Latest news with #transrights
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pop star Jade Thirlwall leads crowd in anti-JK Rowling chant at LGBTQ+ London music festival
Pop star Jade Thirlwall led a crowd in a chant against author JK Rowling during her set at a London music festival celebrating LGBTQ+ culture. The former Little Mix member, now performing solo under the name JADE, encouraged thousands of fans at Mighty Hoopla on Saturday to shout 'F*** J.K. Rowling' from the main stage. The chant began when Thirlwall shouted 'transphobes,' prompting the crowd to respond with 'F*** you.' She then followed with 'J.K. Rowling,' and the crowd again replied, 'F*** you.' Footage of the moment was posted on social media with the caption: 'Jade, the legend you are!!!' Rowling, 59, has become a polarising figure in recent years after making a series of remarks widely criticised as transphobic. Since 2019, she has spoken out against the use of preferred pronouns and allowing trans women in female spaces. The Harry Potter author has said she would 'happily' go to prison for misgendering a trans person rather than use their chosen pronouns. In April, she celebrated a Supreme Court ruling tying the legal definition of 'woman' to biological sex, which campaigners say could have serious consequences for trans people. Following the verdict, Rowling posted a photo of herself smoking a cigar with the caption: 'I love it when a plan comes together.' She has since urged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the Government to apologise for their past support of trans-inclusive policies. Thirlwall, meanwhile, has been vocal in her defence of trans rights. She was among the signatories of an open letter pledging solidarity with the trans community after the Supreme Court ruling, along with former bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards. In an interview with Gayety, Thirlwall said: 'I've always been quite vocal, and I'm not always going to get it right. But you can't be a pop artist right now without speaking out about certain things. 'We're seeing an attack on the trans community, and I have a very big LGBTQ+ fanbase. I can't sit back and not be vocal about defending that community. I'm happy to pay the consequences if it means doing the right thing.' Fans rallied behind her on social media after the performance. One wrote on X: 'Out of this world. That was beyond anything in terms of a show. The woman she IS.'
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Which '90s TV Shows And Movies Didn't Age Well?
Plenty of movies and TV shows — no matter how popular they were in their day — have aged poorly by today's standards. The '90s was no exception. For example, the Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" was played as a joke, but in the current political climate and with reports of a certain prominent public figure seemingly doing a Nazi salute, it comes across as way too flippant a use of such a word. Related: How Long Would You Last In A Zombie Apocalypse? Build Your Survival Squad To Find Out And when I first watched the Saved by the Bell episode where Screech plays chess against a Russian exchange student, I remember being shocked by how casually they bullied him for being a "commie." Related: Choose 11 Yummy Dishes At This International Buffet And We'll Reveal What You Need At This Exact Moment And in the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective scene where Ace reveals that Lt. Lois Einhorn is a trans woman by ripping off her clothes is just grossly anti-trans — and it's an example of a harmful trope where a character's gender identity is used as a big reveal or twist. So, what's a scene from a '90s TV show or movie that has aged poorly, in your opinion? Why? Share your answers in the comments, and they may be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post! Also in Community: Eat Foods From Across Asia And I'll Guess Your Hair Color Also in Community: If You Can Name These 15 Recurring Disney Channel Characters, You're Officially Getting Old Also in Community: Enjoy A Buffet And We'll Guess Your Favorite Music Genre
The Sun
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Jade Thirlwall wages war with JK Rowling & encourages audience to tell her to ‘f*** off' at Mighty Hoopla
JADE THIRLWALL used her headline set at Mighty Hoopla to open fire at JK Rowling over the writer's views on trans people. The former Little Mix star was a real-life cowgirl in this animal print outfit on stage at the UK's biggest pop festival in south London on Saturday, where she encouraged the 30,000-strong crowd to chant an expletive aimed at the Harry Potter author. 8 8 8 8 8 She sang a handful of the band's hits like Touch and Shout Out To My Ex, as well as her solo singles, including the recent track FUFN, which stands for F*** You For Now. Jade told the crowd: 'I want you to put your middle fingers up in the air and I'm going to name some things and some people and I want you to shout, 'F*** you' back to me.' After listing off bad sex, misogyny, homophobes and transphobes, she added JK's name, to the biggest cheers. She was introduced on stage by Dannii Minogue, with the event headlined by US star Ciara. Also at the festival, JoJo was joined on stage by surprise guest Craig David to debut their upcoming track In It With You, while Jamelia took to the main stage for a crowd-pleasing show which included a performance of her 2005 tune See It In A Boy's Eyes. She recalled: 'I wrote this one with Chris Martin and I ate biscuits with Gwyneth Paltrow and it was the highlight of my life.' Despite the