Trans non-binary middle-distance runner Nikki Hiltz is on their way to the Paris Olympics after a nail-biting finish at a trial race.
The American track star defended their national championship in a final 1500m race at the US Olympic Track and Field trials, with a record time of 3 minutes, 55.33 seconds.
During the intense final push between Hiltz, Elle Purrier St. Pierre and Emily Mackay, the trans non-binary competitor held off the competition.
Hiltz’s win, the second-fastest by an American in the event, means they will make their Olympic debut in Paris later this year.
Olympian St. Pierre, who had already qualified for Paris, took command in the race’s first 61 seconds, telling reporters after the race that she knew the “field was really deep” and wanted to make it “honest”. But in the final lap, Hiltz and Mackay began to close the gap, culminating in a bolt towards the finish line.
“I told myself: ‘I’m not going to think about all the love and support until 100m to go. Then you can let it all fill you up and push you to the finish line’,” Hiltz said.
Their partner, Emma Gee – the first out LGBTQ+ student athlete to compete for Brigham Young University, in Utah – congratulated them in several Instagram posts.
“Y’all, they are headed to Paris,” she wrote. “Nikki Hiltz is an Olympian. Olympic Trials 1500m champion.”
Speaking to the Paris 2024 Olympics press team, Hiltz said that despite being ready for the event, their competitive prowess was still a shock.
“A month ago I was in 3:59 shape, now 3:55,” they said. “Where I’ll be in a month? I don’t know and I don’t want to put limits on that. I knew I was going to have to [set a personal record] to make this team, but 3:55? I haven’t gotten my head around that. I haven’t wrapped my head around the Olympics… there’s so much catching up to do.”
Hiltz came out publicly as trans non-binary in 2021, writing on Instagram: “Hi I’m Nikki and I’m transgender. That means I don’t identify with the gender I was assigned at birth. The word I use currently to describe my gender is non-binary. The best way I can explain my gender is as fluid.”
Turkey is an extremely popular destination, both for holidays and for people looking to get cost-effective dentistry and weight-loss surgery. But is it safe for LGBTQ+ people to visit?
Firstly, same-sex relationships and queer or trans people are not illegal in Turkey, but the country doesn’t offer any legal protection from discrimination in employment, education, housing or health care.
Same-sex marriages and civil partnerships are not recognised and, in general, the country is very conservative. People outside big cities can hold negative attitudes towards members of the LGBTQ+ community – but that’s not to say the major areas are liberal havens either.
Istanbul aerial shot. LGBTQ+ rights are complicated in Turkey. (Getty)
According to Intrepid Travel, gay couples should be wary of displays of affection except in private because kissing in public is frowned upon in relationships of any kind, but particularly risky for same-sex couples.
Following anti-government protests in 2013, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan placed censorship restrictions on the press and social media, which halted Turkey’s EU membership application, and a failed coup in 2016 led to a state of emergency being declared.
This gave Erdoğan the opportunity to impose further restrictions on civil liberties and human rights. As a result, Istanbul Pride was banned in 2015 – shut down through police intervention– and banned again for the following two years. There were reports of widespread arrests and police violence against anyone who tried to defy the authorities.
A Turkish policeman detains a demonstrator during a Pride march in Istanbul. (Getty)
In 2017, Turkey’s capital Ankara banned all LGBTQ+-rights-related events, saying there was a need to provide “peace and security”.
The Guardian has previously reported that queer Turkish people were “fearful of what may follow” and felt the president was waging a war against them.
In 2021, then interior minister Süleyman Soylu dismissed student protestors as “LGBTQ+ perverts” and said the government would not tolerate the “perverts who attempted to occupy the rector’s office” just days after Erdoğan praised the young people in Turkey who did not identify as LGBTQ+.
Istanbul Pride was banned in 2015 and police took strong action against anyone who defied the order. (Getty)
“We’ll carry our youth to the future, not as LGBTQ+ youth, but the youth from this glorious past. You are not the LGBTQ+ youth. You are not the youth who vandalises, but you are those who mend those vandalised hearts,” the president said.
It’s clear that Turkey is not particularly friendly towards LGBTQ+ people, despite no laws being in place to actively discriminate against the community.
