Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will not have Budapest’s backing in his bid to become the next secretary general of NATO, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday.
The Dutch politician is considered the frontrunner for the job. Rutte has the endorsement of several heavyweights in the military alliance, including France, Germany, the UK, and the US. But the Hungarian government opposes the candidacy due to his vocal criticism of their country in the past. ”We certainly can’t support the election of a man to the position of NATO’s secretary general, who previously wanted to force Hungary on its knees,” Szijjarto said. He was referring to remarks made by Rutte in 2021, after Hungary passed a law that prohibited the exposure of LGBT-themed content to minors. The Dutch prime minister had argued that this was incompatible with EU values, saying Hungary had “no business being in the European Union any more.” Brussels’ goal should be “to bring Hungary to its knees on this issue,” he added, speaking ahead of an EU leaders’ summit. While roughly two-thirds of alliance member states support Rutte’s bid, the secretary general has to be appointed by a unanimous vote. Budapest has demonstrated its willingness to leverage its voting rights in NATO by withholding the ratification of Sweden’s bid to join the transatlantic bloc for almost two years. President Tamas Sulyok signed the bill approving the accession on Tuesday. The Dutch prime minister is serving his fourth term. Rutte announced his decision to depart from national politics last July. He currently holds office in a caretaker capacity, as MPs elected in November’s election have struggled to form a new government. Jens Stoltenberg is set to step down as NATO secretary general in October after a decade in the position. His successor is expected to be chosen in July, during a leaders’ summit in Washington.
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Close to one out of three (28%) Americans between the ages of 18 and 25, known as Generation Z, identified as LGBTQ in a survey published earlier this week by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).
The figure was the largest percentage recorded for any generation by the pollster, which conducted its research during August and September on a sample of over 6,600 people. Nearly half of the non-heterosexual Gen Zers said they were bisexual, amounting to 15% of all Gen Z adults. Gays and lesbians (5% of total) were outnumbered by “other” (8%). Generation Z was far more likely to identify as something other than straight than previous generations. Among millennials, 16% said they were some form of LGBTQ, with gays and lesbians nearly as common as bisexuals (5% vs 7%). Among Generation X, gays and lesbians actually outnumbered bisexuals (3% vs 2%) among the 7% of the total age group who said they weren’t heterosexual. Even fewer Baby Boomers (4%) and members of the Silent Generation (3%) said they were LGBTQ. Generation Z was also more racially diverse than any other age group surveyed. Just 52% of adults – and only 50% of teens – described themselves as white, compared to 62% of the total US population. Additionally, they were less likely to politically identify as Republican and more likely to identify as liberal. The survey even suggested there are more LGBTQ Gen Zers than there are Gen Z Republicans, who comprise just 21% of the age group compared to 27% of the total population.The PRRI did not speculate on possible reasons for the trend, which has accompanied a rapid liberalization of attitudes about homosexuality in American society. Despite this shift, 20% of Gen Z adults said they had experienced hostility or discrimination because of their sexual orientation. Homosexual acts only stopped being a federal crime in the US following the 2003 Supreme Court decision Lawrence v. Texas, though many states had already scrapped their sodomy laws by this time. The 2014 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalized same-sex marriage, which had been illegal across the US since 1996. Individual states have since been required to license and perform such marriages, while same-sex couples have been able to adopt children. Just 35 UN member states allow same-sex marriage. While the PRRI’s numbers echoed previous surveys showing Generation Z is the most LGBT and liberal group to come of age in the US yet, the percentage who identified as something other than heterosexual was significantly higher in this week’s findings than in a similar poll by Gallup last year, which found 19.7% of Gen Z adults aged 18 to 26 self-identified as LGBTQ, compared to 7.2% of the general population. Something remarkable happened in Hong Kong’s decadeslong LGBTQ rights movement in recent months, though it is unclear what it means for the future. Hong Kong’s courts issued several rulings in favor of granting LGBTQ rights — including no longer requiring conversion surgery to change their gender on ID cards, allowing same-sex couples to apply for subsidized public housing together, and perhaps the most important by the city’s highest court — ordering the government to come up with a framework within two years to recognize same-sex partnerships. Additionally, the government last month allowed the Gay Games, an