Tag: gender

Māori women’s rights advocate faces jail over social media posts

Rex Landy, an outspoken Māori women’s rights advocate and member of Mana Wāhine Kōrero, is facing court action under the Harmful Digital Communications Act after being reported to police by a trans activist over her social media posts.

Landy was arrested in December 2024 after complaints from Daniel Johnston, a fantasy author who identifies as female and is known online as “Caitlin Spice.” 

Police first contacted Landy in 2022 and later issued a written warning. “They told me I had to stop saying what I was saying… 

The very next day I received a written warning in the post threatening that they had enough to charge me under the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015.” 

In September 2024, Landy was ordered by the court to delete all posts referencing Johnston. She says she deleted everything but claims she missed two posts. 

On 18 December, she said police raided her home, seized devices, and charged her with failing to obey a court order.

She was given another charge after Johnston claimed she had indirectly referenced him in a livestream. Prosecutors have ruled out diversion, telling the court she was “in the grip of an ideology,” meaning they view her stance as rigid and unchangeable rather than a one-off lapse, and therefore undeserving of leniency. Landy reportedly faces up to three months in jail or a $50,000 fine.

“Win, lose, or draw – he’ll never be a woman. I’ve already won. I’m a woman, he isn’t,” Landy said. 

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Fired women’s coach saw male player ‘wink’ at opponent after endangering female teammate: lawsuit

San Jose State University committed employment and sex discrimination and retaliation by firing women’s volleyball associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose for exposing a secretly recruited male on the team, according to a new lawsuit by the Child and Parental Rights Campaign on her behalf against the California State University system.

“Punishing coaches for raising concerns about the fairness and integrity of women’s sports not only harms the individual advocate but also undermines the enforcement of Title IX’s mandate and has a chilling effect on those who seek to protect sex equality in collegiate athletics,” the suit says.

Batie-Smoose was suspended, then fired “not based on her job performance” – the suit includes her Feb. 28, 2024, reappointment letter – but “in direct retaliation for her opposition to sex discrimination and her advocacy for the fairness and equal access to programs, services, and activities for female athletes.”

She has “suffered and continues to suffer lost wages, loss of professional reputation and opportunities, emotional distress, and other damages,” and seeks reinstatement, back pay, compensatory and punitive damages.

Batie-Smoose also wants an injunction against CSU to stop future, possible Title VII and Title IX violations and implement policies, training and monitoring to “protect advocacy for the statutory rights of female athletes” and prevent retaliation against employees for raising concerns about sex-based discrimination.

The university declined to comment other than acknowledging the lawsuit.

It’s been a long and winding journey for the ex-coach, whose home was shot at days before she spoke at a state Capitol rally in February for legislation pitched as protecting girls, women and parental rights, shortly after her firing. CPRC’s Vernadette Broyles told Just the News at the time “the wheels are spinning rapidly in this process” of litigation preparation.

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Vermont Christian School Reinstated After Being Banned for Refusing to Compete Against Trans Athlete

A federal appeals court has ruled in a favor of a Christian school in Vermont that was banned by state officials from participating in school competitions for refusing to play against a team with a transgender-identifying athlete. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an order on September 9 overturning a lower court order and granting a preliminary injunction to Mid Vermont Christian School blocking the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) expulsion of the school as litigation goes on, Fox News reported. The panel of judges ruled that the school is “likely to succeed” on its Free Exercise claim because the VPA’s actions show “hostility toward the school’s religious beliefs.” 

In February of 2023, Mid Vermont’s girls basketball team “forfeited a playoff game against Long Trail School” after they found out “a transgender-identifying male student” was on the opposing team. Mid Vermont school officials said at the time that they were concerned about fairness and safety for their female players, according to the report.

A few weeks later, the VPA responded by expelling the Christian school from all state-sponsored sports, as well as non-athletic events such as science fairs and spelling bees.

Alliance Defending Freedom subsequently filed a lawsuit against state officials on behalf to the Christian school and one of its families. The lawsuit alleges that state officials punished the school for exercising its religious liberty, which is protected by the First Amendment.

VPA Executive Director Jay Nichols allegedly accused the school of “blatant discrimination under the guise of religious freedom” just two days after the school forfeited the game, according to court documents. The VPA’s appeals committee also called the school’s safety concerns a “myth” and labeled its religious objection “wrong,” the report states. 

“It is a myth that transgender students endanger others when they participate in high school sports or create unfair competition,” the committee wrote.

Head coach Chris Goodwin, who has held the position for almost a decade and whose daughter is a member of the team, told the outlet that the school’s decision was tough but necessary. 

