Last week was a tough one in Georgia. After the shooting at a high school in Winder GA, Jasmine says her daughter was afraid to go to school. And she’s not the only one - every child, parent, and frankly any person who watches the news gets retraumatized each time this happens.

And yet, still politicians do nothing. In fact, last week JD Vance called school shootings “a fact of life."

Instead, he and other extremist Republicans have chosen something else to fixate on: the so-called traditional nuclear family. This isn’t the first time America has gone through a “marriage panic,” as our guest Julie Kohler of White Picket Fence puts it, but it’s particularly infuriating given Republicans’ unwillingness to address the lax gun laws that are actually putting our kids at risk.

Julie explains exactly how extremists are trying to force their regressive version of gender roles and the “traditional family” on everyone. From banning no-fault divorce to changes to the tax code, they want to take women and LGBTQ people back to a past where we had no rights. And of course this 1950s vision of the American family has plenty of racism baked in too.

We may no longer be shocked by Trump or Vance’s comments about women (“childless cat ladies” and all), but we can’t just roll our eyes at their rhetoric. They have real policies to back it up, and we have to tell everyone we know.

After their interview with Julie, Jasmine and Amanda wrap up with a toast to campaign volunteers and First Serve's Day of Service in this week's Toast to Joy.

If you're wondering to talk to young people in your life around voting, we invite you to join us at 7:30pm on Thursday 9/12 for a virtual Ask Me Anything event with a panel of inspiring young activists: Olivia Juliana, Sam Schwartz, and Haley Lickstein. You can learn more and RSVP here.

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected].

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