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7 cross-cutting policy agendas and 12 policy briefs for advancing gender justice in the states
States offer some of our best and most immediate opportunities to improve the lives of women, girls, and LGBTQI+ people. Unfortunately, states are also where we have seen some of the ugliest attacks against gender justice and our democracy.
The truth is that these extremist attacks don’t represent the people. As you’ll see in the polling included throughout the Playbook, gender justice policies are immensely popular across the country. And when put directly to the people on the ballot: policies from reproductive freedom to the raising the minimum wage to paid sick days win overwhelmingly in “red” and “blue” states alike.
Across the country, women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, and families are raising their voices to fight, not just for caregiving supports or safe, fair, and inclusive schools and workplaces, or comprehensive and accessible health care or income and housing security, but for all of these issues because we don’t live single issue lives. That is why this Playbook, in addition to including Policy Briefs that lay out the basic elements of one specific policy area, provides seven different Policy Agendas that weave together a set of interconnected policies that are often siloed.
Let this Playbook be a source of information and inspiration and then reach out to us for support with the next steps. The National Women’s Law Center’s policy and communications experts are here to support you in crafting legislation, talking points, fact sheets, and state-specific policy research and data and connecting you with other advocates, legislators, and experts. Email [email protected]
State Policy Agendas
Build a Care Economy Agenda
Build a Care Economy
An agenda with measures to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early education; provide families refundable tax credits; expand access to home- and
community-based services; guarantee paid family and medical leave and paid sick days; promote fair work schedules; protect caregivers from discrimination; and support pregnant and parenting students.
Ensure All People Can Access the Health Care They Need Agenda
Ensure All People Can Access the Health Care They Need
An agenda with measures to decrease health inequities and improve health coverage; guarantee and expand access to abortion; and ensure everyone can access birth control when they want or need it
Click hereGuarantee Safe and Inclusive Schools Agenda
Guarantee Safe and Inclusive Schools
An agenda with measures to end discriminatory discipline policies and dress codes; invest in counselors; address sex harassment and sexual assault; support pregnant and parenting students; ensure access to reproductive health care and information; and teach affirming and accurate curricula.
Click hereKeep LGBTQI+ Youth Safe Agenda
Keep LGBTQI+ Youth Safe
An agenda with measures to ensure affirming and accurate curricula; address harassment and violence against LGTBQI+ students; protect the right of transgender,
nonbinary, and intersex students to access sex-separated spaces consistent with their affirmed gender; prevent medical mistreatment of youth; ensure access to gender-affirming care; and shelter families forced to move by anti-trans policies.
Advance Economic Security and Opportunity for All Agenda
Advance Economic Security and Opportunity for All
An agenda with measures to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early education; expand access to comprehensive health coverage; raise the minimum wage; make the tax code work for women and families; expand state unemployment insurance programs; increase housing security; improve access to nutrition assistance; and ensure families in poverty can get help.
Click hereAdvance Gender Justice by Growing Worker Power Agenda
Advance Gender Justice by Growing Worker Power
An agenda with measures to end discriminatory pay practices; stop workplace harassment; end discrimination based on reproductive health decisions; raise the minimum wage and end exclusions; promote fair work schedules; protect caregivers against discrimination; guarantee paid family and medical leave and paid sick days; and restore and expand the right to organize.
Click hereStop Sex Harassment Agenda
Stop Sex Harassment
An agenda with measures to stop workplace sex harassment; stop sex harassment in schools; protect survivors from abusive defamation lawsuits; end school discipline practices that punish survivors; and ensure patients are protected from sex discrimination, including sex harassment and assault.
Click hereState Policy Briefs
Resource Collection
State Policy Briefs
Twelve state policy briefs that lay out the basic elements of a specific gender justice policy area and talking points and data in support of that policy.
Click here