Individual Economists

Iran Regime Change Would Be 'Best Thing', Trump Signals

Zero Hedge -

Iran Regime Change Would Be 'Best Thing', Trump Signals

President Donald Trump continues to signal that he wants to see government overthrow in Iran, having told reporters Friday that regime change in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen" - at a moment he's also confirmed a second carrier group has been dispatched to the region.

Speaking to reporters after visiting troops at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, Trump doubled down just hours after confirming he is sending the second carrier strike group from where it was operating in the Caribbean.

"It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen," Trump said when asked about pushing for the removal of the Ayatollah and the Islamic Republic. "For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking."

All of this also comes days after Trump hinted that another round of nuclear talks with Iran could be imminent. Those discussions have so far failed to materialize, and there are reports saying more Oman-based talks are slated for next week.

"In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it," Trump said of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier deployment. "It’ll be leaving very soon."

At the moment, inside Iran, forty-day mourning ceremonies are underway for thousands killed during last month’s sweeping crackdown on nationwide protests; however, police and security services are still firmly in control of the streets and the country.

The Ford will reinforce the USS Abraham Lincoln and its guided-missile destroyers, which have been operating in the region for more than two weeks.

US Navy officials expected that it will take the Ford a least a week to arrive in Mediterranean waters, but from there it's unclear whether it would then go through the Suez Canal to get closer to southern Iran.

Trump had also earlier made clear to Tehran that failure to cut a deal would be "very traumatic" even as US diplomacy clings to the possibility of a quick agreement.

Early this past week, he told Axios: "Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time," he told Axios to kick off the week. The Iranians will no doubt have this ringing in their ears headed into a planned second round of talks.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 13:25

'Miss America' Org Dethrones Winner For Daring To Say 'A Woman Is A Woman'

Zero Hedge -

'Miss America' Org Dethrones Winner For Daring To Say 'A Woman Is A Woman'

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Kayleigh Bush, the 2024 Miss North Florida champion, has been stripped of her title and barred from competing in the Miss America nationals—all because she wouldn’t sign a revised contract that essentially erases the biological definition of womanhood to include men who’ve undergone surgeries.

The Miss America organization demanded Bush affirm transgender participation, turning a century-old celebration of women into another battleground for gender ideology. 

Bush, standing her ground on basic truth, called it out as a betrayal of the pageant’s legacy.

Bush revealed the ordeal in a recent interview, explaining how she was pressured months after her win to accept new language in the contract. The rules now define eligible “women” as including those who’ve completed “Sex Reassignment Surgery via Vaginoplasty (from male to female).” Bush refused, stating flatly that she couldn’t agree to the idea that “a little boy could mutilate his body and become a woman.”

“It was heartbreaking. It was confusing. It was disappointing,” Bush said. “Because Miss America has been honoring women for over 100 years, and now they can’t even define what a woman is.”

She added that the organization had changed the contract four weeks after her victory, forcing her into a corner. “I didn’t lose my crown because I broke a rule. I lost the crown because I was unwilling to rewrite the truth,” Bush told TMZ.

Her mother joined the fight, leading to weeks of appeals, emails, and even involvement from Liberty Counsel, a legal group defending religious freedoms. But Miss America doubled down, refusing to budge.

A spokesperson for the pageant defended the decision, claiming it’s about “fairness to all contestants and adherence to nondiscrimination principles.” 

They further insisted the contract doesn’t force personal belief changes but ensures no “discriminatory conduct.” In other words, contestants must play along with the fiction or get booted—hardly the empowerment women were promised.

This is far from an isolated incident; it’s part of a broader pattern where transgender individuals are infiltrating and dominating women’s spaces, even pageants.

Back in 2023, the Miss Universe pageant made headlines when its new owner, a transgender businesswoman, celebrated the event as being “run by women”—prompting widespread mockery for the obvious irony.

Miss Universe’s shift under transgender ownership turned it into what many called an “international drag queen show.”

Examples abound. In 2018, Angela Ponce became the first transgender contestant in Miss Universe, representing Spain. 

