Japan PM: Ban on same-sex marriage not discrimination

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is not discriminatory, insisting that constitutional freedom of marriage only envisions heterosexual unions, a comment that triggered criticism he is backtracking despite his recent apology and meeting with LGBTQ people.

Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party, known for its conservative family values and reluctance to promote gender equality and sexual diversity, is virtually the main opposition to legalization of same-sex marriage and other measures of equality for LGBTQ people.

Asked by an opposition lawmaker at Tuesday’s parliamentary budget committee if he thinks a same-sex marriage ban constitutes discrimination, Kishida said “I don’t think disallowing same-sex couples to marry is unjust discrimination by the state.”

His comment sparked criticism from opposition lawmakers and LGBTQ activists, who questioned whether Kishida was backpedaling to show consideration to ultra-conservatives in his party who oppose sexual diversity.

Kishida said after meeting with LGBTQ representatives in mid-February that he “strongly felt the need for discussion” and would consider the voices of the people and in parliament, as well as rulings in several ongoing lawsuits and measures in local municipalities.

Kishida on Wednesday repeated his position that a same-sex marriage ban “is not unconstitutional” and denied that he is prejudiced. “I believe I do not have a sense of discrimination (on the issue),” he said. “And I have never stated I’m against it.”

Former Kishida aide Masayoshi Arai’s discriminatory remarks last month about LGBTQ people ignited nationwide outrage, and prompted a renewed push for the Kishida government to enact an anti-discrimination law even after the official was sacked.

Arai told reporters in early February that he wouldn’t want to live next to LGBTQ people and that citizens would flee Japan if same-sex marriages were allowed.

Toru Miyamoto, a Japanese Communist Party lawmaker, asked Kishida on Wednesday about his meeting with LGBTQ representatives and whether he really meant his apology. Miyamoto also noted recent media surveys and local government initiatives introducing non-binding same-sex partnerships, and told Kishida that support for same-sex marriage now represents the majority of public opinion.

Since the controversy erupted, Kishida appointed a special aide for LGBTQ issues and instructed his party to prepare legislation to promote understanding for LGBTQ rights.

Activists are now urging the government to enact anti-discrimination legislation before Japan hosts a summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations in May in Hiroshima. Japan is the only G-7 member that has not recognized same-sex marriage or enacted an anti-discrimination law for LGBTQ people.

But his own previous comments — including that allowing same-sex marriage would change society and family values and must be carefully considered — were also seen as an indication of his reluctance to promote equal rights for LGBTQ people despite his pledge to create an inclusive and diverse society.

Campaigns for equal rights for LGBTQ people have been stonewalled especially by conservatives in Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party. An attempt to enact an equality awareness promotion law ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was quashed by the party.

While surveys show growing public support for same-sex unions, government efforts to support sexual diversity have been slow in Japan and legal protections are still lacking for LGBTQ people. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people often face discrimination at school, work and home in Japan, causing many to hide their sexual identities.

https://apnews.com/article/japan-kishida-lgbtq-samesex-marriage-discrimination-43baf7af74baf0d8b908124b19eabf0e

FBI makes claim over ‘most likely’ Covid origin

The head of the bureau accused Beijing of attempting to “thwart” investigations into the source of the global pandemic

FBI Director Christopher Wray has claimed Covid-19 “most likely” originated due to a leak from a Chinese government laboratory, citing a bureau assessment. The assertion follows reports regarding a classified briefing by the Energy Department, which also alleged that the pathogen may have emerged from a lab.

Speaking to Fox News for an interview that aired on Tuesday, Wray was asked to comment on the genesis of the worldwide health crisis, and replied that his agency is confident the virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China in late 2019.

“The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan. Here you are talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab,” he said. Wray added that the virus has killed “millions of Americans” and “that's precisely what that capability was designed for.”

The bureau took the additional step of transcribing Wray’s comments into a series of tweets, apparently hoping to amplify the director’s claims online. He provided no evidence to support his assertions, instead telling Fox’s Bret Baier that most details surrounding the FBI probe are “classified.”

