Latest news with #OliverBrown
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First Post
17-05-2025
- Health
- First Post
History Today: How homosexuality was removed from list of mental illnesses
On May 17, 1990, the World Health Organization (Who) removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses, the International Classification of Diseases. It conferred legitimacy and validation upon LGBTQ+ communities worldwide, many of whom had been subjected to involuntary medical treatments. On this day in 1954, the US Supreme Court banned racial segregation of students in schools read more The World Health Organisation scripted history on May 17, 1990, when it removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. This decision marked a turning point in global health policy, human rights, and the LGBTQ+ movement. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. On this day in 1954, US Supreme Court issued one of its most transformative rulings in American history with the declaration of racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here is all that took place on this day across the world. WHO removes homosexuality from mental illness May 17, 1990 is a day written in golden letter as the World Health Organization (WHO) made a landmark decision, removing homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Until then, homosexuality was pathologised by many medical institutions around the world, reinforcing social stigma and justifying discriminatory practices. The decision by Who followed decades of activism, research and growing understanding within the medical and psychological communities. It aligned with earlier changes by organisations like the American Psychiatric Association, which had already removed homosexuality from its own diagnostic manual in 1973. participants take part in the annual Gay Pride Parade. File image/AP This decision carried extensive and significant implications. It conferred legitimacy and validation upon LGBTQ+ communities worldwide, many of whom had been subjected to persecution, involuntary medical treatments and social ostracisation under the guise of mental health interventions. The reclassification also sparked policy reforms, influencing nations to commence the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships and to promote principles of equality within their respective healthcare systems. In commemoration of this significant milestone, May 17 is observed internationally as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). This observance functions as a global reminder of the advancements made and the persistent struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance across the world. School segregation outlawed by the US Supreme Court On May 17, 1954, the US Supreme Court passed a landmark judgement in the Oliver Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, unanimously declaring racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional. This one of its most transformative rulings in American history. Brown, a consolidation of five distinct legal challenges to school segregation, reversed the 'separate but equal' doctrine articulated in the 1896 Supreme Court case of Plessy v Ferguson. The legal challenge was initiated by a collective of African American parents, with Oliver Brown as the lead plaintiff. He contested the policy mandating his daughter's attendance at a segregated and geographically distant Black school rather than a nearby white institution. Their argument, supported by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, asserted that segregation inflicted psychological harm on Black children by fostering feelings of inferiority, thereby constituting a violation of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A White mother walks with her son past a group of African American students at the Bootheville Venice High School in 1966. File image/AP Chief Justice Earl Warren, in the Court's opinion, declared that 'separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,' directly rejecting the idea of truly equal opportunities under segregation. The ruling specifically highlighted the damaging psychological impact of segregation on Black students, citing research that demonstrated its negative influence on their development and sense of self-worth. The Brown ruling exerted a substantial influence on public education across the United States. Specifically, in Topeka, elementary schools underwent desegregation within a two-year timeframe. However, not all states accepted the Supreme Court's decision. This Day, That Year In 2004, Massachusetts became the first US state to legalise same-sex marriage. The first Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on this day in 1875. The first meeting on what is now Wall Street in New York City took place in 1792.
BBC News
20-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Plymouth train restored in memory of 11-year-old boy Oliver
A team of volunteers has spent the last five years restoring a steam train in memory of an 11-year-old boy who died from a rare blood train at the Plym Valley Railway is due to make its first journey in 17 years on 9 March - on what would have been Oliver Brown's 17th died from Myelodysplastic Syndrome which affects only four in a million children father Mike Brown, from Plymstock, said: "This train can only make you smile. It's brought so many people together, made new friendships and memories, which is just what Oliver did through his life." He said losing Oliver was "the worst thing that has ever happened to us and will ever happen to us". "So to bring a bit of Oliver back - his colour, his enthusiasm, his spark - with something like this, is just the best feeling," Mr Brown said his son "loved trains" and when he had breaks from hospital he would ask to go to see the West Hoe miniature railway in brother Ben,14, has helped with the restoration of the engine which has been named the Lord Oliver said Oliver's "goal in life was to leave an impact which he has clearly done"."Even years after he left us, the number of lives he's touched and the people he has brought together to do all this stuff and help others is just amazing," he added. The 1959 Polish Tkh engine has been painted in Oliver's favourite colour - hot pink - and the shades of green which represent Children's Hospice South West, where Oliver was looked after before he died. The train belongs to Marc Bellin, who said he found out about Oliver through a friend of a Bellin said: "When the chance came to work with the hospice, it was an absolute no brainer, and it's been an enormous privilege to be working with Oliver's family in his memory." The plan for the train's inaugural journey is for Oliver's friends and family to board at Coypool for the trip up the Plym Valley Railway to will be four more journeys during the day with all profits going to the children's hospice. The train is then set to run as part of the railway's regular Roberts, area fundraiser for Children's Hospice South West, said: "It's the most amazing tribute to Oliver, to the love everyone had for him, and the legacy he leaves, having made such an impact is sadly so few years."
BBC News
10-02-2025
- BBC News
Scunthorpe trader fined for dangerous stove installation in Selby
A trader has been fined after a badly-installed stove put a couple's health at risk. Lincolnshire Stoves Ltd, based in Scunthorpe, fitted a wood-burning stove at a property in Brayton, near Selby. After it leaked, an inspector found a number of concerning faults which posed a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The company and its director, Oliver Brown, were fined £500 and £204 respectively at York Magistrates' Court on Friday and ordered to pay a victim surcharge and costs. The investigation by Trading Standards looked into Brown, of Sands Lane, Scotter, after receiving a complaint from the inspector from HETAS, an approval body for heating equipment installers, found that flue interference and inadequate ventilation presented a risk of excess carbon monoxide production. The court heard the flue height had been insufficient, there had been a lack of chimney support, and the stove was too close to plasterboard and a skirting board, giving an increased risk of fire. The householders had also been left without a fixed carbon monoxide alarm, a notice plate, or the commissioning faults so concerning, the inspector categorised the stove as "immediately dangerous" and instructed the householders not to use was given the opportunity to correct the faults within a deadline set by HETAS, but he failed to do so and was removed from their register. 'Potentially serious outcome' North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les praised HETAS for acting quickly to remove Brown's registration."I hope that the convictions of both Brown and the company underline the potentially serious outcome of his work and send a message to all installers to ensure they follow building regulations and standards when fitting heating equipment," he said."The householders were fortunate in this case in that the leak alerted them to the problem installation, but without that they might have suffered the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning for some time."Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
