If you were to wake up in America after a decade in a coma, you could be forgiven for thinking our national flag was the Pride flag. It’s quite literally everywhere you turn these days, and it’s no longer the usual suspects immersing themselves in rainbow colors.
This year, that ubiquitous flag is flying over the <a href="https://twitter.com/SecYellen/status/1532434489498030105?s=20&amp;t=ZNq-egx_Vl4qKxa0zC7Uig">US Treasury</a> for the first time. Caterpillar (yes, the heavy machinery company) recently painted the rainbow on a mining tractor and shared the image on Twitter. The United States Marine Corps and Air Force have embraced the rainbow as well. Walk into any department store and you’ll find Pride advertising signage conspicuously displayed. Even NASCAR, whose majority of audience members have traditional values, has augmented its checkered logo to include Pride colors. The Pride movement, it seems, is quite intent on Americans imbibing its imagery, even if by force.
In fact, not wearing the Pride flag these days can cause controversy. Recently, five MLB players on the Tampa Bay Rays opted out of wearing the team’s rainbow symbol on their uniform for Pride Night, landing them in <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/five-tampa-bay-rays-players-decline-to-wear-lgbtq-logo-on-uniform-during-pride-night-celebration/">the national spotlight</a>. It says a lot about where we’re at as a nation when professional athletes who refuse to salute the American flag are lionized, while those who refuse to wear the Pride flag are shamed. Our culture demands that all must show pride in the rainbow flag. The red, white, and blue one, though? Apparently, not so much. 
The Pride flag is so omnipresent you may be flying it without knowing it. I recently discovered I was. How did this happen? On LinkedIn, where the symbol of my college populates next to my profile picture, I discovered that my university logo now sports rainbow colors. It appears next to my picture and is often displayed when others view my profile on LinkedIn. This placement on LinkedIn’s part looks like a de facto endorsement of the Pride flag, whether a member supports it or not. 
All this to say, the Pride flag is quite literally everywhere. Which begs the question: how did it become so ubiquitous? Who’s paying for this month-long campaign to saturate every corner of America in kaleidoscopic colors? Additionally, how much would a marketing campaign of this scale cost? 
As the former head of a very large advertising agency, I have a bit of an insider’s view on why we’re being bombarded by the Pride flag &#8211; not to mention a sense of what the investment looks like to achieve such a marketing feat.
First, the ubiquitousness of the Pride flag is certainly due, in part, to a form of coercion. Much like posting the BLM black square on social media channels after George Floyd died, for corporations, rainbow washing is an insurance policy of sorts. Insurance against what? Insurance against being accused of not being onboard with the full suite of issues in the LGBTQ+ movement. Corporations know they will be in the crosshairs by a very vocal and intransigent minority of employees and consumers if they don’t toe the line. That means companies feel they must adopt the whole Pride enchilada. Do most leaders in the C-suite now suddenly believe things like men can be women and vice versa? Not likely. However, they’re not crazy for continuing with their public support. They know they will be in the hot seat &#8211; or even worse, booted from the C-suite &#8211; if they don’t salute the flag.
So, who’s paying to burn the Pride flag into American’s retinas? Well, as you might have already guessed: corporations, of course. Increasingly, Fortune 500 companies seem to be ideologically captured by the Democrat party, who, in turn, have been captured by the LGBTQ+ crowd. The Democrat party has apparently discovered that getting in bed with corporations beats the heck out of fighting them. Plus, there’s all that corporate money to be leveraged. Therefore, leftist ideologues have cleverly infiltrated companies via Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. 
Once DEI programs are installed, the rainbow agenda roots itself deeply in the company and soon demands access to its purse strings. Corporate funds are then used to promote all manner of Pride events, like drag queen shows for employees as well as book clubs that recommend tales about boys who like to dress up as girls to K-6 children, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/pizza-hut-slammed-suggesting-drag-performer-book-kids-reading-club-1712655">as Pizza Hut just did</a>. Of course, these corporate dollars are also leveraged to rainbow-ize everything &#8211; logos, signage, company headquarters, and so on. When you combine the communication efforts of America’s Fortune 500 companies against a single symbol for one month straight, that symbol can feel like it’s everywhere because, well, it is. 
So, what’s this rainbow flag marketing bonanza costing corporate America? It’s difficult to put a hard number on it. Yet, we can draw on some comparisons to get a sense of the scale of the investment being made. For instance, “TOPGUN: Maverick,” according to some sources, spent around $125 million dollars to market the blockbuster film. “TOPGUN: Maverick” certainly filled my social feeds with its advertisements, but it felt nowhere near as omnipresent as the Pride month advertisement does. For another example, Apple spent about $500 million just to market their streaming service, Apple+. Yet, that brand launch feels like a blip on the radar compared to the bombardment of Pride branding saturating the culture this year. 
Taking those two marketing examples into consideration, I think it&#8217;s safe to bet that the collective investment being spent on Pride month from Fortune 500 companies must be in the billions. After all, corporations are also making massive donations to various LGBTQ+ causes and groups. They’re creating expensive commercials and buying even more expensive media to air them &#8211; all to tout their “Pride.” Campaigns of this size don’t come cheap. In fact, campaigns this massive, which marshall the collective capital of the biggest corporations in the world all in one month, have likely never happened at this scale in American history.
Today, as I noted, the Pride marketing blitz carries on its celebration of queerness for a full month. Meanwhile, Memorial and Veterans Day &#8211; which celebrate the selfless sacrifices men and women have made for our country over centuries &#8211; gets exactly that: a single day. What does that say about America’s moral and spiritual condition?
Of course, corporations likely view their support of Pride as obligatory &#8211; just another line item on an expense sheet. Just the cost of doing business in a country whose institutions are ideologically sold out to radical gender ideology. To put it another way, the LGBTQ+ movement is kinda like modern day mafiosos, going door to door collecting payouts for reputational protection. In the end, brands have decided it’s easier to pay up.
The final irony, perhaps, is that the ascension of the Pride flag is happening as our national pride in the stars and stripes seems to be waning. Consequently, corporations today seem more reluctant to embrace the red, white, and blue as enthusiastically &#8211; even on holidays like Independence Day, celebrated on the 4th of July.
This means, regrettably, that as the American flag recedes in meaning and importance, that ubiquitous Pride flag is likely to become, well, ever-more ubiquitous. 