Wray went on to accuse the Chinese government of “doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate the work here,” referring to investigations by US federal agencies and “foreign partners,” but did not describe the alleged efforts to hinder the probes.

The director’s comments came on the heels of a report published in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend, which cited a classified intelligence briefing recently seen by the White House and senior lawmakers. The missive noted that the Energy Department had changed its stance on the origin of the virus and now believes Covid-19 probably emerged from the Wuhan lab. However, the department reached that conclusion with only “low confidence,” the report added, also stating that four other federal agencies remain convinced the pathogen jumped to humans by way of natural transmission, not accidental exposure in a laboratory setting.

A previous assessment released by the Director of National Intelligence in 2021 indicated the FBI had “moderate confidence” in the lab leak theory, while the Energy Department was undecided at the time. Officials reached by the Journal said the change in stance was the result of “new intelligence,” though they declined to offer additional details.

A team led by the World Health Organization (WHO) traveled to China in 2021 to investigate the origins of the virus, ultimately concluding the lab leak theory was “extremely unlikely.” Beijing, for its part, has rejected the leak claim as an unfounded rumor at best, and a coordinated effort to smear China’s international image at worst, insisting it has been “open and transparent” with investigators looking into the cause of the pandemic.

https://www.rt.com/news/572234-fbi-director-covid-lab-leak/

Christian Teacher Charged with Misconduct After ‘Misgendering’ Trans Pupil

A Christian teacher has been accused of “misgendering” one of his transgender pupils during a misconduct hearing.

Joshua Sutcliffe, a mathematics teacher and committed Christian, has been accused of engaging in conduct that “negatively affected pupils” by allegedly “misgendering” one of his pupils, who is described as being “transgender”.

Sutcliffe is the latest school teacher to be put under scrutiny over his religious beliefs conflicting with transgenderism, with an Irish teacher even being jailed last year following a row erupting over his refusal to use the preferred pronouns of one pupil.

According to a report by The Guardian, Britain’s Teaching Regulation Agency has accused Sutcliffe of “misgendering” one of his pupils multiple times during a misconduct panel on the issue.

The maths teacher is also accused of endangering a child’s anonymity after he went on a talk show to discuss his subsequent dismissal from a school in Oxford over the trans row, with the body claiming that his presence on the programme “made it likely” the pupil involved would be identified.

Sutcliffe has denied the charges of misconduct, with his legal representative, Michael Phillips, arguing that his client is entitled to freedom of speech and cannot be compelled to say something he does not agree with.

Phillips also disputed the claims made against Sutcliffe, saying that the teacher had only misgendered the child once within their presence, and had apologised for doing so.

The legal counsel also argued that there was no evidence that using the child’s preferred pronouns would benefit them, putting into question the charge of misconduct.

“There is no evidence it was in Pupil A’s best interest to have preferred pronouns used,” Phillips remarked. “It was their wish but it doesn’t follow there was ethical justification for this.”

An accusation that Sutcliffe shared his views on same-sex marriage during a maths class was also rejected, with the teacher instead saying that he only shared those views during a Bible study session he set up in the school.

The hearing continues.

Meanwhile, Sutcliffe is far from the first educator who has come under fire for being seen to challenge the politics of transgenderism, with other teachers across the world ending up in hot water after resisting the progressive movement.

One of these individuals is Irish secondary school teacher Enoch Burke, who ended up being jailed by the Irish state after a row over him allegedly refusing to use a child’s preferred pronouns escalated.

Refusing the recognise a court order for him to stay away from the school where he was then employed, as he said it went against his right to religious freedom, Burke was eventually put behind bars by a High Court judge in September of last year.

Burke was only released from the prison shortly before Christmas, with it being judged that he would be unable to try and attend the school as it was closed for the holiday period at the time.

