This year's Women's World Cup in soccer is on track to become the most attended women's standalone sporting event ever. To be held in Australia and New Zealand starting July 20, so far 1,032,884 tickets have been sold.
Australia's opening match against Ireland had to be moved to an 83.500 seat stadium because of ticket demand.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/over-one-million-tickets-sold-for-womens-world-cup-fifa/articleshow/100867080.cms?from=mdr
Earlier this year, the Southern Baptist Convention expelled several congregations in which women serve as pastors. Now, the denomination has a strict rule - women cannot be senior or lead pastors. And that's because they believe that the Bible prohibits women from teaching men and having authority over them. And a few of the churches expelled do have senior pastors who are women, in violation of church rules.
A number of Southern Baptist congregations, in fact, employ women who perform all sorts of ministry, but they're not senior pastors. For instance, they could be the education pastor who oversees Sunday school - lots of women in that position. They may teach boys and girls and other women, but they may not teach men.
Last year the church's sexual abuse task force released a very strongly worded report that detailed how Southern Baptists had mishandled sex abuse claims and mistreated victims.
Southern Baptists are losing members. A recent study shows about half a million fewer members between 2021 and 2022, and it's lost 3 million members since the year 2006. It's still the largest Protestant denomination in the country, with just over 13 million people, but smaller than it used to be. The conservative beliefs and values of Southern Baptists still make up a huge part of the Republican political agenda.
https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-06-11/southern-baptist-leaders-will-decide-the-fate-of-congregations-with-women-pastors
Susan and her husband Brian, who asked that their last names not be used for safety reasons, decided the family needed to move out of Texas in light of the child abuse investigation threats. They say they weren’t sure how far the government would go to separate families like their own or affect Elsa’s access to care as she gets older.
When their daughter told them she did not want to leave Texas, and as long as they were together, they could handle anything, Susan told her: “I feel the same way. I think we could handle anything when we're together. But the reason that we have to go is that they could make it so we can't be together anymore.”
Debi Jackson has long been an advocate for her nonbinary child, testifying against anti-LGBTQ legislation in Missouri alongside them. “Because we don't know what's going to happen and because we don't trust them, it's time to go,” Jackson said. “I don't want my child to have to live through another one of the years of ‘what ifs.’”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/genocidal-transgender-people-begin-flee-states-anti-lgbtq/story?id=99909913
As of June 6, Lego will be offering an international version of women's soccer. Featuring four star players, Megan Rapinoe (USA), Yuki Nagasoto (Japan), Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria), and Sam Kerr (Australia), the kit features half a soccer field with a goal and VAR station, stands with a scoreboard, a ceremonial stage and more.
This sports centered toy is marketed not just for females, but for all soccer enthusiasts. Just as the assumption has been made for years that men's sports will appeal to everyone, Lego has assumed the same for women's sports.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/icons-of-play-40634
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made sure that the state's public colleges and universities will not teach diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
"If you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, DEI is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination," DeSantis said.
Earlier this year, DeSantis put conservative allies in control of the board of New College of Florida to put it in a more conservative direction. DeSantis signed the bill at the college.
Hierarchy supporters are going to amazing means to keep hierarchies alive, now insisting that diversity itself is negative, and recognizing that fact hurts the top of the hierarchy.
https://www.npr.org/2023/05/15/1176210007/florida-ron-desantis-dei-ban-diversity
"It's no different to when we were in Saudi."
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton blasted Florida’s recent slate of anti-LGBTQ laws Thursday ahead of the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.
The lead driver for Mercedes compared legislation signed by Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis, including the "Don't Say Gay bill, to conditions that Hamilton has protested when F1 races in the Middle East.
https://www.outsports.com/2023/5/5/23712008/lewis-hamilton-f1-miami-grand-prix-florida-anti-lgbtq-protest?fbclid=IwAR2svdVYEKqGJY-HBr_qE0bHQpDUeV4Ol38_HKc8egkmtdZVXXKab1hwStU
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has vetoed H.B. 2820, a routine bill that would have approved funding for the Oklahoma Education Television Authority (OETA) – which broadcasts PBS in the state – through 2026.
“I don’t think Oklahomans want to use their tax dollars to indoctrinate kids,” Stitt said at a press conference. “And some of the stuff that they’re showing, it just overly sexualizes our kids. There are parents defending child transition on PBS that’s being played. There’s elevating LGBTQIA2S+ voices.”
A Stitt spokeswoman provided examples of this LGBTQ+ “indoctrination” explaining that OETA had put on Pride Month programming over the past few years and also mentioned a PBS Newshour segment in which the parents of a trans child spoke about the benefits of gender-affirming care. She also decried episodes from two children’s cartoons (Work it out Wombats! and Clifford the Big Red Dog) that included lesbian characters.
These Republicans are certainly committed to keeping hierarchies alive, in this case sexual identity.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/05/gop-governor-rejects-funding-for-pbs-because-clifford-the-dog-indoctrinates-kids/?fbclid=IwAR2rsmgs6UmgxQwBl679-cvUpMx20qXLmKk1R8h9K4mh-mkMFNTmXDPeZqo