Latest news with #trans
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump will unfreeze Maine funding after trans athlete lawsuit: ‘We took him to court and we won'
Donald Trump's administration will unfreeze federal funding for Maine's child nutrition programs following a legal battle between the state and the president over transgender athletes. The administration agreed that it will not interfere with the state's access to Department of Agriculture funding, and in turn, the state will drop its lawsuit against the agency. The settlement does not constitute an admission of guilt from either party. In remarks on Friday, Maine's Democratic Governor Janet Mills hailed the settlement as a 'victory' for its state after a 'blatantly illegal' threat to block critical funding for school food programs. 'It's good to feel a victory like this,' she said. 'We took him to court and we won.' The legal battle was sparked after a confrontational meeting at the White House, where the president told Mills to comply with an executive order banning transgender women and girls from women's sports. 'Are you not going to comply with it?' Trump asked Mills. 'I'm complying with state and federal laws,' she replied. 'We are federal law,' Trump said. 'You better do it. You better do it, because you're not going to get federal funding … Your population doesn't want men in women's sports.' 'We'll see you in court,' Mills replied. 'Good. I'll see you in court. I'll look forward to that. That should be a real easy one,' Trump said. 'And enjoy your life after, governor, because I don't think you'll be in elected politics.' In the ensuing lawsuit, Attorney General Pam Bondi accused the state of violating Title IX, the 1972 civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination at schools that receive federal funding. Maine violated the law by 'discriminating against women by failing to protect women in women's sports,' according to Bondi's lawsuit. 'By prioritizing gender identity over biological reality, Maine's policies deprive girl athletes of fair competition, deny them equal athletic opportunities, and expose them to heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm,' the lawsuit stated. In February, Trump signed an executive order to end the 'dangerous and unfair participation of men in women's sports' by directing federal law enforcement agencies to take 'immediate action' against schools and associations that 'deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms,' according to a summary from the White House. During a signing ceremony surrounded by young girls, Trump claimed that the 'radical left' had 'waged an all-out campaign to erase the very concept of biological sex and replace it with a militant transgender ideology.' The order followed a sweeping executive order impacting virtually every aspect of public life for trans Americans by erasing 'gender' as a concept across federal agencies and effectively denying the existence of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people. Separate executive orders have targeted access to gender-affirming healthcare for trans people under 19 and have sought to ban trans service members from the U.S. military. The lawsuit followed a letter to the state from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on April 2, which Mills likened to a 'ransom note' written by a child in her remarks on Friday. 'A demand letter that was outrageous at the time and remains outrageous today,' she said Friday. On April 11, District Judge John Woodcock Jr. ordered the USDA to immediately unfreeze any withheld federal funding to the state. 'It's unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations,' Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement. 'But we are pleased that the lawsuit has now been resolved and that Maine will continue to receive funds as directed by Congress to feed children and vulnerable adults.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's first 100 days: What stands out. What's surprising. What's next.
