Molly Cook Molly Cook

Abortion on the Ballot

Progress Texas: Happy Hour 163: Abortion on the Ballot [Podcast]

Our ongoing series of conversations on the trampling of reproductive freedom in Texas - and what it's going to take to regain those rights - continues. In this fourth installment, we're proud to welcome Texas State Senator Molly Cook who has made history as our state's first openly LGBTQ Senator, Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes who makes her first appearance on our podcast feed, and Democratic State House nominee and former Miss Texas Averie Bishop, running against a GOP incumbent - all three on Texas ballots this fall! Voting for candidates who will fight back for abortion access in Texas is extremely vital - enjoy another great conversation on how we're going to get those rights back, permanently.

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Molly Cook Molly Cook

Molly Cook marks a historic milestone as she becomes Texas's first openly LGBTQ+ State Senator

Progress Texas: Deep In The Heart of Pride: A Celebration of Pride Month in Texas

On June 28, 1969, The Stonewall Inn, a pub in Greenwich Village, was raided by the New York Police Department.  When the police turned aggressive, the LGBTQ+ patrons of Stonewall and other lesbian and gay establishments in the neighborhood rioted for more than six days. Every year in June, during Pride Month, the Stonewall uprisings are remembered as a turning point in the gay liberation struggle. 

Pride month is a time to look to the past—to draw pride and inspiration from revolutionary LGBTQ+ ancestors, like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, and channel their defiance into the present. Right now we are experiencing multiple attacks on LGBTQ+ Texans from extreme MAGA Republicans in the state. From criminalizing gender-affirming healthcare, to banning books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and limiting the educational curriculum on sex and gender identity

This Pride month let's reflect on how far we have come and celebrate what we are fighting for in the future. LGBTQ+ representation in Texas politics is on the rise as Molly Cook marks a historic milestone as she becomes Texas's first openly LGBTQ+ State Senator. Julie Johnson is paving her way to victory to become Texas's first openly LGBTQ+ member of Congress from Texas and the South. Additionally, Lauren Ashley Simmons is replacing anti-LGBTQ incumbent Shawn Thierry in the Texas House. These historic wins in the state underscore a change in the political landscape, reflecting the growing diversity within the state's political sphere.

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