A Winter Necessity

Hi friend,

Amidst the chaos and devastation wrought by the wildfires in Los Angeles, Anita Bryant’s family quietly released her obituary last week. Once known as a celebrity singer, Bryant’s name became synonymous with anti-gay activism after, as the Advocate reports, “Miami-Dade County's government had adopted an ordinance banning employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation, making it one of the first municipalities to do so.”

This move towards tolerance was so intolerable for Bryant that she became the face of a political coalition, Save Our Children, which sought to repeal the 1977 ordinance. She was successful, and it wasn’t restored until 1998.

Doesn’t this scene sound familiar? “At a public hearing in Dade County, Florida, parents were enraged,” writes Jillian Eugenios at NBC News. “The nation, they said, was in peril and children were at risk. A recent ordinance had granted gay people housing and employment protections, and that meant teachers couldn’t be fired because of their sexuality. Florida classrooms quickly became a battleground, and opponents of the ordinance said the state’s support of civil rights for homosexuals was infringing on their rights as parents.”

Everything old is new again. Anita Bryant may be gone, but the values she espoused live on in multiple states where “don’t say gay” education policies have been passed.

It’s also true that Bryant’s campaigning resulted in the emergence of a powerful opposing force. As Slate notes, “The coalitions that formed in opposition to Bryant back in the 1970s would prove essential in the gay rights battles to come, from the AIDS crisis to the fight for gay marriage.” Much of that history is captured in the last season of Slate’s Slow Burn podcast, if you’re curious.

Anyway: When we’re not trying to brush up on history we never learned in school, we’re thinking about future features for this newsletter. We received a lot of emails about friendships between childfree women and child-having women (awkward wording) after last Friday’s edition – so we want to put out a reader request. If you are childfree, what have your mom friends done to make your friendship with them stronger? What do you wish they would do, ask, contribute? As one reader writes:

“Let's have the awkward convo. Let's show up as much as we can on both sides, but that can only happen when both sides understand what the other can give. I am so passionate about childless and women with children friendships – they are some of my most beautiful and long-lasting.”

Just hit “reply” to this newsletter to share thoughts, if you’d like. Thank you!

Scroll on for a boot-centric shopping guide, new documentaries to watch this week, and more. We’ll be back here Friday.

Bye,
Your friends at Gloria

As a few weeks of cold weather has shown us, you really need sturdy boots to get you through winter. We went looking for the best options, and found some extremely practical styles as well as a few that are just pretty. As a bonus, a bunch of them are on sale.

• These straddle the chunky-polished divide perfectly. Cos Riding Boots, $390.

• An unabashed knockoff of that one pair from The Row that has tempted us for years. Steve Madden Jones Boots, $130.

• A throwback style that’s newly popular. Frye Harness Boots, $498.

• These are chic and sexy. Schutz Maryana Lo Wide Crocodile Embossed Boot, $258.

• Incredibly versatile black ankle boots with a walkable heel. Anna F. Ankle Boots, $159.

• The sort of wildly practical style that we really should invest in. Bogs Classic Farm Boots, $115.

• A delicate pointed toe that’s on-trend, but not overly so. J.Crew Stevie Ankle Boots, $184.50.

• These are fun. Isabel Marant Antya Suede Cowboy Boots, $297.

• So cool, but so expensive. Proenza Schouler x Sorel Caribou Leather and Rubber Platform Chelsea Boots, $400.

• Feeling the aughts vibe of this comfy pair. Loeffler Randall Nolan Acorn Stretch Ankle Bootie, $270.

• How pretty. See By Chloé Hana Boots, $298.

• We have and love these; the sole is cushy and there’s no break-in time. Red Wing Heritage Moc Boot, $309.90.

• A sturdy western option for an equally solid price. Ariat Bradley Western Boot, $135.96.

• A dressed-up pair for those of us who absolutely cannot do a heel anymore. Madewell Aspen Stretch Boots, $178.

• Warm and waterproof. Blundstone Leather Pull-On Boots, $224.95.

Shop the Story

TO STREAM There are three very different documentaries coming to streaming this week. We’re definitely watching this series on SNL, which will debut on Peacock Thursday. Peacock is also dropping an intense-looking special on Diddy, while HBO’s three-part look at the family-vlogging industry, An Update on Our Family, is out tomorrow.

TO DO Figuring out pet insurance can be overwhelming, but we know we need to do it soon. There are just so many options and degrees of coverage. We're using this list of the best providers as our starting point. #partner

TO READ The new romance-drama novel The Favorites (here on Bookshop, here on Amazon) sounds like perfect escapist fare. For context, it’s being compared to Colleen Hoover; the plot has something to do with figure skating and betrayal.

TO HELP There is nothing that you can even say to match the scale of the disaster happening in LA right now, but we wanted to share this spreadsheet that has pulled together many family fundraisers that are circulating. You can see each one’s goal, and the percentage that has been raised; its organizers are spotlighting funds at the top that need a boost. We also like these suggestions on ways to offer support.

TO MAKE This sounds silly, but we didn’t have applesauce for a recipe last week so we made it following these instructions — and it was extremely simple and much superior to store-bought. All it took was four apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, water, and the patience to do the peeling and coring. You can mash it or blend it, depending on the consistency you’re after.

Hip pain can be a symptom of perimenopause. • An honor to be included on this list. • “The question of 2025 is how willing people will be to see all they have loved and respected go up in flames.” • Yes! (To a new Liza doc.) • Are the words “old lady” actually insulting?

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