Latest news with #ICONS
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Plane flying 'No Boys in Girls' Sports' banner over track meet goes viral as trans athlete dominates
A plane that flew a banner that read "No Boys in Girls' Sports!" over the California track and field state championship prelims at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis on Friday set the internet ablaze. The display, which was organized by the women's outreach groups, Women are Real and the Independent Council for Women's Sports (ICONS), drew strong reactions amid national controversy over trans athlete AB Hernandez competing in the girls' competition. Many supporters of the movement to protect women's and girls' sports praised the stunt on social media, including former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines. Hernandez went on to claim first place in long jump, triple jump and high jump, beating out all the female competitors, and will now compete for the state title in the finals on Saturday. However, due to recent CIF rule changes, the girls who would normally finish one spot out of advancing to Saturday's finals will qualify since Hernandez took a spot. The CIF instituted these rule changes in the days leading up to the event amid mass backlash, threats of federal funding cuts by President Donald Trump and a Department of Justice investigation against the state. Friday's events also featured one arrest, as police confirmed to Fox News Digital that a pro-LGBTQ protester was apprehended after breaking the car windows of another attendee. "This afternoon at 3:55PM, a disturbance between two adults occurred at the intersection of Nees/Minnewawa. One adult on the sidewalk and one in a vehicle at the intersection became involved in a disturbance that turned physical. During the disturbance, one of them used pepper spray against the other. EMS was called and one of the adults was arrested," a statement read. The person has been arrested for assault with a weapon and obstructing police, according to Sergeant Chris Hutchison. "We don't have room for violence or property damage or anything like that," Hutchison. Activists on both sides will return to Veteran's Memorial Stadium on Saturday for the final round, as Hernandez looks to finish off a dominant and controversial postseason run under a heated national spotlight. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Boost for passengers as popular restaurant chain with over 300 UK branches opens new location at major Scottish airport
The latest opening is located near gate 16, with 160 seats available for customers FLIGHT FEAST Boost for passengers as popular restaurant chain with over 300 UK branches opens new location at major Scottish airport PEOPLE jetting out of Edinburgh Airport can now enjoy tasty dishes from one of the UK's most popular restaurant brands. Pizza Express opened a new restaurant at Scotland's busiest flight hub this week. 2 Edinburgh Airport has welcomed Pizza Express to its list of eateries Credit: Getty 2 The gourmet pizza chain will offer its usual wide range of pizzas and a breakfast menu Credit: Reuters The iconic chain is serving up its usual wide range of gourmet pizzas. Morning passengers passing through the airport will be able to treat themselves to the breakfast menu. The latest opening is located near gate 16, with 160 seats available for customers. Pizza Express at Edinburgh Airport will also offer a takeaway option for passengers. Other recent food and drink additions at the airport include ICONS, Sainsbury's and Seoul Bird. Brewdog has also moved into larger premises, while Wetherspoons' beer garden has been expanded. Gail Taylor, chief commercial officer at Edinburgh Airport, has welcomed Pizza Express. She said: 'It's always great to see new brands arrive at Edinburgh Airport and we know Pizza Express is one that has generated enthusiasm among our passengers. 'Keeping our retail and food and beverage options fresh and exciting is a key part of our work, and this is one of the largest refreshes to our offering that we have ever undertaken – and all in time for peak summer. 'I hope our passengers look forward to trying out the range of choices now open to them at Scotland's busiest airport, and we hope to have even more exciting news in the months ahead.' Why McDonald's Cancelled Its New Drive-Thru Plans in Scottish Town (1) John Butts, director of ARE which will operate the restaurant alongside Seoul Bird and ICONS, said: 'It's exciting to see PizzaExpress open to Edinburgh Airport's passengers, offering a fantastic selection of items throughout the day. 'These are our first entries into the Scottish market and the fact that they are new names to that market is something we are proud of.'
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Fox News star hoodwinked by misleading picture of USA fencing witness at hearing
Republican lawmakers and right leaning media figures fell for a cropped selfie that appeared to show the head of USA Fencing flipping his middle finger before appearing before a hearing on men competing in women's sports. USA Fencing Chairman Damien Lehfeldt posted a selfie image to his Instagram story wearing a suit and putting up what appeared to be his middle finger with the caption: 'Game day.' Soon after, Lehfeldt was forced to post an unedited version of the image showing he was holding up a 'peace sign' with his pointer and middle finger and not flipping off the House Oversight Committee. Lawmakers who oppose transgender athletes competing in sports that don't align with their biological gender pounced on a tweet from the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) claiming Lehfeldt was flipping the bird ahead of his testimony. 'ICONS has tweeted that I held up a middle finger. Here is the uncropped photo,' Lehfeldt posted to his Facebook story in clarifying the context of the entire image. But it was too late. Fox News host Aishah Hasnie already had picked up the story suggested the USA Fencing chair was flipping off the panel he was about to appear before. The cropped image made it look like USA Fencing Chairman Damien Lehfeldt was holding up his middle finger ahead of the hearing – but he later posted an unedited version that showed he was holding up a peace sign 'I can't show it to you because it might be a little too graphic,' the Fox star said while reporting from the halls of Congress. And Republicans on the House Oversight Committee printed out a version of his cropped Instagram image where it looked like he was flipping off the camera and blew it up on a poster at the hearing. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who sits on the panel and is a staunch advocate of keeping men out of women's sports, posted an image of the poster at Wednesday's hearing. 'Caught in 4k,' she wrote with a screen grab of the cropped version of Lehfeldt's image on a stand behind Government Reform Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). One social media user said it was dishonest for Lehfeldt to crop the image, claiming he edited it to make it look provocative on purpose. 'We don't have to smear a man who smears himself,' ICONS wrote in a post responding to the new information. Lehfeldt is one of the people testifying before the Oversight hearing on Wednesday regarding Republicans' crackdown on biological men participating in women's events and sports. It comes after female fencer Stephanie Turner—who took a knee to protest facing a male opponent – voluntarily left the sport. At Wednesday's hearing, Lehfeldt defended the fact that fencing has long been a mix-gender sport with leagues where men and women commonly compete against each other. He also said he hoped that Turner would return to the sport and was 'disappointed' to hear she is taking a break.