Brett Craig is EVP, Creative at The Daily Wire. He has created multiple Super Bowl ads and was featured on Adweek’s Top 50 movers and shakers list.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Readers-Pass—Craig—The-Ubiquitous-Flag

That Ubiquitous Flag: How The Pride Marketing Blitz Is Saturating Every Corner Of America

Business

LGBTQ

Readers Pass

Wall Street

The Biden administration on Thursday officially proposed extending Title IX&#8217;s protections to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">transgender</a> students.
The proposed change would &#8220;protect LGBTQI+ students from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,&#8221; the Department of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/education">Education</a> <a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-proposed-changes-title-ix-regulations-invites-public-comment">said</a> in a statement.
The department proposed the Title IX change on the 50th anniversary of the civil rights law, which bars schools that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of sex. When Title IX was passed half a century ago, it was meant to protect the rights of women and girls in educational settings. Since then, it has been interpreted to apply to other protected classes, including LGBTQ people.
&#8220;Over the last 50 years, Title IX has paved the way for millions of girls and women to access equal opportunity in our nation&#8217;s schools and has been instrumental in combating sexual assault and sexual violence in educational settings,&#8221; said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
&#8220;As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this landmark law, our proposed changes will allow us to continue that progress and ensure all our nation&#8217;s students – no matter where they live, who they are, or whom they love – can learn, grow, and thrive in school,&#8221; Cardona said.
Along with the changes on transgender students, the proposed rules would also overhaul the process by which schools handle sexual assault and sexual harassment allegations. The overhaul would nix changes made by the Trump administration that were intended to make the process more fair for accused students. While campaigning for president, President Joe Biden said the Trump administration&#8217;s changes &#8220;shame and silence survivors&#8221; and vowed to scrap them.
The new rules will &#8220;restore vital protections for students in our nation’s schools which were eroded by controversial regulations implemented during the previous Administration,&#8221; the education department said Thursday in a <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/t9nprm-factsheet.pdf">fact sheet</a> accompanying the proposed rule.
&#8220;Those regulations weakened protections for survivors of sexual assault and diminished the promise of an education free from discrimination,&#8221; the department said.
The new rules would rollback constitutional protections for students accused of heinous crimes, including the right to a live hearing, to cross-examine their accuser and the witnesses against them, and allowing a &#8220;single investigator&#8221; model that allows a single person to act as investigator, judge, jury, and executioner. This model would also prevent accused students from learning the evidence against them, such as what the accuser and witnesses are specifically accusing them of, and allow schools to keep individual testimonies hidden, making it more difficult for wrongly accused students to file a lawsuit to protect their civil rights.
Courts have consistently upheld civil rights for accused students in recent years, and legal challenges to the Trump administration&#8217;s regulations all failed.
In 2016, the Obama administration <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/obama-administration-title-ix-transgender-student-rights-223149">issued</a> guidance saying Title IX protections also apply to a transgender student&#8217;s bathroom preference. The next year, however, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/22/516664633/trump-administration-rescinds-obama-rule-on-transgender-students-bathroom-use">reversed</a> that guidance, saying the issue should not have been dealt with at the federal level and that there &#8220;must be due regard for the primary role of states and local school districts in establishing educational policy.&#8221;
Over the last year, parents have raised the alarm about biological males in girls bathrooms at school. In some cases, even elementary schools have <a href="https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/parents-push-back-against-elementary-schools-trans-bathroom-policy-olentangy-school-district-gender-inclusive-restroom-title-ix-lgbtq-transgender-students-single-sex-spaces">adopted</a> policies allowing transgender-identifying boys to use the girls bathrooms, prompting parents to complain at school board meetings.
The Biden administration did not address what the new rules would mean for transgender students competing on the college sports team of their preferred gender, an issue that has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lia-thomas-teammate-competitor-blast-title-as-illegitimate-in-wake-of-fina-transgender-restrictions">sparked</a> national debate in recent months.
The proposed rule is slated to be published in the Federal Register and will be open for public comment for 60 days afterwards. If approved, the policy would not take effect until next year at the earliest.

North Carolina Clashes With U.S. Over New Public Restroom Law

Biden Officially Proposes Extending Title IX To Transgender Students

Biden Administration

Department of Education

Education

Joe Biden

Title IX

Transgender

Transgender Athletes

The International Rugby League (IRL) announced Tuesday that biologically male athletes who identify was female are currently banned from competing in the women&#8217;s league until officials develop a policy for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">transgender</a> athletes.
The pause comes on the heels of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fina-restricts-biological-males-identifying-as-females-from-elite-swimming-competitions">new policy</a> from FINA, the world’s top international swimming association, which has restricted female-identifying males from elite swimming competitions, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fina-restricts-biological-males-identifying-as-females-from-elite-swimming-competitions">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
&#8220;The IRL is continuing work to review and update rules about transgender participation in women’s international rugby league and will seek to use the upcoming World Cup to help develop a comprehensive inclusion policy,&#8221; a statement from the group said.
&#8220;Until further research is completed to enable the IRL to implement a formal transgender inclusion policy, male-to-female (transwomen) players are unable to play in sanctioned women’s international rugby league matches,&#8221; IRL added.
The international league further said it believes &#8220;rugby league is a game for all and that anyone and everyone can play our sport,&#8221; while adding that &#8220;safety&#8221; and &#8220;perceived risk&#8221; had to be evaluated, too.
&#8220;It is the IRL’s responsibility to balance the individual’s right to participate &#8211; a long-standing principle of rugby league and at its heart from the day it was established &#8211; against perceived risk to other participants, and to ensure all are given a fair hearing,&#8221; IRL said.
&#8220;The IRL will continue to work towards developing a set of criteria, based on best possible evidence, which fairly balance the individual’s right to play with the safety of all participants,&#8221; the statement added.
Allowing biologically male athletes to compete against women and girls has sparked outrage across the nation.
Notably, high school female athletes in Connecticut are challenging policies that allowed biological males to &#8220;dominate&#8221; girls high school track and field events. The girls — Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, and Alanna Smith — are represented by religious freedom organization <a href="https://adflegal.org/selina-soule-track-athlete-story">Alliance Defending Freedom</a>.
&#8220;At the 2019 Connecticut Indoor Track &amp; Field State Championships, Selina finished one place away from qualifying for finals, and the opportunity to compete for a qualifying spot at the New England Regional Championships in the 55-meter dash,&#8221; ADF outlined. &#8220;The first and second spots in the race were taken by two male athletes. This was a massive disappointment for Selina. It meant she had to sit on the sidelines instead of competing in front of college scouts!&#8221;
&#8220;Had those two biological boys not been allowed to compete, Selina could have qualified to run the 55-meter event at the New England regionals,&#8221; the group said. &#8220;The male who won Selina’s race set a girls’ state indoor record of 6.95 seconds in the 55-meter dash and went on to win the New England titles in both the 55-meter dash and the 300-meter dash.&#8221;
Not all female athletes are standing up for other girls, though.
Soccer superstar <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megan-rapinoe-tells-girls-parents-to-suck-it-up-over-trans-athletes-your-kids-volleyball-team-just-isnt-that-important">Megan Rapinoe</a> recently told Time Magazine that she&#8217;s &#8220;100%&#8221; behind &#8220;transgender inclusion&#8221; in girls sports, while ridiculing parents who are worried about the disadvantages their daughters might face.
“I would also encourage everyone out there who is afraid someone’s going to have an unfair advantage over their kid to really take a step back and think what are we actually talking about here,” the 36-year-old said. “We’re talking about people’s lives. I’m sorry, your kid’s high school volleyball team just isn’t that important.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/transgender-player-dominating-womens-handball-amanda-prestigiacomo">He Played Handball For Australia’s Men’s Team. Now Transgender, He’s Dominating Women’s Handball.</a>