Despite having since been dismissed from his post, Burke continues to regularly attend the school, prompting him to receive fines from the court, which still is of the view that Burke is in breach of a legal court order.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/03/01/christian-teacher-charged-with-misconduct-after-misgendering-trans-pupil/

Top U.S. House Democrat Opposes Bill to Ban TikTok

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Tuesday he opposes a Republican bill that would grant the president power to ban the Chinese social media app TikTok.

Republican committee chair Michael McCaul said too many Americans do not recognize TikTok as a national security threat during a debate on the measure.

“Many Americans do not realize one of the greatest surveillance efforts from (China) has been silently gathering personal data in their pockets,” McCaul said. “TikTok is a national security threat … It is time to act.”

Meeks said he opposed the legislation, asserting it would “damage our allegiances across the globe, bring more companies into China’s sphere, destroy jobs here in the United States and undercut core American values of free speech and free enterprise,” according to Reuters.

Meeks further accused the bill of being “dangerously overbroad” and would U.S. sanctions on Korean and Taiwanese “companies that supply Chinese companies with semiconductor chips and other equipment.”

“As it is right now, it’s a [Republican] party-line bill. It is overly broad. We didn’t have a chance to discuss it at all” Meeks told Axios. “There were some suggestions that were made [by my staff] that were … summarily dismissed.”

Meeks felt the problem of TikTok should be solved with negotiations being conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and the Byte-dance-owned app.

TikTok defended itself, saying it has spent over $1.5 billion on data security to rebuff spying allegations.

“It would be unfortunate if the House Foreign Affairs Committee were to censor millions of Americans, and do so based not on actual intelligence, but on a basic misunderstanding of our corporate structure,” TikTok outlined.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), another Democrat on Foreign Affairs, also told Axios, “Not well-written, not well thought out and terrible overreach. I think there won’t be any [Democratic votes for it].”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/03/01/top-u-s-house-democrat-opposes-bill-to-ban-tiktok/

German FM plans ‘feminist’ blitz

Annalena Baerbock believes gender issues are “bitterly necessary” for Berlin

Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock has put together a platform for “feminist foreign policy,” several outlets reported on Tuesday. The revamp of Berlin’s diplomacy, due to be made public later this week, will infuse “gender issues” into everything from humanitarian aid and energy to climate change.

“We are pursuing a feminist foreign policy because it is bitterly necessary. Because men and women are still not equal worldwide,” Baerbock wrote, according to Politico Europe.

The 80-page report outlines 10 principal guidelines, according to the German news agency DPA. Among them are offering “gender-sensitive” humanitarian aid, involving “women and marginalized groups” in economic development and considering the “gender issues” dimension of climate and energy policies.

The measures are intended to “shape our inner workings and help us to form a ‘feminist reflex’,” Baerbock reportedly wrote, arguing that one of the foreign ministry’s goals should be to “measurably advance gender equality worldwide.” She also wants to create a new post of “ambassador for feminist foreign policy.”

By her definition, however, feminism policy is not just for women, but also for those “marginalized by society on the basis of gender identity, origin, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or other reasons.”

Therefore, in addition to spending 85% of project funds in a “gender-sensitive” manner, the Foreign Ministry intends to spend another 8% in a “gender-transformative” way that “actively challenges gender norms” by the end of the legislative cycle.

Baerbock’s Greens are currently in the “traffic light coalition” with Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats and the Free Democrats. The opposition has already pushed back, however. Bavarian PM Markus Soeder, who chairs the CSU party, told the Mediengruppe Bayern that her plan was “incomprehensible” and that “traveling the world and telling everyone else what they should and should not do is doomed to failure.”

Soeder has already called on Scholz to sack Baerbock before she becomes a “security risk.” The foreign minister has made a series of un-diplomatic gaffes over the past several months, mostly in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, reportedly prompting Scholz’s office to keep “careful track” of her mistakes.

In August 2022, Baerbock infamously told an EU conference in Prague that she intended to deliver on her promises to Ukraine “no matter what my German voters think.”

