Summer is more than halfway done, and gosh I am exhausted! I was very deluded believing that my full-time internship would somehow give me more time to work on The Lavender lol. Being in Kalamazoo has made me really miss CU, even though Kalamazoo also has a lot of cool stuff going on as well! But nothing beats a CU summer, so I hope y'all are out having fun! Here's a few articles that caught my eye since y'all last heard from me, enjoy!

News to Know

• These 9 Illinois communities say they’re interested in new nuclear facilities (Capitol News Illinois): Several Central IL counties are on this list, including ours!
• As Trump boosts nuclear power, regulators seek to eliminate a longstanding radiation safety practice (ABC): Now I'm not gonna pretend I know much about nuclear energy, I know a lot of people are very pro-nuclear, but this in tandem with the article above does give me a bit of pause.
• US accuses American of allegedly wiping his phone using a ‘duress’ password during border search (TechCrunch): This duress password thing sounds pretty cool, but dangers still abound for anyone saying anything the current administration isn't fond of. (Ask Squid about this).
• Taylor Farms Called White House to Try to Delay Cyclospora Recall (Wall Street Journal): As someone currently in Michigan, which has the largest number of recorded cases for this explosive diarrhea parasite, I have been watching details of this outbreak like a hawk! The more people look into this outbreak, the more we see how the mechanisms created to keep American food safe over the last century are truly falling to the wayside. It's feeling more and more like the world of Upton Sinclair's 1906 book The Jungle, aka America just a short while ago.
• House Democrats to Investigate Taylor Farms' Potential Role in Cyclosporiasis Outbreak (Huffpost): Hopefully more soon on this...
• Data Center Surge Only Worsens Electricity Costs for Black Families (Capital B News): We've all been hearing about price hikes and data centers creeping in on our communities, but Capital B really spells out the specifics in this article.
• Illinois SNAP recipients kicked off the federal food program are getting $400 from the state (Chicago Sun-Times): If you got kicked off of SNAP in May, then I got good news for you!

Lavender Vibes

• "Double Happiness" by Mina Shum (1994) - While figuring out how to embrace boredom this week, I ended up watching this amazing 1994 Canadian film starring a young Sandra Oh. She was just as good then as she is now, such a great character piece. It's the classic tale of the push-and-pull of what the responsibility of a child is to their family, this time through the lens of Chinese immigrants struggling with the growing independence of their 22-year-old daughter Jade. If you are or have ever been an eldest daughter, please know that you will cry, especially if you have a very traditional father. Very much recommend.
• The (sick) kids aren’t alright: Observations from a teacher with Long COVID (The Sick Times): This is so much of the stuff I worry about, I worry that kids aren't getting their needs met in school, especially as our education system has further de-prioritized actions to keep kids healthy. This essay is a great inside look from a teacher who's been actively doing this work, and I think it's a worthwhile perspective to consider as Long Covid has surpassed asthma to become the most prevalent health condition in kids today.

Thanks for reading The Lavender Newsletter! If you like what you see, consider supporting your local queer publication <3

You received this because you are subscribed to The Lavender Newsletter. If a friend forwarded this to you, sign up here to get more Lavender!

HOW ARE WE DOING?

We’re always trying to get better and would love your feedback on how The Lavender Newsletter could serve you better. Email your thoughts, suggestions, or complaints to: thelavendernewsletter@gmail.com.