England Women v Wales Women – Rugby League International

Another International Sport Bans Biologically Male Trans Athletes From Competing Against Women

Another International League Bans Biologically Male Transgender Athletes From Competing Against Women

Megan Rapinoe

Sports

Women

WASHINGTON — Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/title-ix">Title IX</a> federal civil rights law, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tommy-tuberville">Sen. Tommy Tuberville</a> (R-AL) is warning that President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden&#8217;s administration</a> is hacking away at women&#8217;s progress in the name of gender equality.
Passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 and signed by President Richard Nixon on June 23, 1972, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix">Title IX</a> prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools or education programs that receive federal funding. The move opened up many opportunities for women and girls to achieve in both academics and in sports.
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,&#8221; read the rule, co-authored by former Democratic Hawaii Rep. Patsy Matsu Mink, the first woman of color elected to Congress.
&#8221;It&#8217;s rare as a legislator that you fight for legislation you believe in and stay around or live long enough to see it come to fruition,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/30/us/patsy-mink-veteran-hawaii-congresswoman-dies-at-74.html">said Mink in 1995</a> as she met with top U.S. female basketball players. The former congresswoman passed away in 2002.
But the Biden administration recently announced plans to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/03/30/transgender-discrimination-title-ix-rule-students/">redefine sex</a> to include “sex stereotypes, sex-related characteristics (including intersex traits), pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.&#8221; This would ban discrimination based on gender identity, indicating that schools would be prevented from prohibiting biological males from participating in women’s sports.
And critics like Tuberville say the move directly contradicts the good accomplished for women through Title IX.
&#8220;The federal government, you know, we don&#8217;t get a lot right,&#8221; Tuberville, who coached Auburn University football for almost a decade, said during a phone interview with The Daily Wire. &#8220;But they got it right when they passed Title IX.&#8221;
The Alabama senator shared that he also previously coached girls high school basketball before his career as a football coach, saying that the Biden administration&#8217;s efforts will &#8220;be devastating to women&#8217;s sports.&#8221;
And most Americans won&#8217;t agree with this move, he added, suggesting that leftist activists and policy makers are focused on gender identity and &#8220;want everybody to kind of be pretty much the same.&#8221;
&#8220;They&#8217;re trying to destroy the family,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And so expanding the definition of sex is right up their alley, and by allowing biological males to compete in women&#8217;s sports, I think that&#8217;s trying to degrade women.&#8221;
Sarah Cowart, an academic coach who grew up playing sports in Alabama in middle and high school, told The Daily Wire that she started a girls soccer team in high school because her only other option was to play on the boys soccer team — and she knew that she wouldn&#8217;t stand a chance.
&#8220;I wasn&#8217;t going to get playing time just because I knew the difference of my size, their size, their skill and speed. It just wasn&#8217;t going to happen. I wasn&#8217;t going to play,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And so I think that&#8217;s what we saw when we were able to start the women&#8217;s soccer team in high school that afforded us the opportunity to be on the same playing field with our peers.&#8221;
&#8220;When you go up against them, you are playing the hardest that you can,&#8221; Cowart explained. &#8220;And when you&#8217;re trying [your] hardest and you&#8217;re playing your hardest, but you still aren&#8217;t being successful, that kills your spirit and thinking, well, I just can&#8217;t do this at all.&#8221;
Cowart celebrated that Title IX had bestowed on her and her teammates the freedom to create and lead such a team.
&#8220;I think about it from a standpoint of accessibility,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;Had we not come together as girls, at our age, we wouldn&#8217;t have had that opportunity. We would have had to end up playing with the guys team on a JV level again.&#8221;
Controversy over biological males in women&#8217;s sports has escalated as transgender swimmer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lia-thomas">Lia Thomas</a>, a biological male, competed in the NCAA Women&#8217;s Swimming and Diving Championships this spring, annihilating competitors in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biologically-male-swimmer-annihilates-female-competitors-in-500-free">women&#8217;s 500 freestyle</a>.
On Sunday, the International Swimming Federation (FINA), issued new restrictions on transgender swimmers, stating that only transgender swimmers who transitioned from male to female before age 12 may compete in women’s events.
“I’m very hopeful about it,” an anonymous teammate of Thomas told The Daily Wire on Tuesday of the new restrictions. That teammate was granted anonymity out of fear of backlash.
“I am incredibly happy that Lia Thomas will never be an Olympic gold medalist. I think that’s great. But this doesn’t actually fix the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association],” she added.
Both Thomas&#8217; teammate and Riley Gaines, a University of Kentucky swimmer, said that they wish the NCAA would rescind Thomas’ championship title.
“I believe Lia is not the fastest female in the 500-yard freestyle, therefore I don’t think she should be awarded as a female national champion,” Gaines told The Daily Wire, adding that the NCAA “needs to take accountability.&#8221;
“FINA prioritized competitive fairness which is more than any other large governing body has done thus far,” Gaines said.
The Daily Wire&#8217;s Mairead Elordi contributed to this report.

Screen Shot 2022-06-22 at 2.54.59 PM

Ahead Of 50th Anniversary Of Title IX, Senator Tuberville Warns Biden Admin Is Hacking Away At Women’s Progress

Tuberville Slams Biden Admin For Inhibiting Women's Rights Ahead Of Title IX Anniversary