Azoulay told of being harassed, beaten and scalded with boiling water by his fellow inmates, in homophobic attacks. He was jailed for 16 years but released in 2021.
What’s arguably even more significant when considering your travel plans is the fact the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office currently advises against travel to all parts of Turkey, whether you’re LGBTQ+ or not.
Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice and British embassy staff cannot travel to areas where FCDO advises against travel to help you in person.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he is “not in favour” of “gender ideology” being taught in schools, despite his education spokesperson suggesting the party would review the Conservatives controversial guidance on trans pupils.
Keir Starmer, who was previously applauded for condemning Rishi Sunak’s anti-trans ‘jokes’, has stated his opposition to the teaching of so-called “gender ideology” – a phrase which is widely considered an anti-trans dogwhistle.
Speaking with reporters during a school visit in Kettering, Starmer said: “No, I’m not in favour of ideology being taught in our schools on gender,” he said.
“I think we need to complete the consultation process and make sure that there is guidance that is age appropriate.
“That is helpful for teachers and has at its heart the safeguarding of children.”
A spokesperson for Labour equally told The Times: “Nothing should be taught in an ideological way in schools.
“Current RSHE [relationships, sex and health education] guidance requires under law that children are taught in an age-appropriate way the facts about ‘sex, sexuality, sexual health and gender identity’.
“Labour’s priority is the safety and wellbeing of every child.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Philipson visit a school in the East Midlands to take part in a student Q&A on June 24, 2024 in Kettering, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
However, this statement conflicts with the words of his shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, who when asked about the Tories RHSE guidancein a recent BBC interview suggested Labour would review it, stating she does not want it to be a a “political football” or “culture wars” issue.
The current government confirmed in May that sex education for children under the age of nine and education about trans issues for all pupils will be banned following updates to legal guidance, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying at the time the changes were to “protect our children”. The statutory guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) more widely is currently under review by the government.
This also followed the Tories guidance on gender questioning pupils in schools, released in December 2023, which states teachers are allowed to “decline” a student’s request to use different pronouns, access to single-sex facilities should be based on “biological” sex and social transition can only happen if parents are informed.
In her BBC interview, Phillipson said: “There are trans people within society and their existence should be recognised.
“Many aspects of the draft had good and straightforward principles in it. Other elements of it, I think, drifted far too much into partisan and unnecessary language.”
Following the interview, Conservative education minister Gillian Keegan claimed Labour would “play politics with the lives of our children” whilst equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said on Friday she was “very, very worried” a Labour government would “undo the work we have done on gender questioning guidance for children”.
Rowling criticised Labour for “abandoning” women after Starmer’s appearance on BBC Question Time where he answered an audience question regarding his definition of a woman and his criticism of gender-critical Labour MP Rosie Duffield, saying she will “struggle to support them” because of the party’s “dismissive and often offensive towards women fighting to retain the rights their foremothers thought were won for all time”.
Answering questions a Q&A event at The Sun‘s London HQ on 24 June, Starmer said: “Of course I’d meet with her. Of course I would. She’s made some really important points.
“I’d welcome that discussion, because I do think that we made huge progress on women’s rights under Labour governments.
“On equality we made massive progress. There’s more work to be done if we are privileged to come in to serve this country.
Starmer added: “I want to make sure that we can bring people together.”
Streeting said trans rights has been a “difficult conversation, and not just within the Labour Party but within our country because we have had some tension between how you treat trans people with dignity and respect and inclusion,and also make sure that women’s rights, voices, spaces are protected.”
“I feel very optimistic, in fact, about the fact that we can reconcile those two things and move forward together as a country if we have a political culture that’s about bringing people together and navigating our way through these conversations with respect [and] genuinely listening to different perspectives, rather than seeing these differences as divisions to be exploited in – frankly – the way I think we’ve seen from from the current government,” he said.
It has been one year since Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni signed the country’s “gay law”, aka the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act, into effect, with LGBTQ+ people living in fear of arrest and the death penalty.
The passage of the legislation sent shockwaves around the world with activists, human rights organisations and world leaders universally condemning it.
