Latest news with #ICONS
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Female cyclist defends ‘taking a stand' on women's sports by refusing to take podium with trans winner
Veteran cyclist Julie Cutts Peterson told Fox News' 'America Reports' about why she refused to take the podium for the medal ceremony after losing to a trans competitor. 'At the finish line I was upset. I said 'I did not want to race against a man,'' Peterson said, recalling her frustration at the event and the way the audience gasped at her comment. 'In my mind I was like, 'I can say that, I have freedom of speech.' I was raised believing in the Bible where men are created by God and God created women from men, I was born and raised in America, where I learned my pronouns, and I took science classes that taught me about XX and XY and I believe that most Americans and people worldwide would support men not being in women's categories.' Peterson came in second place to transgender opponent, Kate 'KJ' Phillips – born a biological male – who took the gold medal last Tuesday at the Lyons Masters National Championships in Wisconsin. She is one of multiple veteran female cyclists who are speaking out against USA Cycling after they claim the organization failed to disclose the participation of a transgender athlete in a recent race. 3 'At the finish line I was upset. I said 'I did not want to race against a man,'' Peterson said, recalling her frustration at the event. ICONS Peterson recalled the final sprint of the race where Debbie Milne was the only competitor ahead of her until 'out of nowhere' came Phillips. 'I knew at that sprint that that was a man's sprint,' she said, noting her extensive experience riding among both men and women. Peterson went on to argue transgender ideology is not scientifically sound, declaring, 'There is no amount of makeup, money, or marketing that can change that Y-chromosome, and that's why we are taking a stand.' 3 'I knew at that sprint that that was a man's sprint,' she said, noting her extensive experience riding among both men and women. The cyclist claimed further that the transgender competitor's name was not even included on the registration list, 'which means that we were not given the information that he would be racing in our category before the race started.' 'Apparently we're hearing that from other athletes as well,' 'America Reports' co-anchor Sandra Smith said, sharing a clip of Milne claiming that Phillips' registration was completely hidden from competitors. 'Catherine Phillips, KJ's name, was not on that list. And I checked it up all the way to the point of closure when we couldn't register online anymore,' Milne said last Thursday on 'Fox & Friends.' According to Milne, neither she nor Peterson believe the omission of Phillips' name was accidental, referring to the incident as 'deception.' She said Peterson later got confirmation Phillips had been registered since mid-June, long before the online list closed. The cyclist added that, had she known, she might have reconsidered spending hundreds of dollars and traveling over 400 miles to compete. 3 The cyclist claimed further that the transgender competitor's name was not even included on the registration list. Instagram / k8nevergivesin Smith also noted that Fox News Digital had reached out to USA Cycling, who responded by providing their transgender eligibility policy. Smith relayed that as she understood it, the policy as it stands is, 'Quite simply it's just providing a written and signed declaration to the cycling technical director that their gender identity is female.' Peterson agreed, claiming she has a photo of how the registration appeared June 19th at 4:48 P.M., arguing that USA Cycling and Bike Reg had plenty of time to show the transgender competitor's name there but decided not to, an increasingly growing pattern. Fox News' Madison Colombo contributed to this report.
