Time to revisit school locker room design?

Edition: US - Today's top story: Better locker rooms: It's not just a transgender thing [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 27 March 2017 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note Student rights have been in the national spotlight quite a lot recently, most notably with the numerous legal battles surrounding transgender youth and their right to appropriate school bathrooms. George Cunningham of Texas A&M and Erin E. Buzuvis are two experts in sport diversity, LGBTQ rights and Title IX. They look at the [changing landscape for transgender student-athletes]( and the best solutions for creating safe, inclusive, comfortable locker room facilities for all students. And, researchers at Tufts University share the findings from a recent study of millennials’ political lives. The study shows nearly 60 percent of young rural Americans see themselves as living in “Civic Deserts” where they are largely disengaged from politics. To a lesser extent, this disengagement is also a problem in suburban and urban communities. Kaitlyn Chantry Editor Top story Mack Beggs, a 17-year-old transgender boy, made national headlines when he won the Texas state wrestling title in the girls’ division. AP Photo [Better locker rooms: It's not just a transgender thing]( George B. Cunningham, Texas A&M University ; Erin E. Buzuvis, Western New England University While various legal battles continue over the rights of transgender athletes, one thing is clear: Inclusive, privacy-centric locker rooms are a solution that benefits everyone. Politics + Society - [Study: 60 percent of rural millennials lack access to a political life]( Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Tufts University; Felicia Sullivan, Tufts University A recent study from the Tisch College of Civil Life at Tufts looks at millennials' civic engagement – and finds some cause for concern in rural, suburban and urban areas. - [Republicans fumble ACA repeal: Expert reaction]( Richard Arenberg, Brown University; Christopher Sebastian Parker, University of Washington Trump cuts bait, Ryan loses his nerve – and the Obamacare repeal goes down without a vote. What's next for Congress and the GOP? - [“The Freedom Caucus is responsible for the current public rift in the GOP.”]( Christopher Sebastian Parker Brown University [Read more]( [Christopher Sebastian Parker] Ethics + Religion - [How did celibacy become mandatory for priests?]( Kim Haines-Eitzen, Cornell University Recent comments of Pope Francis suggest an openness to priestly marriage. A scholar shows how early church practices did not include mandatory celibacy for priests. Science + Technology - [Momentum isn't magic – vindicating the hot hand with the mathematics of streaks]( Joshua Miller, Bocconi University; Adam Sanjurjo, Universidad de Alicante For 30 years, sports fans have been told to forget about streaks because the 'hot hand' is a fallacy. But a reanalysis says not so fast: Statistics show players really are in the zone sometimes. Health + Medicine - [Why threats to get votes for health law are more workplace bullying than political tactics]( Joan Cook, Yale University President Trump has threatened and criticized federal judges and House representatives. In a typical workplace, this would be called bullying. Here's why it's important to stop it. - [Restaurants pledged to make kids’ meals healthier – but the data show not much has changed]( Alyssa Moran, Harvard University; Christina Roberto, University of Pennsylvania Chain restaurants vowed to make children's menus healthier. But our analysis of menus across the country shows that kids' choices still aren't very good for them. - [Pay people to stop smoking? It works, especially in vulnerable groups]( Stephen Higgins, University of Vermont; Allison Kurti, University of Vermont; Danielle R. Davis, University of Vermont Cigarette smoking kills about 480,000 Americans annually and costs nearly US$170 billion in health care each year. Is it time we considered financial incentives to help people quit? - [Essential health benefits suddenly at center of health care debate, but what are they?]( Simon Haeder, West Virginia University Essential health benefits under Obamacare are suddenly the center of controversy in the proposed replacement bill. If certain health benefits are so essential, why are they so loathed? Here's a look. From our International Editions - [Solidarity was a founding principle of European unity – it must remain so]( Alexandra Pimor, Liverpool John Moores University Sixty years since the Treaty of Rome was signed, the EU goal still remains clear: peace. - [How our species got smarter: through a rush of blood to the head]( Roger S. Seymour, University of Adelaide The brains of our ancestors grew larger and smarter thanks to an increase in the flow of blood to the brain - [How a genetic rescue mission could save the pink pigeon in Mauritius]( Camilla Ryan, University of East Anglia; Matt Clark, Earlham Institute By reintroducing new gene variants back into the wild, there's hope it will reverse the negative impacts of pink pigeon inbreeding. - [The world needs more toilets – but not ones that flush]( Tamara Avellán, United Nations University The invention of the flush toilet was probably one of the most unsustainable innovations in human history. [Donate and keep independent journalism alive]( [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 745 Atlantic Ave. 8th Floor Boston, MA 02111