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CBS News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
San Francisco's Dyke March returns with new organizers after 6-year hiatus
The Dyke March was back in San Francisco and after a six-year hiatus, new organizers came together to put on the event. "The energy is great," said Morgan Campbell, who attended the event. Campbell and Vaanity Tuscegli are part of the queer community and were spending the day at Dolores Park for Pride. They were just planning on observing the march, but after watching the beginning, they knew they had to join in. "I think it's a big deal with where the state of the world is," said Tuscegli. "I think it's good to celebrate what we do have and where we are with it and claim it back while we have the chance." Campbell says growing up queer, the term "Dyke" was used as an insult, but events like this change the narrative. "That's about reclamation, too," Campbell explained. "We all got called that in school, now it's just so nice to see it used positively." San Francisco Dyke March Interim Project Director M Rocket said the mission of the march is to bring the community together, to raise awareness, and create visibility. "It's essential for Dyke Visibility to be out and proud and to show our force and our activism and our art and our culture," Rocket said. This year, there was also a focus on disability access. Rocket said she's grateful to be a part of bringing the march back for its 33rd time after a six-year hiatus. But it took a lot of work, and they did it in a different way. The march organizers did not focus on grant funding, but instead on donations from over 300 individuals. "We've had a ton of support from the city and from individuals who have all donated to our crowdfunding campaign to be able to get this work done this year and come back," said Rocket. There was a rally before the march with entertainment and speeches from members of the queer community. Tuscegli said at a time like this, when LGBTQ rights are being threatened nationally, spaces like this one are needed. "I think any little bit of activism makes a difference," Tuscegli said. "It really does. I think we're bringing justice back to our community for the things we've had taken from ourselves."
CBC
23-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Sask. students and teachers continue to grapple with pronoun consent law as school year wraps
As the school year winds down in Saskatchewan, some students say they've had starkly different experiences since the province's pronoun consent law came into effect. The Parents' Bill of Rights or Bill 137, a law passed by the provincial government in 2023, requires parental consent before a child under the age of 16 can use a different gender-related name or pronoun at school. Kimberli Kolody-Watt, who identifies as a member of the queer community, is graduating school this year. Kolody-Watt is also a part of a gay-straight alliance (GSA) at her Regina Catholic high school. GSAs are school clubs for students who wish to support school environments that are safe for, inclusive of, and responsive to gender and sexually diverse people. Kolody-Watt said she's been hearing concerns from younger students over the last couple years. "When the bill came out, I had a lot of kids come up to me saying they were afraid that they were going to die, basically, because of their homes being unsafe," Kolody-Watt said. "Another one that I got was that they were telling me to use their dead name now instead of their preferred name because they did not want to be outed and scolded in front of the school, or in front of their family. They just didn't need that." Deadnaming means using the name a transgender person was given at birth, but no longer uses after transitioning. Kolody-Watt said she's noticed a hush in the corridors during school hours. "Everyone was more silent, more secured. No one was really hanging out with each other anymore." The pronoun rules were part of a provincial policy announced in August 2023. In September that year, a judge granted an injunction against the change until a court challenge could be heard, saying the protection of gender-diverse youth surpasses the interest of the government. That court challenge prompted Premier Scott Moe to recall the legislature to make the rule a law. The legislation invoked the notwithstanding clause, a measure that allows governments to override certain Charter rights for up to five years. The province has not offered details on how teachers would be punished if they don't abide by the law, saying it has left it up to school divisions to make sure it's followed. In 2023, dozens of teachers signed an online petition calling on school divisions not to follow the