international sports event for LGBTQ athletes, to be held in Hong Kong — a first for the city and Asia. "In general, [LGBTQ rights] are progressing. ... It’s pointing in the right direction," said Jerome Yau, co-founder of Hong Kong Marriage Equality, a group dedicated to eliminating discrimination against same-sex couples. "The government is now legally obliged to come up with a framework to legally recognize same-sex marriage by October 2025. … So, something has to happen in two years. That’s a very significant decision." While that ruling and other recent developments are seen as achievements, there are worries that government hesitation, possible intervention by Beijing, and Christian opposition – could prevent the city from becoming the next place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to grant equal rights to same-sex couples, including the right to get married. "We’re in a rather complicated situation," Yau said. "We have to tread very carefully." The government, considered conservative in advancing LGBTQ legislation even before Hong Kong’s handover to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, has given no indication of how it would carry out the top court’s ruling. The Housing Authority, meanwhile, has appealed to overturn the housing rulings issued by lower courts. At the same time, anti-gay religious opponents, including a lawmaker, have protested the games and the legalization of same-sex marriage, alleging they could threaten national security. The controversial national security law passed in 2020 has been used to jail people on charges of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Additionally, the annual Hong Kong Pride Parade, which used to attract thousands of participants to march on the city’s streets, was not held again this year, despite the end of COVID restrictions. Instead, an indoor exhibition was held. "With all these developments, sometimes you see the government take one step forward and walk two steps backwards. We feel disappointed," said Paul Choi, an LGBTQ rights advocate. Hong Kong’s courts and public opinion may be moving at a faster pace than the government seems willing to. A survey conducted by three universities earlier this year found that 60% of Hong Kongers said they supported same-sex marriage, up from 50% in 2017 and 38% in 2013. At the same time, the percentage of Hong Kong residents who said they were unaccepting of gay men and lesbians dropped significantly — from 32% in 2013, to 13% this year, according to the survey. The study’s researchers attributed the change in attitude to favorable court rulings, more jurisdictions around the world legalizing same-sex marriage and increasing representation of lesbians and gay men in the media. This includes the recently held Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, the longest running of its kind in Asia. Now, many are waiting to see if the government will keep pace. There are concerns it will drag its feet or allow only separate and partial rights. Same-sex couples who got married abroad, including simply on Zoom calls with U.S. states that allow remote marriage registration, already qualify for dependent visas, civil-servant spousal benefits, and joint tax filing. But LGBTQ community members said they want equal rights, arguing the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, promises all Hong Kong residents "shall be equal before the law." They said creating a separate status for them will not grant them the same rights heterosexual couples enjoy. "Think about it, as a citizen, I’m born and grew up here and want to get married. Why do I have to travel somewhere else to get married?" asked Choi, who recently married his partner in Melbourne, Australia. They have had to create a will and prepare power of attorney documents, although they still don’t know if they can visit each other in a hospital as family members or make medical decisions for each other if needed. There are also fears that a tightening of restrictions on LGBTQ groups in mainland China in recent years could spread to Hong Kong, especially given lingering government worries about a return of the widespread and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests seen here in 2019. "There's no one threatening us, but the biggest problem we’re facing right now is that when we want to hold events [like the pride parade], we have people telling us maybe it’s not a great idea," said Alan Hau, deacon of the LGBTQ-inclusive Blessed Ministry Community Church. Yau sounded hopeful, though, pointing out that another gay pride event, Pink Dot, has received permission to be held in a popular gathering spot. "We still have space to do things, which unfortunately is a whole different situation across the border. We should treasure this space," Yau said. "Things are happening. … It’s just that things are not moving at a faster pace. Let’s see how things will go in the next two years."
Recently, actor and comedian Russell Brand has used his celebrity status and his internet-based show to lift up independent-minded people like US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He questioned the US and NATO involvement in the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, as well as the mainstream media narrative on Covid-19.