Fox News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Questions rise over UPenn's Lia Thomas lawsuit after Title IX agreement with Trump admin
The University of Pennsylvania agreed to a resolution with President Donald Trump's administration to keep males out of women's sports and apologize to every woman swimmer who was affected by the presence of trans athlete Lia Thomas in the 2021-22 season. However, a lawsuit against the university by three former women's swimmers over their experience in sharing a team with Thomas is still active. Former UPenn swimmers Grace Estabrook, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist filed their lawsuit against the university, Harvard University, the NCAA and the Ivy League back on Feb. 5. The suit alleges university officials led them to feel their concerns over being teammates with Thomas were rooted in a "psychological problem," and that by allowing Thomas to compete, the institutions "injured them and violated federal law." The activist group funding the lawsuit, the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS), released a statement on Tuesday addressing UPenn's resolution. "In less than three weeks, lawyers for the University of Pennsylvania will appear in federal district court in Boston, Massachusetts. They have informed the court that they will argue the university did not violate Title IX by allowing Lia Thomas to compete on the women's swim team," the statement claimed. "Will UPenn now admit to the federal judge—just as they did to the Trump Administration today—that they violated Title IX? Or will they continue fighting against accountability and against UPenn's female swimmers in court?" Meanwhile, Former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan, who is not part of the lawsuit but was one of the first of Thomas' teammates to speak out against the situation, shared the email she received from the university apologizing. ICONS added in its statement that Tuesday's announcement should serve as a warning to other institutions. "We, along with the female athletes we represent, are grateful to the Trump Administration and the Department of Education for their commitment to restoring justice in women's sports. Today's announcement, concerning one of the most notorious violations of Title IX, sends a clear message to all educational institutions: denying women equal opportunities and the right to privacy is unequivocally wrong," the statement continued. "ICONS remains dedicated to holding organizations like the NCAA, the Ivy League, and the University of Pennsylvania accountable, ensuring that legal precedents are set so such violations can never happen again." Fox News Digital has reached out to UPenn for a response to the ICONS statement. Thomas, a biological male, previously competed for the UPenn men's swimming team from 2017-20 under the name Will Thomas. According to the lawsuit, Thomas was introduced by women's swimming head coach Mike Schnur to the women's swimmers during a team meeting in Fall 2019 as their incoming teammate. Each of the three plaintiffs claims the experience left them "repeatedly emotionally traumatized." The plaintiffs allege that the university administrators pushed pro-trans ideology onto them throughout the process of accepting Thomas on the team and in their locker room. The former swimmers say that they were led to feel their concerns over being teammates with Thomas were rooted in a "psychological problem." "The UPenn administrators told the women that if anyone was struggling with accepting Thomas's participation on the UPenn Women's team, they should seek counseling and support from CAPS and the LBGTQ center," the lawsuit alleges. "The administrators also invited the women to a talk titled, 'Trans 101.' Thus, the women were led to understand that UPenn's position was that if a woman on the team had any problem with a trans-identifying male being on her team that woman had a psychological problem and needed counseling." The plaintiffs also allege that the administrators warned them against speaking out against the situation publicly. "The UPenn administrators went on to tell the women that if the women spoke publicly about their concerns about Thomas' participation on the Women's Team, the reputation of those complaining about Thomas being on the team would be tainted with transphobia for the rest of their lives and they would probably never be able to get a job,'" the lawsuit alleges. The three female swimmers allege that they were made to believe they would be removed from the team if they tried to protest Thomas' participation ahead of the 2022 Ivy League championships. "UPenn swim team members were told by Coach Schnur and UPenn administrators that UPenn administrators coordinated closely with the NCAA and the Ivy League to ensure that Thomas would be eligible for the 2021-2022 women's swimming season," the suit alleged. "These statements about close coordination between UPenn, the Ivy League and the NCAA regarding Thomas' eligibility led the UPenn Women's Team members to understand the resisting or protesting the participation of Thomas on the team or his presence in the locker room would be futile and could result in the women being removed