In response, the World Bank cut off new lending to the Ugandan government over the “deeply repressive” law, the European Union denounced it and US president Joe Biden wrote to the House speaker and president of the Senate in October declaring his plan to end the US’s economic relationship with Uganda over “gross violations” of human rights.
Julius Malema and Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters picket against Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill at the Uganda High Commission on April 04, 2023 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
LGBTQ+ camapigner Steven Kabuye, who was stabbed nearly to death because of his activism in the country, said that one year on the legislation “has gone on to be more consequential than ever” for queer Ugandans.
“A series of human rights violations leads the way. I myself I’ve been a victim of the hate it came with. Many of my kind in Uganda are still dreaming of the freedom it eroded away from them. Do not forget about Uganda,” he urged.
What is the Anti-Homosexuality Act?
On 29 May 2023, president Museveni – who previously called declared that homosexuals are “deviants” – gave assent to the Anti-Homosexuality Act. The bill immediately became one of the strictest pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the world and was passed to apparently “protect the sanctity of family”.
The Ugandan parliament initially approved an earlier version of the bill in March 2023 which criminalised people for simply identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community. However, this clause was later removed by lawmakers after Museveni returned the bill to parliament for reconsideration.
The Act doubled down on already cruel sanctions imposed on LGBTQ+ people in Uganda, where same-sex sexual acts and freedom to talk about queer topics were already illegal.
The legislation still punishes homosexuality with imprisonment for up to life but also introduced the new offence of ‘aggravated homosexuality’, which carries the death penalty.
A parade goer holds a sign in solidarity with Uganda during the Gay Pride Parade on July 01, 2023 in London, England. (peter Nicholls/Getty Images for Pride In London)
Acts defined as ‘aggravated homosexuality’ include sexual activity with disabled people, those who are HIV positive and people aged 75 and over – with consent to the sexual act not constituting a defence to a charge. This category also applies to criminal offences such as rape of a child or adult and incest.
‘Attempted homosexuality’ is also punishable by law, with a punishment of up to 10 years in prison possible, while ‘attempted aggravated homosexuality’ can be met with up to 14 years imprisonment.
The legislation also intensifies censorship of LGBTQ+ issues where people can be punished by a fine or five-year prison term for ‘promoting homosexuality’ or use electronic devices for the ‘purposes of homosexuality’.
Someone simply advocating for LGBTQ+ rights could also be jailed for 20 yearsand landlords knowingly renting to LGBTQ+ people face up to a seven-year prison sentence.
What is the situation like now for queer Ugandans?
Following the legislation being given assent, it was not long before LGBTQ+ Ugandans were being targeted with the new laws and faced a huge increase in abuse.
A report from a committee of the Convening for Equality (CFE) coalition found the Anti-Homosexuality Act was – unsurprisingly – putting LGBTQ+ people at risk and in danger but revealed such danger was mostly coming from private individuals, rather than government authorities.
Between 1 January and 31 August 2023 the researchers found 306 rights violations in the East African based on the victims’ sexual orientation and gender identity, with just 25 of those carried out by state actors. The report noted there has been an increase in “mob-aided arrests” with the public feeling they are the “custodians of enforcing the witch hunt”.
This report, however, should not be considered exhaustive due to the issues queer Ugandans face in reporting anti-LGBTQ+ prejudice and abuse.
In August, PinkNews reported that a number of citizens had been detained and charged under the new law, including the arrest of four people at a massage parlour allegedly engaging in same-sex activity and one man charged with ‘aggravated homosexuality’ and subsequently facing the death penalty.
A Ugandan man with a sticker on his face takes part on August 9, 2014 in the annual gay pride in Entebbe, Uganda. (ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking with PinkNews in November, the executive director of LGBTQ+ group Uganda’s Children of the Sun Foundation (COSF) Henry Mukiibi was forced to flee to Nairobi in Kenya after receiving information that the authorities wanted to arrest him under the anti-LGBTQ+ law.
Mukiibi said he has seen people become “so homophobic” that they “started attacking” COSF committee members and “beating them because of who they are”.
Following this, January of this year, Kabuye was attacked and stabbed outside his home by two men who had allegedly been following him for a number of days, leaving him in a critical condition.
