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Dear Friend,

As a bi Latina trans woman, I want to wish you a Happy Latine Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) and Bi Visibility Day (September 23)! 

In light of the recent Dobbs decision striking down Roe V Wade, I conducted an interview with Angelica Vega, a fellow Latina reproductive justice and disability justice advocate. Also this month we’re excited to share a new partnership with the podcast Loudest Girl in the World, where Lauren Ober shares her journey to understand what it means to be on the autism spectrum and how to live life as a newly diagnosed autistic person. More details on both below!

Talking Latine Reproductive Justice with Angelica Vega

Angelica is an Afro-Latina with multiple disabilities, who in June spoke at a White House meeting with disabled activists focused on reproductive rights. Her involvement with reproductive justice is tied to her experiences with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal condition which can cause disabling physical and mental health symptoms in people with uteruses. We talked about how racism, economic injustice, and anti-immigrant bias makes it hard for Latines to access reproductive health care including abortion. And we discussed how the vast majority of Latina women and other Latines support abortion and reproductive rights. Abortion recently became a top 5 issue motivating Latine voters. Learn more in the interview!

Loudest Girl in the World Podcast

For years, journalist and podcast host Lauren Ober wasn’t all that jazzed about herself. She was always getting in trouble, she had a lot of sensory issues, and her anxiety felt off the charts. Life for Lauren just seemed harder than it should have been at 42. And then, in the middle of a global pandemic, she found out why — she’s autistic. On her new podcast The Loudest Girl in the World, Lauren shares her journey to understand what it means to be on the autism spectrum and how to live life as a newly diagnosed autistic person. Listen wherever you get podcasts:

Celebrating Bi+ Visibility, Advocating for Bi+ Health

September 23 is Bi Visibility Day, and as a bisexual nonbinary person, it’s a day that’s important to show how bi+ people (bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, fluid, etc.) continue to face stigma and erasure of our identities. Our unique physical and mental health needs are often overlooked, even though numerous studies have confirmed that bi+ people have poorer lifelong health outcomes than their gay and straight peers. One recent study showed that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, bisexual people faced greater psychological distress, loneliness, and fatigue than gay or straight peers. Yet we’ve also seen the number of bi+ people increasing from 1% of adults in 2008 to 3% of adults in 2022, which is an exciting shift. AWN is proud to be part of advocating for greater visibility and understanding of bi+ issues.

Thanks for being in community with me and AWN,

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