Latest news with #femaleEmpowerment
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Kai Trump's stance on transgender athletes revealed in resurfaced post
Kai Trump's views on transgender athletes in women's sports have been revealed by a resurfaced social media post. It comes just days after president Donald Trump, her grandfather, threatened to halt federal funding to California after a transgender athlete dominated a school meet and qualified for the state championships. Aspiring golfer Kai, 18, is preparing to start her college career at the University of Miami later this year. And a post from February 5, which she shared on social media on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, has now come to light. Kai, whose mom Vanessa is dating Tiger Woods, wrote: 'Sports give girls confidence, strength, and leadership skills for life,' she wrote. 'I'm grateful to have strong women who inspire me, and I know how important it is to support the next generation of female athletes.' Donald Trump threatened to halt federal funding to California after a trans athlete won an event Earlier this week, Trump blasted California governor Gavin Newsom, who he called 'Newscum,' and called a transgender athlete's sporting domination in the state 'not fair and totally demeaning to women and girls.' 'Please be advised that large scale federal funding will be held back, maybe permanently,' Trump threatened on his Truth Social site. Then, without citing a specific legal basis, Trump wrote that 'I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' His post came after transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley won the women's long jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters Meet. A week ago, Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran High School, one of the opponents defeated by Hernandez, a biological male, took the podium following the official ceremony. The moment took off online, and earned praise from former college swimmer and conservative political activist Riley Gaines. In March, Hernandez drew backlash online after winning a triple jump event by three feet. Trump fumed about the results of the weekend's meet, and teased an upcoming phone call with Newsom. He wrote: 'California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow 'MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS.' 'This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won 'everything,' and is now qualified to compete in the 'State Finals' next weekend. As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable.' Then, he added in all caps, 'this is not fair and totally demeaning to women and girls.' Trump went on to threaten: 'Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to. 'The Governor, himself, said it is 'UNFAIR.' I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go??? In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office titled 'defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.'
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Miss England QUITS world-famous beauty pageant after she was left 'feeling like a prostitute' who was being 'farmed out for entertainment'
Miss England has sensationally quit the Miss World beauty pageant after she was left 'feeling like a prostitute'. Milla Magee, 24, a lifeguard from Newquay, Cornwall, made headlines after her abrupt departure from the pageant in Hyderabad, India, was initially blamed on 'personal reasons'. But now the truth behind her exit has exploded in a blistering exclusive – and it paints a disturbing picture of a pageant stuck in the dark ages. The history-making beauty – the first Miss England in the competition's 74-year history to resign – said she had gone in with hopes of making a difference. 'I went there to make a difference but we had to sit like performing monkeys,' she told The Sun, accusing organisers of turning her into little more than eye candy for wealthy male sponsors. Milla revealed contestants were ordered to doll up in heavy make-up and evening gowns from morning to night – even at breakfast – and were paraded at events purely to charm deep-pocketed backers. She said the experience made her feel 'like a prostitute' who was being 'farmed out for entertainment'. Milla had flown to Hyderabad on May 7 for publicity events for the competition's final, but quickly realised she was only there to be stared at. Milla revealed contestants were ordered to doll up in heavy make-up and evening gowns from morning to night – even at breakfast – and were paraded at events purely to charm deep-pocketed backers The final straw, she said, was when she was made to sit with another woman with groups of middle-aged male guests while 'thanking them' for their money. She revealed she as expected to sit with them for the entire evening and entertain them. Milla said she thought it was 'unbelievable' and 'wrong' and she was left feeling uncomfortable in the situation. Milla claimed attempts to speak about her humanitarian campaigns were met with blank stares and awkward small talk. She claimed one man even labelled her as 'boring' following the event. During one interaction, Milla said the women were scolded for not being lively enough with an official allegedly clapping in her face to get her attention. She told the newspaper she felt as if the official had been addressing children instead of a group of adult women, leaving her feeling disrespected. Unable to cope with the chaos, Milla rang her mum in tears, saying she and other contestants were being exploited, before finally informing organisers on May 16 that she was walking away. She immediately flew back to the UK, leaving her crown and the controversial competition behind. Her spot at the upcoming final – set to be broadcast in over 180 countries – will now be filled by Miss England runner-up Charlotte Grant, 25, the current Miss Liverpool. Milla, who made history last year as Miss England's first plus-size winner, had been proudly campaigning for better CPR education through her 'Go Far With CPR' initiative, which as received backing from the Prince of Wales. She had hoped the Miss World platform would amplify her advocacy. But instead, she said she found an event frozen in time that 'hasn't changed from the 1960s and '70s' and that has little regard for modern values. Milla said she felt pressure to conform and that it was made clear if she didn't, she was not going to win the pageant. 'I couldn't take it any more. Miss World needs to change,' she defiantly said. Angie Beasley, director of Miss England, confirmed the walkout earlier this week, saying: 'We regret to announce that Milla Magee has returned home to the UK due to personal reasons. 'We support her fully – health and wellbeing must always come first.' MailOnline has approached Miss World for comment. It comes after Milla revealed at the beginning of the month how she been forced to halt training for the Miss World championships after raw sewage was dumped in the sea near her Cornish hometown. The shocking reality pushed the environmental campaigner to speak out against pollution on Britain's beaches, saying it's time for urgent action. 'As Miss England, a surfer, and founder of the GoFarwithCPR campaign, I've seen first-hand how powerful the ocean can be – not just for fitness, but for mental health and community,' Milla said. 'That's why it's devastating to see Cornwall's waters polluted with sewage. 'Lately, many of us have had to stay out of the sea because it's simply not safe, and that's more than just a missed surf – it's a public health crisis. 'As we bid farewell to winter, the days start getting longer, the sun is shining, we want to enjoy our beaches. However, this rise in pollution just simply isn't safe.' The Cornish campaigner has joined forces with Surfers Against Sewage – a UK charity calling for an end to sewage discharges in bathing waters by 2030. Determined to make a difference, Milla is now urging the public to step up and protect the coastlines. 'We need urgent action to protect our coastlines and keep the ocean a place of healing, not harm,' she said. 'For the people who don't live by the sea and understand these issues, for the children who want to enjoy nature's playground, and for the locals who simply just want to enjoy their home.