The establishment neoliberals were having none of it. They turned their laser-guided coordinated attacks on Brand, and now he is facing cancelation, MeToo style. He’s been accused of rape and abuse by several women, and as a result has lost his YouTube ad revenue, has had his live shows canceled, has been dropped by his publisher, and has had shows featuring him removed from the BBC’s video-on-demand service, among other things. MeToo started out with a valiant goal, as a movement to empower women to speak out about sexual abuse where they had previously felt pressured into silence. All too quickly it got co-opted by political agendas, becoming a Democrat-backed hashtag used to attack and shut down those who disagree with the establishment narrative. It appears to have faded into relative obscurity since its roaring peak, and this zombie-like return of this style of cancelation comes off as both tiresome and disingenuous. I should know for two reasons: I worked for Democrats, and I was raped by one. The Democrat I was raped by at work is now the president of the United States. There was no investigation into Joe Biden for what he did to me that day, but rather a coordinated attack on me across social media and establishment media alike that lasted years. It destroyed my professional and personal life. The MeToo movement was nowhere to be found for me because the founder of Time’s Up, the primary organization that supported the movement, was on Biden’s payroll. Truth never stood a chance. Even when I came close to testifying before Congress, the DNC machine went full throttle at me, and then there was the part where I had to seek asylum in another country to avoid prosecution or violence. Now, I never expected instant justice. But I never got the justice of even an investigation into him.
I know what it’s like to have the narrative be locked and loaded for your complete destruction, and now so does Russell Brand. The facts on his alleged actions are murky and many of the accusers are anonymous. To date, no criminal charges, investigation, or civil cases have been filed. Just a blurry news program of innuendos latched onto by lap-dog Western media. The allegations against him were brought by Channel 4 Dispatches in a program called ‘Russell Brand: In Plain Sight’ and The Times. The allegations include rape and manipulation. As the news of the journalistic investigation spread, two shows dropped their episodes featuring Brand, and in only a few days, the trial by media had instigated his complete cancelation. Cases involving sexual misconduct, especially when they are about someone famous, are always a headline grabber.
That said, sexual assault and rape are difficult to publicly discuss. On a psychological level, rape is not about sex but power. On a legal level, the issue that swirls around any allegations of sexual assault is consent. Was there consent or not? It seems like a simple enough question, but when it comes to arguing legal definitions, it can get much more complicated, especially when you throw things like capacity to consent and withdrawal of consent into the mix. And then there’s the political level. Rape is a highly politicized issue in the US and the West in general, and no one can politicize it better than the Democrats. When a woman comes forward, her reputation often gets attacked, be it by slut-shaming or through allegations of fishing for attention. The MeToo mantra ‘believe all women’, when co-opted by the Democrat political agenda, is applied very selectively, and it becomes very easy to dismiss a politically inconvenient accuser by destroying her reputation. The accusations themselves then become a tool to deplatform or silence chosen targets. I know what it’s like to have the narrative be locked and loaded for your complete destruction, and now so does Russell Brand. The facts on his alleged actions are murky and many of the accusers are anonymous. To date, no criminal charges, investigation, or civil cases have been filed. Just a blurry news program of innuendos latched onto by lap-dog Western media. The allegations against him were brought by Channel 4 Dispatches in a program called ‘Russell Brand: In Plain Sight’ and The Times. The allegations include rape and manipulation. As the news of the journalistic investigation spread, two shows dropped their episodes featuring Brand, and in only a few days, the trial by media had instigated his complete cancelation. Cases involving sexual misconduct, especially when they are about someone famous, are always a headline grabber. That said, sexual assault and rape are difficult to publicly discuss. On a psychological level, rape is not about sex but power. On a legal level, the issue that swirls around any allegations of sexual assault is consent. Was there consent or not? It seems like a simple enough question, but when it comes to arguing legal definitions, it can get much more complicated, especially when you throw things like capacity to consent and withdrawal of consent into the mix. And then there’s the political level. Rape is a highly politicized issue in the US and the West in general, and no one can politicize it better than the Democrats. When a woman comes forward, her reputation often gets attacked, be it by slut-shaming or through allegations of fishing for attention. The MeToo mantra ‘believe all women’, when co-opted by the Democrat political agenda, is applied very selectively, and it becomes very easy to dismiss a politically inconvenient accuser by destroying her reputation. The accusations themselves then become a tool to deplatform or silence chosen targets. Rocker Alice Cooper described “gender-affirming” medical procedures for children as a “fad” in an interview with Stereogum magazine on Wednesday, drawing criticism from Billboard and other establishment outlets.
