Latest news with #Lavigne
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Mom who claims woke school hid 13-year-old's gender transition suffers crushing court defeat
A mom in Maine suffered a crushing defeat in court following claims that a woke school hid her child's gender transition from her and their family. Amber Lavigne, of Wiscasset, discovered a chest binder in her 13-year-old child's room when the then-eighth grader was at a school dance in December 2022. Yet, an appeal for the lawsuit Lavigne launched against the school in 2023 has dismissed by the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Lavigne's child said, at the time, that the binder - a garment used to flatten the chest of the wearer - was bought for them by a social worker named Sam Roy at Great Salt Bay School in Damariscotta. In her appeal, Lavigne argued that her claims 'sufficiently establish the existence of a policy or custom of withholding... the district court erred in declining to address the first element of municipal liability, and her allegations established that the Board violated her right to direct the education of her child.' According to documents, the court concluded in her appeal that 'Lavigne's allegations fail to plausibly show that either the Board had a policy of withholding or that the Board later ratified the individual defendants' decision to withhold information from Lavigne.' The court furthered that Lavigne did not provide 'sufficient' evidence to argue of a policy or custom for withholding and concealing information. 'None of [Lavigne's] allegations support the inference that the Board maintained an unwritten custom or policy of withholding information from parents,' court documents said. 'Without this factual support, Lavigne's contention that the school acted pursuant to an unwritten "blanket policy, pattern, and practice of intentional withholding and concealment of such information from all parents" is based solely on her "information and belief".' The mother and her lawyers demanded, at the time of the initial lawsuit, a 'full investigation into Mr. Roy's decision to give a 13-year-old girl an undergarment without notice, consent or involvement of her mother.' They also claimed the school's actions broke the Fourteenth Amendment by blocking Lavigne's fundamental constitutional right to control and direct the education, upbringing, and healthcare decisions of her daughter,' Adam Shelton, a lawyer at Goldwater, wrote in a letter. The school district was further accused by Lavigne of withholding and concealing her child's transition, including the use of a name and pronouns that were not assigned to the child at birth. The law firm argued that although students have confidential access to mental healthcare through school, social transitioning is 'not protected by statutory confidentiality'. 'The "social transitioning" of Ms. Lavigne's daughter without her notice, consent, or involvement in the process alone violated her constitutional rights,' the letter said. 'But even if secrecy were required by Maine law, such secrecy would still violate Ms. Lavigne's constitutional rights. Ms. Lavigne has a clearly established constitutional right to control and direct the education, upbringing, and healthcare decisions of her child. The actions of the School, school employees, and the District have violated that right.' Lavigne pulled her child from the school, allowing her daughter to cut her hair short but still referring to her by feminine pronouns. The mother told National Review that she believes her daughter is still her daughter at heart and that she acts femininely when she's not thinking about it. She added that she was not opposed to her daughters eventual transition, and said: 'If she at 18 starts taking testosterone and decides to mutilate her body, am I going to express to her some concerns? Absolutely,' she told the National Review. 'Am I going to write my kiddo off? Never in a million years. This is my baby girl. At the end of the day, I'm not going to destroy my relationship with my child to be right.' 'At the end of the day, she is who she is,' the mother said. 'If she thinks she's going to live a more fulfilled life as a male, that's up for her to decide as an adult. At 13, it's up to me to safeguard my child against doing things to her body that she can't reverse.'
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
From TMO madness to English ‘pies' — why did they have to go and make things so complicated?
