Latest news with #WheelchairBasketball
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Senator's Cruel Comments Lambasted in Powerful New Ad
Two-time Paralympic gold medalist and Iowa State Representative Josh Turek used current Iowa Senator Joni Ernst's infamous 'Well, we're all going to die' comment against her in a new ad announcing his candidacy for her Senate seat. Turek uses a wheelchair full-time after his father's exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War caused him to develop spina bifida, forcing him to get 21 surgeries before the age of 12. He received gold medals in wheelchair basketball in 2016 and 2020. 'I wouldn't have gotten that far without VA health coverage for my dad's service, free summer lunch programs when my parents were struggling, and the local AEA that made sure that I had access to a good education. When I was a kid, it was a Senator from Iowa that made sure that the doors were open for kids like me,' Turek said. 'Now the senator from Iowa is just closing doors, taking away health care, making it harder for parents to feed their kids—all just to give tax breaks to billionaires. And her explanation? 'Well, we are all going to die.'' The clip cuts to footage of the town hall in which Ernst made her cruel, fateful comments. 'I'm tired of Iowans being taken for granted. I wasn't supposed to be able to win a state House seat that Trump won twice, but I campaigned just like I played basketball: outworking everyone,' Turek continued. 'A whole lotta folks are gonna look at a guy like me and say, 'Man, that is a real long shot.' Well, in Iowa, we love an underdog. So if you are ready to push for change, join me.' Ernst's comments have seriously tainted her political reputation, and while she's yet to confirm or deny her 2026 reelection campaign, a slew of challengers have already arisen from both sides of the aisle (for what it's worth, Ernst has hired a campaign manager). Republican Jim Carlin and former Libertarian presidential candidate Joshua Smith have already declared, while Ernst and Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson are still deliberating. Meanwhile Turek joins a crowded Democratic primary field including state Senator Zach Wahls, state Representative J.D. Scholten, Des Moines school board chair Jackie Norris, and local radio station market director Nathan Sage. Turek's online platform is sparse but mentions support for public education, environmentalism, health care access, and disability rights. But at this point in his campaign, his principal position is his opposition to Ernst and what she stands for, particularly her support for cuts to Medicaid. Iowa will start its primaries on June 2, 2026.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
11 gayest women's sports, the definitive ranking
Marco Ciccolella/Shutterstock Women's Wheelchair Basketball It's no secret that queer women love sports. From growing up playing softball or basketball, to the classic lesbian date of going on a hike, to the thousands of queer women who play professional sports around the world, sports are an integral part of many queer women's lives. With that in mind, we've put together this list of the eleven gayest women's sports. We know this list is going to be controversial. How gay a sport is may be very personal to many people. Yes, all of these sports are staggeringly gay, and all of them deserve a spot in the top five, maybe even the top three. That being said, we did put them in order from least gay to gayest. So this is canon now. Did your favorite sport make our list? Keep reading to find out! 11. Tennis Tennis is a classic gay sport, with legends of the sport like Billie Jean King (above) and Martina Navritolova (although she's since become a TERF) being outed in the early 1980s. Today, queer stars like Daria Kasatkina, Greet Minnen, Demi Schuurs, Nadia Podoroska, Guillermina Naya, Emina Bektas, and Tara Moore carry on the legacy. 10. Climbing/Bouldering Shutterstock Creative Rock climber bouldering in nature Rock climbing and bouldering may not be the first sports you think of when you think of queer women. However, the more you think about the two, the more they go perfectly together. I mean, what lesbian doesn't love carabiners? And that hand strength and dexterity? Legendary. Plus, climbing legends like Lynn Hill and Silvia Vasquez-Lavado give queer women a strong presence in the history of the sport. 9. Boxing Traditionally, a hyper-masculine sport, queer women like Christy Martin and Nicola Adams (above) have been making history in boxing for years. Currently, stars like Nesthy Petecio, Kellie Harrington, Cindy Ngamba, and Beatriz Ferreira are keeping up the legacy with Olympic wins. Lesbians love a woman with muscles, and in boxing, women can show off that those impressive guns aren't just for looks! 8. Wrestling The pageantry and costumes of professional wrestling make the sport inherently gay, and now that more and more women are getting opportunities to join, the sport is becoming a haven for queer women! Wrestlers like Sonya Deville (above), Mercedes Martinez, Shayna Baszler, Toni Storm, and Saraya are some queer stars we love to see in the ring! 7. Field Hockey Sergii Kumer/Shutterstock Ukrainian woman field hockey championship Field Hockey is an all-time classic lesbian high school sport. Many girls first discovered their queerness while running around a field, bashing into other girls, and chasing a ball with sticks. As long as there are girls playing sports, queer girls will play this sport. 6. Ice Hockey Much like field hockey, ice hockey is one of the gayest sports a woman can play. It's such a gay sport that there are several examples of opponents from star women's hockey teams marrying each other! In 2018, Team USA star Meghan Duggan (above) and Team Canada star Gillian Apps got married. Previously, Team USA star Julie Chu married Canadian star Caroline Ouellette, and before that, Team Canada's Jayna Hefford and Team USA's Kathleen Kauth were married! 