Kataluna Enriquez will be the first trans woman to compete in Miss USA pageant
After winning the Miss Nevada USA pageant this past Sunday, Kataluna Enriquez will become the first transgender woman to compete in the national Miss USA pageant.
North & Central America
This archive covers progress stories from North and Central America, spanning the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the nations of Central America. Readers will find reporting on health, environment, community resilience, and policy advances across the region.
Biden administration will create non-binary X gender marker for U.S. passports
The State Department just announced that non-binary people will have an option for the gender marker on their U.S. passports and that transgender people will be able to correct the gender marker on their passports without “medical certification” that they are transitioning.
Mexico’s supreme court decriminalizes recreational use of cannabis
The decisive 8-3 ruling comes after advocates pushed for decriminalization as a means to reduce drug-fueled cartel violence in the country.
Walmart launching its own low-cost insulin to ‘revolutionize’ affordability for diabetics
The retailer claims its insulin options will save customers between 58% to 75% compared to branded products.
Leading fashion brand Canada Goose goes fur-free
In a statement, Canada Goose has announced that it will be ending purchases of fur by the end of this year and will stop manufacturing fur products by the end of next year.
Canada to make online hate speech a crime punishable by $16,000 fine
The law is only designed to punish the most extreme forms of hatred that “expresses detestation or vilification of a person or group on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.”
Oregon becomes third state in U.S. to legalize human composting
The bill will legalize what’s known as natural organic reduction, or what some refer to as human composting. The law goes into effect July 1, 2022.
Connecticut is first U.S. state to make all prison phone calls free
Connecticut became the first state this week to make all prison phone calls free, addressing one of the biggest emotional and financial burdens faced by incarcerated men and women and their families as they try to stay in touch.
Las Vegas Raiders player Carl Nassib to become first NFL player to play while publicly out as gay
Carl Nassib, a defensive lineman for the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL, has come out in an Instagram post.
Maine becomes the first U.S. state to divest from fossil fuels
The new law directs the $17 billion Maine Public Employee Retirement System to divest $1.3 billion from fossil fuels within five years and directs the Treasury to do the same with other state funds.