By 2022, an individual known as Kataluna Enriquez won Miss Nevada USA, and in 2023, Rikkie Kollé took the Miss Netherlands crown.

Amid the push for transgender inclusion, not all pageants are folding to the pressure. In a refreshing contrast, the Miss Italy pageant doubled down on biology back in 2023, explicitly banning transgender contestants and requiring all entrants to be “a woman from birth.”

Patrizia Mirigliani, the competition’s patron, described the policy as longstanding, predicting even then that gender ideologies might try to warp beauty standards.

 

Mirigliani slammed other contests for chasing media buzz by including trans participants, calling it “a little absurd” and refusing to “jump on the glittery bandwagon of trans activism.” She emphasized avoiding “excesses” that distort aesthetics, framing it as part of a broader defense of traditional views on womanhood.

Critics argue this trend isn’t about inclusion—it’s about conquest. Women’s sports have seen similar invasions, with transgender athletes like Lia Thomas dominating swimming events and sparking lawsuits from displaced female competitors. 

Beauty pageants, once a platform for empowering young women, now risk becoming performative spectacles where biology takes a backseat to ideology.

Bush remains hopeful, urging Miss America to “return to truth.” Her stance echoes a growing resistance among Americans tired of forced compliance with radical gender theories. Groups like Liberty Counsel are stepping up, framing these battles as defenses of free speech and religious liberty against corporate wokeness.

If even pageants can’t uphold the simple reality that women are women, what’s left for actual women to celebrate?

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 12:50

More Nations Are Mulling Social Media Bans For Teens

Zero Hedge -

More Nations Are Mulling Social Media Bans For Teens

After Australia's first-of-its-kind social media ban for adolescents under the age of 16 came into effect in December, more countries in Europe and elsewhere are taking steps to implement their own restrictions.

As Katharina Buchholz reports, according to Statista research, France and the United Kingdom have gotten furthest, with laws passing in one chamber each of the countries' bicameral legislatures as of early February. While the latter country is also aiming to ban social media for kids under the age of 16, France's proposed law targets only those under the age of 15.

More Nations Are Mulling Social Media Bans for Teens | Statista

You will find more infographics at Statista

Six more nations have seen country leaders announce initiatives aiming to ban social media access for adolescents.

While Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Spain all have more restrictive regulations in mind, excluding those under the age of 16, Greece is aiming to exclude those under the age of 15 and Austria those under the age of 14 from social media.

Social media, including personalized algorithms and the possibility to scroll endlessly, is receiving scrutiny for its effect on mental health, especially in younger people.

Social media addiction can affect any age group, but it is seen as especially harmful in adolescents which are still developing social behaviors, body image and time management skills.

Two more planned bans announced in Europe, by Portuguese and Danish leadership, are reportedly willing to leave a back door open for parental consent, putting them in a different category that already exists in several nations like France, Italy and, since recently, Brazil, where children of the applicable ages can access social media sites if their parents are in agreement.

While outright bans like the Australian one often plan implementation via a strict official age-verification mechanism, parental consent regulation can work by linking parents accounts, for example. Instagram has meanwhile already rolled out this feature in Europe, the U.S., Australia and Canada, with teenagers between the ages of 13 to 15 only in the position to disable a special restricted account mode with the consent of their parent's account. Like other platforms, Instagram accepts users from the age of 13, but this restriction is so far not tied to verification. In the EU, social media sites are since 2018 under further restrictions concerning the use of personalized ads for minors.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 12:15

Venezuela Oil Revenue Projected To Hit $5 Billion Under U.S. Control

Zero Hedge -

Venezuela Oil Revenue Projected To Hit $5 Billion Under U.S. Control

By Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com,

Venezuela’s oil sales, under the control of the United States for five weeks now, are set to bring $5 billion over the next few months, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC News in an interview.   

“Sales today are over a billion dollars, and in fact, we have sort of short-term agreements over the next few months that will bring in another $5 billion,” Secretary Wright said in the interview during a historic visit to Venezuela to meet with the interim President Delcy Rodríguez.  