Tommy Tuberville

Disney&#8217;s next animated feature film, &#8220;Strange World,&#8221; will include the first openly gay teen romance in a children&#8217;s movie from the entertainment company.
Production Designer for Animation Matthieu Saghezchi tweeted about catching a glimpse of the new film, which was shown recently at the Annecy 2022 International Film Festival in southeast France. It appears to be proof that Walt Disney Animation Studio is planning to once again insert LGBTQ content in its products.
&#8220;Just saw the very first glimpse into #Disney’s #StrangeWorld at the #Annecy2022 festival &#8211; it features the first openly gay teen romance in a disney feature!!!” Saghezchi tweeted. &#8220;RepresentationMatters.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Just saw the very first glimpse into <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Disney?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Disney</a> ‘s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StrangeWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StrangeWorld</a> at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Annecy2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Annecy2022</a> festival &#8211; it features the first openly gay teen romance in a disney feature!!! 🏳️‍🌈 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RepresentationMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RepresentationMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/H1bEjyrSV1">pic.twitter.com/H1bEjyrSV1</a>
&mdash; Matthieu Saghezchi (@MSaghezchi) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSaghezchi/status/1537783273006538755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The scene describes the son being very shy in front of his boy crush, and his dad comes in and says &#8216;so nice to meet you! my son talks about you all the time&#8217; and further embarrasses his son&#8230; very cute,&#8221; he added.
The apparent romance between two boys was supported by a report in the <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-disney-strange-world-first-gay-teen-romance-animated-feature-jake-gillenghaal-20220617-ijittz72hvhxzlcnmdwedgkqji-story.html">New York Daily News</a>, which described one of the three sequences from the film that was shown at the festival. The teen romance will reportedly be part of the story, but not the main plot, <a href="https://wdwnt.com/2022/06/strange-world-to-feature-first-openly-gay-teen-romance-in-disney-film/">WDWNT</a> noted.
The teaser trailer and poster dropped earlier this month and the movie is due to hit American theaters later this year.
It features the voices of such celebrities as Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Gabrielle Union, Lucy Liu, and others. A description on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10298840/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">IMDb</a> about the movie reads, &#8220;The legendary Clades are a family of explorers whose differences threatened to topple their latest and most crucial mission.&#8221;
The news comes following the recent release of &#8220;Lightyear&#8221; from Disney/Pixar, which reportedly included a same-sex kiss between two female animated characters in the movie. The movie has been <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chris-evans-lightyear-same-sex-kiss-b2101549.html">banned in 14 countries</a>.
United Arab Emirates <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-pixars-lightyear-banned-in-saudi-arabia-over-same-sex-kiss-report">announced that the film</a> would not be shown in the country “due to its violation of the country&#8217;s media standards.&#8221;
The movie, which tells the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, had a lackluster opening at the box office, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gay-kiss-included-woke-toy-story-spinoff-lightyear-struggles-at-box-office">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported.
(Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">announced</a> plans for kids’ entertainment content.)

Disney’s ‘Strange World’ Animated Film To Include Openly Gay Teen Romance

Disney’s Next Animated Feature Film ‘Strange World’ To Include Openly Gay Teen Romance

Children

Disney

Entertainment

Film

Woke Culture

Fans of Tim Allen voicing the beloved Buzz Lightyear in the &#8220;Toy Story&#8221; franchise want to know why he wasn&#8217;t picked, instead of Chris Evans, to voice the space man in the character&#8217;s origin animated film titled &#8220;Lightyear.&#8221;
In 1995 Disney/Pixar picked the TV star and standup comedian to be the voice of a toy named Buzz Lightyear who finds himself in the adventure of a lifetime with toy cowboy Woody voiced by Tom Hanks. For those that might have missed it, the two find a friendship and bond as they work together to get back to their kid, a young child named Andy. The two would reprise the roles three more times, as recently as 2019, when a fourth film in the &#8220;Toy Story&#8221; franchise came out, &#8220;Toy Story 4.&#8221;
So, when <a href="https://twitter.com/Pixar/status/1337195228797661184?s=20&amp;t=IyRFQvBuhlRQeixJVYdNhQ">Pixar announced</a> in 2020 that an origin film would hit theaters, about the man behind the famed toy, it was naturally assumed by fans of the character that the &#8220;Last Man Standing&#8221; star, who has been openly right wing, would be the voice.
Later, Marvel star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chris-evans-to-play-buzz-lightyear-tips-hat-to-tim-allen">Chris Evans</a> shared his reaction to being picked to voice Lightyear in the new animated Pixar film.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t even have the words.&#8221; the woke actor <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1337204197641629696?s=20&amp;t=IyRFQvBuhlRQeixJVYdNhQ">tweeted</a> at the time. &#8220;And just to be clear, this isn&#8217;t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.&#8221;
A description on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10298810/">IMDb</a> about the children&#8217;s film reads, &#8220;While spending years attempting to return home, marooned Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear encounters an army of ruthless robots commanded by Zurg who are attempting to steal his fuel source.&#8221;
Given <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-at-all-secret-gay-agenda-disney-employees-break-down-adding-queerness-to-shows-and-degenderizing-theme-parks">leaked tapes of executive producers</a> at Disney about its &#8220;not-at-all-secret gay&#8221; agenda many have speculated that politics and wokeness was involved in Evans getting the role over Allen.
There has been no official comment from Disney about the change. However, the movie&#8217;s director and producer pushed back at criticism and have shared that they wanted an actor who had the &#8220;gravitas&#8221; to play a &#8220;serious&#8221; character for this spaceman journey in the animated film for children, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/heres-why-tim-allen-did-042341965.html">Yahoo</a> noted.
&#8220;People were having a hard enough time wrapping their heads around this,&#8221; producer Galyn Susman stated, according to the <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/why-tim-allen-doesnt-voice-buzz-in-lightyear/">Wrap</a>. &#8220;So really we needed the toy in the &#8216;Toy Story’&#8217; universe to be its own thing. Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear the toy. Chris Evans is Buzz Lightyear, the superhero from that movie that inspired the toy.&#8221;
Susan added, &#8220;We weren&#8217;t making a &#8216;Toy Story&#8217; movie. We&#8217;re making Buzz Lightyear&#8217;s movie.&#8221;
The animated film&#8217;s director Angus MacLane said, &#8220;Tim&#8217;s version of Buzz is a little goofier and is a little dumber, and so he is the comic relief,&#8221; <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/06/chris-evans-buzz-lightyear-movie">Vanity Fair</a> reported.
&#8220;In this film, Buzz is the action hero,&#8221; MacLane explained. &#8220;He&#8217;s serious and ambitious and funny, but not in a goofy way that would undercut the drama. Chris Evans has the gravitas and that movie-star quality that our character needed to separate him and the movie from Tim&#8217;s version of the toy in &#8216;Toy Story.&#8221;
&#8220;The tone is a lot different,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/why-tim-allen-doesnt-voice-buzz-in-lightyear/">added</a>. &#8220;Tim is hilarious, but this character wouldn’t work as well with him doing the Space Ranger voice. It would not be as emotional. It just changes the tone of the movie. We were going for more of a classic sci-fi film.&#8221;
In 2021, when the teaser trailer came out, Maclane again tried to explain to fans why Allen wasn&#8217;t picked, though given the current confusion today, it was most likely too vague for fans of the character for the last 25 years.
&#8220;I assume that the toy [voiced by Tim Allen] is based on either the cartoon series that was made after the movie or a later movie,&#8221; the director <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/lightyear-teaser-trailer-toy-story-pixar-buzz-origin-chris-evans-135017201.html">shared at the time</a>. &#8220;So the events that Buzz is talking about in Toy Story [Buzz&#8217;s ramblings about the edge of the galaxy, Emperor Zurg, Star Command, etc.] have not yet happened. So this would be the origin story of who we know Buzz Lightyear to be.&#8221;
In a recent interview, the &#8220;Captain America&#8221; star also responded to the comments on social media slamming him as Buzz and said that Allen&#8217;s Lightyear is &#8220;untouchable,&#8221; the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/06/17/chris-evans-tim-allen-is-buzz-lightyear-and-untouchable/">New York Post</a> noted.
&#8220;Look, Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear,&#8221; Evans said. &#8220;What he did in those movies is so iconic and so loved, and I&#8217;d be a fool not to incorporate some of his choices into this role.&#8221;
&#8220;The character in this movie is the human version that the toy is based off of, so it makes sense to have a little bit of overlap, luckily for me,&#8221; he added. &#8220;What Tim Allen did was pretty untouchable.&#8221;
There&#8217;s also news that the children&#8217;s movie has a &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-pixars-lightyear-banned-in-saudi-arabia-over-same-sex-kiss-report">same-sex&#8221; kiss</a> between two animated female characters in it that has caused the film to be <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/chris-evans-lightyear-same-sex-kiss-b2101549.html">banned in 14 countries</a>. Evans defended having the gay kiss included.
&#8220;The real truth is, those people are idiots,&#8221; Evans told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/lightyear-star-chris-evans-calls-critics-on-screen-representation-idiots-2022-06-14/">Reuters</a>. &#8220;There&#8217;s always going to be people who are afraid and unaware and trying to hold on to what was before. But those people die off like dinosaurs. I think the goal is to pay them no mind, march forward and embrace the growth that makes us human.&#8221;
While &#8220;The Santa Clause&#8221; star has yet to comment on not being in the film or the same-sex kiss, Allen did appear to take a swipe at Disney&#8217;s pro-LGBTQ+ agenda that got everyone&#8217;s attention recently and again raised speculation that it was the reason he wasn&#8217;t chosen.
&#8220;Took some kids to Disneyland and overheard a 13 year old boy wondering if he may be pansexual since he loves skillets,&#8221; Allen <a href="https://twitter.com/ofctimallen/status/1536782789596434432?s=20&amp;t=fwHxsqJUVc5wFdXAXx1cpg">tweeted</a> recently to his hundreds of thousands of followers.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/actress-slams-disney-for-replacing-tim-allen-with-chris-evans-in-lightyear-asks-why-they-would-completely-castrate-this-iconic-character">Actress Patricia Heaton&#8217;s </a> tweet went viral recently after she asked her fans why Disney would &#8220;castrate&#8221; the &#8220;iconic, beloved character&#8221; Allen made in the &#8220;Toy Story&#8221; franchise after seeing the trailer for the new film.
&#8220;Saw the trailer for Buzz Lightyear and all I can say is Disney/Pixar made a HUGE mistake in not casting my pal Tim Allen in the role that he originated, the role that he owns,&#8221; the 64-year-old actress tweeted. &#8220;Tim IS Buzz! Why would they completely castrate this iconic, beloved character?&#8221;
The movie is also showing a lackluster performance at the box office following its release, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gay-kiss-included-woke-toy-story-spinoff-lightyear-struggles-at-box-office">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. Disney/Pixar might have finally pushed their woke agenda too far for consumers who also would&#8217;ve loved to see Allen as the voice of Buzz.
(Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">announced</a> plans for kids’ entertainment content.)
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Readers-Pass—Jerkovich—LIGHTYEAR-controversy-Tim-Allen-or-Chirs-Evans_-What-happened__216x9_2

