Latest news with #PrideFlags
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
St. Paul police release images of Pride flag vandalism suspect
Authorities have released images of a suspect they believe is responsible for vandalizing rainbow Pride flags in St. Paul last week and are asking the public's help in identifying the person. Police say there have now been 30 instances of vandalism of rainbow flags, including one case where there was damage to the new Minnesota flag, in the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods last week. 'While we believe this person is responsible for a number of those incidents, we cannot definitively say they are responsible for 'all' of the cases at this time,' said Nikki Muehlhausen, a St. Paul police spokesperson. Neighbors have been rallying together, buying more flags and signs and planning to display them in their yards. Three of the cases have been on Jefferson Avenue, between the 1700 and 2000 blocks; another two were on the 1200 block of Palace Avenue and two more on the 1700 block of Bayard Avenue. There have also been reports of vandalized flags at Half Priced Books & JS Bean Factory and police are investigating whether those incidents are connected to the other ones. Investigators are urging people in the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods to come forward if they have any surveillance footage that may show the suspect or related information. Tips can be called into the department's Western District at 651-266-5512 or by emailing Iranian national arrested in St. Paul as part of national ICE sweep Vance Boelter federal hearing pushed back because he's been on suicide watch Pardon applications are being carefully crafted with one man in mind: Donald Trump Anoka sex offender sentenced to prison for asking fellow inmate to drug accuser Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer mocks sex trafficking case in closing, calls charges 'badly exaggerated'
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Parents' fury as primary schoolchildren are taught about the 300 different flags of Pride - including an 'intersex-inclusive' and another that celebrates polyamory
Parents were left furious after discovering that their primary-aged children are being taught about the 300 different flags of pride at school. Leaflets handed out by the charity Swindon and Wiltshire Pride claim there are more flags representing sexuality and gender identity than there are for countries. The extensive list includes an 'intersex-inclusive Pride flag', a 'polyamory Pride flag, and even a black and white 'heterosexual flag' for straight people, which it says can include transgender people. The information, displayed by the local council on social media, goes into detail about a 'small selection' of 29 varieties. It says: 'While some might think [300] is too many, it's all part of a drive to be more inclusive of the expansive breadth of identity within the community'. The leaflets are part of a free annual support guide produced by the charity, which says it aims to 'promote equality and diversity for the public benefit'. The three double-page spreads about Pride flags describe the identity each is meant to represent, the meaning behind their colours, and when the flag was designed if known. For example, beneath the pink, purple, and green 'trigender Pride flag', the charity explains that 'trigender is a gender identity in which a person switches between or among several genders, including a third gender', which may change depending 'on the individual's mood or environment.' Parents of children at the primary schools had raised concerns about the material to the local Labour council but, they told The Telegraph they had been ignored. One mother, a former teacher, said the guide being given out in primary schools was 'really concerning'. 'Obviously the polyamory one, encouraging children to have multiple sex partners, they shouldn't be sexualising children,' she said. 'In the guide itself, under education, it states it is 'for schools, teachers, and students'. 'A couple of sentences down, for example, it says 'raise awareness of the lesser known identities across the fetish spectrum',' she added, saying that was 'inappropriate'. Among the other Pride flags are 'genderqueer', 'demiboy' and 'demigirl', 'pangender', 'abrosexual' and the 'straight ally flag', which places the rainbow colours in the shape of an 'A' on top of the black and white heterosexual flag. Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at human rights charity Sex Matters, said the flags 'draw children in' and 'suggest that they need to find themselves on the list' which is 'inappropriate and unnecessary'. Ms Joyce added that the 'false belief' a child can be born in the wrong body can be 'deeply unsettling for young people' and they should be 'protected from such misguided and harmful ideas'. A spokesman for Swindon and Wiltshire Pride said: 'We believe in 'Pride 365': a year-round commitment to celebrating identity, raising awareness, and supporting LGBTQIA+ people in our community. 'Throughout the year, we engage with a wide range of local events, organisations, and educational settings to build understanding and foster inclusion. 'During this Pride Month, we were invited into a small number of local schools to support their curriculum-led work around diversity and LGBTQIA+ relationships. 