Several huge sports events suffer from complex rules, leading to anticlimactic viewing. Somewhere in a time long ago (2002 to be precise), my oldest child drove me slightly crazy by constantly demanding a particular song by Avril Lavigne. The chorus of that hit came echoing back this weekend as I attempted to indulge in what I thought would be a cornucopia of top-level, global, highly competitive sport – the second Test between the Wallabies and British & Irish Lions, England versus India Test cricket, the climax of the Tour de France and the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix. As each of those events progressed (or didn't) in increasingly bewildering ways, I found myself channelling Lavigne and singing loudly: 'Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?' At one point I was switching between elite F1 drivers doing the first four laps of the mere 44 they were going to be allowed in a 20-minute uncompetitive procession behind a safety car, elite cyclists drifting through the countryside drinking champagne and elite cricketers arguing about whether they should be on the field at all given that the Test was grinding towards a draw. The day before, the thrilling series-deciding second rugby Test between the Wallabies and Lions ended up, inevitably, with everyone watching lengthy slow-motion TV replays to determine whether the Lions' last-gasp try would stand. What we saw was a highly dangerous assault on a Wallaby neck or a perfect clean-out, depending entirely on your bias. My conclusion was that it was probably both. It was legitimate but shouldn't be. And it was definitely anticlimactic and unsatisfactory. The entire thing was the apex of the television match official (TMO) madness which has descended on rugby and means its myriad complex laws are being second- and third-guessed all the time. The authorities need to be asked the Lavigne question. 'Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?' Judgement calls TMO's should be for groundings over the try line and seriously dangerous or foul play which the on-field officials have not seen (an important qualification). Leave the rest to the judgement of the guys with a whistle and flags. If the occasional marginally forward pass, tiny knock-on, head-on-shoulder contact or truck-and-trailer side-entry channel block (I made that up but it could be a thing for all I know) gets missed, then so be it. If the disciplinary committee post-match wants to reassess dangerous-play calls and impose bans, then that's okay, but let's not stop the game for a Supreme Court hearing. Meanwhile, back at the venerable Spa-Francorchamps F1 circuit (a legendary track beautifully set in the Ardennes Forest which could soon be replaced by a soulless expansion venue in Thailand), the torturous rules of that sport were, yet again, getting in the way of a decent contest. Rain was causing issues but watching cars parked for an hour in sunshine and then not compete for one-10th of the shortened 'race' before a 'rolling start', which is nothing like the drama of a normal start, probably made cautious sense somewhere in a rule book but made none at all to an average punter like me. I still do not understand what happened to Lewis Hamilton back in 2021 when he was cruising to a world title over Max Verstappen until some random behind him crashed and his substantial lead was wiped out by the safety car and some drivers were 'unlapped' and some changed tyres but he couldn't. F1 measures things to milliseconds on lap times and milligrams of vehicle weight and yet cannot contrive a system where a safety car means the gaps remain the same as they were before it came out. And then we have the compelling yet bizarre dance that is the Tour de France. So many questions. Why don't they race properly for most of the final day? Why do the main riders stop when a leader crashes? Why are some teams complaining that one team 'wins too many stages'? Why is it unacceptable to attack in a particular way but not in others? Why is the best rider on the day often reined in to help his teammate rather than going for the stage win? In short, 'why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?' And then, the world-champion sport on rules and etiquette complexity, Test match cricket, really kicked in. England were frustrated on the final day at Old Trafford by some superb rearguard batting from India, which gained them a draw and kept an excellent series alive. Once a decisive outcome was impossible, the English team felt everyone should shake hands and get off work early. India captain Shubman Gill, rightly, was having none of it because he wanted his not-out batters to reach their hundreds and to tire out his opponents (who had invited this fate by putting them into bat after winning the toss) before the decisive Test starting on Thursday. The English then sulked and bowled what we used to call 'pies' – part-timers delivering rubbish. It was an unedifying and completely uncompetitive spectacle. And one that is almost impossible to explain to anyone other than a Test cricket tragic.
Express Tribune
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Avril Lavigne reunites with ex-husband Deryck Whibley for performance at Vans Warped Tour
Avril Lavigne recently reunited with her ex-husband Deryck Whibley during her performance at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, DC, where the pair played a set together. The Canadian singer shared a heartfelt message on Instagram, expressing her excitement about performing with Whibley, known for his role in the band Sum 41. Lavigne, 40, and Whibley, 45, were married from 2006 to 2009, after becoming engaged in 2005. Their marriage ended when Lavigne was 24, citing the feeling that she had married too young. Despite their divorce, the two appear to remain on good terms. Whibley made a surprise appearance during Lavigne's headline set, joining her to perform the pop-punk anthem In Too Deep by Sum 41. Lavigne praised her ex-husband, calling him 'a legend' and describing the crowd's energy as one of the best she had ever experienced at the festival. Their reunion comes at a challenging time for Whibley, who has been battling serious health issues. Last year, he was hospitalised with pneumonia and Covid-19, which led to complications including heart failure. His wife, Ariana, shared the distressing news on Instagram, explaining that his heart was under significant strain due to the inflammatory condition caused by pneumonia. Fans were excited to see the ex-couple performing together, and many commented on the sweetness of their relationship and mutual respect. One fan shared their appreciation, saying, 'I love to see the respect you and Deryck have for each other!' Others were moved by their ability to remain friends despite their past, with many likening it to seeing their divorced parents getting along. Lavigne's relationship history includes a second marriage to Nickelback's Chad Kroeger in 2013, which ended in 2015, and a brief engagement to Mod Sun in 2021, which also ended in 2023. Despite the ups and downs, Lavigne and Whibley's ongoing friendship highlights their enduring bond and mutual respect.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
2000s Pop Star, 40, Unrecognizable on Recent Tour Stop: ‘I Would Not Have Known That's Her?'