Kabuye, the executive director of the advocacy group Colored Voice Truth to LGBTQ, went on to blame the brutal attack he suffered on the intolerance being pushed by Uganda’s politicians “who are using the LGBTQ+ community as a scapegoat to move people away from what is really happening in the country”.
Also in January a trans woman named Arianna spoke with The Guardian and recalled being attacked by an angry mob outside of her home after a TikTok video falsely accused her of forcing hormones on young men.
She was beaten so violently that she was in a coma for two weeks.
“When they saw me, they started grabbing me and shouting that I needed to die,” Arianna told the publication. “The only thing I remember next was waking up in hospital.”
“We have no freedom.” she said. “I can’t go to the market, I can’t work, because if I go out, I will be a target.”
Rural retail chain company Tractor Supply are facing calls for a boycott for, amongst other things, donating money to diversity and inclusion causes, which included projects that support LGBTQ+ youth.
Right-wing activist Robby Starbuck, who directed the controversial, gender-critical, anti-LGBTQ+ documentary The War on Children, recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Tractor Supply for their diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) work, including: “having Pride month decorations in their office.”
As well as complaining about Tractor Supply’s “LGBTQ+ training for employees, funding pride/drag events, they have a DEI Council, funding sex changes, climate change activism, pride month decorations in the office, DEI hiring practices and LGBTQ+ events at work,” Starbuck also singled out their donations to non-profits.
In a follow up tweet, he wrote: “Wow, Tractor Supply bragged in one of their yearly reports that they donated more than $570,000 to DEI, including LGBTQ+ YOUTH! Yes, Tractor Supply thinks kids can be trans and they support it by the looks of this. How many of their customers know this?”
He attached an image to the tweet, which seems to be a screenshot. It reads: “In 2021, Tractor Supply donated more than $570,000 to DE&I causes, benefitting veterans, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, Hispanic Team Members, women and Black and African Americans.”
The screenshot appears to have been taken from a sustainability report released by Tractor Supply in 2022, titled “Stewards of Life Out Here“.
Robby Starbuck on set during taping of “Candace” on July 12, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty)
Starbuck described these donations as “woke priorities” in his lengthy tweet, which was accompanied by an over seven-minute long video where he speaks to camera about the rural “seed and feed” store. The video starts with Starbuck sharing pictures of Pride month screensavers on Tractor Supply’s in-house staff TVs.
The combined tweet and video has had over two million views on X so far.
The majority of replies to the tweet called for a boycott of Tractor Supply over their DEI practices, which are standard in most workplaces. One top reply says: “My husband was just looking at some fencing they have, well over 1000.00. Bet he changes his mind when I show him this later today.”
According to recent figures, many Fortune 500 companies in the US have DEI initiatives. In 2023, 154 Fortune 500 companies released diversity disclosures, nearly double the 79 of 2022, according to a report from marketing firm Purpose Brand. Whether Starbuck intends to go after all 154 of them remains to be seen.
She says she had been asked to do an interview about how the lives and mental health of LGBTQ+ people were being affected by bans and restrictions on drag performances and gender-affirming care.
Electronika shared emails from the production team with Rolling Stone, which show that when they first approached her, the producers offered her the opportunity to participate in an upcoming documentary “tentatively titled It Takes A Village from an award winning director.”
She was told that It Takes A Village intended “to delve deeper [into] exposing how these recent drag bans and gender-affirming care bans have been made, look at how it has affected the mental health of trans people and look forward into what future progress will look and sound like.”
“When I saw Mr. Starbuck walk through the hallway, I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I know this f**ker,” Electronika told Rolling Stone, adding, “they tried to convince me to stay and I said, ‘You need to stop recording right now.’ The little red light kept going … and then they wouldn’t stop.”
Tractor Supply is far from the only retail chain that has faced boycott calls over DEI and Pride initiatives in recent years, though a rural supply company is certainly an unusual target for the right.
In fact, just today, right-wingers decided to take aim at IKEA’s rainbow Pride charity cake. To mark Pride Month 2024, the UK branch of the Swedish furniture chain announced its popular rainbow cake is back in its restaurants and will be sold throughout June, with 100 per cent of the profits going to LGBT+ Switchboard.