The United States has already transferred $500 million in proceeds from sales of Venezuelan crude oil to Caracas, following the deal agreed by the two governments in January.  

All the money from the oil sales, handled by top commodity traders Vitol and Trafigura, goes back to Venezuela from a U.S. Treasury-controlled account, Secretary Chris told NBC News.  

There is a lot of work to be done and massive investments need to flow for Venezuela to restore its oil industry, “But it's on the road to becoming investable,” Secretary Wright told NBC News.  

At last month’s White House meeting of U.S. President Trump with oil executives, ExxonMobil’s CEO Darren Woods said that “If we look at the legal and commercial constructs—frameworks—in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable.”  

During the visit to Venezuela, Secretary Chris said earlier this week that Venezuela’s crude oil production could surge as soon as this year.

“This year, we can drive a dramatic increase in Venezuelan oil production, in Venezuelan natural gas production and Venezuelan electricity production,” the U.S. official said. 

Commenting on a recent change in Venezuela’s oil law, Wright said that it was “a meaningful step in the right direction”, as quoted by AP, but “probably not far and clear enough to encourage the kind of large capital flows.”

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 11:40

Demented: Councillor Pushes Kids To Send Valentine's Cards To Illegal Male Migrants

Zero Hedge -

Demented: Councillor Pushes Kids To Send Valentine's Cards To Illegal Male Migrants

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

A Green Party councillor in the UK has sparked outrage by announcing plans to take her young grandchildren to deliver handmade Valentine’s Day cards to adult male asylum seekers at a migrant camp.

This comes amid widespread local opposition to the government’s decision to house hundreds of illegal migrants in a former military base, and fresh revelations about horrific crimes committed by similar arrivals.

Anne Cross, an East Sussex County councillor, made the announcement at a heated public meeting, claiming it would help “dispel fear” by encouraging people to “hear the stories” of the migrants. “There is nothing like getting to know people and hearing their stories in order to dispel fear,” she said. “My grandchildren and I painted some Valentine’s Cards at the weekend which we are going to be presenting to the men at Crowborough as a welcome.”

The camp in Crowborough, a former army cadet training site, has been repurposed by the Home Office to accommodate up to 540 male migrants who arrived via small boats. Local residents have protested the move, with demonstrations highlighting concerns over safety and community impact. The additional policing costs alone are projected at £5.62 million, according to Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne.

Cross urged community representatives to “stand with all those who share the love,” but her plan has been met with fierce backlash. Sussex Weald Conservative MP Nus Ghani called it “disturbing” and “highly irresponsible,” pointing to “widespread concern locally” and a lack of “regard for safeguarding” when involving children with “single adult men.”

Unfazed, Cross insisted the cards would be anonymous and that “there has been much misinformation about the men who will be housed in the camp and this has created a climate of fear.” She added, “But there is no evidence children or women are at a higher risk from people seeking asylum than other sections of our society.”

This naive stance ignores a pattern of sexual crimes linked to asylum seekers across the UK. Just days ago, details emerged of a chilling case where Ahmed Müller, a 23-year-old Afghan national who arrived illegally by small boat four months prior, was convicted of abducting, raping, and filming a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton.

The victim described the ordeal: “He was trying to strip my clothes off. He said nothing. He was laughing. I was saying, ‘Get off me.’ But he didn’t say anything. He just carried on. He was saying that he was going to kill my family. I was scared. He took photos. It felt weird. Why was he taking pictures of that?”

Müller showed no remorse, even blaming the child by claiming she demanded he film the attack. Immediately after, he used a government-issued debit card to buy a drink, which helped identify him. Warwickshire Police initially withheld his identity as an illegal migrant, citing “community cohesion,” and threatened a local councillor with contempt of court for trying to reveal it.

As reported on GB News, Crowborough resident Sammy White slammed Cross’s idea as “downright dangerous,” noting, “These men have very little respect for women and children.” She expressed being “appalled” at the councillor’s plan to deliver cards to asylum seekers in Crowborough.