5. Softball Jan de Wild/Shutterstock World Championship Softball For many queer women, softball has a long tradition of being considered the ultimate lesbian sport. The show A League of Their Own, based on the movie of the same name and the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, highlighted the gay history of softball and baseball, and still today, queer women are drawn to the sports. 3. Basketball Lesbians like Brittney Griner (above) have been making history in the WNBA since the early 2000s, and are an even bigger part of the sport now. Women's basketball would be nothing without queer players and fans, and the WNBA currently has at least 41 queer players in it. 4. Soccer Soccer is another sport inexorably linked to lesbianism. The NWSL is one of the gayest sports leagues in the world, with over 50 out players playing in 2025. With legends like Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, Tobin Heath, Ali Krieger, and Marta (above) as well as current stars like Tierna Davidson, Esther Gonzalez, Debinha, and Jess Fishlock, the sport will always be linked to queer women. 2. Rugby Sports can hardly get gayer than rugby, the tougher, more physical cousin of soccer. Rugby players get bruised, beaten up, down, and dirty during games, and queer women can't stop signing up. In 2024, Team USA won its first Olympic medal in rugby in 100 years, led by six out players on the team, including Alev Kelter (above). Other out rugby stars who won medals in 2024 include New Zealand legend Portia Woodman-Wickliffe and Canada's Olivia Apps. 1. Roller Derby Beata Janeczko/Shutterstock Roller derby training match Does anything say "queer women" like roller derby? This aggressive and physical sport is full of pageantry and slamming into one another – things that most lesbians love. It's also a haven for alternative crowds, meaning that queer women already have an inroad. Many sources even point to Texas Roller Derby, a queer-dominated league based in Austin, Texas, as one of the main leagues to revitalize the sport in the early 2000s. WNBA, NWSL, and women's rugby matches are great places to meet queer women, but nothing beats a good roller derby if you're looking for queer dates or queer community. This article originally appeared on Pride: 11 gayest women's sports, the definitive ranking RELATED Ranking NWSL teams by how gay the name is 27 lesbian sports power couples who are winning at life and love Meet all 41 queer players in this season's WNBA
The Independent
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Army veteran proposes to girlfriend at Invictus Games in ‘gold medal moment'
A British army veteran got his 'gold medal moment' at the Invictus Games in Canada when he proposed to his girlfriend. James Cairns, from Holmfirth in Yorkshire, asked his girlfriend of four years Hannah Wild to marry him at the opening of the Team UK Wheelchair Basketball match in Vancouver on Sunday, the Royal British Legion said. James, 35, celebrated the moment with his teammates, family, friends and he and Hannah's two-year-old son. Since losing his leg to a sniper bullet in Afghanistan, James has been training for the Invictus Games and now competes in three sports: biathlon, swimming and wheelchair basketball. James said: 'This is my gold medal moment. 'It has been months in the planning to keep it a secret. 'To compete for Team UK and then propose was just amazing. And she said yes!' The seventh edition of the games, established by the Duke of Sussex in 2014, began in Vancouver on Saturday. Harry and Meghan were at the opening ceremony, which had a star-studded line-up of performers including Nelly Furtado, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Katy Perry. More than 500 competitors from 23 nations will take part in the games, which go on until Sunday February 16. James and 61 other Team UK competitors, all veterans and serving personnel who were injured during service, departed for Canada earlier this week. The games aim to 'inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who have served their country', the Royal British Legion said. The Invictus Games were held in London in 2014, in Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, The Hague in 2022 and Dusseldorf in 2023.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Army veteran proposes to girlfriend at Invictus Games in ‘gold medal moment'
A British army veteran got his 'gold medal moment' at the Invictus Games in Canada when he proposed to his girlfriend. James Cairns, from Holmfirth in Yorkshire, asked his girlfriend of four years Hannah Wild to marry him at the opening of the Team UK Wheelchair Basketball match in Vancouver on Sunday, the Royal British Legion said. James, 35, celebrated the moment with his teammates, family, friends and he and Hannah's two-year-old son. Since losing his leg to a sniper bullet in Afghanistan, James has been training for the Invictus Games and now competes in three sports: biathlon, swimming and wheelchair basketball. James said: 'This is my gold medal moment. 'It has been months in the planning to keep it a secret. 'To compete for Team UK and then propose was just amazing. And she said yes!' The seventh edition of the games, established by the Duke of Sussex in 2014, began in Vancouver on Saturday. Harry and Meghan were at the opening ceremony, which had a star-studded line-up of performers including Nelly Furtado, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Katy Perry. More than 500 competitors from 23 nations will take part in the games, which go on until Sunday February 16. James and 61 other Team UK competitors, all veterans and serving personnel who were injured during service, departed for Canada earlier this week. The games aim to 'inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who have served their country', the Royal British Legion said. The Invictus Games were held in London in 2014, in Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, The Hague in 2022 and Dusseldorf in 2023.