Here’s Why Tim Allen Wasn’t Picked To Voice Buzz Lightyear In ‘Lightyear’ Movie

Pixar

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) is introducing legislation on Wednesday requiring elementary schools and secondary schools that receive federal funding to obtain a parent&#8217;s consent before they begin facilitating a child&#8217;s gender transition.
The Indiana Republican&#8217;s legislation, a Republican Study Committee initiative, mirrors a Senate version of the bill <a href="https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-introduces-bill-to-prevent-schools-from-concealing-gender-transitions-from-parents">introduced</a> by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) in October — ensuring, as Banks said, that &#8220;federally funded schools are not laboratories for the Left’s radical agenda.”
“Our schools are a place for math and history education, not gender theory indoctrination,&#8221; Banks told The Daily Wire. &#8220;No parent should have to worry that their child’s school is enabling, promoting, or facilitating a child’s ‘gender transition’ behind their back.&#8221;
The Empower Parents to Protect Their Kids Act of 2022 warns that school districts across the nation are &#8220;violating parental and familial rights by encouraging or instructing staff to deceive or withhold information from parents if their child expresses confusion about their gender and is seeking to &#8216;transition.'&#8221;
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&#8220;Without parental knowledge or consent, schools are facilitating &#8216;social gender transitions&#8217; by changing the names and pronouns of children in school, or even allowing children to change which sex-segregated facilities they use, such as rest rooms, locker rooms, and dormitories or other housing for overnight field trips,&#8221; the legislation states.
But &#8220;socially transitioning&#8221; a child is not an evidence-based practice or a &#8220;neutral or uncontroversial decision,&#8221; the legislation says.
&#8220;This practice is an experimental social and psychological intervention that has immediate effects on a child’s psychology and a high likelihood of changing the life path of a child,&#8221; the bill continues, warning that policies that &#8220;circumvent parental authority&#8221; are a violation of parents&#8217; constitutional rights to care for their children.
In California, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-school-creates-transition-closet-allows-students-to-swap-out-of-clothes-parents-approve-of">previously reported in February</a>, a high school&#8217;s  “transition closet” sparked a backlash as parents protested that students would be allowed to come to school in clothes that their “parents approve of” before changing into clothes that match their stated gender identity.
In Wisconsin, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wisconsin-teachers-told-to-hide-students-gender-identity-from-parents">reported in March</a>, teachers were reportedly instructed to hide students’ gender identity transitions from their parents.
Cotton told The Daily Wire in a Wednesday statement that &#8220;schools should never be allowed to impose radical, harmful gender ideology on children—especially without parents’ knowledge and consent.&#8221;
&#8220;My bill will protect students and ensure parents are in control of their children’s education,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Schools must remain institutions of education, not indoctrination camps where minors are manipulated and brainwashed.&#8221;
The Republican Study Committee had <a href="https://rsc-banks.house.gov/news/press-releases/rsc-unveils-framework-restore-american-family">announced</a> a framework of economic and social principles intended to “restore the American family” and to act as the “foundation of a pro-family conservative agenda when Republicans win back the House majority&#8221; in early June.
That <a href="https://mcusercontent.com/d4254037a343b683d142111e0/files/9959fb7c-6118-85a8-6f38-63f048fd3d77/Family_Principles_Doc_Final_PDF.pdf">initiative</a> specifically seeks to protect children from “far-left&#8221; ideologies.
&#8220;We support the protection of children from far-left ideologies like the transgender movement and racist ideology in their schools, the dangers of Big Tech and the internet, and other influences that cause trauma, endanger children’s health or otherwise blunt their development into functional adult citizens,&#8221; the framework reads.