memorable experience penning it, she forgot the words on stage and told the crowd: 'Thanks for the help guys, I appreciate it.' Meanwhile yesterday saw performances from Kesha, Loreen and Lulu. Jade Thirlwall drops huge hint that Little Mix are set to reunite LEEDS was rocking on Saturday night after the Kaiser Chiefs welcomed a familiar face to the stage at Newsham Park. Nick Hodgson, who left the band back in 2012, returned to join Ricky Wilson and Co at their massive homecoming show. 8 The drummer, who co-wrote their hits including Ruby, I Predict A Riot and Oh My God, looked like he had the time of his life up on stage and clearly hadn't lost his passion for percussion. Since leaving the group, Nick has written for musicians including Dua Lipa, Duran Duran and George Ezra, as well as collaborating with stars including Mark Ronson and Dame Shirley Bassey. CONGRATS to Hailee Steinfeld who has tied the knot with American football quarterback Josh Allen. The actress and singer got married in California on Saturday in a service attended by their close family and friends. The Sinners and Pitch Perfect 2 star went public with her romance in May 2023 – five years after splitting from Niall Horan. THIS creepy-looking painting by Johnny Depp is going up for auction. The Pirates Of The Caribbean actor gifted the artwork – which looks like a self-portrait – to a pal. 8 But it's now being put up for sale by Propstore, who are having a huge Pop Culture auction on July 2. It's estimated the painting could go for as much as £6,000. Back in 2022, Johnny put his debut art collection, Friends & Heroes up for sale and netted close to £3million. The prints were created by Johnny to pay homage to people who had inspired his life including Keith Richards and Bob Dylan, and the entire collection sold out in hours. FINAL preparations are under way for I'm A Celeb champ Sam Thompson to take on a mammoth five back-to-back marathons, before completing 130 miles by bike. The tough physical challenge begins this morning, with the aim of the challenge to deliver the Soccer Aid For Unicef match ball from last year's stadium, London's Stamford Bridge, to Old Trafford in Manchester, ready for the charity game on June 15. This Morning and Hits Radio, with an ITV1 documentary to follow. To donate, go to
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Michigan Senate Democrats won't consider a trans athlete sports ban. Will Trump target the state?
A trans rights flag at the Transgender Unity Rally at the Michigan Capitol. Jan. 30, 2025. Photo by Jon King. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit's free newsletter to keep up with the city's public school system and Michigan education policy. The Republican-controlled House passed two bills last week that would bar transgender girls from competing on girls sports teams. But Democrats, who control the Senate, say they will not consider the legislation. 'Our legislative agenda is long and attacking kids is not on it,' Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, a Democrat from Grand Rapids, told Chalkbeat in a statement. Failure to take up the Republican-sponsored bills could draw unwelcome political attention to Michigan at a time when the Trump administration has targeted for investigation states that don't comply with its view on Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex. Since taking office for the second time, Trump has issued several executive orders targeting the rights of transgender Americans. One in January said the U.S. government would only recognize two genders, male and female, while another issued that month attempted to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. A February executive order called for schools to block trans girls from competing on girls sports teams. Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that don't comply with his executive orders. Executive orders cannot override existing state and federal statutes, though, and there have been legal challenges to the constitutionality of Trump's executive orders. But the Trump administration's threats to states that don't comply with the order have stoked fears over how he intends to enforce it. Multiple federal agencies opened investigations into Maine this year after a heated exchange between Trump and the state's Democratic governor, Janet Mills, in which she promised to follow the state's law protecting transgender rights. In one of those federal cases, a judge issued an injunction to stop the government from freezing federal funds to the state. But there are two other open cases that have been assigned to the Department of Justice to enforce. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said other states are at risk of losing federal funding for Title IX violations, specifically singling out California and Minnesota. Officials in those states have said their civil rights laws preclude them from complying with Trump's executive order. Bondi's office announced Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into California. Like some other states, Michigan recently expanded state protections from discrimination on the basis of sexuality and gender identity and expression. The expansion of those protections two years ago has long been a signature issue for Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. She signed the expansion of the state's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act in 2023, saying in a statement that 'Michigan is a place that will fight for your freedom to be yourself.' It is possible what has happened in Maine could happen in Michigan, said Nancy Chi Cantalupo, associate professor of law at Wayne State University. 