'Our support guide includes helpful information, links to support organisations, and content written for all audiences – it contains no sexual content whatsoever. 'It is disheartening, though sadly not surprising, to face unfounded attacks or misrepresentations of our work. 'As a visible LGBTQIA+ charity, we know that some individuals may seek to undermine the progress we are making in fostering a more compassionate, inclusive society. 'We remain proud of our mission and grateful to the many people, schools, and communities who continue to stand with us.' It comes after last week a Christian company vowed to sue a council dubbed 'Wokeminster' over plans to hang up trans-inclusive flags to mark Pride Month. In collaboration with Westminster City Council, the Crown Estate, who own the majority of properties on Regent Street, plan to fly Progress Pride flags in 20 locations throughout the central London area between mid-June and mid-July. But if the proposed decorations are hoisted into the air within the next week, the council, nicknamed 'Wokeminster' by its own chief executive Stuart Love, and the Crown Estate risk facing legal action from the Christian Legal Centre. Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, told The Telegraph that the Pride flags were an attack on traditional beliefs about sex and gender. She warned that the Christian Legal Centre would have no option but to pursue legal action if the council chooses to proceed with the Pride display, arguing that everyone should feel welcome in Regent Street. Ms Williams said: 'They send the message that people holding these views – which are worthy of respect in a democratic society – are not welcome. 'The majority of the public do not know the highly controversial and harmful symbolism presented by the Progress Pride Flag.' The Pride flag was created by American artist and gay rights activist Gilbert Baker and was first displayed in 1978 as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. The Progress Pride flag, designed by artist Daniel Quasar, is an amended version including black, brown, pink, pale blue and white stripes to represent people of colour within the LGBTQ+ community, the trans community and those living with HIV/AIDS. Ms Williams continued: 'This ideology has been discredited by the Cass review, the closure of the Tavistock, and most recently Supreme Court ruling. When will the Crown Estate catch up with the rest of society?' In April, five Supreme Court justices ruled that the legal definition of a 'woman' in the 2010 Equality Act refers 'to a biological woman and biological sex'. Lord Hodge said he recognised 'the strength of feeling on both sides' and cautioned against seeing the judgement as a triumph for one side over another, stressing that the law still gives trans people protection against discrimination. Despite this, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch praised the ruling as a 'victory' for women and said it meant the 'era of Keir Starmer telling us women can have penises has come to an end'. The landmark ruling could have far-reaching implications on how sex-based rights apply, including how women-only spaces are allowed to operate. Vicky Lee, founder of the Way Out Club, urged the Christian Legal Centre not to pursue legal action over the Pride decorations. She argued they would need to sue 'for every pair of hot pants, every T-shirt and every flag worn as a cape because Pride Month is here and the superheroes [trans community] are not going away anytime soon.'
Telegraph
20-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Primary school children taught about the 300 flags of Pride
Schoolchildren are being taught about 300 different LGBT pride flags and the sexualities and gender identities behind each of them. Leaflets handed out at primary schools by the charity Swindon and Wiltshire Pride claim there are more flags representing sexuality and gender identity than there are for countries. The material, signposted by the local council on social media, goes into detail about a 'small selection' of 29 varieties. It says: 'While some might think [300] is too many, it's all part of a drive to be more inclusive of the expansive breadth of identity within the community'. Along with the rainbow LGBT Pride flag are a variety of offshoots, from the 'intersex-inclusive Pride flag' to the 'polyamory Pride flag' and even a black and white 'heterosexual flag' for straight people, which it says can include transgender people. The materials make up part of a free annual support guide produced by the charity, which also points to websites providing advice on controversial practices such as wearing a 'binder to reduce apparent size of breasts', the use of cross-sex hormones in under-18s, and information on 'fetish spectrums'. Parents of children at the primary schools told The Telegraph their concerns had been ignored by the local Labour council. The three double-page spreads about Pride flags describe the identity each is meant to represent, what the colours mean and when the flag was created, if known. For example, beneath the pink, purple and green 'trigender Pride flag', the charity explains that 'trigender is a gender identity in which a person switches between or among several genders, including a third gender', which may change depending 'on the individual's mood or environment'. The 'omnisexual' flag explainer says the term refers to someone attracted to all genders and sexualities, and that it was created in 2015, but that the creator 'never explained the exact meaning of the colours'. The polyamory flag, which represents people who engage in multiple romantic and sexual relationships at once, is described as being comprised of 'blue for openness and honesty, magenta for desire, love, and attraction; purple represents a united non-monogamous community. Gold represents the energy and perseverance and the white represents possibility'. One mother, a former teacher, said the guide being given out in primary schools was 'really concerning'. 