Screen Shot 2022-06-22 at 10.00.46 AM

GOP Legislation Targets Schools Pushing Child Gender Transitions

Jim Banks Introduces Legislation Targeting Schools Affirming Child Gender Transitions

Jim Banks

Republicans

A former teammate of Lia Thomas, along with a rival team member who once tied with Thomas, blasted the transgender college swimmer&#8217;s championship title as illegitimate after swimming’s international governing body, the International Swimming Federation (FINA), issued stringent new restrictions on transgender swimmers.
On Monday, FINA <a href="https://resources.fina.org/fina/document/2022/06/19/525de003-51f4-47d3-8d5a-716dac5f77c7/FINA-INCLUSION-POLICY-AND-APPENDICES-FINAL-.pdf">released</a> a new &#8220;gender inclusion policy&#8221; that allows only transgender swimmers who transitioned from male to female before age 12 to compete in women&#8217;s events.
&#8220;I&#8217;m very hopeful about it,&#8221; Thomas&#8217; teammate, who was granted anonymity out of fear of backlash, said of the new restrictions.
&#8220;I am incredibly happy that Lia Thomas will never be an Olympic gold medalist. I think that&#8217;s great. But this doesn&#8217;t actually fix the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association],&#8221; she told The Daily Wire.
Thomas, 22, competed on the men&#8217;s team at the University of Pennsylvania before coming out as transgender in 2019 and starting testosterone blockers and estrogen. Last year, Thomas competed on the women&#8217;s team, sparking a national debate. In March, Thomas won the NCAA Division I national championship after winning the women&#8217;s 500-yard freestyle event.
The NCAA&#8217;s current <a href="https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/inclusion/lgbtq/INC_TransgenderHandbook.pdf">policy</a> allows biological males to compete on women&#8217;s teams after completing just one year of testosterone suppression treatment.
Thomas&#8217; teammate said she &#8220;would love&#8221; for the NCAA to rescind Thomas&#8217; championship title, although she&#8217;s doubtful that will happen. Even if the NCAA follows FINA&#8217;s lead and restricts transgender athletes on women&#8217;s teams, Thomas will likely be &#8220;grandfathered in,&#8221; the teammate said, adding that she finds that &#8220;ridiculous.&#8221;
Riley Gaines, a University of Kentucky swimmer, tied with Thomas for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle final at the NCAA championship in March. She left the competition that day <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/04/04/swimmer-who-tied-lia-thomas-taken-aback-in-trophy-handling/">with a sixth-place trophy</a> after the NCAA decided to give Thomas the fifth-place trophy.
&#8220;I believe Lia is not the fastest female in the 500-yard freestyle, therefore I don&#8217;t think she should be awarded as a female national champion,&#8221; Gaines told The Daily Wire.
Gaines said the NCAA &#8220;needs to take accountability&#8221; and follow FINA&#8217;s lead on restricting transgender athletes on women&#8217;s teams, which she called &#8220;a bold first step on behalf of fairness in women&#8217;s sports.&#8221;
&#8220;FINA prioritized competitive fairness which is more than any other large governing body has done thus far,&#8221; Gaines said, adding that she appreciated that FINA took into account science and the perspectives of other athletes.
&#8220;The only downfall is now that there is a set age to be transgender and allowed to compete as a female, will children be more swayed into transitioning without fully understanding what they&#8217;re doing and committing to?&#8221; Gaines asked.
Thomas&#8217; teammate who spoke with The Daily Wire also praised FINA for listening to the science, but voiced a similar concern that young swimmers could be pushed into transitioning earlier.
&#8220;The boys are actually slower than the girls under the age of 12. So scientifically speaking, that is actually the correct year to pick,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Socially, I don&#8217;t agree with that.&#8221;
&#8220;I think really, scientifically, this policy makes a lot of sense, and I&#8217;m also really happy that it&#8217;s also going to be put into place in water polo,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Water polo is a very aggressive sport. People get their suits pulled down. They get clawed. I definitely don&#8217;t want to see biological men on women&#8217;s water polo teams.&#8221;
Thomas&#8217; teammate also said that she had to share a locker room with Thomas while they were on the team together and is concerned about the larger issue of allowing biological men into female-only spaces.
She added that just because Thomas did not win every single event does not mean the national champion did not enjoy an unfair advantage.
&#8220;There have been a lot of athletes that have been caught for doping and they didn&#8217;t necessarily win gold,&#8221; Thomas&#8217; teammate said.

NCAA SWIMMING: MAR 17 Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships

Lia Thomas Teammate, Competitor Blast Title As Illegitimate In Wake Of FINA Transgender Restrictions

