Roxy Szal
@roxyszal.bsky.social
reporter, managing digital editor @msmagazine.com, former Texas teacher. rszal@msmagazine.com (she, her)
As the U.S. turns 250 years old, we're reflecting on who actually built it. Explore FEMINIST 250, an online initiative from Ms. reflecting on the semiquincentennial of US democracy from a feminist perspective—continuing through April 16:
Feminist 250
America turns 250 this year. Who actually built this democracy? Founding Feminists centers the women and gender-nonconforming people written out of the origin story—from Phillis Wheatley to Ona Judge ...
msmagazine.com
"The space of fertility will humble you instantly—because there is no such thing as working harder. The universe is indifferent toward how much you want something."
Maya Shankar on Infertility, Surrogacy, and Choosing to Be Childfree
Cognitive scientist and podcaster Maya Shankar on infertility, surrogacy, being Indian American, motherhood, marriage and democracy.
msmagazine.com
I'm happy to share with you the new launch of a @msmagazine.com series on "Founding Feminists" that I guest-edited to mark this 250th anniversary year:
Feminist 250
America turns 250 this year. Who actually built this democracy? Founding Feminists centers the women and gender-nonconforming people written out of the origin story—from Phillis Wheatley to Ona Judge ...
msmagazine.com
in which I answer common questions about what the Save AMERICA and how it could affect your right to vote, including: Does a Real ID count? What if I can’t find my passport? And why are Trump and Republicans pushing so hard for this bill? msmagazine.com/2026/03/02/s...
FAQs About the SAVE America Act and Its Impact on Voters
As the SAVE America Act moves through Congress and groups mobilize, confusion about the bill's requirements fuel misinformation and political spin.
msmagazine.com
The SAVE Act will disproportionately impact women who have changed or hyphenated their names—which is over 80 percent of women married to men.
The SAVE Act Isn’t About Election Security. It’s About Blocking Women, Young and Low-Income Voters
The SAVE Act, Republicans’ attempt to strip voting rights from women, low-income and young voters to “safeguarde” elections, is in the Senate.
msmagazine.com
The elimination of the program, coupled with new and dangerous policies regarding race, gender and sexuality, sets a disturbing precedent and furthers a chilling, anti-education agenda.
Texas A&M’s Women’s and Gender Studies Closure Signals a Wider Crackdown on Academic Freedom
Texas A&M’s Women’s and Gender Studies Closure Signals a Wider Crackdown on Academic Freedom
msmagazine.com
We’re deeply honored to be named one of Ms. Magazine’s Top Feminists of 2025! It’s a privilege to stand alongside so many brave, determined feminists whose collective work continues to push boundaries, care for communities, and expand what’s possible for us all. Thank you, @msmagazine.com 💜#Feminism
Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' has received a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations! Revisit @profjch.bsky.social's exploration of the film's ancestral magic and feminist resistance:
Blood Money, Blues Women, and the Power of Price: How 'Sinners' Rewrites the Gothic South
In Sinners, Ryan Coogler blends Southern horror, Black history, ancestral magic and power (especially women's), and feminist resistance
msmagazine.com
Federal civil rights protections for students are being gutted. Check out my piece today in @msmagazine.com msmagazine.com/2026/01/28/d...
Federal Civil Rights Protections for Students Are Being Hollowed Out
Trump dismantles the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, leaving students in K-12 schools and colleges without protection.
msmagazine.com
'The Moral Property of Women': Mifepristone, Fibroids and the Stakes of Suppressed Science Mifepristone is more than just an abortion pill. From fibroids to miscarriage care, its medical promise has been sacrificed to antiabortion politics. 📰 msmagazine.com/2026/01/20/t...
Protection isn’t the only way that gendered narratives mobilize violence. What we are seeing in Minnesota is also about punishment. From our colleagues at @msmagazine.com:
ICE violence is fueled by misogyny and white nationalism
How the Trump administration has mobilized state-sponsored terror in Minneapolis and beyond.
motherjones.com
I was delighted to see our friends at @msmagazine.com republish a story from Bolts today. In case you missed it, it’s on a bill in Massachusetts that’d help incarcerated survivors of domestic violence. msmagazine.com/2026/01/30/m...