One hundred days into President Donald Trump's second term, the speed with which he has worked to fulfill the promises he made on the campaign trail has been remarkable. He has gone after perceived enemies in law and higher education, instituted tariffs, and moved to restrict how race and gender are discussed in every American institution. It's not that we haven't felt the impact of a Trump presidency before — his first term included a major tax cut, new restrictions on immigration and a ban on trans people in the military and closed out with an impeachment over an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, an assault on the functionings of our democracy. This time, though, his administration is staffed with more loyalists, and his beefs and beliefs have translated directly into action. To mark this moment, we asked our reporters to share the highlights and surprises of Trump's first hundred days. What is he undoing from the last administration and what is new? Here's what eight 19th reporters told us. The Trump administration has moved with lightning speed to dismantle transgender people's existence from federal databases, websites and resources. Most significantly, Trump signed an executive order declaring that there are only two federally recognized genders. Trump's first term rolled back LGBTQ+ rights, but it was nothing like the scale we're seeing now. This administration has slashed programs for HIV prevention and LGBTQ+ elder care, cut research grants that mention trans people, and consistently used harsh language to attack the idea of being transgender while making it harder for trans people to live openly. The rollout of these decisions has been chaotic, as well. When the State Department started blocking new passports for trans Americans in January, there was no formal announcement from the agency; impacted people had to scramble to find out more. Rummler: I'm surprised that Riley Gaines, an advocate for banning trans women from women's sports, now seems to be speaking for the Department of Health and Human Services. For the Trump administration to make her the face of one of its women's health initiatives speaks volumes about its stance on who should be seen, and protected, under the law as a woman. Sosin: We've been surprised to see how swiftly the administration has been able to achieve its anti-LGBTQ+ agenda and how little pushback they are getting from career Democrats. In a podcast, LGBTQ+ ally and California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to go so far as to support transgender sports bans even. Depending on the final text of a proposed plan from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health care costs for trans people seeking gender-affirming care could increase in 2026. Beyond that, Project 2025, a blueprint for Trump's second term in office, lays out plans for cutting off gender-affirming health care to transgender adults by cutting funding to health providers who offer such services or monitoring. This, however, would be logistically complicated for the administration and likely face significant legal backlash. Trump has called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs 'immoral' and 'illegal.' In his first week in office, Trump issued a series of executive orders targeting DEI programs in public and private sectors. In short, these orders directed agencies to: Terminate all DEI offices, positions and programs in the federal government. Terminate DEI-related grants and contracts. Repeal all previous executive orders designed to ensure equal opportunity in the workplace, including efforts to prevent age, gender and disability discrimination. Challenge DEI-related programs of publicly traded corporations, nonprofits and philanthropic foundations by threatening legal action. The administration has created a culture of fear. Officials have encouraged employees to report any colleagues who defy these orders and have even threatened 'adverse consequences' if there's resistance. A federal appeals court in March allowed the Trump administration's crackdown on DEI to proceed after a lower court in Maryland had temporarily blocked the enforcement of the executive orders. The wide-reaching impact of these orders has been shocking — particularly because there is not a clear definition of what 'DEI' means or what might constitute a 'DEI program.' Some worry this means anything could be considered DEI. And though many of the administration's anti-DEI efforts were initially bogged down or blocked entirely by the courts, the ripple effect of the executive orders quickly spread to the private sector. Many corporations, sensing a shift in political and public opinion, preemptively shifted their approach to DEI goals or scrapped their DEI programs altogether. They include Pepsi, GM, Google, Disney, UnitedHealth Group, Amazon, PayPal, Chipotle, Comcast and Target. We expect the executive orders to continue being disrupted by legal challenges as critics argue that they could infringe upon the right to free speech and are an overreach of presidential authority. Ultimately, the administration's attempts to dismantle DEI could hurt years of progress for women, minorities and other marginalized communities. DEI programs were created to help communities that historically faced obstacles to opportunities and were expanded with the 1964 Civil Rights Act — which outlawed employment discrimination based on race, religion, sex, color and national origin. Trump has quickly moved to slash the Education Department and target K-12 schools and higher learning institutions that he sees as defying orders aimed at canceling out DEI programs and recognizing trans students. He has threatened to revoke federal funding