Lia Thomas

Swimming

Canadian professor and clinical psychologist <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/jordan-peterson">Jordan Peterson</a> attributed the failure of “Toy Story” spinoff “Lightyear” — which garnered controversy for including a <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq">same-sex kiss</a> — to market forces.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gay-kiss-included-woke-toy-story-spinoff-lightyear-struggles-at-box-office?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter">Daily Wire writer Amanda Prestigiacomo</a> noted on Sunday that “Lightyear” brought in a paltry $51 million during its three-day opening — despite a lack of competition from other children’s <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">movies</a> and significantly more robust success from past “Toy Story” flicks. Responding to Prestigiacomo’s article, Peterson said on social media that the failure pointed to “the revenge of the market.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is so unfortunate:) &#8212; the revenge of the market 🙂 <a href="https://t.co/aqbA2MbTAD">https://t.co/aqbA2MbTAD</a>
&mdash; Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1538860653498310659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As Peterson noted, Americans are by no means enthused by woke corporate activists shoving leftist viewpoints down their throats. A recent poll conducted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/poll-by-two-to-one-margin-investors-reject-woke-companies-pushing-political-causes">Echelon Insights on behalf of The Daily Wire</a> showed that although 29% of American investors agreed it is a “good thing” for companies to leverage their financial power for political or social means supported by executives, 58% — twice as many — said it is a “bad thing.”
Meanwhile, 56% of investors said the firms are merely “trying to appease their critics” and 34% said the firms genuinely “believe it’s the right thing.” When companies do take political stances, 36% of investors said they are “too liberal,” while 17% said they are “too conservative.”
Pixar — a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/not-at-all-secret-gay-agenda-disney-employees-break-down-adding-queerness-to-shows-and-degenderizing-theme-parks">Disney</a> subsidiary — reinstated the same-sex kiss between two female characters after Florida passed a bill banning classroom discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity for young children. However, another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-poll-over-60-of-americans-back-floridas-limits-on-k-3-lessons-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity">exclusive poll from The Daily Wire</a> showed that 64% of Americans supported the parental rights legislation after they were presented with the actual language of the law.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-poll-67-of-americans-say-disney-is-wrong-to-oppose-florida-bill-banning-k-3-instruction-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity">same poll</a> revealed that 67% of Americans believe Disney was “wrong” for opposing the legislation, as it “would protect children from inappropriate topics that should be discussed by parents.” There were no meaningful differences between Americans of different racial groups, and a clear majority of Democrats expressed support for the legislation.
Nevertheless, Chris Evans — the actor who voiced Buzz Lightyear — has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/idiots-actor-chris-evans-slams-critics-who-dont-want-gay-kiss-in-toy-story-spinoff">pushing the kiss scene</a> upon the American public, even characterizing those who disagree as “idiots.”
“Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good,” Evans told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/instant-article/idUSL1N2Y103M">Reuters</a>.
“Disney put a line in the sand saying, we’re putting this back in, but also, we’re not going to remove it for any other territories, in these places that would have a problem with it” a <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/features/chris-evans-lightyear-same-sex-kiss-1235293017/">Variety</a> reporter asked Evans, who also played Captain America. “What did you make of the company making that decision?”
“I mean, it’s great,” the actor remarked. “As great as it is — and you know, I’ve been asked the question a few times — it’s nice, and it’s wonderful, it makes me happy.”
“It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion,” Evans added. “That it is this kind of ‘news.’ The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm, and that this doesn’t have to be some uncharted waters, that eventually this is just the way it is. That representation across the board is how we make films.”
In contrast to “Lightyear,” the movie “Top Gun: Maverick” — replete with military nostalgia and pro-America themes — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/just-say-no-to-woke-top-gun-maverick-crushing-box-office-with-pro-america-messaging-is-a-wake-up-call-for-hollywood">crushed at the box office</a>, earning $156 million during its opening weekend.

The Self-styled “Professor Against Political Correctness” Jordan Peterson Speaks To The Cambridge Union

Jordan Peterson Has A Theory For Why ‘Lightyear’ Flopped

Jordan Peterson Attributes The Failure Of 'Lightyear' To Market Forces

Chris Evans

Hollywood

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/tesla">Tesla</a> laid off two high-achieving employees involved with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/diversity">diversity</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lgbtq">LGBTQ</a> initiatives, according to a Monday report.
Earlier this month, Tesla CEO <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a> announced that he would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-has-a-super-bad-feeling-about-the-economy-wants-a-massive-layoff-at-tesla">lay off</a> 10% of the electric automaker’s staff due to his “super bad feeling” about the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/economy">economy</a>. According to electric vehicle news outlet <a href="https://electrek.co/2022/06/20/tesla-lay-off-head-lgbtq-diversity-elon-musk-woke-mind-virus/">Electrek</a>, Bobby Berretta-Paris — the volunteer “President of LGBTQ+” at Tesla who worked as a recruiter — was among those who lost their jobs. Berretta-Paris included &#8220;President of LGBTQ+&#8221; on his LinkedIn page, although it is unclear what the designation entailed.
An unnamed engineer, who volunteered as a “Diversity and Inclusion Leader,” was also let go. Electrek made clear that both separations were part of the &#8220;broader wave of layoffs,&#8221; but repeated that both employees had received multiple promotions in their relatively short tenures, seemingly indicating that their performance was not a cause for concern.
Large corporations frequently enforce a progressive social and political agenda under the guise of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives. Technology companies are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woke-corporations-really-hate-diversity-of-thought-new-viewpoint-diversity-score-reveals">particularly intolerant</a> of conflicting worldviews outside of leftist orthodoxy. However, a recent poll conducted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/poll-by-two-to-one-margin-investors-reject-woke-companies-pushing-political-causes">Echelon Insights on behalf of The Daily Wire</a> revealed that American investors — by a two-to-one margin — disapprove of companies leveraging their financial power for political or social means.
As Electrek noted, the layoffs come amid Musk’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/get-woke-go-broke-elon-musk-says-woke-mind-virus-makes-netflix-unwatchable-as-shares-plummet-20">concerns</a> about the “woke mind virus,” which he believes to be “the biggest threat” to civilization. Days earlier, rocket company SpaceX — which Musk also runs — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/get-woke-go-broke-spacex-fires-employees-who-wrote-a-letter-blasting-elon-musks-behavior-and-values">fired multiple employees</a> who circulated a letter criticizing the billionaire entrepreneur for his “behavior” and “values.”
“Elon’s behavior in the public sphere is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks,” the letter asserted. “As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX — every tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company.”
The authors also said that “it is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging does not reflect our work, our mission, or our values,” demanding that SpaceX “swiftly and explicitly separate itself from Elon’s personal brand.”
The day after the letter circulated, an email from SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell — who has often <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spacex-president-tells-employees-she-does-not-believe-elon-musk-sexual-misconduct-allegations">defended</a> Musk from spurious allegations — said that the employees had been canned.
“The letter, solicitations and general process made employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that did not reflect their views,” Shotwell wrote. “We have too much critical work to accomplish and no need for this kind of overreaching activism.”
The separations at both companies came days after Musk made headlines for announcing that he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-tips-hat-toward-ron-desantis-to-be-next-president-of-the-united-states">cast his ballot</a> for Mayra Flores — a Mexican-American Republican congressional candidate who won a historically Democratic district in southern Texas — after earlier announcing that he would vote Republican in this year’s midterm elections. When asked online about who he was leaning toward supporting in the 2024 presidential election, Musk said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Musk has encouraged Silicon Valley — and the United States at large — to reject wokeness and reaffirm a commitment to free expression.
“I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans,” Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-torches-mainstream-institutions-for-extreme-antibody-reaction-to-free-speech">said</a> in April, adding that the “extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all.”

