
Philadelphia schools to allow trans children to participate in sports
The Philadelphia school district will reportedly ignore a rule directing schools to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports that match their gender identities, according to reporting from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The school district 'strives to ensure safety, equity and justice for all students regardless of gender identity or gender expression so that they can imagine and realize any future they desire', a spokesperson, Christina Clark, said in a statement on Tuesday to the Inquirer.
'The district will continue to align its practices to support its LGBTQ+ students in accordance with Board Policy 252 for transgender and gender non-conforming students,' the statement said.
The district's decision comes after the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) approved a revision to remove its transgender policy in compliance with Donald Trump's executive order called Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports, which banned transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.
According to the PIAA's board meeting summary from 19 February, the policy change, which was effective immediately, was amended in the Mixed Gender Participation section of the handbook.
Before the the amendment, the PIAA handbook included a one-sentence transgender policy: 'Where a student's gender is questioned or uncertain, the decision of the principal as to the student's gender will be accepted by PIAA.'
Additionally, the board changed its language to no longer ask schools to determine students' gender, but rather their sex.
The Philadelphia school district's move to continue to allow freedom for trans athletes is a sign of positive pushback for trans people, who have experienced an onslaught on their rights following Trump's executive order.
Philadelphia had originally been one of the earliest adopters of progressive policies towards transgender issues, voting in 2016 to allow students to use preferred pronouns, bathrooms and to play in sports that match their gender identity.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Labour splashes the cash… but who's going to pick up the bill? Brits warned of looming tax hikes as Rachel Reeves lays out 'unrealistic' spending plans TODAY
Rachel Reeves will splash the cash today as fears mount that Brits will need to pick up the bill later. The Cabinet is set to sign off the spending review before the Chancellor announces the details in the Commons at lunchtime. She will allocate huge sums to departments for the coming years, after loosening the government's borrowing rules at the last Budget. But although Ms Reeves will boast that her new approach means Labour can spend a staggering £300billion more over the next five years than the Tories planned, critics have warned she does not know where the money is coming from. The generous fiscal envelope set last Autumn has been put under massive pressure by the economy slowing down and Donald Trump 's trade war. There are demands to pump far more cash into defence, while Ms Reeves has already made an humiliating U-turn on winter fuel allowance cuts and is facing a Labour revolts on other benefits curbs. That has led analysts and political rivals to argue that more tax increases are 'inevitable' - although the funding gap will not crystalise until the next fiscal package. The tax rises in the Budget last year were the biggest on record for a single fiscal event. Public sector productivity has been making almost no progress despite investment The backdrop to the decisions has been looking increasingly grim, with Labour trailing Reform in the polls. Figures yesterday showed unemployment rising, and a survey found just 12 per cent of Brits believe Ms Reeves is doing a good job. Ministers have described the spending plans – equal to an extra £8,100 for every taxpayer in Britain – as 'the end of austerity'. In her announcement later, Ms Reeves will admit voters do not feel like they have more money in their pockets as Labour prepares to mark one year in office. But she will insisting she is 'renewing Britain'. 'This Government's task – my task – and the purpose of this spending review is to change that, to ensure that renewal is felt in people's everyday lives, their jobs, their communities,' she will say. Last week, Ms Reeves refused to rule out any further tax increases. Spending will be skewed heavily towards the NHS in an attempt to cut waiting lists further. Defence is set to be another big winner after Sir Keir Starmer committed to spending 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027. Allies of Angela Rayner were last night claiming victory in her bid to secure more cash towards meeting Labour's target of building 1.5 million new homes by the next election. The Deputy PM, who is responsible for housing policy, had a series of bust-ups with Treasury ministers and No 10 over the issue. The Treasury had proposed a modest increase in the social housing budget from £2.3 billion a year to £2.5 billion. But government sources last night said Ms Rayner had secured a £39 billion settlement over ten years. The Treasury said it was the biggest boost to social housing in a generation. But the growing cost of servicing the UK's debt mountain means other areas of spending, including the police, face a budget squeeze in future years. The Tories branded Ms Reeves the 'Spend Today, Tax Tomorrow Chancellor'. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: 'Labour is spending money it doesn't have, with no credible plan to pay for it. 'That means more borrowing, more debt, and, inevitably, more tax rises in the Autumn Budget. Don't be fooled. We can't afford Labour.' In recent days, the Chancellor and Prime Minister have repeatedly claimed that Labour has 'fixed the foundations' of the economy, despite rising inflation and cuts to official growth forecasts. Yesterday's stark employment figures underline the real-world impact of Labour's tax and spend approach. They revealed UK payroll numbers have shrunk by 276,000 over the past seven months. In May alone, payrolls fell by 109,000 – the worst month since the pandemic. Meanwhile the unemployment rate has climbed to 4.6 per cent, the highest in nearly four years. Experts pinned the blame on Ms Reeves's £25 billion raid on employer National Insurance, which was announced in the October Budget and took effect in April. Payroll numbers fell every month since the Budget.


Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
US cities brace for more protests as parts of Los Angeles placed under curfew
LOS ANGELES, June 11 (Reuters) - Several U.S. cities braced for protests on Wednesday against President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration raids, as parts of the country's second largest city Los Angeles spent the night under curfew in an effort to quell five days of unrest. The Governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, said he will deploy the National Guard this week, ahead of planned protests. Protesters and police in Austin clashed on Monday. Trump's extraordinary measures of sending National Guard and Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles has sparked a national debate on the use of military on U.S. soil and pitted the Republican president against California's Democrat governor. "This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk. That's when the downward spiral began," California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a video address on Tuesday. "He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. ... Democracy is under assault." Newsom, widely seen as preparing for a presidential run in 2028, and the state of California sued Trump and the Defense Department on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federal troops. Trump in turn has suggested Newsom should be arrested. Hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday under orders from Trump, after he also ordered the deployment of 4,000 National Guard to the city. Marines and National Guard are to be used in the protection of government personnel and buildings and not in police action. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the deployments were not necessary as police could manage the protest, the majority of which have been peaceful, and limited to about five streets. However, due to looting and violence at night she imposed a curfew over one square mile of the city's downtown, starting Tuesday night. The curfew will last several days. Police said multiple groups stayed on the streets in some areas despite the curfew and "mass arrests" were initiated. Police earlier said that 197 people had already been arrested on Tuesday - more than double the total number of arrests to date. Democratic leaders have raised concerns over a national crisis in what has become the most intense flashpoint yet in the Trump administration's efforts to deport migrants living in the country illegally, and then crack down on opponents who take to the streets in protest. Trump, voted back into office last year largely for his promise to deport undocumented immigrants, used a speech honoring soldiers on Tuesday to defend his decision. He told troops at the army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina: "Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness." "What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags," Trump said, adding his administration would "liberate Los Angeles." Demonstrators have waved the flags of Mexico and other countries in solidarity for the migrants rounded up in a series of intensifying raids. Homeland Security said on Monday its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day recently, far above the 311 daily average in fiscal year 2024 under former President Joe Biden. Protests have also taken place in other cities including New York, Atlanta and Chicago, where demonstrators shouted at and scuffled with officers. Some protesters climbed onto the Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, while others chanted that ICE should be abolished. Texas Governor Abbott said late on Tuesday that he will deploy the National Guard, which "will use every tool & strategy to help law enforcement maintain order." "Texas National Guard will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order. Peaceful protest is legal. Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest," Abbott posted on X. South Texas organizations are expected to hold anti-ICE rallies on Wednesday and Saturday, CNN reported local media as saying. About 700 Marines were in a staging area in the Seal Beach area about 30 miles (50 km) south of Los Angeles on Tuesday, awaiting deployment to specific locations, a U.S. official said. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Reuters the state was concerned about allowing federal troops to protect personnel, saying there was a risk that could violate an 1878 law that generally forbids the U.S. military, including the National Guard, from taking part in civilian law enforcement. "Protecting personnel likely means accompanying ICE agents into communities and neighborhoods, and protecting functions could mean protecting the ICE function of enforcing the immigration law," Bonta said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday posted photos on X of National Guard troops accompanying ICE officers on an immigration raid. Trump administration officials have vowed to redouble the immigration raids in response to the street protests. The last time the military was used for direct police action under the Insurrection Act was in 1992, when the California governor at the time asked President George H.W. Bush to help respond to Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King.


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
California governor says ‘democracy under assault'; ABC axes Q+A; and going back to the big screen
Good afternoon. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, said 'democracy is under assault' in a blistering evening address in which he accused the US president, Donald Trump, of 'pulling a military dragnet' across Los Angeles. As mass protests over Trump's immigration crackdown spread across the US, Newsom said Trump's decision to deploy the national guard without his support as governor was 'a brazen abuse of power' that has 'inflamed a combustible situation'. The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, has instituted a 8pm to 6am curfew in the city's downtown area, after the police department said it had carried out more than 300 arrests of protesters in the past two days. Follow all the latest developments in our US live blog. Meanwhile, the number of Australian journalists hit by law enforcement while covering the protests has climbed, with reporters for Nine, the ABC and the New York Times being hit with so-called 'less lethal' munitions. ABC confirms Q+A to be axed amid wider changes and scores of redundancies across broadcaster 'We won't give up': Kumanjayi White's family hold vigil demanding independent investigation Sydney Muslim cleric tells court Jewish people can't be offended by him calling them 'vile' as lectures were private Vulnerable Queenslanders might suffer more 'harassment' under expanded 'Jack's law' police powers, expert warns Fury over year 9 students in South Australia being asked to debate whether the tradwife movement is good for women Against the grain: as prices and temperatures rise, can Japan learn to love imported rice? Brisbane will be transformed into an outdoor gallery of brightly coloured inflatables and sculptures this September as part of Brisbane festival. Internationally renowned Australian duo Craig Redman and Karl Maier – AKA Craig & Karl – will create colourful, inflatable installations on three of the Queensland capital's central walking bridges and present a public art trail of sculptures, inflatable installations, projections and animations through the city. 'Sometimes, friends have to be clear with each other.' – Anthony Albanese The prime minister said 'Australia makes their own decisions' after being asked if he was concerned about the American response to his decision to sanction two extremist Israeli government ministers. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the travel bans and financial restrictions imposed by Australia, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway 'do not advance' efforts toward a ceasefire in Gaza, while the shadow foreign affairs minister, Michaelia Cash, said the sanctioning of a key ally was a 'very serious development'. The Qantas group today announced the closure of Jetstar Asia, an offshoot of its low-cost carrier that flies 16 intra-Asia routes. The airline said it will redeploy 13 aircraft from those Asian routes to Australia and New Zealand, where about 100 jobs will be relocated. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'I'm breaking free from watching TV on my laptop in bed. I'm going back to the big screen' 'I have screamed in unison with hundreds of people,' writes Caitlin Cassidy, 'and been moved by beautiful cinematography in a way that is so easy to miss on a small screen.' Today's starter word is: IRE. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. If you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email. If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email