Latest news with #genderIdentity
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican-led states advance Trump's agenda with new laws taking effect Tuesday
While Congress scrambles to pass President Donald Trump's massive domestic policy bill, many red states are already implementing key aspects of his agenda through new laws this week. For most states, Tuesday is the start of a new fiscal year, when numerous laws take effect. Some of the statutes in Trump-won states this year mirror executive orders and other directives he signed early in his second term. Here's a sampling of the new laws set to be enforced. Indiana and Georgia are instituting bans on transgender women's participation in women's sports. Georgia's law is called the Riley Gaines Act, after the former collegiate swimmer who was a surrogate for the Trump campaign last year and has become an advocate for banning transgender athletes from women's sports. The issue of banning trans women from women's sports was a leading one for Trump, who campaigned on it and subsequently signed an executive order establishing the policy. Ohio will now allow parents to remove their children from lessons that include content about 'sexual concepts or gender ideology.' Teachers will also be required to inform parents if their children ask to be identified by genders different from their biological sexes at school. Iowa, meanwhile, is removing gender identity from its civil rights code, rendering it no longer a protected class. It is the first state to do so. Florida is enacting two laws officially recognizing the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America.' State agencies will be required to implement the name change, and schools must do the same in educational materials, including K-12 textbooks. Florida is the first state to officially recognize the 'Gulf of America' after Trump signed an executive order seeking to make the change official. Florida is also taking a page out of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' playbook. The Legislature passed an omnibus agriculture bill that, among other provisions, ends the addition of fluoride to tap water, a move mirroring Kennedy's plan to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in drinking water, long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Florida is the second state to ban fluoride in its water, following Utah, where a ban took effect in May. Indiana is enacting a law requiring county jails to report people they have probable cause to believe do not have legal status to the relevant federal authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The law applies to people arrested on allegations of felonies or misdemeanors. Georgia implemented a similar law Dec. 31, followed by Utah on May 7. Trump signed an executive order about local and state governments' cooperating with immigration enforcement. Laws in two states to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives take effect Tuesday. Indiana is banning DEI from colleges and state agencies, prohibiting employers or colleges from offering jobs or student aid because of identity-based characteristics such as race, sex or religion. The law also will prohibit using state funds for campus activities that 'promote or engage in social activism.' Mississippi is banning DEI in schools. A new state law prohibits programs and teachings in the classroom and in school offices that it describes as engaging in 'divisive concepts,' further adding that schools cannot make hires based on 'race, sex, color' or 'national origin.' A federal judge is weighing whether to stop the law from going into effect. Trump signed an anti-DEI executive order in January banning such programs and activities at federal agencies and businesses with government contracts, also encouraging the private sector to end DEI practices. Indiana is eliminating state funding for public broadcasting, mirroring Trump's executive order seeking to ban NPR and PBS from accessing federal funds. This article was originally published on
South China Morning Post
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Lorde's dramatic style evolution: the Royals singer went from gothic Vivienne Westwood looks to pretty Monique Lhuillier gowns – and opted for a gender-neutral look at this year's Met Gala
For the first time in four years, Lorde made an appearance at the Met Gala . Wearing a custom Thom Browne outfit, the singer described her all-silver look as an 'Easter egg' during her blue carpet interview with Vogue correspondent Emma Chamberlain 'This ensemble represents where I'm at gender-wise,' she said. 'I feel like a man and a woman , kind of vibe.' Lorde at the Met Gala last month; the theme was 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style'. Photo: Reuters Advertisement This isn't the first time Lorde has spoken about exploring her gender identity. After a four-year-long hiatus, Lorde announced that she is finally releasing her fourth studio album, Virgin, this summer, and alluded to where she's at in her journey. In an email to fans about her upcoming music, the 'What Was That' singer wrote 'The colour of the album is clear. Like bathwater, windows, ice, spit. Full transparency,' she said. 'The language is plain and unsentimental. The sounds are the same wherever possible. 'I was trying to see myself, all the way through. I was trying to make a document that reflected my femininity: raw, primal, innocent, elegant, openhearted, spiritual, masc.,' she added. Sure enough, a look back at Lorde's ever-evolving sartorial history shows how she spent the past decade exploring her identity through her wardrobe. It began with her brooding, gothic get-up at 16 when she debuted with 'Royals' in 2013, and moved into the dramatic blonde haired, pastel wearing makeover for her 2021 album, Solar Power, that upset her legion of 'sad girl pop' fans who felt betrayed by the 'optimistic' album. Here's a look at Lorde's fashion evolution over the years. Lorde at the Grammy Nominations live concert in 2013. Photo: AFP Early in her career, the singer wore a black Vivienne Westwood dress to attend the Grammy Nominations live concert in Los Angeles in December 2013. She paired the look with minimal jewellery and a bold purple lip.
Wall Street Journal
19-06-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Transgenderism Turns the World Upside Down
While reading Jessica Hart Steinmann and Leigh Ann O'Neill's op-ed 'Transgenderism Won't Let Girls Say No' (June 6), I was reminded of a 17th-century English ditty: 'If buttercups buzz'd after the bee, if boats were on land, churches on sea; if ponies rode men and if grass ate the cows, and cats should be chased into holes by the mouse; if the mamas sold their babies to the gypsies for half a crown; if summer were spring and the other way round, then all the world would be upside down.'