Massachusetts Could Be the Next State to Give Abuse Survivors a Pathway Out of Prison
The Massachusetts Survivors Act would allow for reduced sentences for women survivors in prison with domestic violence-related crimes.
msmagazine.com
As countries across Europe roll out national programs to confront misogyny in schools, the United States still lacks a coordinated response.
Misogyny Is Rising in U.S. Classrooms. Where Is the National Response?
As Europe rolls out national programs to confront misogyny and harassment in schools, the United States still lacks a coordinated response.
msmagazine.com
Hundreds of children are currently being held with their parents at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. In letters and drawings, eight kids convey the pain of feeling trapped with no end in sight. Via @propublica.org: www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
“I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley Facility
Hundreds of children are currently being held with their parents at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. In letters and drawings, eight kids convey the pain of feeling trapped with no…
propublica.org
Menopause is having a cultural moment. But there's more to movement building than provocative headlines and star power. In collaboration with @omisadeburneyscott.bsky.social's Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause, we're flipping the script on menopause for our latest Women & Democracy project:
Flipping the Menopause Script Is Essential to Democracy
Ms. magazine's latest Women & Democracy series with Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause reframes midlife as a justice issue *and* a site of power.
msmagazine.com
Last week's piece by @kwanetaharris.bsky.social was so impactful that we got a reprint request from @msmagazine.com -- our first reprint!! Read Kwaneta on how the state becomes you abuser in prison at the link:
For Many Incarcerated Women, the State Is Their Abuser
Let me tell you what it's like to live in state-sanctioned, gender-based violence. In prison, we wake up when male guards tell us to. We wear what they tell us to wear. We eat what they give us, whe...
msmagazine.com
Convo Reads: "Mifepristone is more than just an abortion pill. From fibroids to miscarriage care, its medical promise has been sacrificed to antiabortion politics." Story by @msmagazine.com.
'The Moral Property of Women': Mifepristone, Fibroids and the Stakes of Suppressed Science
Mifepristone is more than just an abortion pill. From fibroids to miscarriage care, its medical promise has been sacrificed to ideology.
msmagazine.com
The story of menopause will remain incomplete until research and care are guided by the lived experiences of those who go through it. From @mclemoremr.bsky.social:
The Incomplete Story of Menopause: Where Medical Racism, Patriarchy and White Empiricism Intersect
The incomplete story of menopause: Medical racism, patriarchy and white empiricism intersect to impact women’s health, especially Black women.
msmagazine.com
Imagine a future where moms aren't financially punished for having + caring for their children. Countries like Denmark model what's possible with supportive policies like paid leave and childcare – it's past time for the U.S. to catch up. @msmagazine.com: msmagazine.com/2026/02/13/c...
Denmark’s Generous Childcare and Parental Leave Policies Erase 80 Percent of the ‘Motherhood Penalty’ for Working Moms
Denmark’s expansive public benefits like childcare and paid family leave blunt the long-term economic costs of motherhood for working women.
msmagazine.com
Thrilled to have been interviewed by @msmagazine.com for Jaime Patel's series on "Redfining Power: How Indian-American Women Are Rewriting the Rules of Leadership, Identity, and Care" msmagazine.com/2026/02/17/f...
‘A Deliberate Attempt to Terrorize’: Former FBI Agent Asha Rangappa on What Real Law Enforcement Looks Like—and What ICE Is Not
‘A Deliberate Attempt to Terrorize’: Former FBI Agent Asha Rangappa on What Real Law Enforcement Looks Like—and What ICE Is Not
msmagazine.com
A gripping portrait of a Juárez factory worker who becomes an avenger after systemic violence against women goes unpunished, The Huntress (or La Cazadora) explores how myth, motherhood and desperation collide in a city where justice is scarce. msmagazine.com/2026/02/08/s...
Sundance 2026: Based on a True Story, 'The Huntress' Film Mythologizes a Vigilante Born of Juárez’s Violence
Sundance 2026: Based on a True Story, 'The Huntress' Film Mythologizes a Vigilante Born of Juárez’s Violence
msmagazine.com
Nobody has really focused on the 63 million women voters over the age of 50. If ever there were a moment to mobilize them, it's now. msmagazine.com/2026/02/20/m...