Cooper, whose on-stage look features theatrical costumes, long hair and plenty of eyeliner, acknowledged that “there are cases of transgender,” but argued it was “also a fad,” with “a lot of people claiming to be this just because they want to be that.” He criticized adults who he said are planting the idea in children’s heads and confusing them at a vulnerable time, explaining: “You’re still trying to find your identity, and yet here’s this thing going on, saying, ‘Yeah, but you can be anything you want. You can be a cat if you want to be.’” Cooper, whose real name is Vincent Furnier, continued with a broader swipe at “the whole woke thing,” questioning who was “making the rules” that imposed politically-correct neologisms on the English-speaking population. “Is there a building somewhere in New York where people sit down every day and say, ‘OK, we can’t say ‘mother’ now. We have to say ‘birthing person.’ ‘Get that out on the wire right now’? Who is this person that’s making these rules?” he asked, dismissing the phenomenon as an absurdist “comedy.” While the interviewer mentioned other glam rockers who had opined on the trans issue and then eaten their words after public backlash, Cooper insisted he was not being “old school” in his views but simply “logical,” arguing his opinions were those of the vast majority. The 75-year-old rock star said that biological males identifying as women could pose a threat to women and girls in public bathrooms, saying that a predator could “just say ‘I just feel like I’m a woman today’ and have the time of his life in there.” “Somebody’s going to get raped,” he warned. Transgender activists have attempted to downplay such incidents, and a Virginia school district even moved a supposedly gender-nonconforming pupil who assaulted a girl in the restroom to another school – only for him to reoffend. Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley was excoriated earlier this year over comments on the “dangerous fad” of gender-affirming care for children. When Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider retweeted those comments, he was similarly attacked and even had his invitation to march as a grand marshal with the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade retracted due to his alleged transphobia, despite insisting he supports the community. New Zealand’s justice minister resigned Monday after police filed charges against her and said she was over the legal alcohol limit when she crashed into a parked car.The incident involving Kiri Allan was the latest in a series of missteps and scandals involving government ministers less than three months out from national elections. Polls indicate the conservative opposition has pulled level or moved slightly ahead of the incumbent liberals in what promises to be a close race. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Allan was involved in the crash soon after 9 p.m. Sunday in Wellington and was detained at the central police station for about four hours.Police have charged her with careless driving and refusing to accompany a police officer.Hipkins noted police reported that Allan’s breath test showed she was over the legal alcohol limit, although she was not charged with drunk driving. Police said they issued Allan an infringement notice in relation to the breath test. A court date has not been set. If found guilty, Allan could face fines and a suspension of her driver’s license. Once considered a rising star of the Labour Party, Allan had recently taken time off for her mental health after being involved in a publicized split with her partner. She also faced accusations of having poor working relationships with some staff.
Hipkins said he spoke with Allan on Monday morning and told her he thought she wasn’t in a fit state to remain a minister and it was untenable for a justice minister to be charged with criminal offending. She agreed and resigned her ministerial roles, Hipkins said. For now, Allan remains a member of Parliament. “While her alleged actions are inexcusable, I’ve been advised she was experiencing extreme emotional distress at the time of the incident,” Hipkins said. “Her recent personal struggles with mental health have been well documented and it appears some of those issues came to a head yesterday.” Hipkins said he felt sad for Allan. “Kiri is an incredibly talented person who clearly has been battling some demons, and has not won that battle,” he said. Allan said she was sorry for her actions and was heading home to consider her future in politics. “Over recent weeks I’ve faced a number of personal difficulties. I took time off to address those, and believed I was okay to juggle those challenges with the pressure of being a minister,” she said in a statement. “My actions yesterday show I wasn’t okay, and I’ve let myself and my colleagues down.” Last month, Transport and Immigration Minister Michael Wood resigned after failing to disclose a possible conflict of interest with stock he owned. In March, Police Minister Stuart Nash was fired after it came to light he had given confidential information to donors. In May, Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri was fired after switching allegiance to another political party.
