The following are a collection of news articles relating to gender issues gathered by students during the Spring 2021 semester:
March 2021:
“Chauvin Trial: Judge Reinstates 3rd-Degree Murder Charge Over George Floyd’s Killing”
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will face an additional charge of third-degree murder, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill ruled on Thursday, after an appeals court ordered Cahill to reconsider his earlier decision to dismiss the charge.
“The court is going to grant the motion to reinstate” the charge, Cahill said as he announced his decision.
April 2021
“Derek Chauvin found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd”
Derek Chauvin is found guilty on all charges for his murder of George Floyd, which includes second and third degree murder and second degree manslaughter. This is a decision and result of accountability, but does not provide justice to the black community and communities of color continuously affected by police violence and systemic racism.
“Vanessa Guillen was sexually harassed, Army report confirms, detailing how superior targeted her”
The U.S. Army on Friday confirmed for the first time that slain Spc. Vanessa Guillen was sexually harassed and further retaliated against at Fort Hood, which her family in Houston has consistently alleged in their fight for criminal justice reform in the military.
May 2021
“High court mulls if women-only areas at gyms discriminate”
The Connecticut Supreme Court is deciding whether women-only areas in gyms constitute gender based discrimination.
This case involves two men in Connecticut, who complained that the women-only areas at two gyms were discriminatory against them, as they had to wait for machines to become available in the public areas.
A lawyer for Edge Fitness Clubs argues that women-only areas are needed to help women feel safer and less objectified while at the gym. A lawyer for GLAD expressed concern that this policy could be used to establish grounds for discrimination against people in the LGBTQ community. Both GLAD and the ACLU are opposed to women-only workout areas.