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Heat review – Paula Rego's dog women inhabit Becky Namgauds' frisky, feral dance-theatre
Among the eclectic entries on Becky Namgauds' CV are dancing for Harry Styles and Vivienne Westwood, and rolling around in mud in her outdoor festival piece Rodadoras. The Heat is something different again, a long way from Harry's House – although the house bit is right, as it's entirely set in one living room. But in this one a naked woman is crouched on all fours on the arm of the sofa, looking like things might go feral. Namgauds is clearly a choreographer with vision, and this is dance-theatre that's by turns unsettling, comic and mildly erotic. She is one of five female performers, of varying ages, inhabiting this domestic setting – sofa, coffee table, lamp, pot plant – where the ordinariness swerves into the surreal. Suddenly one woman is smooshing a tomato into her face. Another's head becomes disjointed from her body in an amusing bit of optical illusion. There's a blankness about these women, but also a hunger. The Heat is inspired by Paula Rego's Dog Woman paintings, depicting women behaving like dogs, with animalistic poses and bared teeth. It's an unpretty side of womanhood, but powerful too. Namgauds has also definitely watched some Pina Bausch (just look at all that long hair swishing luxuriously!) with these absurdist set pieces, only it's a more suburban version: admonishing a sofa cushion, feeling frisky while vacuuming and so on. The pivotal scene begins when one woman puts a fuchsia-pink vibrator on a table; switched on, it starts to do a little dance of its own. Across the room, a different woman suddenly starts vibrating. Then it's catching, soon they're all quaking: pure instinct, pure sensation-seeking, desperate for friction. Poor Henry the Hoover is all I will say. This is an unapologetic depiction of female instincts and what's suppressed beneath the surface. Namgauds has got something, for sure. But is there enough of it in this piece? It feels like a strong 40 minutes stretched to 60. Still, she's one to watch. At Sadler's Wells, London, until 23 May, then at the Lowry, Salford, on 3 June
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
The unlikely duo defying barriers on a French road trip to remember
Two friends, one with rheumatoid arthritis and the other blind, are defying limitations by participating in a women-only vintage car race across France. Merete Buljo, whose painful joints prevent her from driving a stick shift, and Tonje Thoresen, a former photographer who lost her sight to a brain tumor five years ago, are navigating their way from Paris to Saint-Tropez. Their motto, "Making the impossible possible!", reflects their determination to showcase their capabilities. Inspired by the film Thelma & Louise, they even sought out a Ford Thunderbird, the same car driven by the movie's protagonists. "When we were looking for a car we thought, 'Oh, a Ford Thunderbird. It would just be perfect!'" Thoresen said. Buljo adds, "That is us!", embracing the spirit of female empowerment and adventure on the open road. Thoresen is one of two blind navigators in the five-day Princesses Rally that roared off Sunday from Paris. Juliette Lepage, blind from birth, is the other, navigating a 1977 MG. Rallies are long-distance road races, typically with stages and checkpoints. Without sight, Thoresen says her other senses are working overtime on the roads of springtime France: The smells of flowers and vegetation and of farming in the fields; the sharp chill of tunnels they whizz through. And the orchestra of vintage engines — some throaty, others purring — racing down back-country roads. That's music to the ears for petrol-heads like Thoresen, who says she can identify some cars just by their sounds and when they're developing mechanical problems. 'I'm passionate about those sounds. It gives me adrenaline," she said. Thoresen was incredulous when Buljo proposed that they enter the rally together. 'I said, 'What? But I'm blind!' And she said, 'Yeah. And so what?'' Thoresen recounted. 'She's very much like, 'We can do everything — everything that is impossible is possible to do.'' Unfortunately, the 1990 Pontiac Firebird they planned to drive couldn't keep pace with their ambition. It has an automatic gearbox — easier with the arthritis that Buljo has battled since childhood. 'Because of my legs, I can't drive a normal gearbox. I also have some problems with my hands, so I can't be on the gearbox all the time,' she said. 'For me, driving has always been so very important for my freedom because I always have, more or less, pain in my legs, my knees, my ankles, everything.' But the car broke down a week before the start. They had to fall back on a last-minute modern replacement that's ineligible for the rally, which is open only to cars built between 1946 and 1991. Still, organisers allowed them to come along for the ride, with the competitors, and keep their race name: Team Valkyries, drawn from powerful female figures in Norse mythology. Having secured sponsors and crowd funding, Buljo and Thoresen didn't want their efforts to go to waste. They're using this rally as training, figuring out together how Thoresen can help navigate the route and its checkpoints, even though she can't see it. Participants aren't allowed to use GPS navigational aids and Thoresen hasn't yet learned Braille, which Lepage, the other blind navigator, uses to read and give directions. But Thoresen says she's become as reliable as London's Big Ben at measuring the passage of time, so can advise when it's the right moment to make a turn. And Buljo says she's able to memorise route notes. 'I have an inside map and Tonje has an inside clock, so we make a great team," she said. Besides, simply getting from Point A to Point B was never their priority. "We wanted to also show that it's very important to not be ashamed of your handicap," Thoresen said. 'It's very important to kind of be proud of the competences that you still have and to dare to do stuff.'