“It’s clear in Scripture that there is a difference between males and females. So if we decided to play that game, in essence, we’d be agreeing with the state’s belief system that boys can be girls and male athletes can be female athletes,” he said.

Goodwin told the outlet his team had to drive several hours away to neighboring states to compete in a Christian league after the VPA’s decision, which resulted in athletes losing exposure and scholarship opportunities. 

“Athletics in high school and junior high is a really big part of the overall educational experience. So for that to be taken away from the kids was very disappointing, and for them to lose out on opportunities to be recognized in the state as all-state athletes or all-conference athletes and also have the possibility of receiving scholarships is a big deal. And they were denied that opportunity by the state,” he said.

David Cortman, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, told the outlet the Second Circuit’s decision should set a precedent and protect other religious schools that face similar dilemmas. 

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Texas A&M University President Resigns After Radical Gender Ideology Pushed in Classroom

Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh has resigned amid fallout over a viral classroom video that resulted in a professor kicking a student out of class after an argument about gender identity.

Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents announced that University President Mark Welsh will step down from his role on Friday.

Welsh’s resignation arrives at the heels of Texas A&M removing two officials after a student and professor were heard arguing about radical gender ideology in a viral video, which ended with the student getting kicked out of the classroom by the professor.

“WE DID IT! TEXAS A&M PRESIDENT IS OUT!” Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-District 10) said in a Thursday X post. “Another MASSIVE victory for the LIBERTY BOTS against the Austin Swamp Rats!”

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Virginia Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Abigail Spanberger Gives NON-ANSWER When Asked About Boys in Girls’ Bathrooms

Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat who is running for governor of Virginia, was recently asked by a reporter if she supports the idea of boys who identify as girls being in girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms.

She could not answer. The answer she did give was a Kamala Harris style word-salad. When the reporter asks her to simply say whether or not she supports it, she ran away.

This is a political ‘Achilles’ heel’ for Democrats. They can’t say they fully support it because they know the public doesn’t, and they can’t say they don’t support it because they will alienate their own base voters.

Transcript via WJLA News:

Nick Minock: “As you know, there’s a battle playing out between the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Education and five Northern Virginia school systems. The Trump administration is taking aim at their locker room and bathroom policies. They [the Trump administration] say those school systems are violating Title IX by having policies that allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity, not biological sex. So can you tell us directly, do you support biological males, who say they’re women, using women’s locker rooms and bathrooms and competing in women’s sports?”

Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger: “The circumstance as this legal case plays out is really one of we’ve had court cases settled or judged here in Virginia in the fourth district, the former Gavin Grimm case related to bathroom usage. And in fact, the argument is the assessment is there needs to be much clearer guidance in terms of what is an executive order’s binding assessment of Title IX versus what has been a decision of a court.

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Sex tests brought in after data showed 50-60 DSD athletes in finals, World Athletics says

Between 50 and 60 athletes who went through male puberty have been finalists in the female category in global and continental track and field championships since 2000, according to a senior World Athletics official.

World Athletics has introduced SRY screening, a gene test that uses a cheek swab to assess if someone is biologically male or female, for the world championships in Tokyo.

In a presentation to a scientific panel in the Japanese capital on Friday, Dr Stéphane Bermon, head of health and science at World Athletics, outlined why the sport’s governing body believes such screens are necessary as he presented data collected over the past 25 years. He said it showed that athletes with differences of sex development (DSD), who have a 46 XY karyotype with male testes but were reported female at birth, were significantly “over-represented” in major finals and that it “compromises the integrity of the female competitions”.

“Everyone is watching World Athletics and we are leading in this area,” Bermon said before telling his audience that there were “approximately 50-60 cases of DSD in athletics”.

In total between 2000 and 2023, Bermon said there had been 135 DSD finalists in elite international events, given some of the 50 to 60 athletes competed in more than one final. He also showed a slide that said that DSD cases are 151.9 times more likely than would be expected given the number of DSD individuals in the general population.

The numbers, which were derived by anti-doping tests that revealed high testosterone levels – and arguably therefore may not capture every case – are significantly higher than many in the sport had expected.

There have been several high-profile cases of athletes with a DSD athlete winning global medals, most prominently the South African Caster Semenya, who won women’s 800m Olympic gold at the 2012 and 2016 Games. Christine Mboma also made significant headlines four years ago when the Namibian claimed a silver medal in the women’s 200m at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Neither athlete has competed at elite level since World Athletics ­introduced rules requiring DSD ­individuals to suppress their ­testosterone levels.

When the new SRY testing policy was unveiled, Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, made it clear his determination to ensure only biological females competed in the category.

