The map above makes me angry. I feel like it smacks of racism. Not the in-your-face brand of racism that we may see in movies or from the Civil Rights era, but a more insidious type of racism.
How else would one explain how those states with some of the highest minority rates and most in need for access to healthcare – being blocked at every turn by their predominantly white, Republican Governors? While I have no doubt there are many who oppose the expansion of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act on principle, I also think that many more don’t see supporting the poorest among us (many of whom belong to minority communities of color) as a priority and are intentionally doing their best to block access to this sort of care.
The NYT articulates my assertions far better in their article from earlier this month Millions of Poor are Left Uncovered by Health Law.
Russian designer, Kristoff Buntinx, is launching a new line of boxer underwear to protest Russia’s homophobic laws that essentially make being gay illegal. His designs blend the LGBT rainbow with Russian symbols as a way to poke fun at the laws and allow Russians a private way to protest laws without risking jail sentences.
BosGuy 