Latest news with #Toomer
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gay railway station volunteer banned over gender-critical views
A gay volunteer was banned from a railway group after expressing his gender-critical views on email and social media. Matthew Toomer, 48, was thrown out of West Midlands Railway's 'Adopt a Station' scheme after he privately contacted company bosses to express concern about its 'Progress Pride' train. WMR rebranded one of its trains last summer with a 'rainbow diamond motif' that bares similarities to the Progress Pride flag, which features a yellow diamond. It was also named 'Hurst Street' after the Birmingham road at the centre of the city's Gay Village. Mr Toomer commented on a social media post about the rebranded train, asking if it would 'return to its natural state once the event is over'. In response, he was summoned to a meeting and told that his views 'do not align with [WMR's] values and mission'. He was banned from the Redditch station volunteer group. Mr Toomer said: 'As a gay man myself, I want to stress that this wasn't about objecting to visibility. My concern was the increasing tendency of public transport organisations to take visible positions on divisive issues. 'The Progress Pride flag has become associated with particular ideological stances – particularly around gender – which not everyone, including many within the LGB community, fully endorse. 'My position was simply that public services should remain neutral and welcoming to everyone.' The new train was named 'Hurst Street' ahead of Birmingham Pride last summer - West Midlands Trains The Free Speech Union (FSU), which represents the volunteer, has written to the rail operator to warn it that punishing Mr Toomer in this way 'unjustifiably restricts his freedom of expression, and that it is contrary to WMR's stated values of diversity, equality and inclusion'. Rebekah Brown, a case officer at the FSU, called on the train company to 'apologise for this vindictive decision and reinstate him'. Instead a spokesman claimed to The Telegraph that Mr Toomer's social media activity in general 'felt problematic'. The WMR spokesman said: 'Our company has a proud culture of inclusion and allyship. 'We believe the views Mr Toomer has expressed on social media on a range of subjects are at odds with these values and could be harmful or offensive to our colleagues, customers or other volunteers. 'We have therefore asked that Mr Toomer no longer volunteers on behalf of West Midlands Railway.' When asked to point out examples of allegedly 'problematic' posts by Mr Toomer, the spokesman failed to do so. 'Majority of WMR customers will agree with Mr Toomer' Ms Brown, the FSU case officer, said: 'WMR should focus on delivering a working service for their passengers, not compelling every volunteer to be a fellow traveller for corporate wokery. 'I expect the vast majority of West Midland's Railway's customers will agree with Mr Toomer, not with WMR's enforced ideological orthodoxy. 'A train company has no business acting as the arbiter of permissible opinion for volunteers, with these chilling consequences for individuals' freedom of speech in their daily lives.' Train companies' efforts to align themselves with political ideologies have caused a number of controversies. Last year Government-owned LNER prompted outrage after a senior manager trawled through a passenger's social media account to find material to justify refusing to answer her questions about the cost of a similar Pride train rebrand. Similarly, Avanti West Coast triggered a row after a racial diversity-themed 'wrapping' of one of its trains. Unlike the well-known rainbow Gay Pride flag, the Progress Pride flag is associated with the pro-transgender political movement. This campaigns for the view that men who wish to call themselves women – that is, changing their gender to become trans women – must be treated as if they had been born female. This political stance was dealt a fatal blow by the Supreme Court a few weeks ago when the country's most senior judges ruled that such trans women are not women, and are therefore not allowed to use women's facilities such as public toilets and changing rooms. Securing lawful access to such areas is a key focus of pro-transgender campaigners and lobbyists. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
09-03-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Devon Rock Choir plunge into sea for Comic Relief fundraiser
A group of singers have braved the sea temperatures in Devon for a charitable swim and sing event. Almost 50 South Devon Rock Choir members went into the cold water at Tinside Beach in Plymouth on Sunday in a bid to raise money for Comic Relief. Choir leader Richard Toomer said the group held a swim and sing event in 2024, which he said raised about £2, added: "We're hoping to break that total this year. I think to be in Rock Choir you need to be slightly mad." Rock Choir is a contemporary, award-winning group who meet on a regular basis and have performed in more than 400 towns and communities across the Toomer said the choir had raised about £45,000 across the UK in said the choir members sang a few songs, had a sea swim and raised money for charity at the Plymouth event."It's a lot of fun. We did it last year for the first time," he said."It's good for you, it's good for your mental health, it's good for your physical health."Across the country there's a flash mob, there's concerts, there's cake sales, there's all sorts going on hoping to raise money for red nose day," he added.
USA Today
18-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Amani Toomer continues to slam Giants: There's a 'cultural problem'
Shortly after the conclusion of Super Bowl LIX, retired New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer addressed Michael Strahan waiving the Philadelphia Eagles flag and called it a 'warning shot' to the franchise. Toomer lamented the current regime's futility and failures, adding that they should be held accountable in the same way their long-time players had been. In a recent interview with Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, Toomer continued his justified assault, noting that it's not a personal gripe but a professional one. 'I love Brian Daboll, and I love Joe Schoen,' Toomer said. 'But at the end of the day this is not a personality contest. This is a results business, and the results just aren't there. It's not personal. I don't hate these guys. I just want the results. It's like, 'Show me the baby.' Show me something to be proud of. 'There should be nobody comfortable in that building. The last two years. I know the owner's not happy. I know that for a fact. I know that the front office isn't happy.' Ultimately, Toomer believes, there's a culture problem that is highlighted by a lack of effort on the field — something everyone can see. 'We have a corner out there who's not — we have somebody out there, I'm not gonna say any names — who's not putting forth effort. That is the basics of winning,' he said. 'How do you not play with effort in the NFL? That's one of two things: either they're not holding him accountable, or the team isn't deep enough to where you have a real fear of losing your position every day of the week.' The issue with culture is also evident when it comes to roster building. Under general manager Joe Schoen, the Giants have allowed multiple captains to walk. They've also set free more Pro Bowlers and All-Pros than they have on their current roster, which has become a glaring issue. 'We let three Pro Bowlers out of our building: [Xavier] McKinney, Saquon [Barkley] and [Leonard] Williams. We let them just go,' Toomer said. 'And I'm sure there's more of them: Evan Engram, even [Sterling] Shepard played well. [Julian] Love. That's a cultural problem. And you can draft whoever you want. We could have drafted Patrick Mahomes. If that culture is not there, that's a big problem.' How do the Giants fix it? Change everything. 'You've got to change everything,' Toomer said. 'The way you practice, everything, so there's nothing similar from last year. Comfortability kills teams. And if they feel comfortable, raise the bar of expectations to the point where if you don't want to become part of this team, it becomes brutally honest.' Unfortunately for the Giants and their fans, they've changed next to nothing so far this offseason. The front office and coaching staff remain largely the same and therefore, the culture will remain largely the same.
