Latest news with #JaneTaylor
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Devon council is acting lawfully on single-sex spaces
A council has clarified its position over single-sex spaces in the wake of the Supreme Court judgment which ruled a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities councillor Jane Taylor said Teignbridge District Council had continued to "deny women single-sex spaces" and asked for a full review of the council's equality and diversity policy to clarify exactly what was meant by a single-sex council hired a barrister to produce a 26-page report to advise it on what it should do report said the authority was acting lawfully in line with the judgment and there was no need for a review of council policy. Taylor, a retired police chief inspector, put forward a motion in October 2024 which said: "This council cannot continue to ignore and sideline the centrality of sex as a key factor of discrimination and deny women single-sex spaces where they are necessary, proportionate and legitimate to the objectives of upholding their safety and dignity."She called on Teignbridge to "agree a definition of single-sex spaces, for males and females, owned or managed by Teignbridge District Council and any appropriate service provision".At the meeting on Monday, she said: "Does this council still believe it is unlawful to exclude men who self-identify as women or who possess a gender recognition certificate to enter advertised single-sex female spaces."A transgender woman is a person born male who lives as a Woodhead, head of legal services at the council, said: "The Supreme Court made it quite clear what the position is and we will not deviate from what that position is."The Equality and Human Rights Commission issued guidance following the Supreme Court ruling which said in services that are open to the public "trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women's facilities and trans men (biological women) should not be permitted to use the men's facilities, as this will mean that they are no longer single-sex facilities and must be open to all users of the opposite sex".Speaking after the meeting, Taylor said she was "elated" that women could now use single-sex spaces in Teignbridge District Council properties, such as changing rooms, in full knowledge that only other biological women would use that space. 'Immediately apparent tension' In the report prepared by Jonathan Ward of Magdalen Chambers in Exeter, he said the issue related specifically to single-sex spaces at the Broadmeadow Leisure Centre in said this was "a divisive issue" and that there was "tension between the protections for the protected characteristic of sex, and the protected characteristic of gender reassignment".In his report, he said there was "an immediately apparent tension" in cases where "a woman complains that she feels unsafe for example in sharing a changing room with a transgender woman" but "that a transgender woman feels unsafe if required to share a changing room with other men".During the meeting, Ward said "village" facilities where there were individual cubicles with locks appeared to be "a sensible answer".He said it was "difficult to see the process for enforcing single-sex spaces" and that questioning of individuals could amount to "victimisation and harassment".The BBC has asked Teignbridge District Council what the cost was of the barrister's report but has not received an answer. Following the meeting, council Liberal Democrat member Andrew Swain said he was pleased with the said: "We looked at it in detail. We've taken legal advice, and the conclusions there pretty much agree with my feeling that what Teignbridge is doing is really good."Teignbridge has been redesigning the leisure centres - they're moving towards individual lockable cubicles and, for me, this is a better way of said some people had "tried to make this into a battle".He said: "I don't think it's a battle - it's about creating leisure centres and public facilities which are inclusive."
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Duchess Sophie stuns in florals at Buckingham Palace garden party - shop her exact dress or discover the best budget alternatives
The Duchess of Edinburgh exuded elegance as she stepped out for the first Buckingham Palace garden party of the year. Sophie looked radiant in a refined midi dress by Erdem, a designer she frequently turns to for key occasions. The sophisticated piece featured a high neckline, subtle floral print and artful draping that created a graceful silhouette. She elevated the soft, muted tones with a striking Jane Taylor hat and a pop of colour through a green Sophie Habsburg clutch, finishing the look with her signature nude Prada heels. The best part? Sophie's exact dress is still available to buy online. And if it's not quite within budget, don't worry - we've found the best high-street alternatives to help you recreate the look for less. EXACT MATCH: Erdem Draped Midi Dress £1,555 Shop Selected Femme Aviana Dress £115 Shop Lipsy Split Detail Midi Dress £59 Shop Karen Millen Printed Tie Neck Maxi Dress £71 Shop Jigsaw Floral Jacquard Knitted Dress £125 Shop Karen Millen Petite Sketchy Floral Dress £107.40 Shop Karen Millen Applique Organdie Floral Maxi Dress £221 Shop Coast Premium Applique And Embroidered Midi Dress £94 Shop River Island Floral Midi Dress £15 Shop Ralph Lauren Floral Midi Dress £159 Shop Mint Velvet Floral Print Midi Dress £170 Shop Hobbs Alva Dress £99 Shop Ganni Floral Print Midi Dress £50 Shop
Miami Herald
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
FSU professor: DOGE killed my book grant
For twelve hours on April 3, I thought my grant had managed to hide from the DOGE minions when they tore through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) office. I was wrong. I am one of 25 scholars who received 2024-2025 NEH Public Scholar grants to translate their scholarship into 'well-researched nonfiction books in the humanities written for the broad public.' The program, which was founded in 2016, has previously supported books about 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' the making of modern Chinese food, the poet Robert Frost and the classic film 'Casablanca.' In August 2023, my fellow grant recipients and I each submitted a book proposal, bibliography, work plan, resumé, writing sample and two letters of recommendation as parts of our applications. And then we waited. Our proposals got vetted by field specialists who reviewed each application according to criteria that included appeal for general readers, record of experience, depth of research and quality of writing sample. You may object to your tax money being used to support the writing of books, but you can rest assured that the authors of those books got vetted more carefully than did Pete Hegseth before he became secretary of defense. My project focused on the little-known author of the most famous poem in the world: 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.' Jane Taylor lived at a moment in history dominated by addled and narcissistic men. As a child, she watched King George III parade through London after he recovered from a bout of madness. As a young woman, she fled with her siblings from a rumored Napoleonic invasion. My fellow grant recipients are writing books about NASA Voyager spacecrafts, the film director George Cukor and American retirement, among other topics. When the termination notices started landing in our email boxes, we checked in with each other to find out if we'd been voided individually or en masse. When I didn't immediately receive a termination message after the bad news first broke, I imagined Jane Taylor running through the hallways of the NEH building like a Gothic heroine, somehow managing to dodge DOGE. Then I checked my junk mail. There my termination message had landed because it was sent from a spam-looking sender— not even an official NEH address. The termination letter drew on the authority of a clause in the Code of Federal Regulations, which specifies that a grant can be terminated if an award 'no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.' The letter said that the grants were cut off in order to 'safeguard the interests of the federal government,' and it referenced a spate of recent executive orders. 'Due to exceptional circumstances, adherence to the traditional notification process is not possible,' said the letter. Of course, there has never been a traditional notification process for using executive orders to terminate grants authorized by Congress. Also, most of the staff who know how to use the official NEH email system have been put on leave. The cancellation of the public scholar grants wasn't the worst recent default on congressionally approved government spending. DOGE couriers fired the entire staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Cuts to the NIH, NOAA, FEMA and Social Security are more frightening. But as someone who writes reference letters for optimistic 20-year-olds, I worry most about how agency cuts impact those embarking on careers. Young people who worked hard and followed rules are getting fired or having their graduate school plans dashed by the 'genius' and Napoleon enthusiast Elon Musk. After Jane Taylor delivered her younger siblings to safety from Napoleonic invasion, she wrote, '[W]e felt it a little mortifying that our neighbor Bonaparte should have it so much in his power to give us such a thorough panic, and so completely to derange all our affairs.' Today, I believe we're living under a DOGE regime that operates without regard to human decency and rule compliance. I wish our elected representatives would wrest back control. Judith Pascoe, author of four books, is a George Mills Harper Professor of English at Florida State University. She lives in Tallahassee.