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
The navigator is blind and the driver's in pain, but they're racing though France, busting barriers
The driver's joints are so painful from rheumatoid arthritis that she can't manage a stick shift. And the co-pilot who is helping to guide her through France as the navigator is blind, her sight snatched away by a brain tumor five years ago that stole her career as a photographer. All the more reason, the two friends figure, for them to proudly show how capable they are by taking part in a women-only cross-country vintage car race from Paris to the Mediterranean. Saint-Tropez, here come Merete Buljo and Tonje Thoresen. 'Making the impossible possible!' is the motto the Norwegian women adopted for their adventure this week. They like to think of themselves as successors — minus the crimes — of 'Thelma & Louise,' the heroines of Ridley Scott's 1991 movie of female emancipation and the joys and perils of the open road. "That is us!' said Buljo, the driver. For the race, they even hunted for the same car that Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis' characters drove off a cliff. 'When we were looking for a car we thought, 'Oh, a Ford Thunderbird. It would just be perfect!'' Thoresen said. Two blind navigators Thoresen is one of two blind navigators in the five-day Princesses Rally that roared off Sunday from Paris. Juliette Lepage, blind from birth, is the other, navigating a 1977 MG. Rallies are long-distance road races, typically with stages and checkpoints. Without sight, Thoresen says her other senses are working overtime on the roads of springtime France: The smells of flowers and vegetation and of farming in the fields; the sharp chill of tunnels they whizz through. And the orchestra of vintage engines — some throaty, others purring — racing down back-country roads. That's music to the ears for petrol-heads like Thoresen, who says she can identify some cars just by their sounds and when they're developing mechanical problems. 'I'm passionate about those sounds. It gives me adrenaline," she said. The Firebird fails Thoresen was incredulous when Buljo proposed that they enter the rally together. 'I said, 'What? But I'm blind!' And she said, 'Yeah. And so what?'' Thoresen recounted. 'She's very much like, 'We can do everything — everything that is impossible is possible to do.'' Unfortunately, the 1990 Pontiac Firebird they planned to drive couldn't keep pace with their ambition. It has an automatic gearbox — easier with the arthritis that Buljo has battled since childhood. 'Because of my legs, I can't drive a normal gearbox. I also have some problems with my hands, so I can't be on the gearbox all the time,' she said. 'For me, driving has always been so very important for my freedom because I always have, more or less, pain in my legs, my knees, my ankles, everything.' But the car broke down a week before the start. They had to fall back on a last-minute modern replacement that's ineligible for the rally, which is open only to cars built between 1946 and 1991. Still, organizers allowed them to come along for the ride, with the competitors, and keep their race name: Team Valkyries, drawn from powerful female figures in Norse mythology. Beating shame Having secured sponsors and crowd funding, Buljo and Thoresen didn't want their efforts to go to waste. They're using this rally as training, figuring out together how Thoresen can help navigate the route and its checkpoints, even though she can't see it. Participants aren't allowed to use GPS navigational aids and Thoresen hasn't yet learned Braille, which Lepage, the other blind navigator, uses to read and give directions. But Thoresen says she's become as reliable as London's Big Ben at measuring the passage of time, so can advise when it's the right moment to make a turn. And Buljo says she's able to memorize route notes. 'I have an inside map and Tonje has an inside clock, so we make a great team," she said. Besides, simply getting from Point A to Point B was never their priority. "We wanted to also show that it's very important to not be ashamed of your handicap," Thoresen said. 'It's very important to kind of be proud of the competences that you still have and to dare to do stuff.'
