Editor's Letter

Dear Readers,

At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Egypt’s Nada Hafez revealed that she’d been fencing for two. The athlete, who was seven months pregnant, wasn’t alone, in so many ways. Azerbaijani archer Yaylagul Ramazanova, six months pregnant, felt her baby kick before she shot a 10. South Korean sharpshooter Kim Yeji, her daughter’s stuffed elephant dangling from her cocked hip, earned a silver in less than 40 seconds. Gold medalist Allyson Felix spearheaded efforts to establish the first Olympic Village Nursery, which provided private spaces for breastfeeding, a family lounge, and changing stations.

It was a good year to be a working mother in that regard, and a mostly great year to be a woman at the Olympics. From Ilona Maher’s platform of body acceptance and work to emphasize that athleticism doesn’t have a size to Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles’s bows to Brazilian gold medal gymnast Rebeca Andrade, this year’s Olympic games saw women doing it all. And they were supporting other women while they did it, including the crowds who arrived to cheer on Algerian boxer and gold medalist Imane Khelif after she faced online abuse over misconceptions about her sex.

These women, and many more, showed up for themselves and for each other, and the people watching at home felt it too. We felt patriotic certainly, but never spiteful when Team USA didn’t get the gold. Call it robust happiness that didn’t include hating the other guy. I am sincerely hopeful that this joy born of witnessing the extraordinary might continue after the Olympics, and as the election cycle wears on, no matter the outcome. These are unprecedented times.

But, while there is reason to be hopeful, there is tragedy happening here and around the globe. In Afghanistan, where girls do not even have access to education beyond sixth grade, the Taliban government has codified restrictions prohibiting the sound of their voice outside the home. Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed at the Paris Olympics, recently died from burns sustained when her former boyfriend set her on fire, a victim of the disturbing rise in femicide in Kenya and other African nations. Moumita Debnath, a trainee doctor in Kolkata, was raped and murdered on campus in early August. Here in Idaho, women in dire need of lifesaving healthcare were forced to travel to nearby states to access the care they needed, which you’ll learn more about in a story by David Adler.

Brazilian gymnast Flavia Araiva competed with a deep wound on the side of her face and a black eye, the result of an injury sustained during practice. In some ways, it was a peek behind the curtain. Like Diana Prince, Wonder Woman’s civilian identity, Araiva’s suit had allowed her to operate undetected. For a moment on the mat, we glimpsed the worldly warrior, the woman without the mask, battle hardened and ready.

Though she’s been written and shaped into a thousand different versions of herself with an arsenal of magical items, Wonder Woman is always compassionate and calm, with a steadfast belief in love, empathy, and compassion. These qualities, while not exclusively female, are necessary now more than ever, and we honor them in her and in the women who have followed.

In this issue of IdaHome, and in recognition of Wonder Woman Day on October 21, we’re celebrating the incredible women in our own communities, including Alyssa Mendoza and Muffy Davis, competitors in the Olympics and Paralympics, respectively. We have stories of women starting businesses, nonprofits, and difficult conversations, stories of triumph, compassion, and power that goes far beyond gender.

Women’s issues are, as always, human issues. We’re thrilled to tell these stories, today and everyday.

In gratitude,

Heather Hamilton-Post

Editor in Chief