from a number of elite universities where, he says, antisemitic and anti-American protests have gone unchecked. Some universities, notably Columbia, have agreed to Trump's demands in the face of canceled grants, while others, like Harvard, have refused and even sued the Trump administration. Trump has also vowed to revoke federal funding from public K-12 schools across the country unless education officials scrap policies that conflict with his anti-DEI executive orders. The Trump administration announced that it would revert back to the Title IX guidelines from the president's first term, a version that excludes LGBTQ+ people from protections and imposes restrictions on what constitutes sexual misconduct at schools. Trump vowed to eliminate the Department of Education while campaigning for president, but his executive order calling for the education secretary to explore ways to disband it lawfully still came as a surprise. Some education leaders had believed that Trump would cave to public pressure and hold off on targeting the department. The Trump administration already faces lawsuits over a number of its executive orders. Expect more litigation and education cases headed to the Supreme Court. The Department of Education works to ensure that all students have equal access to education and administers funding for college financial aid. It remains to be seen how the department can continue to serve the public after losing so many employees. We could see a very different Department of Education, with other agencies taking on its core duties — if the Trump administration gets its way. Trump hasn't really said much about abortion so far, beyond a pre-taped speech at January's anti-abortion March for Life. But any time his administration has had a chance to take a stance opposing reproductive rights and abortion, it has: The Department of Justice abandoned a case arguing that federal law protects abortion rights in medical emergencies. It also argued that Planned Parenthood should get the boot from state Medicaid programs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has withheld money from Planned Parenthood and other organizations that were helping people get contraception. And HHS has stopped research into reproductive health policy, including a grant meant to study the long-term health implications of the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Despite its big role in the 2024 campaign, abortion has taken a back seat since Trump's inauguration. The administration has undone Biden policies that protected abortion access, but it hasn't yet added any more restrictions. And more surprisingly, influential anti-abortion groups are scaling back their own ambitions — suggesting a national ban may be difficult to achieve. We're following a few big cases. Two involve a New York-based doctor who allegedly mailed abortion medications to patients in Texas and Louisiana. These cases are testing New York's 'shield law,' which is meant to protect health care providers who send abortion medication to people in states with bans. Attorney General Pam Bondi has suggested the federal government may get involved. Another, filed in a Texas-based federal court concerns the legal availability of mifepristone, one of the drugs used in such abortions. The Justice Department is considering whether to stop defending access to the drug. Abortion opponents hope that case could be used to enact nationwide restrictions on how the drug is prescribed and how people receive abortions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is undergoing massive changes. He announced plans to slash the health agency's workforce by 20,000 employees between layoffs and early retirement offers, and consolidate 28 divisions down to 15, saying HHS has some redundant functions. The cuts are beginning to reach everyday Americans. At the Food and Drug Administration, which is overseen by HHS, some milk quality testing is reportedly being suspended. At the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, key caseworkers who help people with health insurance enrollment, including under the Affordable Care Act, have reportedly been laid off. Kennedy has staked part of his political ascension on a mission to 'Make America Health Again.' But among the cuts are teams researching pressing health questions — including, reportedly, ones examining lead exposure among children, maternal and child health programs and programs that address chronic disease. Kennedy claims some of these services will have new oversight and some cuts have been a mistake. Major reductions at the National Institutes of Health, a key agency under HHS for medical research, has already been hit by cuts to research grants that fund studies on women's health and queer people. The scope of the cuts have reached universities and other research centers studying many aspects of Americans' health — the sort of long-term investments that are aimed at helping people live healthier lives. Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, has also been under a microscope for his response to a measles outbreak that started in Texas and has stretched into hundreds of cases in at least 25 states as of mid-April. Kennedy says the decision to vaccinate 'is a personal one' for parents — a framing that worries infectious disease experts who say it doesn't take into account how contagious measles is and could contribute to more cases. There are also now multiple media reports that the White House supports even more cuts at HHS, to the tune of $40 billion — about one-third of its discretionary budget. I'm wondering: How many more measles cases will we see this year? What will these budget cuts ultimately look like? And will members of Congress go along with them? How will the budget cuts impact people who rely on the slashed programs? In his first full day on the job, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon would comply with Trump's executive order to eliminate DEI programs 'immediately' and with 'no exceptions, name-changes or delays.' Hegseth also later said: 'I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is, 'Our diversity is our strength.'' The changes to the nation's largest department have been swift and sweeping: Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the second Black man to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was abruptly fired. He publicly supported the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Adm. Linda Fagan— two of the highest-ranking women in the Armed Forces — were ousted. Franchetti was the first woman to lead the Navy and the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Fagan led the Coast Guard and was the first woman to lead a branch of the military. Military academies were ordered to eliminate race-conscious admissions and disband some affinity groups centered on ethnicity, gender, race and sexuality. The military no longer recognizes commemoration months, such as Black History Month or Women's History Month. A new department task force was created to promote 'merit-based, color-blind policies' to ban race and sex consideration from military promotions. The military flagged more than 26,000 images for removal after the Pentagon ordered all military services to remove any content that highlights or promotes diversity efforts from its websites and social media accounts. The vast majority of the purge targeted women and minority milestones. Hegseth ordered the elimination of lower fitness standards for women in combat roles, and the Army subsequently updated its physical standards test to be 'sex-neutral.' Hegseth's statements disparaging women in the military have needed a fact-check. He has insisted that the military has lowered its standards to adhere to gender-based quotas. However, there are no such quotas and the thousands of women currently in combat roles had to meet the exact same requirements as their male counterparts — by law. Hegseth has faced a lot of scrutiny after allegedly sharing classified information using the Signal messaging app on his personal smartphone instead of using more secure communication channels. There are rumors that these headlines could lead to Hegseth's replacement, though Trump has publicly defended him. The Trump administration's 'flood the zone' approach to immigration is what really stands out: Trump signed an executive order undercutting birthright citizenship. Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, requiring the detention of any unauthorized immigrant arrested or charged with crimes like shoplifting and burglary with no chance for bond. Trump directed federal agencies to boost immigration enforcement while clawing back federal funding from some nonprofits that serve immigrants, including some that provide legal representation to immigrant minors who entered the country alone. Trump put an end to a program for Venezuelan immigrants fleeing violence and economic catastrophe. Trump gutted the civil rights office at the Department of Homeland Security, along with two watchdogs, weakening protections for victims of domestic violence and anti-LGBTQ+ violence. The Trump administration has detained and revoked the visas of international students who protested Israel's war in Gaza. Shock and awe has always been part of the Trump playbook, and still I've been taken aback by the administration's Instagramization of its immigration agenda. There's Kristi Noem in full makeup, Utah curls and an ICE baseball cap talking to the camera about having arrested 'dirtbags' alongside law enforcement agents. There's the cartoon of a woman in a hairnet crying while being detained by a law enforcement agent — a depiction of an ICE arrest posted to the White House's official Instagram account. We're closely watching ongoing lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's executive order undercutting birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court will hear the case next month, opening up the possibility that some babies could be denied citizenship while the case is tied up in court. We're also looking out for other ways the administration could make it harder for women or LGBTQ+ immigrants to get authorization to live in the country, including changing visa programs for victims of domestic violence or altering asylum eligibility for people escaping anti-LGBTQ+ violence. Trump came into his second term promising to shake up the economy — and he has. While egg prices reached a peak in February and are expected to slowly come back down — which Trump has taken credit for — his attempts to increase American production through tariffs has been chaotic. On the employment side, Trump has gutted the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board, which deal with workplace discrimination and unionization processes, respectively. This leaves fewer resources for women, people of color and LGBTQ+ people who want to take action against workplace biases. The speed and indelicacy with which the Trump administration imposed tariffs has been incredibly surprising. Instituting, then rescinding, reciprocal tariffs on most of the country's trading partners based on a simplistic formula goes beyond Trump's initial promises to bring back domestic manufacturing. Now, consumers are worried about affording not just basic goods, but also important household items that could balloon in price over the next few months — everything from baby strollers to coffee. Some