2000s Pop Star, 40, Unrecognizable on Recent Tour Stop: 'I Would Not Have Known That's Her?' originally appeared on Parade. Avril Lavigne is not a teenage pop star anymore. The 40-year-old Sk8er Boi singer left fans surprised by her grown-up appearance at a recent stop on her Greatest Hits tour, which began in May 2024 and is scheduled to run through the end of June 2025. Video shared to social media from a recent tour date showed Lavigne with a more mature look, prompting one fan to write, 'I would not have known that's her?'Some things haven't changed over time for the Girlfriend singer. Lavigne still sports her long platinum blonde tresses and signature pop-punk style—this time in an oversized black T-shirt, short denim shorts, and knee-high black leather boots. The comment section wasn't entirely kind about Lavigne's current look, but most fans were supportive and enthusiastic. One wrote, 'still cute as hell,' while another shared, 'I'll always be a bit in love with her.'We think she looks and sounds terrific. Maybe the biggest surprise is that Avril Lavigne is 40. That must mean we're getting older, too. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 2000s Pop Star, 40, Unrecognizable on Recent Tour Stop: 'I Would Not Have Known That's Her?' first appeared on Parade on Jun 9, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
National Observer
12-06-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
NDP grassroots buck against 'top-down' leadership race
After the unmitigated disaster that was the NDP's 2025 election result, prominent members are pushing back against an 'elitist' leadership race and want the party to rebuild from the grassroots up. 'We lost touch, and we have to be honest about that,' former MP Charlie Angus said at a June 11 press conference in Ottawa. 'We have to re-engage with people.' When asked about Angus' comments, NDP interim leader Don Davies said it was a 'tough election' but he doesn't think the party lost touch. The question of how to rebuild has become existential: the NDP is down to seven MPs and lost official party status for the first time since 1993. This limits the party's influence significantly. They no longer get a seat on committees to study issues and amend legislation, and no longer have the right to ask daily questions of the government during Question Period, among other lost privileges. The party is searching for a way out of the wilderness, and doing so without a leader. According to Angus, the party needs two things: a strong leader and a return to grassroots organizing. But the NDP must do more than just rally behind a leader, he emphasized. 'Nothing against Jagmeet [Singh], but we stopped being the New Democratic Party. We became Team Jagmeet, and that wasn't selling,' Angus said in an interview with Canada's National Observer. With the NDP reduced to seven seats, Former MP Charlie Angus and party activists are pushing back against a "top-down approach" to the NDP leadership race and instead are advocating for a return to grassroots organizing. 'If it's all about just going to cheer on the leader, then the riding associations start to disintegrate,' he said. Proposed leadership contest rules controversial Angus, who once again ruled out a bid for the leadership, has run before: he ran against Singh in the 2017 NDP leadership race. At the time, the entry fee was $30,000. Now, there are rumblings among a handful of prominent New Democrats that the entry fee could go up to $150,000, the Globe and Mail reported last month. Angus said he doesn't know what an acceptable fee for entry is but said $150,000 'seems like a high number.' Brad Lavigne, a key member of former NDP leader Jack Layton's leadership team who also participated in Thomas Mulclair's race, said the leadership campaign needs to strike the balance between duration, financial viability and broad support. Running a long leadership race can make the costs of a campaign for both the candidates and party unsustainable, Lavigne said. Lavigne didn't speculate about an appropriate leadership fee, but noted fee thresholds self-select tenable candidates that have grassroots support from across the country. "If you can't find 1,000 people to contribute $20, then how viable are you as a leadership candidate?' Lavigne said. The primary objective of running any leadership campaign is to find a leader that has broad support from party members and get the majority of Canadians to vote NDP at the polls so it can implement the party's policies, he said. 'Grassroots members that I've talked to want to see a successful electoral game plan,' he said. 'It's not enough to make the case for policy ideas in the hopes that other parties will adopt them and enact them in Parliament.' Grassroots 'tired of this top-down approach' Des Bissonnette and Ashley Zarbatany, co-chairs of the Indigenous People's Commission, criticized the proposed leadership race fee and short race, arguing the plan is the brainchild of an unelected party elite that wasn't vetted by the executive council and will potentially exclude grassroots supporters and ideas. 