law. Aubrey Swift, an elementary school teacher at Regina Public School, was one of the signatories. "The fact that Bill 137 is only in existence because of the notwithstanding clause, I don't know if I can legally be compelled to follow a law that is against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," she said. "I'm working on my personal ethics and the morals of my professional organization as I see those to be." She said she's not aware of a situation yet where a teacher has been reprimanded for not following the consent law. Swift, who is part of the GSA at her school, said she has been put in an uncomfortable spot over the last two years. "It's an extracurricular, so it is connected to school, but because it's an extracurricular, I respect the privacy of my students in that space," she said. "From my perspective, I have seen very few students in the last two years make that request publicly in the school because they don't feel safe to do so. Personally, I know students who might prefer a different name or pronoun, but don't feel safe to use it outside of that club." Swift said the club is a safe space within the school. She said she fears for the students outside of the club. "Those are the students whose mental health I worry about the most, because I can't tell you for sure how those students are doing," she said. In an emailed response to the concerns, the provincial Ministry of Education said that if obtaining parental consent for a pronoun change is reasonably expected to cause the student harm, schools must acquire appropriate professional resources to support and assist the student in developing a plan to address the request with their parents. Some students who have been dealing with the repercussions of the law first-hand haven't stopped fighting and protesting it. "I think that it's really brave of them to be themselves and to do not what is popular, but what is right," Swift said. Analu Alvarez, education manager at OutSaskatoon, said its youth program has around 30 students. She said she believes all of those students would agree that schools aren't safe anymore. "This is super unsafe for them because if their parents are not supportive, then either the teachers out them to their parents, which can be very unsafe for them and stressful, or they have to hide their true self and they can't be using their correct name and pronouns," she said. Alvarez said she's also seeing some students drop out of school. Saskatoon Public Schools didn't respond to a request from CBC about how many students have had to get parental consent to use preferred names or pronouns over the last two years. Regina Public Schools, in an emailed statement, said compiling the information would take considerable time and that it was unable to honour the request. The province has maintained its position that the law is meant to make sure that parents are included in their children's lives. j wallace skelton, an assistant professor of queer studies and education in the faculty of education at the University of Regina, said most people have a clear sense of their gender when they are somewhere between two and a half to three years old. "The adults around them are not ready to listen at that point." The law has also been criticized by the province's Human Rights Commission, which said invoking the notwithstanding clause significantly affects the rights of minors. Heather Kuttai, a former Saskatchewan human rights commissioner, resigned over the legislation, saying it assaults the rights of gender diverse children. A 2024 report from Saskatchewan's child advocate said the law violates rights to gender identity and expression. The report by Lisa Broda also raised concerns that teachers may be violating their professional standards of practice if they follow it. Court of Appeal reserves decision at latest Sask. school pronoun law hearing 9 months ago Duration 2:06 The law, meanwhile, continues to be in court. Court of King's Bench Justice Michael Megaw ruled in favour of UR Pride, a 2SLGBTQ+ group in Regina, in a 2024 decision allowing it to make its case on the constitutionality of the new pronoun rules. The province challenged that decision in the Court of Appeal, where the court has reserved its decision until an undisclosed date. There also might come a situation where the law goes away when the notwithstanding clause expires in a little more than three years from now, but j wallace skelton said people shouldn't have to wait. "This is a law that could be changed in the legislature as soon as they desire to, and for the Sask. Party government to be targeting trans and gender diverse and two-spirit young people, really because they think it will appease their political base, continues to be a form of injustice."