It is important to note that the woke movement is a complex and diverse phenomenon, encompassing a range of perspectives and approaches. Its historical base is multifaceted and draws from various social, intellectual, and cultural movements that have challenged inequality and advocated for social justice.
In recent years, the concept of being "woke" has become increasingly prevalent in society. Being woke generally refers to being aware of social issues and actively fighting against oppression and injustice. While this may seem like a positive movement, there are dangers associated with a community that is too focused on being "woke."
First and foremost, the idea of being woke can be extremely divisive. While it is important to recognize and address societal issues, constantly focusing on them can create an "us versus them" mentality. This can lead to a lack of understanding and empathy for those who may not share the same views or experiences. A community that is too woke can become intolerant of differing opinions, which can lead to a breakdown in communication and further divide society. Additionally, the pressure to be constantly "woke" can be overwhelming and lead to a sense of burnout. It is important to recognize that social issues cannot be solved overnight, and it is not the responsibility of any one person to fix everything. The constant pressure to be aware of every issue and to constantly speak out about them can be exhausting and ultimately counterproductive. Another danger of a community that is too focused on being woke is the potential for hypocrisy. It is easy to criticize others for not being woke enough or for perpetuating societal issues, but it is important to also recognize our own biases and shortcomings. The idea of being woke can create a culture of virtue signalling, where individuals may speak out against issues solely to gain social status or to be seen as "woke." Furthermore, a focus on being woke can sometimes lead to a lack of action. While it is important to recognize societal issues, it is equally important to take action to address them. A community that is too focused on being woke may become complacent in their activism, believing that simply acknowledging issues is enough to effect change. In conclusion, while it is important to be aware of societal issues and to fight against oppression and injustice, a community that is too focused on being woke can be dangerous. It can lead to division, burnout, hypocrisy, and a lack of action. It is important to strive for a balance between awareness and action, and to approach social issues with empathy and understanding for all individuals. Soccer teams representing seven European nations at the World Cup have announced their captains will no longer wear the OneLove armband in Qatar after FIFA, which organizes the tournament, said players sporting the bands would be sanctioned. The captains of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, had originally intended to wear the rainbow armband to promote diversity and inclusion at the World Cup.
“We were prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations and had a strong commitment to wearing the armband. However, we cannot put our players in the situation where they might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play,” the soccer associations said in a joint statement. Three of the teams, England, Wales and the Netherlands, were due to play Monday. “We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision which we believe is unprecedented,” the teams added, vowing to show their support for “inclusion” in other ways. “As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions including bookings.” Qatar has come under scrutiny in the lead-up to the tournament over its approach to human rights, including concerns over the conditions of migrant workers and the conservative Persian Gulf state’s stance on LGBT people. Sex between men is prohibited in Qatar and punishable by up to seven years in prison, according to a recent U.S. State Department report. The promotion of LGBT relations could be permanently banned in Russia under a bill introduced to the State Duma on Monday, which likens such messaging to war propaganda and incitement of hatred. Currently, LGBT ‘propaganda’ in Russia is only banned when directed at children, but some politicians have been calling for harsher restrictions and punishments for the “denial of family values” and “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations.” In an explanatory note attached to the bill, the authors argue that LGBT ‘propaganda’ has become widespread in Russia and is being promoted through the media, public events, streaming services and through the depiction of such relationships in films.