Fox News
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Boy George's criminal past gets called out by J.K. Rowling after picking fight on transgender rights
Print Close By Rachel del Guidice Published June 19, 2025 Singer Boy George got called out in a particularly sharp way by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling after he picked a fight with the author this week on transgender rights. In an X post from June 11, Rowling asked, "Which rights have been taken away from trans people?" The singer, whose full name is George O'Dowd, and was convicted of falsely imprisoning and assaulting a male escort in 2007 and served four months in prison in 2009, responded to Rowling's post, saying, "The right to be left alone by a rich bored bully!" 'HARRY POTTER' ACTOR STANDS BY JK ROWLING AT TONY AWARDS AMID CRITICISM OF HER TRANSGENDER VIEWS Rowling posted a reply of her own, calling out the differences between the author and singer, citing gender, fame, O'Dowd's crime and freedom of speech. In her lengthy reply, she addressed why she believes it is critical to keep biological men out of women's spaces. "For more than half my life I was a regular anonymous person," Rowling said. "Some of those years were spent in poverty. That's why I understand the importance of single-sex spaces for women who're reliant on state-funded services. That's why I understand why mixed public changing rooms are a problem for women. That's why I have a problem with men 'identifying' into women's rape crisis centres, domestic abuse and homeless shelters that are supposed to be single-sex. I don't stand against gender identity ideology because I personally still need those services, but because my life has taught me exactly how vulnerable women are when they don't have the money/influence I have now." JK ROWLING FIRES BACK AT LIBERAL COMEDIAN AFTER HE DOUBLES DOWN ON TRANS ATHLETE STANCE The world-famous author and advocate for women also brought up Boy George's assault and prison time. "You yourself have been convicted of violent assault," Rowling said in the post. "The overwhelming number of people who commit crimes of violence are male, just like you. That's why I don't want to see men identifying into women's prison cells or any of the spaces mentioned above. Not all men are violent or predatory, but enough are to make safeguarding necessary." She ended her reply by saying she thinks that the singer no longer values "non-conformity." "Lastly, I'm a writer who believes in freedom of speech and belief," Rowling said. "As we both know, the safe, fashionable thing in the arts world right now is to do exactly what you're doing: parrot TWAW [Trans Women Are Women] and sneer at the unenlightened plebs who think sex is important and matters. For a man who was once all about non-conformity, George, you couldn't have become more predictably or more tediously conformist." CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE In a Monday reply on X about the feud with Rowling, Boy George addressed her personal appearance. "The demolition of her filler face is more laughable! The dragon has been slayed!" he stated in the post. In a subsequent post on Tuesday, he said, "I do not hate women. I cannot be clearer than that. I don't hate men either. I'm just not anti trans. We have [lived] together for centuries without having to be separated. Some men need to be taught to respect women more and some women need [to] stop blaming all men for the bad deeds of the few." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Print Close URL
Fox News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Oklahoma is leading the fight to save girls' sports – and they're winning
Let me say it plainly: boys don't belong in girls' sports. That used to be common sense. Now it's a fight we have to win in every school, every courtroom, and every community in America. The radical Left is pushing the lie that gender is a choice, that biology doesn't matter, and that feelings trump facts. And they expect the rest of us to nod along and stay quiet while they bulldoze fairness, safety, and truth. Not in Oklahoma. Riley Gaines didn't stay quiet. She spoke up when a biological male tied her in a major collegiate swimming championship—stripped of her rightful place on the podium. And for that, the Left has tried to smear her ever since. The most recent insult came from Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, who decided to take cheap shots at Riley on social media, not for anything hateful—but for daring to say that girls deserve fair competition. It wasn't just petty. It was cowardly. Let me be very clear: As a father of two young girls, a former high school teacher, and the head of Oklahoma schools, I stand with Riley Gaines. The people of Oklahoma stand with her. And millions of Americans do too, whether the media admits it or not. This is not a hypothetical debate. This is happening in our schools. In one Oklahoma high school, a fight broke out after a biological male was allowed to use the girls' bathroom. We've seen female athletes lose to boys in track meets, then be told to "be more inclusive." Parents are told to sit down and shut up. Teachers are afraid to speak. Girls are being pushed aside—sometimes literally—to make room for a political agenda that has nothing to do with education and everything to do with control. I've spoken directly with superintendents, coaches, and parents across the state. They all say the same thing: we're done. We're done pretending. We're done letting boys dominate girls' sports. And we're done allowing activists in Washington, D.C. or on TikTok to tell us how to raise our kids. That's why Oklahoma passed the Save Women's Sports Act—to make it illegal for biological males to compete in girls' sports. We didn't ask for permission. We didn't wait for D.C. We acted. And as State Superintendent, I'm enforcing it. You violate the law, you lose funding. It's that simple. Of course, the Biden administration was threatening states like ours. They proposed new Title IX rules that would force schools to allow boys in girls' locker rooms and athletic programs. I put them on notice: Oklahoma will not comply. With President Trump in office, we are now seeing a return to normalcy. We will not be bullied into abandoning reality, faith, or parental rights. Because here's the truth the media won't say: we're winning. States across the country—red, purple, and even a few blue—are rejecting this nonsense. Twenty-six states now have laws protecting girls' sports. More are on the way. Poll after poll shows that everyday Americans—regardless of party—oppose letting boys compete against girls. This is not a 50/50 issue. This is an 80/20 issue, and the radicals are losing. The Left thought they could shame us into silence. Instead, they've woken up a movement. Parents are fighting back. Coaches are declaring enough is enough. Leaders are drawing the line. They say this is a culture war. Fine. Then let's be clear about who's winning. This isn't the end of the fight—it's the beginning of the rollback. Common sense isn't just surviving. It's making a comeback. And in Oklahoma, we're leading the charge.