Bigots, of course, were naturally outraged by the existence of this multi-coloured confectionery.
The first out gay Lord Mayor of Belfast, Micky Murray, has been sworn into office in a historic first for Northern Ireland’s capital city.
Murray was installed at the annual general meeting of council at Belfast City Hall on Monday (3 June).
The Alliance councillor, who represents the Balmoral area, wrote on X/Twitter post, that he felt “honoured to have been given this opportunity to represent our great city”.
He went on to say: “As the city’s first openly gay Lord Mayor, I want Belfast to be a place where everyone feels welcomed and included. A more inclusive, diverse and kinder city makes it better for everyone.
“I’m looking forward to meeting with groups and organisations city-wide who are working to achieve these goals and to using my time as Lord Mayor to highlight their work and showcase all that is good within our city.”
‘I promise to represent Belfast to the best of my ability’
Among his priorities is helping those affected by long-term homelessness because he is “passionate about helping those with addiction and other challenges to break the cycle”.
He added: “I promise to represent Belfast to the best of my ability, with passion, enthusiasm and commitment and represent everyone right across the community.”
Murray’s appointment comes shortly after two three-year-old twin girls were involved in a suspected “transphobic-motivated hate crime” that was directed at their transgender father in Northern Ireland’s capital.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Bulk “Dirty Bulk” Bronson is celebrating Pride month by coming out publicly as bisexual.
The squared-circle performer, who is one-third of the wrestling tag-team the Iron Savages, came out via a social media post on X/Twitter on Monday (3 June).
As part of a quote-tweet chain in which users post “you and your flag,” Bronson responded to Create a Pro Women’s Champion, Gabby Forza – who he is engaged to – with a selfie and the bisexual flag.
Bronson’s post was met with a wave of support from fans and fellow wrestlers alike, several of whom took Bronson’s courage as a chance to respond with them and their own flags.
“Hell yeah big dog!” one supportive user wrote, while another wrote: “Love you, happy for you!”
The former WWE 24/7 champion, who also features in rival promotion Ring of Honour (RoH), responded to the outpouring of support in a heartwarming statement.
“The last 24 hours have just been so overwhelming every since openly admitting that I am bisexual,” he wrote. “I’ve been left speechless by the endless phone calls, texts, DM’s, replies from faithful fans, my close friends … and so many others I’ve had new interactions with.
“The love of my life has always lifted me up and been proud of me from the second I admitted my sexuality to her when we started dating,” he said, talking about Forza’s support.
“I feel like the luckiest guy in the world today. I love every single one of you for making me feel this way. Thank you. Happy Pride.”
Forza responded to the post saying she was “emotional” over her partner’s announcement, adding in a post: “I love you so, so much.
“Happy Pride month to my sweetie & all our loving friends that have made his day and this experience so loving.”
Who is Bulk Bronson?
Bronson debuted in AEW and RoH in 2020 alongside the tag team partner Boulder, named Bear Boulder at the time.
Originally called the Bear Country, the pair previously won tag team championships in both Extreme Wrestling Alliance and Chaotic Wrestling.
They rebranded to the Iron Savages in 2022 after Boulder sustained an injury that left the team inactive for almost an entire year.
In the process, Boulder and Bronson revealed a third member, Jacked Jameson. The tag-team trio debuted in May 2023 in a match against The Wingmen which the Bleacher Report described as “quick but had some fun moments sprinkled through.”
A surfing competition has been told to let transgender women compete or risk a violation of a local law.
A two-day surf contest is set to take place in Huntington Beach, California, this weekend (11 May), but, in a decision that has divided opinion, contest organisers informed Australian trans surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson that she could not take part.
The California Coastal Commission has said local events that ban trans women from participating in the women’s division could face being shut down.
Lowerson said she applied for the competition as she fitted within criteria set by the International Surfing Association with regard to testosterone levels, adding that she could prove they are below the required threshold.
“I was really disappointed and surprised [at being excluded],” she told the BBC. “You can’t cherry-pick the rulebook. If you’re going to use the rulebook, you use all of it.”
Lowerson believes trans women have no unfair advantage in the sport. “It’s not a race, it’s about style, flow, grace,” she explained. “As a long-boarder, it’s more like ballet on a wave.”