Midlife Women Are a Sleeping Giant Voter Bloc in 2026—Even as the SAVE Act Puts Them at Risk
Midlife, Older and Menopausal Women Are a Sleeping Giant Voter Bloc in 2026—Even as the SAVE Act Put Their Voting Rights Them at Risk
msmagazine.com
As pundits dissect elite corruption, they’ve largely sidelined the experts who understand the deeper cultural roots of sexual exploitation and male peer complicity.
The Missing Voices in the Epstein Files' Media Commentary: Sexual Assault Prevention Educators
The Missing Voices in the Epstein Files' Media Commentary: Feminist Researchers, Writers and Sexual Assault Prevention Educators
msmagazine.com
The Hawleys’ latest project seeks to move the antiabortion fight beyond the courts and into culture, elections and state legislatures. msmagazine.com/2026/02/18/j...
Josh and Erin Hawley’s 'Love Life Initiative' Signals a New Phase of the Antiabortion Fight
The Hawleys’ latest project seeks to move the antiabortion fight beyond the courts and into culture, elections and state legislatures.
msmagazine.com
Stand UP Speak OUT@bcvoices.bsky.social · 5mo agoJosh & Erin Hawley launch the Love Life Initiative, moving the antiabortion fight beyond courts to culture, elections & state laws. But what’s really at stake? A thread
Very important interview. msmagazine.com/2026/02/17/f... "I asked her what she sees when she watches footage of current ICE operations. She didn’t offer a comparison to her counterintelligence days. She offered something more damning: a list of violations of the agency’s own rules." 👇👇
Asha Rangappa@asharangappa.bsky.social · 6mo agoThrilled to have been interviewed by @msmagazine.com for Jaime Patel's series on "Redfining Power: How Indian-American Women Are Rewriting the Rules of Leadership, Identity, and Care" msmagazine.com/2026/02/17/f...
Did you change your name after getting married? Stephen Miller and MAGA Republicans have a plan for you. msmagazine.com/2026/02/09/s...
The SAVE Act Is Back—and Women’s Political Power Is on the Line
As Congress revives the SAVE Act, new proof-of-citizenship rules could reshape voter registration in ways that burden women voters.
msmagazine.com
“From a survivor’s point of view, what should happen now is pretty clear. It starts with centering victims as a group of people to protect—not the politicians." #BelieveSurvivors https://msmagazine.com/2026/02/05/survivor-reactions-epstein-files-redactions/
‘We Will Not Be Sidelined Again’: Survivors Respond After DOJ Releases Epstein Files With Unredacted Names and Personal Details
‘We Will Not Be Sidelined Again’: Survivors Respond After DOJ Releases Epstein Files With Unredacted Names and Personal Details
msmagazine.com
WAKE UP CALL: Too many people wrongly believe that Trump is done attacking abortion. But in his 1st year back in office, his admin has harshly gone after access, even in states where abortion is legal, and already we've seen a reduction of abortion clinics in the U.S. This cannot be ignored!
Ms. Magazine@msmagazine.com · 7mo agoIt’s easy to lose sight of how bad this administration has been for reproductive rights, because they are doing so much else so loudly. But the Trump administration has quietly attacked abortion rights from just about every angle:
Ciji Graham was at risk of heart failure, and was denied urgent treatment. Days later, she died.
Rest in Power: A Running List of the Preventable Deaths Caused by Abortion Bans
Porsha Ngumezi. Josseli Barnica. Yeniifer Alvarez-Estrada Glick. Nevaeh Crain. Amber Nicole Thurman. Candi Miller. Taysha Wilkinson-Sobieski. Tierra Walker. Today, 21 states ban abortion or restrict ...
msmagazine.com
Join us, Guttmacher and Ms. Magazine on Feb. 17 to hear from @michelebgoodwin, Kelly Baden, and Renee Bracey Sherman on how mis- and disinformation are reshaping the sexual and reproductive health landscape—and how to navigate and disrupt those information systems. RSVP: https://ow.ly/WRGq50XWSaK
