positive news you might have missed this week

let's finish 2021 out with a glittery bang

I’m going to make this a short one because I know we all have a lot of bubbly drinks and oreo sour cream dunking to get to! It’s been a weird week to end the year which made it that much more imperative that we finish it off with our fun little ritual where I tell you good stuff that happened this week. Here’s your positive spin. 

1.5 million Texas have registered to vote online!

Despite 2020 having the highest voter turnout in a century, 2021 was absurdly bad for voting rights thanks to Republicans in 19 states passing 33 laws that make it more difficult for Americans to vote. But some of these efforts have been thwarted including one in the great state of Texas. It all started back in August 2020, when a federal judge in San Antonio mandated that the state create a new online voter registration system. As the reporter Sam Levine explains on Twitter, the decision came after the judge found that the state wasn’t allowing people to register to vote at the same time as they renewed their driver’s license, which is preposterous (and against federal law!) Now the Houston Chronicle is reporting that 1.5 million Texans have already used the online system to register. Given the stakes of the upcoming midterm election, there’s no better news than more people being able to participate in a democratic system that’s under threat. 

2. New study shows that cats who live with autistic children are happier

I’m not even a cat person and I’m digging this. Researchers from the University of Missouri Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) analyzed cat poop (hug a scientist) and found that shelter cats who had been adopted by families with autistic children had lower levels of cortisol and maintained a healthier weight compared to cats in families without autism. They also used something called the Feline Temperament Profile to determine the precise amount of chill that the pets had and apparently those in autistic homes had a lot more. Researchers explain this phenomenon by the fact that cats thrive in calm and quiet environments, just like many autistic people. Scientists have known for a while that cats can help soothe people who are on the spectrum and even help them develop more empathy, but now we know that the feeling and the benefits are mutual!

 3. Woman makes “Uber for Queer Haircuts”

If you’re looking for someone to give you a boatload of hope today, read up on Jess Palfrey. She was a recruit for the British army who forced her to shave her head because her haircut was too gender nonconforming. Instead of sucking it up in an environment that didn’t accept her, she finished out her military career and got trained as a hairdresser. She has since started an app called Dooo, which according to the Gay Times “allows people to book a mobile hairstylist to come to their home or work and sets charges according to the length of time their cut takes instead of their gender.” And just like that, the pink tax died! Or at least we took a few inches off of it.

4. Canada cancels Joe Rogan 

Notorious podcasting edgelord and covid-misinformation human vending machine machine Joe Rogan, may be welcome on Spotify but not in Canada. Rogan, who in the past has strongly criticized the necessity of vaccines had to cancel an April show scheduled in Vancouver because without his shot, he wouldn’t be able to enter his own venue. Another great day for Canadian vaccine mandates! In addition to spreading misinformation about masks other safety measures, he also claims he was cured from his own case of Covid-19 by using a dewormer called Ivermectin, a medicine that’s advertised as being a “good choice for fussy horses,” which I guess checks out.

Ok that’s it for me. I’m off to toast another nutty year. Thanks for being here with me. Going through it together made it so much better. The support you’ve shown by subscribing to our community has touched my heart. I can’t wait to see you again in the new year.

x 

-Liz