have started panic-buying goods ahead of retailers saying they could raise prices soon. In Congress, Democrats and some Republicans have questioned the constitutionality and legality of Trump's tariff sweep. It's unclear what's next for tariffs, but consumers should expect at least a temporary rise in prices in coming months. Women make the vast majority of purchases in the United States, and their wallets will be impacted. One way is through the end of an exemption for low-value imports, but all levels of consumerism could be affected by the new tariff rates. This can extend to many American-made goods: think the glass used for California wine bottles, or the technology needed to repair tractors. We will have to wait a few months to understand the scope of the impact on American consumers and businesses, particularly if the administration walks back its plans again. The post Trump's first 100 days: What stands out. What's surprising. What's next. appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
J&K forest dept to close all its trekking destinations for tourists
In the backdrop of the attack on tourists in Pahalgam, the J&K forests department has decided to close all its trekking destinations for tourists. The trekking routes of forests are located in every district of UT and for the past three years locals as well as non-local tourists were trekking on these routes and with every passing year the number of trekkers was going up especially in summers. Most of these routes are off-beat locations in Jammu and Kashmir and trail deep inside forests providing a thrilling experience to the adventure seekers, trekkers and the tourists who are aficionados of nature's wilderness. 'We have decided to close all our trekking routes after the attack on tourists in J&K,' said a senior J&K forest department official on anonymity. 'The decision to open treks for trekking will be taken after assessment of the situation,' he added. Meanwhile, police in every district have been asked to compile the list of trekking routes both long as well as short which leads deep into forests. 'I was asked by police officers about the trekking routes which we usually take in different districts, especially my home district,' said Tariq Ahmad, an avid trekker of North Kashmir. The trend for trekking picked up among both locals and non-locals especially after the government opened 100 new tourist destinations in J&K for tourists, explorers and trekkers last year. Also Read | 14 'active' terrorists identified in Kashmir These tracks opened in the past three to four years and had been into six circles - Srinagar, South, North, East, West and Chenab circles with each circle having more than 10 identified trekking routes. North circle which comprises Baramulla and Kupwara districts and has highest 26 identified routes - some close to the Line of Control. Similarly, Srinagar and south circles have more than 20 routes. In Jammu division, as many as 24 trekking routes in the forests of Jammu, Kathua, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kishtwar and Doda have been identified. 'Only for Great Lakes and some other long trekking routes we needed to get permission. Now it will all be closed,' said Jalal Jeelani, a prominent trekker of Pathfinders group. 'Even from past few years tourists have been trekking at Kashmir Great Lakes in hundreds. Now everything will be closed. Nobody would want to take a risk,' he said. Also Read | 'Bodies everywhere… people ran barefoot': Rescuer, pony operator body's chief, recounts Pahalgam attack horror Kashmir is known for its trekking routes especially Tarsar Marsar, Famber Valley, Kulgam Alpine lakes, Kousarnag, Chornar lakes Kishtwar, trans Himalayan trek from Kishtwar to Panikher, Ladakh. The famous virgin snow-fed lakes that are part of the journey of Kashmir Great Lakes are Kishansar, Vishansar, Gadsar, Satsar, Nundkul and Gangabal has seen many tourists and trekkers in past few years. Some of these lakes are home to famous trout species. Trekkers often take the opportunity to catch the fish in these lakes at altitudes between 3,500 to 3,800 metres and satisfy their taste buds Not only trekking routes, in the last five six years the government with the help of the army had opened several tourist destinations close to the Line of Control in north Kashmir which attracted good numbers of tourists, especially outsiders. Though the government is yet to take a call on those destinations, many tour operators, who fear the restrictions, could go further up. 'After this attack many restrictions will be imposed on tourist destinations which are far-off as nobody wants to take the risk,' Omar Ahmad, a tour operator in north Kashmir, said.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Blasphemy is coming to St. Peter's Square as Trump tries to hijack Pope Francis's funeral to feed his ego
It is an abomination that Donald Trump will set foot in St. Peter's Square on Saturday under the pretense of honoring Pope Francis. He is not there to grieve. He is not there to represent the United States in any meaningful way. He is there because the cameras will be. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Trump will be there for the same reason he rudely pushed Montenegro Prime Minister Dusko Markovic out of the way at the 2017 NATO summit. He will be there for the same reason he posts bizarre rants at 3 a.m. on his Truth Social. He will be there for the same reason he's playing a game of chicken with countries around the world with on-again, off-again tariffs. And on and on and on. The only reason Trump is attending the funeral of Francis is to hog the spotlight, to feed the bottomless void of his ego, and to turn a moment of global mourning into another grotesque sideshow, all about Trump. The eyes of the world will be on St. Peter's Square on Saturday, and Trump wouldn't miss this colossal media event for anything in the world. And there isn't a reason in the world that Trump should be there. I think Pope Francis tried to love everyone, and I also think Francis could spot a phony — and a blatant sinner — a mile away, and he no doubt saw the despicable Trump for who he really is. If you look at the famous 2017 photo from the meeting between Francis and Trump, the pope is noticeably not happy, and if I dare say, angry that he had to stand next to the insidious Trump. If a picture speaks a thousand words, then the rumors that Francis strongly disliked Trump are real and visceral in that photo. It doesn't take a religious scholar to determine that Trump is the antithesis of everything Pope Francis stood for. The thought of seeing Trump walk into the massive chapel makes my skin crawl and also makes me think of ruinous thoughts about Trump that would keep me in a confessional for months on end. Where Pope Francis lifted up the poor, Trump pushes them down. Where Francis preached love, Trump shouts cruelty. Francis, known as the 'People's Pope,' opened Vatican doors to migrants, refugees, and the LGBTQ+ community, including transgender people; in fact, he told a group of transgender women they were 'daughters of God.' Trump, meanwhile, has tried to erase trans Americans from public life and civil rights law. He banned them from serving in the military in his first term, and after President Joe Biden lifted that ban, Trump is at it again, trying to gut their health care protections and using them as punching bags to rile up his base. Francis reminded us that God loves all people. Trump reminds us daily that he loves only himself. The pope condemned Trump's treatment of immigrants more than once. In 2016, he pointedly said, 'A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.' Just this year, Pope Francis slammed Trump's renewed push for mass deportations as 'a disgrace,' insisting, 'It's the poor wretches who have nothing who pay the bill.' These weren't veiled criticisms. They were full-throated moral indictments from the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics. And they remain true. Trump's policies have been a war on the vulnerable. His draconian tariffs have hurt working-class Americans. His persistent efforts to slash Medicaid and Medicare threaten the health and dignity of the elderly, the disabled, and the poor. His tax cuts padded the pockets of the ultra-rich while leaving crumbs, if anything, for the rest. He leads not with conviction or conscience but with vindictiveness, pettiness, and revenge. Pope Francis spent his papacy humbling power in service of justice. Trump uses power to punish. Francis kissed the feet of refugees and washed the feet of prisoners. Trump jails the poor and mocks the afflicted. Francis gave voice to the voiceless. Trump silences the press, threatens dissenters, and treats truth as an inconvenience to bulldoze. And yet on Saturday, this very man, this blustering despot of hubris, cruelty, and fraudulence, will march into Vatican City as if he belongs there. As if he deserves to stand shoulder to shoulder with world leaders to celebrate the life of a man who rebuked nearly everything Trump has ever done. Trump is not attending the pope's funeral as a statesman. He's attending as a showman. This is political theater covered in the cloak of mourning. Trump does not represent the American people, not the ones who believe in decency, in mercy, in solidarity with the suffering. He is not our moral ambassador. He is a walking perversion of this solemn moment. There was a word my great-grandmother used frequently when she saw something that betrayed her faith: 'blasphemy.' It is blasphemy, pure and simple, that this man, whose every instinct is inhumane and every motive is self-promotion, will attempt to desecrate the memory of Pope Francis with his presence. But the majority of the people watching the pope's funeral are not fools, and Trump's presence will show the world the striking and stark contrast between good and evil. If Pope Francis was the shepherd, Trump is the wolf. If Francis brought light, Trump deals in shadows. Well, that's too kind. He deals in a dense darkness. If this funeral is meant to honor a life spent in the service of love, then Trump's presence is an act of vandalism. And the world will recognize it as that. And when Trump dies, and someday he will, his legacy will not be one of love or humility. He will most certainly not be mourned in St. Peter's Square. He will be mourned, perhaps, by sycophants and enablers, by the world's fellow dictators and murderers, but not by the poor he punished or the communities he terrorized. If anything, his fitting resting place would be in the prison where he once sought to put those without power, a final, ironic reckoning for a man who spent his life worshipping it. And Trump being buried in a prison, again, seems too kind. Trump may strut into St. Peter's Square with gold cufflinks and grievance, but no amount of spectacle can drown out the quiet, radical gospel of mercy that Francis lived. Let the cameras catch not the bluster of a man desperate to be seen but the bowed heads of the poor, the meek, the brokenhearted, and those whom Francis never stopped seeing. On Saturday, may humility speak louder than hubris. And may the world remember which of the two truly walked in the shoes of the fisherman. Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ and Allied community. Visit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@ Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.