Cross, elected in August 2023 and proudly captioning a family photo “AnnMa’s crew” with a kiss emoji, defends the gesture as a common practice among refugee charities. Yet, with Afghan nationals committing sex crimes at a rate 20 times higher than the British population since 2021, and over 37,000 imported in that time, such actions expose the reckless hypocrisy of open-borders advocates.

The government’s dispersal of migrants into houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) means families could unknowingly live near potential threats.

This episode underscores the failures of unchecked mass migration, where virtue signaling trumps child safety and community concerns. Until borders are secured and deportations ramped up, these dangers will persist, eroding the fabric of British society.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 10:30

MiB: Douglas and Heather Boneparth, Money Together

The Big Picture -



 

 

Valentine’s Day Special!

This week, I speak with Douglas and Heather Boneparth. Doug is the president of Bone Fide Wealth and Heather is the firm’s Director of Business and Legal Affairs and Chief Compliance Officer. They also discuss their new book “Money Together.” They discuss the challenges couples can face discussing their finances, why marriages with joint checking accounts tend to last well, and how to navigate money as a couple.

They discuss why in relationships, money issues are sometimes not about money, but something else.

A list of their current reading/favorite books is here; A transcript of our conversation is available here Tuesday.

You can stream and download our full conversation, including any podcast extras, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Bloomberg. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite pod hosts can be found here.

Be sure to check out our Masters in Business next week with Hilary Allen, Professor of Law at the American University Washington College of Law. She specializes in financial regulation, banking law, securities regulation, and technology law, with a particular focus on how new financial technologies like fintech, crypto, and AI intersect with financial stability and public policy.

 

 

 

Published Book

 

Current Reading/Favorite Books

 

Books Barry Mentioned

 

The post MiB: Douglas and Heather Boneparth, Money Together appeared first on The Big Picture.

In Latest Blow To Free Speech, German Courts Could Issue "Speaking Ban" Against Top AfD Politician

Zero Hedge -

In Latest Blow To Free Speech, German Courts Could Issue "Speaking Ban" Against Top AfD Politician

Via Remix News,

German courts are currently deliberating whether leading Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician Björn Höcke could be hit with a “speaking ban” during a campaign event in the city of Lindenberg im Allgäu.

The move could signal a worsening of free speech in Germany, with Höcke using the legal proceedings to make the case that his fundamental rights are being violated.

“Democrats of all countries, look to Germany! Right now, German courts are seriously deliberating whether I should be issued a speaking ban for political events! I am entitled to the fundamental right to exercise freedom of speech. I am a member of a constitutional body. I am the opposition leader of a German parliament,” wrote Höcke.

“And then there is also the party privilege: So in the future, a supposedly neutral administration should be allowed to decide with whom a party may conduct election campaigning and with whom not? That is absurd! What we are witnessing here is yet another attack on parliamentary democracy in Germany,” he added.

The move to ban Höcke from speaking comes after the city of Lindenberg im Allgäu lost its initial effort to ban the campaign event entirely. Now, the city is shifting its strategy to specifically bar Björn Höcke from the stage.

The city originally attempted to cancel the AfD’s rental of the town hall entirely. However, the Augsburg Administrative Court blocked this move during urgent proceedings, declaring the total revocation of the hall inadmissible. Crucially, the judges noted that “as a milder priority measure, a ban on speaking for Mr. Höcke” was a legally viable alternative.

According to a city spokesperson, Lindenberg is now pursuing this option, according to the BR news outlet.

In response, the Westallgäu-Lindau AfD district association has signaled its intent to challenge this speech ban in court. In a court hearing expected to take place in Augsburg today, a final ruling is expected to be issued.

The dispute centers on a rally scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 15, in the municipal Löwensaal, where the AfD intends to introduce its candidates for the upcoming local elections on March 8. The city moved to reclaim the hall once it became clear that Höcke, the Thuringian AfD leader, was on the guest list.

City officials justified the move by stating they expected “criminal statements as well as statements approving of the Nazi dictatorship and anti-Semitic statements” from Höcke, specifically citing his two previous convictions for using a prohibited Nazi slogan.