Last month, Todd Messick, whose American Longboard Association organises the competition, announced that trans women wouldn’t be allowed to compete in the women’s division.
Messick said the decision aimed to “offer an equal playing field for all athletes,” but he told the BBC he was “surprised by the amount of anger” the move generated.
In a letter to Messick, the California Coastal Commission said: “Prohibiting, or unfairly limiting, transgender athletes from competing in this or any surf competition that takes place in the coastal waters of California does not meet the requirements of the public access policies of the Coastal Act.”
Pro surfer Bethany Hamilton joined in a backlash against a Rip Curl campaign. (Pink News)
At the start of the year, Lowerson was featured as part of a Rip Curl campaign, which resulting in a backlash on social media. Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton joined in the criticism alongside former college swimmer Riley Gaines, and Lowerson’s photos were removed from the surfing sportswear manufacturer’s social media platforms.
Trans athletes’ participation in sport continues to divide opinion. Last year, the World Surf League announced its new policy on trans athletes. The guidelines require transgender participants to maintain a testosterone level of less than five nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months in order to compete in the women’s division.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a priority review for a trans-inclusive cervical screening at-home test to become approved in the US, and we think it’s high time for a change.
For women, trans and non-binary people with uteruses, undergoing a regular cervical smear to prevent and detect cervical cancer can be an unpleasant experience due to the cold and down-right uncomfortable speculum used. Some gender-diverse people also experience gender-based discrimination in such appointments.
The outdated device used in pelvic appointments to separate the vaginal walls can be cold and uncomfortable. The clamp-like instrument was invented in the mid-19th century and hasn’t adapted much since its bleak origins.
But the wait for a trans-inclusive and women’s-forward cervical screening at-home test might not be much longer, as the Teal Wand has been granted Breakthrough Device Designation status from the FDA. This means once the women-owned brand Teal Health submits its final study, it will be fast-tracked for a review.
This status is reserved for devices which the FDA believes could provide more effective diagnosis or treatment of life-threatening diseases, as well as their potential to benefit populations impacted by healthcare disparities.
The new device allows people at risk of cervical cancer (all those with a cervix who are or have been sexually active) to perform their pap smear in the comfort of their own home with less discomfort, nerves and pain, compared to in-clinic collection methods, according to clinical trial results.
The tool combines a wand designed to fit all bodies”, a dial which “moves up and down to extend and retract the sponge”, and a soft sponge which collects the cervical cells for testing.
Similar self-collection screenings for cervical cancer are already available in other countries. In Australia, the government introduced such tests in July 2022.
Western Carolina University in North Carolina is investigating after a student confronted and filmed a trans woman in toilets on the campus grounds.
In the clip, which was filmed on the Western Carolina University (WCU) campus, the person behind the camera can be heard asking the trans woman what she is doing in the female toilets.
“Going to the bathroom,” the trans individual responds.
“Why are you in the girls’ bathroom?” the camera operator probes, continuing to challenge the trans woman’s presence.
In response, the person being questioned replies that she is a trans girl, to which the woman retorts: “But you’re not a girl.”
Remaining cool, the individual being filmed replies “Interesting. Never had this before. I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry you feel that way.”
The person filming claims they “pay a lot of money” to be safe in the female toilets, to which the trans woman agrees and starts to leave.
After the footage, which PinkNews has chosen not to publish, was shared on social media, it was picked up by conservative online platform LibsofTikTok, sparking a barrage of transphobic abuse.
However, a number of people also came to the trans woman’s defence and pointed out how inappropriate it was for the person behind the camera to film a stranger in such a setting without their consent.
In a statement given to The Advocate, a WCU spokesman said: “Western Carolina University is dedicated to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all students. The university’s primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of all members of its campus community.”
The spokesperson added that the matter was being investigated.
Meanwhile, in the UK all new non-residential buildings could be forced to have separate male and female toilets under proposed legislation from the Conservative-led UK government in an attempt to ban gender-neutral facilities.
A policy proposed by the Department for Levelling Up on Monday (6 May) will prevent all non-domestic new builds, including restaurants, shopping centres, offices, and more, from having gender-neutral toilets.