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Kavanaugh Would-Be Assassin Now Identifies As a Transgender Woman

The United States Department of Justice has formally recommended a prison sentence for the man who tried to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. But according to Court documents, Nicholas John Roske is now “Sophia Roske.”

Roske pleaded guilty to the crime in April of 2025, and a sentencing memo was filed on Friday in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, according to a press release from the DOJ. The U.S. government is seeking a sentence of 30 years. 

Roske claimed to suffer from severe mental illness at the time of his 2022 arrest. Now, that same instability appears to have driven him to identify as female, an episode that underscores both the growing trend of transgender-linked violence and the broader, unaddressed mental health crisis in America.

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Texas A&M President Resigns After Firestorm Over Viral Gender Ideology Video

The President of Texas A&M University, Mark A. Welsh III, will be stepping down from his post, following a controversial video that went viral on social media, where a student challenged a lesson on gender ideology in their literature class. The university faced immediate backlash from lawmakers, and resulted in the firing of a senior lecturer in the schools English department.

Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar announced Welsh’s resignation on Thursday, calling it “the right moment for change,” but made no mention of the viral video.

Today, President Welsh has submitted his resignation, and both the Board of Regents and I agree that this is the right moment for change. Together, we believe this transition is necessary to ensure Texas A&M is well positioned for the future, a future that demands bold leadership, continued innovation, and an unwavering commitment to the core values of this university to meet the challenges we face.

The resignation will take effect on Friday, and comes a week after Welsh directed the campus provost to fire Professor Melissa McCoul, following significant political pressure after the viral video surfaced, from Republican lawmakers and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. 

According to the NY Post, Welsh argued in firing her that the content the student challenged “did not align with any reasonable expectation of standard curriculum for the course.” 

McCoul’s attorney, Amanda Reichek, however, argued that the “course content was entirely consistent with the catalog and course description, and she was never instructed to change her course content in any way, shape, or form.”

Welsh also moved to remove the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and the head of the English Department. while Hegar initiated a university wide audit of multiple courses. 

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School district may have ‘intentionally deceived’ parents on girl’s gender transition, judge rules

AMichigan school district may have violated the due process rights of parents by “actively concealing” their daughter’s identification as a boy, referring to the girl by her given name with parents and her “masculine” name at school, a federal judge ruled, exacerbating conflicts in the lower courts that may trigger Supreme Court review.

U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney, known for siding with a school district that banned students from wearing “Let’s Go Brandon” sweatshirts, greenlit Dan and Jennifer Mead‘s Fourteenth Amendment claims against Rockford Public School District for violating their “fundamental rights as parents” and “deprivation of liberty without due process.”

He dismissed the Meads’ free exercise claim, however, saying surreptitious social transitions don’t “compel students (or their parents) to believe or do anything,” contrary to the mandatory exposure to LGBTQ “storybooks,” compelled school attendance and flag-salute requirement struck down by the Supreme Court in precedents from the 1940s to this year.

The President George W. Bush nominee noted the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is binding on him, last month upheld an Ohio gender identity school restroom policy as “facially neutral” in a challenge by Muslim and Christian students. (Their only potential relief was damages, since Ohio mandated restroom access by sex during the case.)

The 1st Circuit, which oversees Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island and has no Republican-nominated judges, reached the opposite conclusion as Maloney on parental rights and due process earlier this year, prompting parents Stephen Foote and Marissa Silvestri to petition the Supreme Court.

Several friend-of-the-court briefs are backing the Massachusetts parents, including detransitioners who abandoned transgender identities after medicalization and a prominent transgender child psychologist who argues parents are integral to transitions.

The 3rd Circuit, covering Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, heard a similar case this summer and already has precedents upholding parental authority, including an opinion joined by future Justice Samuel Alito on “actions that strike at the heart of parental decision-making authority on matters of the greatest importance.”

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley called Maloney’s ruling “potentially precedent-setting” on parental rights in public schools. He highlighted Maloney’s finding that the Meads’ allegations “show some amount of coercion or interference” from the district, implicating their right to make “fundamental decisions” for the girl.

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Dem Mazie Hirono admits ‘physiological differences’ prevent many women from doing pull-ups for FBI fitness test

Democrat Senator Mazie Hirono protested a pull-up requirement that has been implemented at the FBI since Kash Patel became the agency director. Patel was in a hearing on Tuesday in the Senate. Hirono cited “physiological differences” between men and women as the reason, despite the common left-wing argument that gender is a social construct and the near total party refusal to define the word “woman.”

Patel was speaking answering questions during a Senate Judiciary hearing, when Hirons asked, “You are now requiring applicants to be able to do a certain kind of pull ups, which a lot of women cannot because of physiological differences. Are you requiring these kinds of pull ups?”

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