November News Briefs
FIFA participants consider legal action over “OneLove” armband ban
Seven national teams participating in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are contemplating legal action after FIFA said it would punish any players wearing a “OneLove” armband. The Royal Dutch Football Association, the organization that launched the armband in 2020 to promote inclusivity, says the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, England, Wales, Belgium, and Denmark are “jointly considering their legal options” in response to the ban, though the teams have elected not to take the issue to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Qatari tournament organizers have previously stated people of all sexual orientations are welcome in the country for the event. Regardless, they have cautioned public displays of affection by 2SLGBTQI+ peoples.
Peppa Pig introduces lesbian couple after online petition for 2SLGBTQI+ representation
British children’s show, Peppa Pig, has introduced a same-sex couple following calls for the program to feature 2SLGBTQI+ characters. In an episode that aired on September 5, 2022, titled “Families,” Peppa’s friend, Penny the Polar Bear, tells her she lives with two mothers. One of her mothers works as a doctor and the other “cooks spaghetti”. The episode comes after a 2019 petition called for the show to introduce a same-sex couple, arguing that “excluding same-sex families will teach children that only families with either a single parent or two parents of different sexes are normal.” The petition currently has over 23,000 signatures.
Italian cultural spokesman faces scrutiny for his stance against same-sex parenting
An aide to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is being criticized after an interview in which he referred to same-sex couples as being abnormal. While speaking about the portrayal of a lesbian couple in an episode of Peppa Pig, culture spokesman for the Fratelli d’Italia, a right-wing conservative political party, Federico Mollicone said that presenting same-sex couples as being normal was “absolutely wrong.” Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Italy, but a 2016 bill granted same-sex couples access to civil unions with many of the same rights as marriage. Mollicone’s stance drew criticism from political rivals, including Italy’s centre-left Democratic Party.
“Anti-Woke” website forced to take down list of approved municipal candidates
Vote Against Woke, an organization promoting “anti-woke” candidates—those who are against supporting oppressed people, such as 2SLGBTQI+ community members—in Ontario’s 2022 municipal election was forced to take down its list of approved candidates due to concerns over election laws. Launched on September 21, 2022, Vote Against Woke’s website posted a list of school board trustee candidates that aimed to “take back the education system from woke activists.” The list originated from another website, www.blueprintforcanada.ca, which was launched by Kawartha Lakes school trustee candidate Peter Wallace. Both sites removed the list, with Wallace explaining in a PressProgress interview that he “didn’t want to be in violation of third-party municipal election laws.”
Associate News Editor (Volume 49) — Mihail graduated from UTM in April 2022 with majors in Professional Writing and Communications Technologies. He’s an aspiring journalist who loves researching, interviewing, and getting to the bottom of a killer story. He started working as an Associate News Editor with The Medium in October 2022 and hopes to share many exciting stories with readers. In his free time, you can find Mihail avoiding suspicious cliffs along the Bruce Trail, pretending to read literary classics, or losing at fighting games.