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
44 Photos That Made People Go "Um...Are The Straights Okay?" This Pride Month
a straight person would name their child "SEXY." think this is funny and not at all creepy. fun getting stuff in your eyes! are we ascribing gender to household objects? drugs? about this is feminine? did it "get him through a lot"??? this woman dodged a bullet. they say it's queer people who are sexualizing children. again!!!! 12.I swear, straight people are obsessed with genitals. I were married and my husband bought us these, I'd file for divorce. is it gay to not want to ruin your shoes? Narcissus a man? Related: "That Sentence Sat In My Head For Months": Men Are Revealing The Most Hurtful Things A Woman Can Say To Them, And It's Actually Fascinating do you feel the need to broadcast this messed-up take to every person who sees your car? meat isn't for women! Their sensitive, girlish stomachs can only handle leaves! 18.I didn't realize you were supposed to throw out all your lingerie and get new sets after a breakup. this is horrifying. Why would you put this on your car??? thought this was a good idea??? tell this to all the male fiction authors. your sense of self being this fragile that you need to affirm it through going to a specific barber and also leaving this ridiculous review. Related: Here Are 50 Pictures That Make Me Grin Uncontrollably No Matter How Many Times I've Seen Them, In Case You Need Them heard it here first, folks: men aren't allowed to ride bikes, use a credit card, live in an apartment, or USE FORKS OR GLASSES. even have to sexual assault is so funny! is the correct response. you feel this way about your wife, why are you with her? get a divorce, not a kitschy object that says "I hate my wife." The only answer is divorce. one's forcing you to be with women. if you're a woman who sees men like don't have to date them! all little girls should aspire to marry a man as their biggest goal. no. 34.I feel terrible for every woman this man has ever been with. you have to do this to get household chores done, it's over. are so many things wrong with this, I don't even know where to start. with this. 38."Your line"??? What is this, Game of Thrones? 39.I'm not gonna enter the circumcision debate, but you gotta admit, this is a SUPER creepy way to think about it. women make no sense! makes me sad for men that some male-dominated industries (in this case, construction) are like this. you think drag queens are predators??? straights need better sex education. H/T: r/AreTheStraightsOK Also in Internet Finds: Holy Crap, I Can't Stop Laughing At These 28 Painfully Awkward And Embarrassing Conversations Also in Internet Finds: I Need To Call My Doc For A New Inhaler After Cackling So Hard At These 41 Funny Tweets From The Week Also in Internet Finds: People Are Sharing How What Happened In Vegas Did NOT Stay In Vegas, And This Should Be A Lesson To Never Go To A Bachelor/Bachelorette Party There
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
AB Hernandez: 16-year-old transgender athlete wins two golds and a silver as participation sparks controversy
A 16-year-old transgender athlete who is the focus of a US sports row has won two golds and a silver at the California high school track and field championship. AB Hernandez was born a boy but has transitioned and now competes against girls. And the teenager's inclusion in the girls category in the high jump, long jump and triple jump became a national conversation. Critics, including parents, conservative activists and President Trump, had called for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Who is AB Hernandez? In the city of Clovis on Saturday, she took part under a new rule change brought in by the state's interscholastic federation, under which an extra student was allowed to compete and win a medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. And it meant there were two winners when she finished first. Hernandez shared first place in the high jump with Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle. All three cleared a height of 5ft 7in (1.7m), but Hernandez had no failed attempts, while the other two had each logged one failure. Hernandez also had a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed her by more than half a metre. Also, Hernandez came second in the long jump with Brooke White. "Sharing the podium was nothing but an honour," White said. "As a part of the queer community I want AB Hernandez to know we all have her back." Plane protest During Hernandez's qualifying events on Friday, a plane flew over the stadium trailing a banner, which read: "No boys in girls' sports." It was organised and paid for by two women's advocacy groups. A small protest also took place on the road outside. "Save girls' sports," one poster read. "XX does not equal XY," read another. Transgender inclusion is a thorny issue but a vote winner for Donald Trump, who campaigned last year with a promise to "kick out men from women's sport". He signed an executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sports. And Mr Trump has threatened to withdraw federal funding from California over Hernandez's participation in this weekend's athletics event. 'Pilot entry process' The California Interscholastic Federation had earlier said it was launching a "pilot entry process" to allow more girls to participate in the championship. It only applied to the three events in which Hernandez competed. Read more from Sky News:How Musk's mission to cut government spending fell flatUK to build weapons factories in £6bn push to rearm The rule change may be the first attempt nationally by a high school sports governing body to expand competition when trans athletes are participating. If a transgender athlete wins a medal, their ranking would not displace a "biological female" student from also medalling, the federation confirmed, and it will be reflected in the records. The federation said the rule opens the field to more "biological female" athletes. The organisation did not specify how it defines "biological female" or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.