'But what is happening in Maine is in no way a success for the current administration at this point,' she said, noting that the federal government has never withdrawn funds from a state under Title IX or any other civil rights statutes it enforces. 'It's not like there's a light switch the federal government can use to just turn off federal funds at its whim,' she said. 'There are a lot of steps it has to go through.' Brinks did not respond to a question about whether she or others in the Democratic Party have concerns Michigan may be targeted by the Trump administration. Whitmer's office did not respond to questions about the bills. In Michigan, a prohibition against trans girls competing on girls sports teams would affect few athletes statewide. The Michigan High School Athletic Association, the private organization that runs the state's high school sports competitions, said there were no trans girls competing on spring sports teams this year. None played on winter sports teams, while two played on fall teams. About 25 states have already passed similar laws restricting trans girls from playing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity. Advocates for transgender rights say sports bills aren't really about limiting the teams trans girls and women can play on. 'If this bill were just about sports, it wouldn't be proposed in coordination with all of these other anti-trans bills [nationwide,]' said Kye Campbell-Fox, a research assistant and laboratory manager at Michigan State University, who studies the impact of legislation targeting the rights of trans kids. 'This is a coordinated campaign to push trans people out of public life.' Though the Michigan bills have effectively died, advocates say lawmakers' focus on the issue — and the language they often use to talk about trans athletes — is still harmful to all trans children. The Michigan bills, for example, referred to trans girls as 'biological males,' ignoring their gender identities. And some lawmakers have said that the presence of trans girls in locker rooms could lead to sexual violence against other girls. Rep. Mike Harris, a Republican from Waterford, said during a hearing for the bills that he was concerned about the potential for sexual assault if trans girls use girls locker rooms. 'I don't think it's appropriate to place biological boys and girls in the same room, to strip down naked next to each other,' he said. There is no evidence to support the idea that trans girls will assault other girls, though there is evidence that trans populations face increased risks when they use bathrooms according to the sex they were assigned at birth. Republican lawmakers' rhetoric has emboldened some students and adults to feel freer to make hateful remarks, and LGBTQ+ youth are being affected by it. 'I'm hearing a lot of fear from youth,' said Jude Krajnyák, a regional coordinator for a research policy project at the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health. 'Things everyone else gets to take for granted — like playing soccer in middle school — are rights that are being taken away from us.' Krajnyák said he heard from a trans girl in middle school who gave up on playing soccer because she said 'it's just not worth' the backlash. Currently, the Michigan High School Athletic Association determines eligibility for trans girls to play on girls teams on a case-by-case basis. The executive director of the association, Mark Uyl, makes the determination based on a number of factors, including what gender is recorded on the students' school documents and other paperwork. Students are also asked whether they've begun hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries. 'The MHSAA asks for documentation on therapy and surgery as our policy allows for a waiver to be both approved and denied — and part of that decision is based on where in the transitioning process a student is at the time,' Geoff Kimmerly, director of communications for the association, told Chalkbeat. The policy went into effect in 2012, according to the association. It aligned with federal law during the Obama administration, as well as federal requirements from the Office for Civil Rights during Trump's first term and Biden's presidency. 'The MHSAA follows and will continue to follow all applicable state and federal laws,' said Kimmerly in a statement. 'We are monitoring developments in this regard closely.' Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@ Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
These families say they're leaving the U.S. because of its anti-transgender climate
Denver parents Brandon and Candace are spending tens of thousands of dollars to move to New Zealand in July. The reason, they said, is to protect their 9-year-old transgender daughter, Chase, from the effects of the Trump administration's policies and an increasingly hostile climate for trans people in the United States. 