'There are a lot of grassroots and team members who are tired of this top-down approach by the consultant class in our party,' said Zarbatany, who added the proposed fee is 'abysmal' and didn't represent the values or pocketbooks of a working-class party. Ideas about the leadership race were floated in the press before discussing them with the federal executive, she added, reflecting the poor internal communication that also led to pushback by half the elected caucus around the selection of the interim leader, Don Davies. Bissonnette, the NDP candidate for Lakeland, Sask. in the last election, agreed. 'There's never really any consultation with [federal NDP] council members on what direction the party is going to take most of the time,' she said. 'You're rubber-stamping decisions that they've already made, rather than actively engaging in the democratic process.' The party has also shifted away from grassroots progressive values, she said, citing the decision to remove socialist language from the party's constitution and the failure to push hard for electoral reform while backing the Liberal government or in the election campaign. 'People like myself in the grassroots, the volunteers who are passionate about progressive politics want to see a real progressive party,' Bissonnette said. Bissonnette and Zarbatany said the climate crisis is a key issue with many grassroots members of the party who feel environmental policy proposals get ignored. Doubling down on centralist ideas that are too similar to the Liberal Party isn't going to lead to the renewal of the party, Zarbatany said. 'They are the reason why our party has suffered catastrophic electoral losses.' 'Kill Zoom' Rebuilding the party is about far more than the leadership race, and last time round, the party's leader-centric focus undermined the role of local riding associations, Angus said. 'People living in 12 ridings probably decided the leadership last time and that left a lot of parts of the country out in the cold,' he said. The party must find a way for members in New Brunswick or rural Saskatchewan to feel like a part of the movement. Angus' main recommendation to bring the party back to its grassroots origins? 'We need to kill Zoom,' he said. 'Everything by the NDP is done on Zoom. Zoom doesn't include anybody,' he told Canada's National Observer at Parliament Hill. 'We used to do pub nights. We used to do bean dinners,' he said. Angus said 'doing old-school organizing' with an emphasis on public meetings and getting people involved to vote at the party's convention are key, adding that TikTok views did not translate into votes. Mobilizing the grassroots is trickier when you're strapped for cash, Dennis Pilon, a political science professor at York University, told Canada's National Observer last month. 'On the right, they just buy people, they just hire people to go out and go door to door, but the NDP don't have the resources to do that,' Pilon said. With fewer people voting in general elections, the NDP is suffering more than other parties, Pilon said. In the postwar period, voter turnout was about 75 to 80 per cent, but in recent elections, it has slipped to between 60 and 65 per cent. 'The missing voters aren't just anyone. They tend to be poor. They tend to be less integrated with the political system. They tend to have less sense of social entitlement,' Pilon said. The NDP needs to reconnect with these missing voters, but it will be challenging because you have to actually go out and meet them, he said. The party lost touch with its traditional working-class base because it lacked an 'on-the-ground force,' Angus said. 'We need an honest appraisal of what went wrong,' he said. 'New Democrats aren't very honest when it comes to disasters. We sort of blame strategic voting, or we blame something. We made a lot of mistakes. I think people just want an honest accounting.' Angus would not speculate on who might run for the party leadership. 'At the end of the day, this has to be about winning,' Angus said. Rather than repeat the mistake of gambling everything on a likeable leader, Angus prefers to focus on how the party finds its people again. 'We don't need big ideas. We've got tons of big ideas … We don't need dramatic and bold moves. We need to re-engage and be the party that ordinary people feel has their back. It's pretty simple stuff, but maybe that's the hardest thing, is just going back to the grassroots, going back to coffee shops, going back to inviting people in and making them feel like they belong and that they're welcome, regardless of whether they say the right thing or not.'