“In Russia, at the legislative level, it is not allowed to promote suicide, drugs, extremism, criminal behavior, as they are considered negative and socially dangerous phenomena. At the same time, formally, until now, there is no ban on propaganda of the denial of family values and non-traditional sexual relations, including with the use of film distribution,” the note reads. The authors of the bill – who do not include members of the ruling United Russia party – claim the denial of family as a social value, promotion of so-called “childfree” lifestyles, and the approval and recognition of non-traditional sexual relations, is dangerous not only for children and young people, but for society as a whole, since it “puts the issues of demography and future economic growth at risk.” The bill seeks to supplement current legislation by introducing administrative and criminal responsibility for spreading LGBT messaging across any demographic in the Russian Federation and to deny distribution rights to films that promote such relations. Family, motherhood and childhood in their traditional understanding, taken from the ancestors, are the values that ensure the continuous change of generations,” urge the authors of the bill, adding that they are a “condition for the preservation and development of the multinational people of the Russian Federation, and therefore need special protection from the state.” The lawmakers note that the prohibition of LGBT propaganda does not deprive Russian citizens of the opportunity and right to determine their sexual preference and orientation, nor does it allow for their discrimination in any way. However, they insist that these privileges “do not give them the right to seek public approval of such relations” or “disseminate ‘new’ values that carry hidden threats to society.” Last month, a similar bill was also introduced to the State Duma, seeking to introduce fines of over $160,000 for promoting non-traditional sexual relations. However, it failed to pass its first reading. Fast-food fanatics went crazy over a photo of a recently “discovered” Burger King, preserved and appearing almost blemish-free despite being a relic of the past. The old restaurant was found hidden behind a wall in a Wilmington, Delaware, mall and looked completely untouched. “A fully intact vintage Burger King was found behind a wall at the Concord Mall in Wilmington, DE. This photo was snapped by Jonathon Pruitt April of 2022,” People loved the blast from the past and commented their shock and amusement. “And the plants are still alive,” someone joked alongside a GIF reading “Gullible.” To which the original poster wrote: “What if I told you they were fake plants?” “I have experienced this mall … it was frightening,” another noted. One user reminisced about visiting the mall in their younger years in response. “It was sorta dreamy to me, post-apocalyptic and you’re walking among the ashes. Also, that old mall aesthetic kinda brings up fond memories of childhood,” they wrote. “That’s so crazy! I live here and remember [the mall],” someone else added. “[It’s] probably been closed about 15 years, I swore something took over the space. I don't go to that mall much anymore but im def going to look next time I'm nearby, I remember exactly where it was.”
Burger King recently found itself in the fryer with its Pride month campaign in Austria last month. The fast-food chain launched its “Pride whopper,” which had all of the same ingredients as the company’s regular burger except for “two equal buns.” Burger lovers were able to get their meaty sandwiches with either two top halves or two bottom parts. “The Equal Buns campaign was executed by our Burger King Austria team, in an effort to highlight equal rights and equal love — through a play on the traditional Whopper build — featuring two identical buns on the two options of the sandwich,” a BK spokesperson said in June. “Burger King Austria also serves as an Official Proud Partner and Sponsor of Vienna Pride 2022,” they continued. Customers were not happy with the meal and ran to Twitter to slam the company’s poor choice of Pride products. Alan Li no longer sees any future for his family in China after harsh Covid rules decimated his business, upended his son's education and left his country out of step with the rest of the world. He has given up hope of a return to normal after months of lockdowns in Shanghai, and now plans to close his firm and move to Hungary, where he sees better opportunities and his 13-year-old son can attend an international school.