'You're taught to believe, or indoctrinated, I suppose, in America that this is the land of the free and promise and all of that, and for my child's rights to be stripped away for just being herself is gross,' Candace said, adding that she and her family feel like they have 'no control over' their future in the United States. Brandon and Candace, who agreed to speak on the condition that their last names not be used to protect their family from harassment and threats, are one of five families interviewed by NBC News who have either already left or plan to leave the country as a result of federal and state policies targeting transgender people and their health care. The families described fears of increased anti-trans violence and losing access to health care and identification documents that reflect their gender identities. During Donald Trump's first presidential term, many trans people talked about leaving the country, according to Sydney Duncan, a lawyer for Advocates for Trans Equality, the country's largest transgender rights group. However, few people actually did. Trump's second term has had a more immediate effect on trans people and their rights because of several executive orders he issued this year. The orders, many of which are blocked in court or have faced lawsuits, have prohibited federal funds from going to hospitals that provide transition-related care to minors, barred trans women and girls from competing in female sports in K-12 schools and colleges, blocked trans people from getting passports that reflect their gender identities and banned trans people from military service. But while an increasing number of trans people are deciding to leave the United States, Duncan cautioned that it still isn't a widespread trend. 'The reality is that a lot of people of trans experience don't have the resources to travel or to escape the policies of this administration,' Duncan said. Brandon and Candace said their fears of having to leave the country were realized just 13 days into Trump's second term. That is when Chase's medical team at the Children's Hospital Colorado told them it could no longer provide transition-related medical care to anyone under 19 because of an executive order Trump issued that barred research and education grants from going to hospitals that provide such care to minors. The couple were shocked, in part because Colorado is among about a dozen states that have passed 'shield' laws intended to protect access to trans health care, they said. 'Our reaction was we were supposed to be safe here until we left,' Candace said. 'And immediately, we weren't.' The hospital resumed care for minors in February after a federal judge blocked the order from taking effect, but Brandon said that didn't provide them with much relief, in part because the Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in the coming weeks in a lawsuit against Tennessee's ban on transition-related care for minors. That decision could have an immediate effect on the validity of Trump's executive order and on access to trans health care for minors and adults nationwide. Some parents told NBC News that if the court allows the law to stand, they fear Trump will try to declare all transition care for minors child abuse and direct the attorney general to investigate parents who have been vocal advocates for their trans kids, similar to what Republican officials in Texas did in 2022. Trump issued a proclamation in April for Child Abuse Prevention Month declaring 'the sinister threat of gender ideology' one of 'the most prevalent forms of child abuse facing our country today.' So far, Chase hasn't received any transition-related care other than therapy and regular checks at the hospital to monitor for when she starts puberty. However, she is likely to consider it in the near future, and Brandon and Candace said they don't want to raise her in an environment in which she hears negative rhetoric about trans people from elected officials. Chase loves playing soccer and skiing, and she keeps what the family calls a 'pillow library' — a collection of four to five books under her pillow that she reads after they put her to bed. Chase said she feels both happy and sad about moving, because she doesn't want to leave her friends, but she does want to try living somewhere new. Asked in an interview with her parents whether she is aware of Trump's policies regarding trans people, Chase, who is in the fourth grade, said, 'I am very aware about what he has been doing to people like me, and how I feel about it is I hate it, because I think everybody deserves to have that care.' Brandon and Candace said they chose New Zealand because Brandon loved it when he visited a few years ago, it is very LGBTQ-friendly, their kids will be able to speak the language, and its way of life is similar to Denver's. They began planning the move while they applied for jobs in New Zealand. On Tuesday, Brandon officially accepted a job as a sales manager at a winery in Queenstown. He should have an accredited employer visa in about four weeks, while visas for the rest of the family will take an additional two. Accredited employer visas allow people to stay for up to five years if they have received job offers from accredited employers, and they provide a path to permanent residence. It will also provide Candace with a partner visa that will allow her to work in New Zealand. The family will leave the United States and begin 35 hours of travel to their new home on July 23. The winery offered a house on the vineyard for the family to stay for six weeks until they find a home to rent. When Chase found out that Brandon had gotten the job at the winery, she burst into 'tears of happiness,' Candace said. 