Fox News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
USA Fencing chairman appears to send explicit message ahead of hearing
USA Fencing chairman Damien Lehfeldt appeared to send an explicit message hours before he was set to be questioned in front of Congressional lawmakers on keeping men out of women's sports. Lehfeldt will be one of the witnesses to hear questions from the House Oversight Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., the subcommittee chair, Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., the subcommittee ranking member, and Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, are expected to be among the lawmakers at the hearing. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON The USA Fencing official posted a photo of himself giving the camera the middle finger before the hearing started. He captioned the snap, "Game day." Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) posted the photo on its social media account. The hearing comes weeks after fencer Stephanie Turner knelt in protest of a transgender opponent at an event. It sparked outrage against the organization, and it led Turner to step away from the sport altogether. The organization said last month it was preparing to amend its current policies that allow biological males to compete with women and girls in the event that it is "forced" to change them. "In the event that USA Fencing is forced to change its current stance in accordance with oversight bodies or federal legislation, the new policy states athletes competing in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments must compete according to their biological sex," the announcement read. \WOMEN'S SWIMMERS SPEAK OUT AFTER UNKNOWINGLY FACING TRANS COMPETITOR, FILING COMPLAINT: 'I FEEL BETRAYED' The proposed updated policy ensures that women's category "will be open exclusively to athletes of the female sex." The men's category "will be open to all other athletes who are otherwise eligible for competition." The change would go into effect across sanctioned competition levels, including Division I, IA, II, III, Junior, Cadet, Youth, Veteran and all other categories. "If adopted, this policy is solely to ensure future compliance required by oversight organizations. This policy does not reflect any change in our strong support for each individual's right to identity," the announcement read. "We recognize that many people — particularly transgender and non-binary athletes and their supporters in fencing clubs nationwide — will be profoundly impacted if this policy takes effect." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Turner is expected to be a witness in the hearing along with Payton McNabb, the former volleyball who suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of a spike from a transgender athlete. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter .
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Musclebound trans swimmer Ana Caldas wins all 5 races at women's swim nationals
Unmatched Performance at National Meet Ana Caldas , a 47-year-old transgender swimmer , won all five races she entered at the us. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship last weekend in San Antonio, Texas. Competing in the women's 45-49 age group, Caldas took gold in the 50- and 100-yard breaststroke, the 100-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard individual medley. She won some events by margins rarely seen at this level, such as over four seconds in the breaststroke and three seconds in the freestyle. Footage circulating online showed her leading far ahead of other swimmers, drawing both applause and outrage. Critics quickly drew parallels to Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I swimming title in 2022, sparking renewed debate over fairness and inclusion in women's sports. — hecheateddotorg (@hecheateddotorg) A Familiar Debate Reignites Lia Thomas's collegiate victories once marked a significant moment for trans athletes but also triggered nationwide controversy. Her 2022 NCAA win in the women's 500-yard freestyle led to a federal investigation. The us. Department of Education found that the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX by allowing her to compete in the women's division, ordering the school to strip her records and honors from that season. This ruling raised significant questions about how athletic bodies should balance fairness and inclusion, questions now resurfacing with Ana Caldas's dominance. Some supporters view her success as a display of determination and resilience. Others, however, see it as another example of transgender athletes potentially holding physiological advantages over cisgender women, particularly in short-distance events where milliseconds usually separate winners. Public Backlash and Athlete Reactions The reaction online has been swift and polarizing. Prominent women's sports advocate Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer, dismissed Caldas's gender identity and tweeted, 'He won them all.' Another critic, Beth Bourne, likened the situation to a 'real-life South Park episode,' a reference that quickly went viral on social media as viewers expressed disbelief at the race footage showing Caldas outpacing competitors by multiple body lengths. Bourne, who is an outspoken advocate for women's rights in sports, also called the results 'insanity,' noting, 'Anyone who competes in swimming at the national level knows this is unheard of in a 50-yard race where wins are often measured in a tenth or a hundredth of a second' at national-level events, not in multiple seconds. A spokesperson for the Independent Council on Women's Sports (ICONS) told Reduxx, 'He's just laughing at these women,' referring to Caldas's performances. ICONS also sent a letter to us. Masters Swimming (USMS), warning that allowing her to compete might violate fair competition principles. Governing Policies and a Complex Legacy Under USMS policy, transgender women may compete in women's events if they meet specific hormone-level criteria . Caldas was allowed to compete under these rules. But critics argue those standards do not adequately offset physiological advantages carried over from male puberty. Her athletic history adds further fuel to the debate: before transitioning, Caldas, born Hugo Caldas, competed in men's sports and even made three appearances at the CrossFit Games, narrowly missing a spot in the 2012 London Olympics. This background, combined with her recent dominance, has intensified calls for sporting bodies to revisit their policies. Supporters of transgender inclusion maintain that exclusion based on gender identity is discriminatory. However, critics insist that fairness for female athletes must remain a top priority. As Ana Caldas becomes the latest flashpoint in a growing cultural and legal debate, sports organizations are being pushed to clarify how best to respect identity while preserving the integrity of competition.
