Latest news with #VictoriaMorris
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Area groups host picnic and rally ahead of Transgender Day of Visibility
JOPLIN, Mo. — Joplin's LGBTQ community gets a head start on Transgender Day of Visibility this afternoon. JOMO Pride and Joplin for Justice hosted a picnic and rally at Cunningham Park, with free hot dogs, trivia, and bingo. Political experts with Promo Missouri were there to educate attendees about anti-transgender legislation scheduled for hearings in the Missouri legislature this week. Some bills discussed include a ban on gender-affirming health care, barring trans athletes from playing sports, and restricting access to public restrooms. 'Southwest Missouri All for Love and Love for All' and 'Free Mom Hugs – Missouri' also came out today to celebrate and show their support for the trans community. Celebrating Trans Visibility Day 'This is close to my heart. I have a trans daughter, and when I found out about Free Mom Hugs, I found a new home,' said Victoria Morris, Free Mom Hugs Missouri. 'How are you going to be comfortable with them if you keep them at an arm's distance and don't actually engage with them and stuff like that? So that's a big thing about being visible. LGBTQ community being visible, the trans community being visible, to let people know we are here, we're in your community, we're human,' said Ron Burch, JOMO Pride co-chair. According to GLAAD, International Transgender Day of Visibility was established in 2010, and is celebrated every year on March 31. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Police hurt in knife incident at primary school
Four police officers have been hurt in an incident involving knives at a school, the Metropolitan Police has said. Officers were called to a party at Elm Park Primary School in Hornchurch, east London at about 21:00 GMT on Saturday after a fight reportedly broke out. The Met said three teenagers - a 14-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl - were arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault on an emergency services worker and have since been bailed. The force added two boys aged 15 and 17 were arrested in Hornchurch the following day on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and have been bailed. CCTV evidence is being reviewed as part of the investigation, the Met added. Footage posted on social media appears to show groups of teenagers screaming and running away from a smaller group gathered in the corner of a hall at the school. The Met said officers "engaged with a number of teenagers at the event who became aggressive toward them". It added four officers were treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service medics, but did not require hospital treatment. A 16-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man were taken to hospital with suspected knife wounds but their injuries were deemed neither life changing nor life-threatening, the police added in a statement. Victoria Morris, executive headteacher at the school, said the people involved were not known to the school, and added they have been letting the premises to the local community for years and "stringent protocols" were in place. She said they were "shocked" to hear of the disturbance at a private birthday party in the hall and have decided to stop renting the facility for evening events. A statement on the school's website said there would be a police presence around the school for the next week to offer reassurance to parents and residents. A letter posted to X from the Met's Supt Simon Hutchison said two people, believed to be guests at the party, "received minor injuries" and did not require further treatment. Supt Hutchison wrote police arrived within "minutes" of being called, and during the initial confrontation four officers were injured "yet were still able to prevent this incident becoming significantly more serious. "They showed tremendous bravery confronting this group despite the numbers and level of potential violence. I am proud of the courage that each of those officers showed." He said searches were carried out and a number of discarded weapons were discovered. "I want to be clear that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated. "We would ask the public not to speculate on social media as this can increase tensions in the community," he added. "At this stage we have no intelligence to suggest that any similar incidents are expected to take place. "That said, we have contingencies, should we need to respond to any further disorder." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Metropolitan Police