'School's ending next week, and then everything kind of gets real,' she said, adding that the entire family feels a mix of excitement and sadness about having to start saying goodbye to their lives in the United States. They estimated that the total cost of moving their family — which also includes Chase's older brother, a 90-pound dog and two cats — will be $65,000 to $80,000. That total includes one-way plane tickets for the family of four ($6,000); relocation services for their three pets, if they can afford to take all of them ($25,000); visa applications ($3,000); lawyer fees ($2,000); and required medical tests for the move that aren't covered by insurance. Candace organized a GoFundMe fundraiser with a goal of $50,000, in part because, she said, she felt bad asking for anything more. The money will go toward the expenses they've paid with their savings so far and to whatever they need when they arrive with only their clothing, sentimental items and ski gear. They've raised just over $6,500 and have already taken money out of one of their 401(k) retirement plans to cover some moving costs. The Jackson family of Missouri left more than a year before the 2024 election. Debi Jackson's child Avery, who uses they/them pronouns and is about to turn 18, became a prominent face in trans advocacy after they were featured on the cover of National Geographic in January 2017, when they were 9 years old. The family lived in Kansas City for 15 years and often traveled to the State Capitol to testify against legislation targeting trans people. She said that after a series of difficult events — the Supreme Court's overturning Roe v. Wade; a shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 people; and Missouri's enacting a ban on gender-affirming care for minors — her kids asked her why they were still in the United States. 'In that moment, I realized they were just saying they wanted out completely,' Jackson said. 'A big part of it was their fear over the escalation of violence that we could all tell was going to come, because for years they had been listening to the language about trans people become more and more dehumanizing and become more and more violent in the way it was presented.' Jackson said she also knew trans issues would be important for Republicans in the 2024 election, and she feared that photos of Avery — which she said prominent right-wing figures in Brazil, France and Poland were already using in speeches and online — could be featured in Republican attack ads. She said she also knew the family couldn't afford to move to another state first and then leave the country if Trump won. Just a few months later, in September 2023, Jackson packed up her family and moved them to a country in the European Union, which for safety reasons she declined to name. She said it took her two months to raise $15,000 online to pay to transport their four dogs to Europe and for an initial deposit to rent a home. Jackson does consulting and freelance writing remotely and was able to get a digital nomad visa, which in some countries can provide permanent residency. Now settled in her new home, Jackson said she spends time each day answering some of the hundreds of direct messages she gets on social media from parents with trans children who want to move either to other states or out of the country entirely. Jackson said many Americans don't know, for example, that they can't move to other countries, particularly in Europe, and apply for asylum because of their or their children's trans status. No countries that provide asylum to LGBTQ people because of fears of persecution accept U.S. citizens through those programs. When people are denied asylum by one of the more than two dozen member countries in the European Union, they are also banned from re-entering all other countries in the E.U. except Ireland and Switzerland for two years if they are from what are considered 'safe countries.' 'I spend a lot of time researching and replying to people,' Jackson said. 'That's really the way that I deal with stress and trauma, is by trying to actually be proactive rather than reactive.' It's not only trans minors and their parents who are making the move. Ohio couple Marina, 30, and Faye, 23 — who are both trans and requested that only their first names be used because of fears of being publicly targeted — are leaving the United States behind for Australia. Faye said one of the turning points for her was the Trump administration's detaining and trying to deport people with valid visas and revoking the visas of foreign-born college students. Faye is an Australian citizen on a student visa, and Marina is a U.S. citizen. The couple have to move before Marina turns 31 in August, because they plan to get work holiday visas, which are available only to those 30 and younger and would allow them to stay and work in Australia for up to a year. It costs $600 to apply, and applicants also have to show that they have at least $5,000 in their bank accounts. After that year is up, the couple have to decide whether they want to get married. Marina said they're looking forward to the stress of the move's being over. 'Every time I look at my cat, I'm about to cry,' Marina said of their 10-year-old pet, which they have to leave behind until Marina's sister can, they hope, bring her over after having completed Australia's rigorous process to move animals into the country. 'It's really overwhelming. I feel like once we actually have our feet down on the ground in Australia, it's definitely going to be sad and still a lot of emotion, but part of it's definitely going to feel like life is starting again.' As for Duncan, the Advocates for Trans Equality lawyer, she that said she and her wife, a college professor in Alabama, have talked about leaving the country but that one of the problems they've run into is whether there is a safer place to go. 'What does Canada look like in 10 years? Do they get to where we are now? Or do they learn from our mistakes here?' she said. 'It just becomes a Rubik's Cube of decisions to solve, and that's exhausting.' This article was originally published on
