will expose the relentless campaigns targeting LGBTQ+ communities, especially trans individuals, and reveal bold strategies for resilience and success.

Nadine Smith will answer your questions live and share how Floridians are not just surviving but leading the charge for equality nationwide. Tune in for an inspiring roadmap to push back and redefine victory!

(U.S. DOJ)

Trump DOJ Erases Trans People from Crime Data Surveys (The Appeal) 

Disturbingly, the federal government will no longer collect gender identity data regarding people who experience violent crime or sexual misconduct. Ethan Corey writes: “Trans people are more than four times as likely to experience violent crime. Behind bars, incarcerated trans Americans experience sexual violence at more than 12 times the rate of other imprisoned people, according to U.S. Department of Justice survey data. [...] In a series of unpublicized revisions last month, the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics has removed all references to gender or gender identity from at least four federal surveys, The Appeal has confirmed. Experts say these changes will make it nearly impossible to monitor crimes and other forms of violence experienced by trans people.” Read more.

(Getty Images)

People in states with abortion bans are twice as likely to die during pregnancy (The 19th)

A recent report by the Gender Equity Policy Institute is harrowing in its description of the dire conditions faced by pregnant people who live in states with abortion bans. Shefali Luthra writes: “Pregnant people living in states with abortion bans are almost twice as likely to die during pregnancy or soon after giving birth [...] The risk is greatest for Black women in states with bans, who are 3.3 times more likely to die than White women in those same states. The report found that pregnant Black women, White women and Latinas are all at greater risk of death in states with abortion bans than they would be if they lived in states that protect abortion rights.” Read more.

(Cage Rivera/Rewire News Group)

Opinion: Hey, Missouri—Didn’t We Just Talk About This? (Rewire News Group) 

Last November, Missourians voted to pass a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion. But now, lawmakers are trying to undo that. Imani Gandy writes: “HJR 73 is a proposed amendment that would wipe out the protections for abortion that Missouri voters added to the state constitution in November.

After hours of debate last week, the House passed the bill on April 15. Only one Republican—Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson—voted against the legislation in its final round, according to the Missouri Independent. [...] One lawmaker touting the bill, Rep. Brian Seitz, said HJR 73 ‘will help foster a culture of life in Missouri, one that all our citizens can support.’ To which I say, what? Citizens already lent their support to an amendment that protects abortion up to the point of fetal viability, which can occur sometime between 24 and 26 weeks of pregnancy, by voting to add that amendment to the Missouri constitution.” Read more.

(Electronic Frontier Foundation)

Podcast Episode: Digital Autonomy for Bodily Autonomy (Electronic Frontier Foundation) 

The connection between digital autonomy and bodily autonomy is made clear in a recent podcast from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Josh Richman writes: “We all leave digital trails as we navigate the internet – records of what we searched for, what we bought, who we talked to, where we went or want to go in the real world – and those trails usually are owned by the big corporations behind the platforms we use. But what if we valued our digital autonomy the way that we do our bodily autonomy? What if we reclaimed the right to go, read, see, do and be what we wish online as we try to do offline? Moreover, what if we saw digital autonomy and bodily autonomy as two sides of the same coin – inseparable?” Read more.

(Larissa Puro/USC Institute for Global Health)

Woodhull’s Take: Sexual Freedom & Freedom of Speech (Woodhull’s Sex & Politics Blog) 

Sexual freedom and freedom of speech are intertwined. We at the Woodhull Freedom Foundation share our take: “Texas’s war on abortion is a prime (and devastating) example of just how interconnected these freedoms are. Senate Bill 2880 seeks to prevent the sale and distribution of abortion pills – clearly, an attack on reproductive justice. But to effectuate its goal, S.B. 2880 is not just restricting access to the pills themselves (which by itself is objectionable); it is also restricting access to information about the pills. If S.B. 2880 becomes law, it will be illegal in Texas to ‘provide information’ on how to obtain an abortion-inducing drug.” Read more.

The Woodhull Freedom Foundation is a non-profit organization recognized under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. 
Our federal identification number is 11-3681116.
Copyright © 2025 Woodhull Freedom Foundation. All Rights Reserved.