While the Administrative Court found the city’s concerns to be “understandable,” they ruled that canceling the rental outright violated the principle of equal treatment for political parties. The court maintained that the administration’s arguments were “not sufficient for such a step.”

As the legal battle continues, local tensions are high. Opponents of the AfD have organized rallies and a demonstration, with at least 2,000 participants expected to gather in Lindenberg.

Lindenberg is not the only municipality fighting a “Höcke appearance” this week. A similar battle is unfolding in Seybothenreuth, Upper Franconia, where Höcke is slated to speak on Saturday. The local municipality is also attempting to block his speech, and a decision from the Bayreuth Administrative Court is expected this Thursday.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 09:55

Newsom Tells Europe "Trump Is Temporary," Doubles Down On Failing Green Agenda

Zero Hedge -

Newsom Tells Europe "Trump Is Temporary," Doubles Down On Failing Green Agenda

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke at the Munich Security Conference earlier on Friday, telling European elites that President Trump is "temporary" and will be gone within three years.

Newsom, noticeably angered by Trump's push for deregulation and the rollback of climate policy, lashed out at the president, calling him "more destructive" than the current occupant of the White House.

The issue for Newsom is that he still operates within the climate crisis framework promoted by globalists, even as the West is moving on from two decades of nation-killing green policy regime that hollowed out parts of the industrial base and fueled inflation.

On Thursday, President Trump rescinded the 2009 Obama-era "Endangerment Finding," a determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, which he said has been used by the radical left to justify $1.3 trillion in regulatory costs that have hurt American households and sent consumer prices soaring, especially for automobiles.

"The single largest deregulatory action in American history. That's a big statement in American history, and I think we can add the words by far," Trump told reporters.

Also this week, there was considerable discussion among industry leaders in Europe about Brussels watering down carbon-pricing markets, which have made electricity outrageously expensive and crushed the industrial base (Goldman explained more here).

And it is not just Trump and European industry leaders pushing to unwind green policies that have financially crushed working-class families and hollowed out the industrial base; major companies are also dialing back EV production plans and softening green targets as the net-zero dream collides with reality.

Here's what Newsom said earlier at the MSC (courtesy of Real Clear Politics):

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM: Donald Trump is doubling down on stupid.

California has been a leader in climate policy going back to Ronald Reagan. In 1967, Governor Ronald Reagan established the first tailpipe emissions standards in the United States of America and created the California Air Resources Board. Three years later, a president by the name of Richard Nixon — another Republican — codified California's leadership under the Clean Air Act.

Never in the history of the United States of America has there been a more destructive president than the current occupant in the White House in Washington, D.C. He's trying to recreate the 19th century. He's a wholly owned subsidiary of big oil, gas, and coal. He's quite literally reopening coal plants in the United States of America.

He's received close to half a billion dollars in campaign contributions. He asked for $1 billion — look it up — in return for basically eliminating all regulations in the United States of America. De facto, he just did that yesterday with federal regulations and the endangerment finding.

It is code red in terms of American leadership in this space — low-carbon, green growth — and I know a thing or two about this. I represent the fourth-largest economy, from a GDP perspective, in the world, and we ran the fourth-largest economy last year nine out of ten days on 100% clean energy — two-thirds renewable energy.

We've seen our GDP grow by 81% since 2000, and we've reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 21%. Seven times more clean energy jobs than fossil fuel jobs.

We're proving at scale that we can implement, we can compete, and we can dominate. But Donald Trump is trying to turn back the clock. And so we're showing up, but we're also showing what can be accomplished — the power of emulation.

We are in the great implementation in my state.

Final word. I hope, if there's nothing else I can communicate today: Donald Trump is temporary. He'll be gone in three years. California is a stable and reliable partner in this space, and it's important for folks to understand the temporary nature of this current administration in relationship to the issue of climate change and climate policy.

MODERATOR]: Governor, many have called Joe Biden the climate president, but that didn't help with his re-election. So how important do you think climate issues will be for the 2028 presidential election?

GAVIN NEWSOM: Well, you may not believe in science, but you've got to believe your own eyes. I mean, people are burning up, choking up, heating up. We have simultaneous droughts and floods. Historic wildfires. You may know little about California, but you've seen those images of these wildfires.