Globe and Mail
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
The summer Sook-Yin Lee spent in a noodle costume changed her life forever
At 17, filmmaker Sook-Yin Lee took a lowly job that nobody else would, as – get ready for this – a 10-foot-tall piece of pasta with a mustache named Mr. Noodle. Was the rocker by night, pasta piece by day humiliated? Demeaned? Did the future artist and MuchMusic VJ file the gig away forever in the embarrassing-job vault? She did not. In this instalment of 'How I Spent My Summer,' Ms. Lee shares how being Mr. Noodle turned into something delicious and eternally filling. I ran away from home as a teenager to become an artist. I was fortunate to meet a supportive queer community with a vibrant and collaborative art scene that encouraged expression. I was in a band, screaming didactic political songs mostly, and we had this gig in Vancouver in an underground nightclub. Literally underground. Above was this unpopular pasta bar. One day I was lugging my gear out of the basement when it caught my eye: this sad-looking, forlorn, empty noodle costume in the window. Kinda like Gumby, but a noodle. He was a 10-foot-tall foam rectangle with big googly eyes, a French beret and a mustache. Even though I didn't have an audience, I was into performance art and social experiments, so he was perfect. I went into the restaurant and asked the guy who ran the place, Lyle, 'Hey – is anyone here the noodle?' Lyle said, 'No, no one will be the noodle.' I didn't care about the money, which was minimum wage, and I didn't really need the job, but I wanted to see what being the noodle was like in society. Robert Munsch's first job in the French countryside turned out to be a stinky situation Artist Christi Belcourt on her first job that paid $17. Not per hour ... just $17. Lyle gave me the lowdown on Mr. Noodle. He said, 'Mr. Noodle is Motown and he walks like this.' It was like a jive turkey walk, super stupid. He wanted me to walk like that and give out menus. I did that in front of the restaurant, where Lyle could see me, but as soon as I was out of view I took on a different noodle personality entirely. I made rules for myself as Mr. Noodle: Never speak words, as then the spell will be broken. I let myself make strange sounds and onomatopoeias, like brrrrrrrreeeeakkkk! or kwauk-kwauk-kwauk! I lost the Motown strut; I didn't give out the menus. I just walked, kinda listless, being a noodle. It was hot in there, and Mr. Noodle was suspended on two strings on my shoulders. I'd stack dishtowels as padding underneath the strings but it still got pretty painful. A lot of people were intolerant or rude. Many told me to move or get out of their way. Children liked Mr. Noodle, though. They'd run up and say hello and want to introduce me to their parents. There'd be the dad, sunbathing on the beach, and I'd deliberately block his sun. Elderly European men were really nice to Mr. Noodle. They'd sit down and talk to him, like really talk to him, regaling them about their day. One day, I got beaten up on Granville Street by a gang of skinheads. They thought Mr. Noodle was funny, so a crowd gathered around and they started pushing him back and forth. Luckily the body was made of foam, so it wasn't physically painful, but I watched sadly from the inside through the mesh face. I stayed in character the whole time as Mr. Noodle got beat up. Every day, I kept a diary of what happened to Mr. Noodle. It resonated with me that he was the ultimate outsider, and I wanted to see who embraced him and who didn't. I didn't have any big plans, but later that summer a friend told me about a film contest she was entering. I decided to enter too, and had one weekend to get a submission ready. It was immediately obvious to me that I'd make Escapades of the One Particular Mr. Noodle. A few months later, I found out Mr. Noodle was one of 10 scripts that was chosen to get made. It became my first legit film. I basically mobilized my neighourhood to be actors. I filmed in my house, remade the Mr. Noodle costume and re-enacted my summer as Mr. Noodle. It got enough attention that I was hired to make another film, and that's how my filmmaking life was born. All of this happened because of Mr. Noodle. Had I not followed my curiosity, had I not taken a low-paying horrible job, had I not found inspiration in him and related his experience as an outsider to mine as a Chinese-Canadian, my life would have been different. Without Mr. Noodle, I might never have become a filmmaker. As told to Rosemary Counter