Last month, during a debate in the European Parliament on sending Ukraine more weapons, Baerbock said EU members should not fight among themselves, since “we are fighting a war against Russia.” She later walked that back, but still claimed her remarks were taken out of context and deliberately misinterpreted by the “Russian regime’s propaganda.”

In mid-February, Baerbock told the Munich Security Conference that Moscow’s policy needed to “change by 360 degrees,” prompting former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to dub her a “connoisseur of geometry.”

https://www.rt.com/news/572230-germany-baerbock-feminist-foreign-policy/

Twitter clarifies ‘violent speech’ policy

The social media giant said it would continue to allow “hyperbolic and consensual speech between friends”

Twitter has unveiled new rules to crack down on “violent speech,” saying it will impose a “zero tolerance” policy toward those threatening or glorifying the harm of another person or group. Certain exemptions will apply for cases involving satire, jokes and some forms of “artistic expression.”

The company announced the decision on Tuesday, noting that going forward, Twitter users “may not threaten, incite, glorify, or express desire for violence or harm,” part of a policy change intended to “prevent the normalization of violent actions.”

“In most cases, we will immediately and permanently suspend any account that violates this policy,” it said in a press release, adding that “for less severe violations,” some accounts may simply be locked temporarily.

However, the new policy will also make several exceptions, including for posts which contain “no clear abusive or violent context,” such as “hyperbolic and consensual” ribbing between friends, or during the “discussion of video games or sporting events.”

“We also allow certain cases of figures of speech, satire, or artistic expression when the context is expressing a viewpoint rather than instigating actionable violence or harm,” the company added, claiming it would “evaluate” all flagged posts before taking action against users.

While the decision marks one of the first major speech policy changes adopted by Twitter since its takeover by Elon Musk last October, the site’s rules have continued to evolve over the years.

In 2018, under the leadership of the platform’s original owner and co-founder Jack Dorsey, Twitter imposed a ban on speech which “dehumanize[s] anyone based on membership in an identifiable group, as this speech can lead to offline harm.” The following year, it expanded that policy to prohibit posts attacking users on the basis of their “religion, caste, age, disability, disease, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation,” and later took additional steps to curtail violent posts following the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

https://www.rt.com/news/572233-twitter-violent-speech-policy/

Convicted transgender rapist receives sentence

Isla Bryson was convicted last month of raping two women while still living as a man

Scottish double rapist Isla Bryson has been sentenced to eight years in prison by the High Court in Edinburgh. The sex offender's case had previously grabbed media headlines and sparked uproar after she was briefly placed in an all-female prison facility.

Bryson, 31, was found guilty last month of raping two women while still living as a man. One offense took place in the town of Clydebank near Glasgow in 2016, while the other one happened in Glasgow’s district of Drumchapel three years later.

According to the prosecution, Bryson met both victims online and “preyed” on vulnerable women.

Judge Lord Scott argued that Bryson was at “high risk” of reoffending and sentenced her to another three years on license, meaning there will be a period of supervision after the release.

Bryson, known as Adam Graham at the time of the rapes, denied all the charges, claiming that both victims had consented to having sex and arguing that she “would never hurt another human being.”

However, during sentencing, Judge Lord Scott dismissed Bryson’s claims that the rape victims colluded to place the blame on him. “You see yourself as the victim in this situation. You are not,” he said.

While conceding that Bryson could be deemed “vulnerable in some ways” due to adverse childhood experiences, he stressed that this factor could not serve as an excuse for raping two women.

Bryson's case sparked a media frenzy after she was initially placed in the all-female Cornton Vale prison, with politicians and activists voicing concerns over whether the safety of women in the facility could be compromised by the presence of the transgender sex offender.

While the Scottish Prison Service concluded that Bryson did not pose any threat to other female inmates, following the backlash and an intervention by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, she was moved to a male facility.

At the time, Sturgeon said that while it was not appropriate for her to give details of where inmates are being incarcerated, she confirmed that Bryson would not be placed at Cornton Vale, expressing hope that this decision would “provide assurance to the public.”

https://www.rt.com/news/572204-transgender-rapist-uk-jail/