'Obviously the polyamory one, encouraging children to have multiple sex partners, they shouldn't be sexualising children,' she said. 'In the guide itself, under education, it states it is 'for schools, teachers, and students'. 'A couple of sentences down, for example, it says 'raise awareness of the lesser known identities across the fetish spectrum',' she added, saying that was 'inappropriate'. Among the other Pride flags are 'genderqueer', 'demiboy' and 'demigirl', 'pangender', 'abrosexual' and the 'straight ally flag', which places the rainbow colours in the shape of an 'A' on top of the black and white heterosexual flag. Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at human rights charity Sex Matters, said the flags 'draw children in' and 'suggest that children need to find themselves on the list'. 'They recruit children into the world of sexual orientation and gender identity, which is inappropriate and unnecessary. Encouraging very young children to wonder about their gender or sexual orientation in this reckless way creates safeguarding risks,' she added. 'Some of these flags promote the false belief that a child can be born in the wrong body, which is deeply unsettling for young people. They should be protected from such misguided and harmful ideas, but instead, adult concepts are being pushed at them, disguised as harmless fun.' The controversial material has been the subject of complaints for ignoring the Cass Review, which has resulted in changes to the NHS's treatment of gender-questioning children, but schools have not been bound by the same rules. Despite being published almost a year after Baroness Cass, a paediatrician, published her final recommendations and raised concerns about the use of cross-sex drugs in children, the guide continues to point towards resources promoting them. The guide also includes a page on 'top tips for gender equality in the classroom' with advice on mixing up he/she/they pronouns in books, jumbling up toys so all genders have an equal opportunity' to play with them, and allowing children to change their gender identity in class. 'Be inclusive of a child who identifies as another gender to the one they were assigned at birth,' it says. 'Refer to the child in the gender they prefer. Your modelling of how this child is included and referred to will be paramount to the attitudes of the other children and their families.' It also says: 'Use gender-neutral language when referring to children, e.g. instead of saying 'Choose a boy', say 'Choose a friend'.' Another page has a diagram of the 'genderbread person', a gingerbread figure, which says: 'Gender is one of those things everyone thinks they understand, but most people don't. Gender isn't binary. It's not either/or. In many cases it's both/and. A bit of this, a dash of that,' it reads. Under identity, it tells children that identity 'is how you, in your head, experience and define your gender, based on how much you align (or don't align) with what you understand the options for gender to be.' The mother and former teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed her concerns had been waved away by Jim Robbins, the council's chairman. She said she had also met local MP, Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, who has made enquiries to the council and is awaiting a response. The mother said: 'My question was, why are schools and public health not in line with the Cass Review? How can school policy be so divorced? 'She [Ms Alexander] said I was 'the only person in my constituency that has raised these issues',' the mother said. 'I know there are more, but even if [it was just me], we are talking about child safeguarding, child safety needs to be investigated.' A spokesman for Swindon and Wiltshire Pride said: 'We believe in 'Pride 365': a year-round commitment to celebrating identity, raising awareness, and supporting LGBTQIA+ people in our community. Throughout the year, we engage with a wide range of local events, organisations, and educational settings to build understanding and foster inclusion. 'During this Pride Month, we were invited into a small number of local schools to support their curriculum-led work around diversity and LGBTQIA+ relationships. Our support guide includes helpful information, links to support organisations, and content written for all audiences – it contains no sexual content whatsoever. 'It is disheartening, though sadly not surprising, to face unfounded attacks or misrepresentations of our work. As a visible LGBTQIA+ charity, we know that some individuals may seek to undermine the progress we are making in fostering a more compassionate, inclusive society. 'We remain proud of our mission and grateful to the many people, schools, and communities who continue to stand with us.'