The Independent
04-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Historic ocean liner off Florida's Gulf Coast will soon be the world's largest artificial reef
A historic ocean liner will become the world's largest artificial reef once it reaches its final resting place off Florida's Gulf Coast. Competing diving businesses are vying for the massive ship to be scuttled closer to them, while one group is suing to stop the ship from being sunk at all. The SS United States, a nearly 1,000-foot (305-meter) vessel that shattered the trans- Atlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, is going through a monthslong scouring at the Port of Mobile in Alabama. Workers will empty and clean all 120 fuel tanks, as well as remove chemicals, wiring, plastic and glass. 'There's a lot of nasties on vessels that were built back in the '50s," Okaloosa County coastal resource manager Alex Fogg said. 'Basically, when it's ready to be deployed, it will be a steel and aluminum structure." The SS United States is set to join Okaloosa County's more than 500 artificial reefs, which include a dozen smaller ship wrecks. Officials hope to draw tourists and generate millions of dollars annually for scuba shops, charter fishing boats and hotels, as well as provide habitat for critical fish species and other sea life. 'The goal here is to be the dive capital of the state of Florida,' Fogg said. 'We're even trying to surpass the Florida Keys.' Fogg said they expect to have the SS United States sunk by the end of the year at one of three permitted locations, all just over 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) from Destin, Florida. All three locations are the same depth, about 180 feet (55 meters) of water to the sand, but the vessel is so tall that the top decks will be about 60 feet (18 meters) from the surface. 'That's very much within the beginner diver profile, and those deeper depths will be certainly attractive to those technical and advanced divers,' Fogg said. Bay County officials have agreed to offer $3 million to Okaloosa County to sink the SS United States closer to Panama City Beach. Visit Panama City Beach President and CEO Dan Rowe said his area has one of the largest dive boat fleets along the northern Gulf Coast. Bay County has a long history of developing technology used in underwater exploration and the U.S. Navy's dive school is located at Naval Support Activity Panama City. ' Diving is part of our DNA,' Rowe said. Escambia County officials are offering only $1 million to sink the ship closer to Pensacola, but Visit Pensacola President and CEO Darien Schaefer said the western location is just 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) away from to the USS Oriskany, another popular dive site sunk in 2006. He said divers would be able to visit both wrecks in a single day. 'We just think it would be a legendary dive site to have those two wrecks within close proximity,' Schaefer said. The SS United States arrived in Alabama at the beginning of March following a 12-day tow from Philadelphia's Delaware River, where it has spent nearly three decades. Okaloosa County was able to take ownership of the vessel after a years-old rent dispute was resolved in October between the conservancy that oversees the ship and its landlord. Various groups have attempted to restore the SS United States over the years, but all plans were eventually abandoned because of the steep cost. Recently, increased media attention has generated more calls to preserve the ship, and a group called the New York Coalition has even filed a lawsuit in Pensacola federal court asking a judge to halt sinking such a historically significant vessel. But preventing the SS United States from becoming a reef would only send it to the scrapyard, Fogg said. Also, the county's $10.1 million plan to purchase, move, clean and sink the ship includes $1 million toward a landside museum to promote the ship's history. 'Once the vessel is deployed as an artificial reef, there are going to be more people visiting it in the first month of it underwater than have visited it in the last 30 years," Fogg said. The SS United States, more than 100 feet (30 meters) longer than the RMS Titanic, was once considered a beacon of American engineering, doubling as a military vessel that could carry thousands of troops. Its maiden voyage broke the trans-Atlantic speed record in both directions when it reached an average speed of 36 knots, or just over 41 mph (66 kph), The Associated Press reported from aboard the ship. The ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, besting the RMS Queen Mary's time by 10 hours. To this day, the SS United States holds the trans-Atlantic speed record for an ocean liner.