from the team or from UPenn." The lawsuit alleges that coaches and UPenn administrators told the women's swimmers not to talk about Thomas' situation. Schnur allegedly told the women's swimmers that Thomas wouldn't be sharing a locker room with them when they asked after the initial introduction. But that allegedly changed later. Thomas officially began to practice and compete with the women's swimmers in Fall 2021. And that was when the female swimmers say they discovered that Schnur's alleged claim Thomas wouldn't share a locker room was not true. "When UPenn's women's swimmers returned to school in the fall of 2021 they were shocked to discover that Thomas was being allowed to use the women's locker room at UPenn and would be allowed to use the women's locker room at swim meets," the lawsuit alleges. "Margot [Kaczorowski] only learned that Thomas had been authorized by UPenn to use the women's locker room when [Kaczorowski] walked in the women's locker room to find Thomas in front of her changing his clothing." Per the suit, Kaczorowski confronted Schnur in tears about her shock of discovering Thomas would now share a locker room with her. She alleges the coach responded by saying, "I know it's wrong, but there's nothing I can do." "Coach Schnur told the Plaintiffs he would be fired by UPenn if he did not allow Thomas to use the women's locker room and compete on the women's swim team," the lawsuit alleges. In December 2021, another team meeting was held to discuss Thomas' presence on the team and the media attention it garnered, per the court documents. The female swimmers allege they were told that Thomas would continue to be on their team and that "Lia swimming is a non-negotiable." UPenn addressed the resolution with Trump's administration in a statement on Tuesday. "The Department of Education OCR investigated the participation of one transgender athlete on the women's swimming team three years ago, during the 2021 – 2022 swim season. At that time, Penn was in compliance with NCAA eligibility rules and Title IX as then interpreted," the statement read. "Penn has always followed – and continues to follow – Title IX and the applicable policy of the NCAA regarding transgender athletes. NCAA eligibility rules changed in February 2025 with Executive Orders 14168 and 14201 and Penn will continue to adhere to these new rules. "Penn has never maintained a policy of its own regarding the participation of transgender athletes in intercollegiate sports. Nor do we maintain our own policies related to other NCAA rules. We adhere to NCAA and Ivy League rules that are designed to ensure fair and transparent athletic competitions for all schools and participants." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Plane flying 'No Boys in Girls' Sports' banner over track meet goes viral as trans athlete dominates
A plane that flew a banner that read "No Boys in Girls' Sports!" over the California track and field state championship prelims at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis on Friday set the internet ablaze. The display, which was organized by the women's outreach groups, Women are Real and the Independent Council for Women's Sports (ICONS), drew strong reactions amid national controversy over trans athlete AB Hernandez competing in the girls' competition. Many supporters of the movement to protect women's and girls' sports praised the stunt on social media, including former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines. Hernandez went on to claim first place in long jump, triple jump and high jump, beating out all the female competitors, and will now compete for the state title in the finals on Saturday. However, due to recent CIF rule changes, the girls who would normally finish one spot out of advancing to Saturday's finals will qualify since Hernandez took a spot. The CIF instituted these rule changes in the days leading up to the event amid mass backlash, threats of federal funding cuts by President Donald Trump and a Department of Justice investigation against the state. Friday's events also featured one arrest, as police confirmed to Fox News Digital that a pro-LGBTQ protester was apprehended after breaking the car windows of another attendee. "This afternoon at 3:55PM, a disturbance between two adults occurred at the intersection of Nees/Minnewawa. One adult on the sidewalk and one in a vehicle at the intersection became involved in a disturbance that turned physical. During the disturbance, one of them used pepper spray against the other. EMS was called and one of the adults was arrested," a statement read. The person has been arrested for assault with a weapon and obstructing police, according to Sergeant Chris Hutchison. "We don't have room for violence or property damage or anything like that," Hutchison. Activists on both sides will return to Veteran's Memorial Stadium on Saturday for the final round, as Hernandez looks to finish off a dominant and controversial postseason run under a heated national spotlight. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Boost for passengers as popular restaurant chain with over 300 UK branches opens new location at major Scottish airport