Talk about being as dumb as we want to be — places, lifestyles, traditions being wiped off the map. Greenville. Paradise, California.

And so this issue has been brought home in a very personal way, not a political way. Senator Whitehouse is here — he's also someone who deeply understands that climate risk is financial risk. It's becoming uninsurable.

This is an economic issue, not just a moral issue. It's not just a competitiveness issue. And so it's incredibly important that we talk in those terms to address some of the political dynamics. But it's again something we're on the other side of in California.

It's a big blue state, but it also has more Republicans than most Republican states. And we have long moved beyond the partisanship on this issue, because there is no Republican thermometer, there's no Democratic thermometer — there's just reality.

And people in my state have been mugged by reality. Those that have been in denial understand that we're on the other side of the debate.

Watch Here:

The key question is why Newsom continues to prioritize a failed green agenda instead of pursuing deregulation and other relief measures for working-class families; for now, Trump is the one pressing ahead with what he describes as historic deregulation.

We think we know why. Newsom serves...

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 08:45

UK's Insane New Trans Guidance Says School Kids As Young As Four Can 'Change Gender'

Zero Hedge -

UK's Insane New Trans Guidance Says School Kids As Young As Four Can 'Change Gender'

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

The UK government has issued new guidance allowing primary school children, some as young as four, to ‘socially transition’ the gender by changing their pronouns at school.

According to reports in The Times, the guidelines state that parents should be involved in the “vast majority” of cases where a child questions their gender, and schools should not initiate steps towards social transitioning.

However, the move has sparked outrage, with critics arguing it undermines parental rights and exposes vulnerable children to harmful ideologies.

 

The guidance specifies that “social transitioning in primary schools should happen very rarely,” but “children will be allowed to change their gender and adopt different pronouns.”

Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, lambasted the new guidance during an appearance on TalkTV, asserting that schools have been “indoctrinating children” with trans ideology for a decade, influenced by online content, influencers, and lobby groups like Stonewall and Mermaids that have been “mis-training teachers.”

She emphasized that “the government has started a de-radicalisation programme but we actually need to de-radicalise a whole generation of teachers,” adding that the guidance falls short because “only total clarity will stop it” at this point, as the issue has “gone so far.”

Joyce urged the public to respond to the 10-week consultation on keeping children safe in education, stressing that “no child can change sex.”

Maya Forstater, chief executive of the campaign group Sex Matters, said: “It should be clear by now that allowing children and parents to think that a child who starts their education as a girl can graduate as a boy, or vice versa, is a dangerous fairytale.”

Forstater noted that while the guidance has generated backlash, there are elements of it that constitute a step forward.

This latest development comes amid ongoing controversies over gender ideology and children, with trans lobbyists continuing to push extreme agendas.

Radicals from Stonewall have demanded schools stop calling pupils ‘boys and girls’ and that they replace ‘he’ and ‘she’ with ‘they’ to “remove any unnecessarily gendered language” from classrooms.

The group also advocated for gender-neutral bathrooms and uniforms in schools, even offering rewards for compliance.

A publicly funded LGBT group in Scotland was exposed for urging teachers not to inform parents about children ‘transitioning,’ with guidance stating that “a transgender young person may not have told their family about their gender identity” and that inadvertent disclosure could cause stress or risk.

These lobbyists, including LGBT Youth Scotland receiving nearly £1 million in taxpayer funds annually, have signed up over half of Scotland’s secondary schools and 40 primary schools to their schemes.

The new English guidance appears to continue this trend, despite the landmark Cass Review in 2024, which concluded that evidence for puberty blockers and gender-affirming care for children is “remarkably weak” and built on “shaky foundations.” 

The review led to a ban on puberty blockers for under-18s outside clinical trials, highlighting risks like impacts on bone health and fertility.

Yet, controversy persists with a planned clinical trial in 2026 assessing puberty blockers’ risks and benefits for about 220 children under 16. 

Campaigners have launched legal efforts and petitions to suspend it, arguing it could harm vulnerable kids, with a government response acknowledging the “unacceptable safety risk” but proceeding to gather evidence.