The Independent
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Nigel Farage as British PM would put Irish unity ‘centre stage'
Former Irish premier Leo Varadkar said that Irish unity would become 'centre stage' if Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was elected UK prime minister. Mr Varadkar, who stood down as taoiseach in April last year, said it is possible Mr Farage will be prime minister in four years or nine years time. He described British politics as 'very volatile'. Reform made big gains in local elections in England and Wales in May. Mr Varadkar told BBC Northern Ireland's The View programme, which will be aired on Thursday night, that he hoped Mr Farage is not the next British prime minister. The former Fine Gael leader said if the Reform leader became prime minister, it would 'change the pictures in terms of attitudes towards independence in Scotland'. 'I think it would change the views of some people in the middle ground in Northern Ireland (towards Irish unity),' he said. 'It isn't just because a right-wing nationalist government in London would want to bring the UK and Northern Ireland away from Europe. It is other things as well.' He also claimed that councils run by Reform in England were preventing people from flying Pride or progress flags. Mr Varadkar added: 'I don't think most people in Northern Ireland would like that. 'If that's the kind of government they had in London versus a government in Dublin that was very different, it might make them more likely to vote yes to unification,' he added. 'I do want to be very clear about this, it's not something I hope happens. 'I hope it doesn't happen.' Mr Varadkar said he believes planning for a united Ireland should be happening, but that a date should not be fixed as the numbers to win are not in place. He added: 'I don't think a united Ireland is inevitable, I think it's something that we have to work towards. 'But I think there are a lot of factors that would suggest that we're on that trajectory. 'Demographic factors, polling, even the most recent numbers showing that a very clear majority of younger people in Northern Ireland want there to be a new united Ireland.' 'I think that will carry true, and that's why I think it's something that we should plan for.' He said Irish unity will not happen 'by osmosis or by accident'. 'I think (it) has to be worked towards. I think those of us who believe in it have a duty to make the case for it,' he added. 'Look at the trajectory, and that is clear. We see it in elections. We see it in opinion polls. We see it in demographics.'
BreakingNews.ie
19-06-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Nigel Farage as British PM would put Irish unity ‘centre stage'
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that Irish unity would become 'centre stage' if Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was elected UK prime minister. Mr Varadkar, who stood down as Taoiseach in April last year, said it is possible Mr Farage will be prime minister in four years or nine years time. Advertisement He described British politics as 'very volatile'. Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that planning for a united Ireland should be under way. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. Reform made big gains in local elections in England and Wales in May. Mr Varadkar told BBC Northern Ireland's The View programme, which will be aired on Thursday night, that he hoped Mr Farage is not the next British prime minister. The former Fine Gael leader said if the Reform leader became prime minister, it would 'change the pictures in terms of attitudes towards independence in Scotland'. Advertisement 'I think it would change the views of some people in the middle ground in Northern Ireland (towards Irish unity),' he said. 'It isn't just because a right-wing nationalist government in London would want to bring the UK and Northern Ireland away from Europe. It is other things as well.' He also claimed that councils run by Reform in England were preventing people from flying Pride or progress flags. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks during a press conference at Church House in Westminster, London. Photo: Jeff Moore/PA. Mr Varadkar added: 'I don't think most people in Northern Ireland would like that. Advertisement 'If that's the kind of government they had in London versus a government in Dublin that was very different, it might make them more likely to vote yes to unification,' he added. 'I do want to be very clear about this, it's not something I hope happens. 'I hope it doesn't happen.' Mr Varadkar said he believes planning for a united Ireland should be happening, but that a date should not be fixed as the numbers to win are not in place. Advertisement He added: 'I don't think a united Ireland is inevitable, I think it's something that we have to work towards. 'But I think there are a lot of factors that would suggest that we're on that trajectory. 'Demographic factors, polling, even the most recent numbers showing that a very clear majority of younger people in Northern Ireland want there to be a new united Ireland.' 'I think that will carry true, and that's why I think it's something that we should plan for.' Advertisement Ireland Kallas criticised over 'clear lack of understandin... Read More He said Irish unity will not happen 'by osmosis or by accident'. 'I think (it) has to be worked towards. I think those of us who believe in it have a duty to make the case for it,' he added. 'Look at the trajectory, and that is clear. We see it in elections. We see it in opinion polls. We see it in demographics.'