The latest opening is located near gate 16, with 160 seats available for customers FLIGHT FEAST Boost for passengers as popular restaurant chain with over 300 UK branches opens new location at major Scottish airport PEOPLE jetting out of Edinburgh Airport can now enjoy tasty dishes from one of the UK's most popular restaurant brands. Pizza Express opened a new restaurant at Scotland's busiest flight hub this week. 2 Edinburgh Airport has welcomed Pizza Express to its list of eateries Credit: Getty 2 The gourmet pizza chain will offer its usual wide range of pizzas and a breakfast menu Credit: Reuters The iconic chain is serving up its usual wide range of gourmet pizzas. Morning passengers passing through the airport will be able to treat themselves to the breakfast menu. The latest opening is located near gate 16, with 160 seats available for customers. Pizza Express at Edinburgh Airport will also offer a takeaway option for passengers. Other recent food and drink additions at the airport include ICONS, Sainsbury's and Seoul Bird. Brewdog has also moved into larger premises, while Wetherspoons' beer garden has been expanded. Gail Taylor, chief commercial officer at Edinburgh Airport, has welcomed Pizza Express. She said: 'It's always great to see new brands arrive at Edinburgh Airport and we know Pizza Express is one that has generated enthusiasm among our passengers. 'Keeping our retail and food and beverage options fresh and exciting is a key part of our work, and this is one of the largest refreshes to our offering that we have ever undertaken – and all in time for peak summer. 'I hope our passengers look forward to trying out the range of choices now open to them at Scotland's busiest airport, and we hope to have even more exciting news in the months ahead.' Why McDonald's Cancelled Its New Drive-Thru Plans in Scottish Town (1) John Butts, director of ARE which will operate the restaurant alongside Seoul Bird and ICONS, said: 'It's exciting to see PizzaExpress open to Edinburgh Airport's passengers, offering a fantastic selection of items throughout the day. 'These are our first entries into the Scottish market and the fact that they are new names to that market is something we are proud of.'
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Fox News star hoodwinked by misleading picture of USA fencing witness at hearing
Republican lawmakers and right leaning media figures fell for a cropped selfie that appeared to show the head of USA Fencing flipping his middle finger before appearing before a hearing on men competing in women's sports. USA Fencing Chairman Damien Lehfeldt posted a selfie image to his Instagram story wearing a suit and putting up what appeared to be his middle finger with the caption: 'Game day.' Soon after, Lehfeldt was forced to post an unedited version of the image showing he was holding up a 'peace sign' with his pointer and middle finger and not flipping off the House Oversight Committee. Lawmakers who oppose transgender athletes competing in sports that don't align with their biological gender pounced on a tweet from the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) claiming Lehfeldt was flipping the bird ahead of his testimony. 'ICONS has tweeted that I held up a middle finger. Here is the uncropped photo,' Lehfeldt posted to his Facebook story in clarifying the context of the entire image. But it was too late. Fox News host Aishah Hasnie already had picked up the story suggested the USA Fencing chair was flipping off the panel he was about to appear before. The cropped image made it look like USA Fencing Chairman Damien Lehfeldt was holding up his middle finger ahead of the hearing – but he later posted an unedited version that showed he was holding up a peace sign 'I can't show it to you because it might be a little too graphic,' the Fox star said while reporting from the halls of Congress. And Republicans on the House Oversight Committee printed out a version of his cropped Instagram image where it looked like he was flipping off the camera and blew it up on a poster at the hearing. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who sits on the panel and is a staunch advocate of keeping men out of women's sports, posted an image of the poster at Wednesday's hearing. 'Caught in 4k,' she wrote with a screen grab of the cropped version of Lehfeldt's image on a stand behind Government Reform Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). One social media user said it was dishonest for Lehfeldt to crop the image, claiming he edited it to make it look provocative on purpose. 'We don't have to smear a man who smears himself,' ICONS wrote in a post responding to the new information. Lehfeldt is one of the people testifying before the Oversight hearing on Wednesday regarding Republicans' crackdown on biological men participating in women's events and sports. It comes after female fencer Stephanie Turner—who took a knee to protest facing a male opponent – voluntarily left the sport. At Wednesday's hearing, Lehfeldt defended the fact that fencing has long been a mix-gender sport with leagues where men and women commonly compete against each other. He also said he hoped that Turner would return to the sport and was 'disappointed' to hear she is taking a break.