The new guidance also comes despite the UK Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 that the legal definition of sex under the Equality Act 2010 is based on biological sex at birth, not altered by a Gender Recognition Certificate.

The latest development is thus a massive step backward, allowing activist-driven policies to once again infiltrate education while sidelining science and parental authority.

With detransition lawsuits mounting and evidence mounting against hasty transitions, protecting children’s innocence from ideological overreach remains paramount.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 08:10

UK's Insane New Trans Guidance Says School Kids As Young As Four Can 'Change Gender'

Zero Hedge -

UK's Insane New Trans Guidance Says School Kids As Young As Four Can 'Change Gender'

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

The UK government has issued new guidance allowing primary school children, some as young as four, to ‘socially transition’ the gender by changing their pronouns at school.

According to reports in The Times, the guidelines state that parents should be involved in the “vast majority” of cases where a child questions their gender, and schools should not initiate steps towards social transitioning.

However, the move has sparked outrage, with critics arguing it undermines parental rights and exposes vulnerable children to harmful ideologies.

 

The guidance specifies that “social transitioning in primary schools should happen very rarely,” but “children will be allowed to change their gender and adopt different pronouns.”

Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at Sex Matters, lambasted the new guidance during an appearance on TalkTV, asserting that schools have been “indoctrinating children” with trans ideology for a decade, influenced by online content, influencers, and lobby groups like Stonewall and Mermaids that have been “mis-training teachers.”

She emphasized that “the government has started a de-radicalisation programme but we actually need to de-radicalise a whole generation of teachers,” adding that the guidance falls short because “only total clarity will stop it” at this point, as the issue has “gone so far.”

Joyce urged the public to respond to the 10-week consultation on keeping children safe in education, stressing that “no child can change sex.”

Maya Forstater, chief executive of the campaign group Sex Matters, said: “It should be clear by now that allowing children and parents to think that a child who starts their education as a girl can graduate as a boy, or vice versa, is a dangerous fairytale.”

Forstater noted that while the guidance has generated backlash, there are elements of it that constitute a step forward.

This latest development comes amid ongoing controversies over gender ideology and children, with trans lobbyists continuing to push extreme agendas.

Radicals from Stonewall have demanded schools stop calling pupils ‘boys and girls’ and that they replace ‘he’ and ‘she’ with ‘they’ to “remove any unnecessarily gendered language” from classrooms.

The group also advocated for gender-neutral bathrooms and uniforms in schools, even offering rewards for compliance.

A publicly funded LGBT group in Scotland was exposed for urging teachers not to inform parents about children ‘transitioning,’ with guidance stating that “a transgender young person may not have told their family about their gender identity” and that inadvertent disclosure could cause stress or risk.

These lobbyists, including LGBT Youth Scotland receiving nearly £1 million in taxpayer funds annually, have signed up over half of Scotland’s secondary schools and 40 primary schools to their schemes.

The new English guidance appears to continue this trend, despite the landmark Cass Review in 2024, which concluded that evidence for puberty blockers and gender-affirming care for children is “remarkably weak” and built on “shaky foundations.” 

The review led to a ban on puberty blockers for under-18s outside clinical trials, highlighting risks like impacts on bone health and fertility.

Yet, controversy persists with a planned clinical trial in 2026 assessing puberty blockers’ risks and benefits for about 220 children under 16. 

Campaigners have launched legal efforts and petitions to suspend it, arguing it could harm vulnerable kids, with a government response acknowledging the “unacceptable safety risk” but proceeding to gather evidence.

The new guidance also comes despite the UK Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 that the legal definition of sex under the Equality Act 2010 is based on biological sex at birth, not altered by a Gender Recognition Certificate.

The latest development is thus a massive step backward, allowing activist-driven policies to once again infiltrate education while sidelining science and parental authority.

With detransition lawsuits mounting and evidence mounting against hasty transitions, protecting children’s innocence from ideological overreach remains paramount.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Tyler Durden Sat, 02/14/2026 - 08:10

Pages