The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” – Arrivals

LGBTQ, Diversity Officials’ Heads Roll At Elon Musk’s Tesla

Elon Musk's Tesla Axes Employees Pushing LGBTQ, Diversity Programs

Diversity

Elon Musk

Tesla

Wokeness

FINA, the world’s top international swimming association, announced a new policy on gender inclusion on Sunday that further restricts biological males identifying as females from elite swimming competitions.
The move comes following a vote of the FINA governing body regarding the controversial issue of biological males participating in women’s swimming.
“We have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women’s category at FINA competitions,” FINA President Husain Al-Musallam said in a <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.fina.org/news/2649715/press-release-fina-announces-new-policy-on-gender-inclusion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
The new policy also seeks to consider an “open” category for transgender athletic competition.
“FINA will always welcome every athlete. The creation of an open category will mean that everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level. This has not been done before, so FINA will need to lead the way. I want all athletes to feel included in being able to develop ideas during this process,” he added.
The only biological males who could compete in women’s swimming under the <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://resources.fina.org/fina/document/2022/06/19/525de003-51f4-47d3-8d5a-716dac5f77c7/FINA-INCLUSION-POLICY-AND-APPENDICES-FINAL-.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new policy</a> would include swimmers who have had “male puberty suppressed beginning at Tanner Stage 2 or before age 12, whichever is later, and they have since continuously maintained their testosterone levels in serum (or plasma) below 2.5 nmol/L.”
The new policy would prohibit athletes like Lia Thomas from competing in elite swim meets. Thomas made history earlier this year as the first transgender swimmer to win an event at the NCAA Division I women’s swimming championships.
Thomas had also shared plans to pursue professional swimming with hopes of reaching the Olympics in women’s swimming. The new policy may threaten the option for Thomas and similar swimmers.
“I intend to keep swimming,” Thomas <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-sports-college-swimming-united-states-olympic-team-14e7fd8d820a331d7aeb72b34cdc83e6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> ABC. “It’s been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time, and I would love to see that through.”
Former U.K. swimmer Sharron Davies told BBC Sport she agreed with the decision.
“‘Four years ago, along with 60 other Olympic medallists, I wrote to the IOC and said ‘Please just do the science first’ and no governing body has done the science until now,’” she <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/swimming/61853450?at_custom4=5FFA7C4C-EFE5-11EC-95E3-9FCC923C408C&amp;at_custom2=facebook_page&amp;at_campaign=64&amp;at_custom3=BBC+News&amp;at_medium=custom7&amp;at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
“‘That is what [FINA] has done. They’ve done the science, they’ve got the right people on board, they’ve spoken to the athletes, and coaches. Swimming is a very inclusive sport, we love everyone to come and swim and be involved. But the cornerstone of sport is that it has to be fair and it has to be fair for both sexes,’” she added.
Athlete Ally, a pro-LGBT group that supported Thomas in women’s swimming, spoke out against the new policy.
“FINA’s new eligibility criteria for transgender athletes and athletes with intersex variations is discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and not in line with the 2021 IOC principles. If we truly want to protect women’s sports, we must include all women,” Athlete Ally <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://twitter.com/AthleteAlly/status/1538548251841990663" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> on Sunday. International Swimming Federation
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FINA’s new eligibility criteria for transgender athletes and athletes with intersex variations is discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and not in line with the 2021 IOC principles. If we truly want to protect women’s sports, we must include all women. <a href="https://t.co/MDjrWB6GrU">https://t.co/MDjrWB6GrU</a>
&mdash; Athlete Ally (@AthleteAlly) <a href="https://twitter.com/AthleteAlly/status/1538548251841990663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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FINA Restricts Biological Males Identifying As Females From Elite Swimming Competitions

FIFA, the world&#8217;s largest soccer association and the organization behind the World Cup, is considering a plan that would drop the measurement of testosterone among biological men who identify as women to participate in women&#8217;s soccer.
The association&#8217;s current eligibility standard for biological men who identify as female requires less than five nanomoles per liter after at least 12 months, The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10930499/Experts-fear-FIFAs-make-easier-transgender-women-harm-female-football.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;The new regulations are still at the consultation stage and it is understood that some members of FIFA&#8217;s senior management are unconvinced that they should be published in their current form,&#8221; the outlet noted on Sunday.
Women&#8217;s rights activist Julie Scott took to Twitter to blast the proposed change.
&#8220;If this goes through, it’ll kill women’s football. How can they claim this would ‘balance fairness &amp; inclusion’? It’s the opposite of that,&#8221; Scott wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
‘FIFA have drawn up new regulations that make it easier for (trans identifying males) to compete in women’s football.’
If this goes through, it’ll kill women’s football. How can they claim this would ‘balance fairness &amp; inclusion’? It’s the opposite of that 🤬<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveWomensSports?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaveWomensSports</a> <a href="https://t.co/7Lwwp0N6DP">pic.twitter.com/7Lwwp0N6DP</a>
&mdash; Julie Scott 🍒 (@judgejules75) <a href="https://twitter.com/judgejules75/status/1538436426278350848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The report comes as the cycling tour organization UCI strengthened the requirements for biological males to participate in female cycling following the case of transgender cyclist Emily Bridges.
During a May interview, Bridges told DIVA magazine it was wrong to claim that biological men who identify as women hold physical advantages after hormone therapy.
&#8220;I understand how you&#8217;d come to this conclusion because a lot of people still view trans women as men with male anatomies and physiologies,&#8221; Bridges <a href="https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/cycling/news/15264/12621919/emily-bridges-transgender-cyclist-insists-she-has-no-advantage-over-female-competitors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&#8220;But hormone replacement therapy has such a massive effect. The aerobic performance difference is gone after about four months.
The UCI lowered the testosterone limit from five to 2.5 nanomoles per liter and now requires two years within the new range instead of one year.
Bridges was stopped from competing in the British National Omnium Championships in March following threats of boycotts from other cyclists.
In the U.S., controversy regarding biological males competing in women&#8217;s sports has grown following University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas competing on the women&#8217;s team despite being a biological male and competing in previous seasons on the men&#8217;s team.
Thomas dominated meets throughout the season, including a win at the NCAA women&#8217;s swimming championships in Atlanta.
A fellow swimmer on the University of Pennsylvania team anonymously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/upenn-swimmer-details-truth-surrounding-lia-thomas-in-new-matt-walsh-doc-what-is-a-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke</a> to The Daily Wire&#8217;s Matt Walsh for his highly anticipated documentary, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman-official-trailer">What Is a Woman?</a>”
“There was a lot of things we couldn’t talk about that was concerning,” the swimmer told Walsh.
“If you even brought up concerns about it, you were ‘transphobic,&#8217;” she told Walsh.
“If you even bring up the fact that Lia’s swimming might not be fair, you’re immediately shut down and called a hateful person, or transphobic,” she continued.

FIFA women

FIFA Considers Dropping Testosterone Measurement For Biological Men Who Identify As Women

What Is A Woman

Women's Soccer

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