London Marathon organisers boycott X over ‘descent into gutter’ under Musk
The London Marathon has revealed that it is permanently boycotting X, with the event director, Hugh Brasher, accusing the social media platform of “descending into a gutter” since Elon Musk took charge.Brasher’s comments came after he was asked about the horrific levels of abuse suffered online by Eilish McColgan, who has been accused of “looking like a skeleton” and having anorexia after posting videos on social media of her training before Sunday’s race.“I think it’s abhorrent the abuse that she’s had,” replied Brasher.“How she has held herself and responded to that is exemplary.But there are some social media channels that are particularly vitriolic and are descending into a gutter.
And as a result of that, London Marathon events have actually come off one of those channels.”Brasher confirmed he was referring to X, where the London Marathon has an account that has not posted to its 191,000 followers for three months.“It is off the back of just looking at that channel and the vitriol,” he said.“It was ceasing to be a rational conversation.It was ceasing to be a positive place to be.
”Brasher also accused X of not being a force for good and contrasted it sharply with the aims of the London Marathon, which was set up in 1981 by his father Chris and John Disley,“The London Marathon is about positivity,” he added,“One of the aims of my father and John was to show that on occasion, the family of humankind could be joyous together and celebrate together,That’s what the London Marathon is about,It is a force for good.
And we didn’t feel that channel shared those values, and therefore we have come off.”Brasher also confirmed that the London Marathon would continue its policy of barring trans women from elite and championship female races, while allowing them to participate in the mass participation event, in the wake of last week’s UK supreme court ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under British equalities law.However, he said he was waiting to see a detailed report from the Equalities Human Rights Commission and Sport England over how to implement the court’s ruling before deciding whether that policy might change.Sign up to The RecapThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s actionafter newsletter promotion“The London Marathon has been very clear about protecting women’s rights,” he said.“To take part in good-for-age, championship, elite and age-group prizes, they have to be birth women, as defined by the courts.
To take part in the mass event it is self-selection.How do you check? People are asked to provide ID.And your passport could say your gender, and your gender can say female, even if you were born male.And so this is where getting into the advice there is going to be from the EHRC and Sport England is incredibly important.This is complex.
”He added: “We obviously will meet what the law says,But there has to be that detail coming out of that commission and out of Sport England,We delight in being both inclusive but also protecting in-competition the rights of women, which is incredibly important,”
Prison officers in England and Wales to use pepper spray at young offender institutions
Prison officers are expected to be allowed to use pepper spray to incapacitate children under plans to curb an increase in violence at young offender institutions.The use of Pava spray, a synthetic form of pepper spray, across the five YOIs in England and Wales has been under discussion by ministers, the Guardian has been told.It follows plans to introduce trials for the use of Tasers in adult prisons. Sources said that ministers could authorise the introduction of the incapacitant spray in YOIs after demands from the prison officers’ union.Senior members of the Prison Officers’ Association are due to meet the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, on Wednesday
The ridiculous notion of ‘illegitimate’ children lingered for too long | Brief letters
Ideas of “illegitimacy” (Letters, 17 April) remained potent for some at least as late as the 1990s. When I registered my firstborn, I refused to say whether I was married and insisted my partner’s name also go on the certificate. The registrar, horrified, told me: “But then your child will be registered as illegitimate!” I had to point out to her that illegitimacy had not been a legal category for some time. But I didn’t tell her that I’d been born in a mother-and-baby home. I found her words ridiculous, but they could as easily have been an unnecessary (and inaccurate) cruelty
Over 150,000 more people in England have ME than previously thought, study finds
More than 150,000 more people in England are living with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) than was previously estimated, according to a study that highlights the “postcode lottery” of diagnosis.The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Public Health, involved researchers from the University of Edinburgh analysing NHS data from more than 62 million people in England to identify people who had been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome or post-viral fatigue syndrome.The data was examined by gender, age and ethnicity, and grouped by different areas of England.ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is a long-term condition with its main symptoms being extreme fatigue, brain fog, and issues with sleep. The condition’s key feature is known as post-exertional malaise, which is a delayed dramatic worsening of these symptoms following minor physical effort
People with autism and their families: share your views on Robert F Kennedy Jr’s comments
In his first press conference, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, said that the recent rise in autism diagnoses was evidence of an “epidemic” caused by an “environmental toxin”.Health experts and autism advocates have repeatedly said the rise in diagnoses is related to better recognition of the condition, changing diagnostic criteria and better access to screening.We would like to hear from people with autism, and their families, on the impact the comments have had on them. How have they made you feel? Do you have any concerns?You can tell us what impact Robert F Kennedy Jr's comments on autism has had on you by filling in the form below.Please include as much detail as possiblePlease include as much detail as possiblePlease note, the maximum file size is 5
The Vivienne’s sister speaks out about drug use ‘stigma’
The sister of The Vivienne has questioned whether the “stigma” around drug use stopped the drag queen from seeking help.James Lee Williams, 32, who won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, died at home in Chorlton-by-Backford, Cheshire on 5 January after taking ketamine.Chanel Williams told the BBC Two current affairs programme Newsnight that The Vivienne did not discuss their relapse, including a hospital stay, to “protect” their family, after “a really long period of sobriety”.“It’s hard for me because I think, if that stigma wasn’t there, would my brother have sought the help he needed?” she said.“To think that, if we’d known, or if he’d have felt able to talk and really reach out for the help that was needed, the outcome could’ve been different
Patient satisfaction with GP services in England has collapsed, research finds
Patients’ satisfaction with GP services has collapsed in recent years as family doctors have switched to providing far fewer face-to-face appointments, new research has revealed.The proportion of patients seeing a GP in person has plummeted from more than four-fifths (80.7%) in 2019 to just under two-thirds (66.2%) last year.Telephone appointments have almost doubled over the same period from 13
Richard Branson accuses Trump of ‘doing so much damage’ to the world
EU fines Apple and Meta for breaching fair competition rules
Ofwat investigating ‘rip-off’ cost of water firms’ infrastructure works
UK annual borrowing exceeds forecasts by almost £15bn in blow to Rachel Reeves
My renewal quote for Co-op home insurance has almost tripled to £1,353
Gold climbs above $3,500 for first time as Wall Street rallies after slide