"Our losses this year mean that it's over for us," he told AFP wearily, asking to withhold his real name. "We have been using our own cash savings to pay 400 workers (during the lockdown). What if it happens again this winter?" Shanghai's long shutdown, which brought food shortages and protests, has driven some to reconsider staying in a country where livelihoods and lifestyles can vanish at the whim of the state. Schools have been closed and exams called off, including assessments for applying to American universities. Li is frustrated that his son's expensive bilingual schooling has been mostly online for two years, and he is anxious about the way Beijing has tightened oversight of the curriculum. "This is a waste of our children's youth," Li said. Being fairly well off, he has been able to take advantage of a European investment scheme that grants him and his family residency in Budapest. "Many people know that if they sold all their assets they could 'lie flat' in a European country," he said, using a slang phrase meaning to take it easy. Beijing-based immigration consultant Guo Shize told AFP his company has seen an explosion of enquiries since March, including a threefold increase in Shanghai clients. Even after the lockdown eased, requests continued flooding in at more than double the usual level. "Once that spark has been lit in people's minds, it doesn't die down quickly," he said. Exit ban Censors have sought to suppress discussion of emigration, prompting nimble internet users to adopt the term "run" instead. Searches for the term on messaging app WeChat peaked during Shanghai's shutdown. But as more people consider ways to leave, Beijing has doubled down on strict exit policies for Chinese citizens. All "unnecessary" travel out of the country has been banned. Passport renewals have been all but halted, with authorities blaming the risk of Covid being carried into the country. In the first half of 2021, immigration authorities issued only two percent of the passports given out in the same period in 2019. One woman who emigrated to Germany told AFP she receives dozens of messages from Chinese people looking for tips on escaping. Emily, who did not want to use her real name, tried to help a relative obtain a new passport to take up a job in Europe, but the application was denied. "It's like being a child who wants to go to their friend's house to play but their parents won't let them leave," she said, adding that she has heard of passports being sold for up to 30,000 yuan ($4,500) on the black market. 'Absolutely insane' A Chinese freelancer told AFP he was turned back by immigration officers while attempting to fly to Turkey for work last October, despite having already checked in. "My itinerary sounded too suspicious to them. They took my passport into an office and 15 minutes later told me I do not meet the requirements" for leaving, he said on condition of anonymity. "It was absolutely insane." He managed to leave weeks later by entering semi-autonomous Macau on a different travel document, before catching an onward flight. Some are disillusioned with Beijing's growing controls, which have been ramped up during the pandemic. "I just want to live in a country where the government won't crudely interfere in my personal life," said Lucy, a 20-year-old student at an elite Beijing university involved in LGBTQI+ and Marxist activism. The virus policies had "allowed the government to control and monitor everything", she said. "Perhaps rather than accepting and adapting to this system, we must go elsewhere and create a new life." Podcaster Matt Walsh can be abrasive on Twitter, where he’s known for skewering liberals and their causes mercilessly. But when he began posing a four-word question to strangers a year ago, Walsh was polite and nonconfrontational; it was the question itself — and his insistence that there is a correct answer — that got under people’s skin.
The question was “What is a woman?” and it’s both the title and subject of a film released last week by Walsh and The Daily Wire, the conservative media company founded by Jeremy Boreing and Ben Shapiro. In the film, Walsh, a 35-year-old father of four who lives in Nashville, travels around the world asking the question of strangers, from women on the streets of U.S. cities to men in Africa. He also interviews specialists, including a gender-affirming marriage and family therapist in Nashville and author and psychologist Jordan Peterson. The Daily Wire bills the film as a documentary, although it’s not quite a documentary in the vein of those produced by National Geographic; it’s too cheeky for that. But neither is Walsh a conservative Borat making an outlandish “mockumentary” like those produced by Sacha Baron Cohen. He’s just a funny guy asking a serious question, one that he believes “brings down the house of cards” of gender ideology. “Most of the people we talked to either didn’t want to talk about it, or they appeared to be confused about something as simple as what a woman is,” he told me. The wafflers included the Nashville therapist who said, “I’m not a woman so I can’t really answer that,” to a group of women who laughed and said, “That’s a stumper,” to a man on the street who said, “I honestly don’t know.” Dr. Marci Bowers, a gynaecologist and surgeon, said womanhood is “a combination of your physical attributes and what you’re showing to the world and the gender clues you give.” Patrick Grzanka, an associate professor at the University of Tennessee, said a woman is “a person who identifies as a woman” and angrily pushed back at Walsh, asking why he would even ask the question. It’s a question, of course, that’s not only being asked by a podcaster on the street but also in the halls of Congress. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee asked Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to define a woman during Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings in March. Jackson replied that she couldn’t, “not in this context. I’m not a biologist.” There is method in what Walsh’s critics see as his madness. He believes that extremists in gender ideology have dealt conservatives a winning hand in the culture war by trying to vaporize ideas about sex and gender that were unquestioned for most of human history. Walsh points out that he’s being called an “extremist” and a “dinosaur” for saying things that were widely considered biological facts two decades ago. “This is a fight we can actually win,” he told me. “When I say ‘we,’ I mean rational, sane people. "You don’t have to be a conservative to realize that men are men and women are women.” He added, “The other side can be brought to its knees by one question, ‘What is a woman?’ There’s a real weakness there, and we can win this fight, and then it becomes like kicking blocks out of the Jenga tower. You win this one, and then you move on to the other cultural battles.” Beyond that, Walsh hopes to bring the issue to the attention of people beyond the “conservative bubble of people who listen to my podcast” and reach people who are not politically engaged and may be unaware of what’s being taught on the frontlines of gender ideology. Some of the people Walsh interviews in the film say that gender cannot and should not be assigned by doctors at birth and that children should be encouraged to explore different forms of gender expression without being influenced by their parents or society. At the centre of this discussion is the issue of transgender rights, which Americans are still divided on, largely along party lines. According to a February report from Pew Research Center, 38% of Americans said that greater acceptance of transgender people is generally good for society, 32% said it is bad and 29% said neither good nor bad. Although a growing share of Americans say they know someone who is transgender or uses gender-neutral pronouns (they/theirs instead of she/hers and he/him) they remain sharply divided on the subject of pronouns. Last year, half of respondents said they are comfortable using alternative pronouns when asked, while 48% said they are not. These percentages are “virtually unchanged” since 2018, Pew said. Walsh, who calls progressive gender ideology a cult, uses the divide over pronouns as a tidy insult, often responding to negative tweets about him by simply saying of his critics “pronouns in bio.” Kshama Bindu, 24, from Vadodara, India has announced that she is planning to hold a wedding this month – but the groom will be none other than herself. As reported by the Times of India, the wedding will reportedly include all the traditional elements typical of an Indian wedding, such as the Saat Phere ceremony and the applying of the Sindoor – a vermillion mark indicating that a woman is married. The only thing absent will be the groom and the associated ‘baraat’ wedding procession.
“I never wanted to get married. But I did want to become a bride. So I decided to marry myself,” Kshama, who works in a private firm, said. She says her decision to tie the knot with herself came after she realized she would become the first woman in India to practice sologamy and “set an example of self-love.” “Self-marriage is a commitment to be there for yourself and unconditional love for oneself. It’s also an act of self-acceptance. People marry someone they love. I love myself and hence this wedding,” she explained. Kshama added that her self-marriage is an attempt to show that “women matter,” even if some people think it is nothing but a joke. The wedding is set to be held at a temple in Gotri on June 11. Kshama says she has already received her parent’s blessings for the union, and that she has written five vows she will recite to herself during the ceremony. And, of course, she will also go on a honeymoon trip, for which she decided on Goa, where she will stay for two weeks after the wedding. Sologamy, also known as autogamy, is the marriage of a person to themselves. The practice has become more widespread in the 21st century, especially among women, as supporters of the idea argue that it affirms one’s own value and leads to a happier life. However, self-marriage has yet to be legally recognized in any country, and has quite a way to go before becoming a social norm. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an order on Tuesday refusing to recognize a transgender swimmer as the winner of a recent women’s swimming race and instead recognizing the runner-up. Male-born transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was declared the winner of the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship on Thursday, sparking outrage from critics who argued that the runner-up – Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant – should be considered the real victor.
In a statement on Tuesday, DeSantis became the first governor to officially recognize Weyant as the legitimate winner of the race instead of Thomas, and accused the National Collegiate Athletic Association of working to destroy women’s sports. “A male identifying as a woman was allowed to compete in and was declared the winner of the race by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Emma was determined to have come in second place,” DeSantis wrote, before pointing out that Florida’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act states men should be prohibited from taking part in women’s sports. "Women have fought for decades to have equal opportunities in athletics, and it is wrong to allow ideology to erode these opportunities as is happening in other states,” the governor said. “It is my determination that men should not be competing against women such as Emma Weyant, robbing women and girls of achievements, awards, and scholarships.” DeSantis added that the state “rejects the NCAA’s efforts to destroy women’s athletics, disapproves of the NCAA elevating ideology over biology, and takes offense at the NCAA trying to make others complicit in a lie,” before recognizing Weyant as “the rightful winner” of the race. This week, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe warned that “gender cannot trump biology” and that there is “no question” testosterone is “the key determinant in performance.” “I think that the integrity of women’s sport if we don’t get this right, and actually the future of women’s sport, is very fragile,” he said. |
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