Trans rights activists bizarrely perform silent 'Macarena' dance at New York City education meeting
Bizarre video shows dozens of trans rights activists recently protesting at a New York City education council meeting by silently dancing "La Macarena."
The meeting, which was held by the Community Education Council for District 2 (CEC 2), was held on Feb. 26. A YouTube stream of the meeting shows the protesters quietly performing the iconic '90s dance, some out of step with others.
The dance began when a female attendee named Jo Vitale took the microphone to voice support for Resolution 248, a measure passed last year that was aimed at researching the effects of allowing biological males to compete with women.
Council members appeared to hide their smiles while the activists silently danced in the background as Vitale spoke.
New York City Mcdonald's Starts Carding Teenagers In Response To Crime: 'People Fight In There'
"I'm here to support Resolution 48," the New Yorker said. "And let's be clear on what Resolution 248 is. It would allow for the research of the impacts of having biological males compete with biological females in sports."
Read On The Fox News App
"The research," she emphasized. "And that's what these people have all come out against, the research … they're just virtue-signaling, and they're baby bullies. So let's not placate these baby bullies."
New York Ag Letitia James Advises Hospitals To Ignore Trump Eo About Sex-change Procedures For Minors
CEC District 2 "oversees public elementary/middle schools in NYC Community School District 2," according to its Facebook page. Its schools are in the Lower East Side, Hell's Kitchen and Chinatown, among other Big Apple neighborhoods.
Fox News Digital reached out to CEC 2 but has not yet heard back.
CEC 2 Vice President Leonard Silverman told the New York Post that he "appreciate[s] their advocacy, but it's completely misplaced."
"But they still keep on showing up, and it's really disruptive because it's discouraged other parents from talking about other educational issues," he said.Original article source: Trans rights activists bizarrely perform silent 'Macarena' dance at New York City education meeting
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

4 hours ago
Turkish authorities detain prominent journalist for allegedly threatening Erdogan
Istanbul -- Turkish authorities detained a prominent journalist for allegedly 'threatening' President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to state media. The detention of Fatih Altayli, whose daily commentaries on YouTube attract hundreds of thousands of viewers, comes amid a widespread crackdown on the opposition. State-run Anadolu Agency said he was questioned after his detention late Saturday over a comment he made following a recent poll that showed more than 70% of the public opposed a lifetime presidency for Erdogan, who has been in power for more than two decades. On his YouTube channel, Altayli said Friday he wasn't surprised by the result and that the Turkish people preferred checks on authority. 'Look at the history of this nation... this is a nation which has strangled its sultan when they didn't like him or want him. There are quite a few Ottoman sultans who were assassinated, strangled, or made to look like suicide.' An investigation was immediately launched by the Istanbul Public Prosecutors' Office. During questioning, Altayli denied threatening the president, according to Halk TV's website. It remains unclear whether Altayli has been released. Officials from municipalities controlled by the main opposition Republican People's Party have faced waves of arrests this year, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was detained in March over allegations of corruption.


USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
Are Latin American travelers still coming to the US for vacations?
Even though Karen Aguayo lives in central Mexico – a short flight away from the United States – she has yet to visit, and has no plans to. The 35-year-old Mexican national was hoping to make her first trip to the U.S. this year to visit her uncle, and even has a visa to visit the country. However, given the political climate, it feels like too much of a gamble for her safety. She went to Italy instead. Under President Donald Trump's flurry of executive orders signed in January, the goal was to "strengthen national security," including cracking down on immigration, increasing scrutiny at our borders, and imposing a travel ban on numerous countries. Earlier this year, the president also ignited a trade war between the U.S. and China, Mexico, Europe and Canada when he announced a skyrocket in tariffs – a move that upset nationals. 'Don't know how we should behave': Is the US South LGBTQ friendly? Aguayo said she's worried about being denied entry at the airport, along with how she may be treated while in the U.S., such as possible anti-Mexican sentiment. "It's not only me, I believe that many people think the same. They'd rather feel welcome in other countries," said Aguayo, who posts videos about travel in Mexico on her YouTube channel La Karencita. "Now I'm in Europe because I feel that people are more open to make you feel welcome and safe; nothing happens here." Since Trump's inauguration it feels like conflict and policies within the U.S. have been constantly changing, Aguayo said. "Maybe this is not the time to go." A recent example that deters her from visiting is the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that swept through the greater Los Angeles area in response to Trump's vow of 1 million annual deportations of undocumented immigrants. Subsequent days-long protests against ICE escalated into violence between law enforcement and demonstrators, resulting in the president deploying the U.S. National Guard. While some Latin Americans are moving forward with their trips to the U.S., others are holding back due to safety concerns, a potentially hostile atmosphere or disagreement over the volatile political landscape under the Trump administration. A slowdown from this group of travelers could have a lasting impact on the U.S. economy. The U.S. has long been a popular destination for Latin Americans, with Mexico standing out as the second-largest demographic of visitor arrivals after Canada and contributing to an estimated $21 billion toward the American economy in 2018, according to the U.S. Travel Association. These travelers pausing their U.S. visits aren't swearing off the U.S. forever, but their hesitation shows the country's current political actions aren't going unnoticed. Latin American travelers conflicted over US travel Although some Latin American travelers are reconsidering visiting the U.S., many continue with their travel plans, especially Mexican nationals. Arrival and Departure Information System (ADIS) data between March 2024 and 2025 for Mexican arrivals to the U.S. showed a growth of 14.9% – comprising 26.7% of international visitors to the country, just slightly under Canadians. According to Expedia, many of the top U.S. destinations are still popular with Mexican travelers. For travel between May and June 30, lodging searches by Mexican nationals focused on cities like New York, Las Vegas, San Diego, Anaheim and Orlando. Emerging destinations showing increased interest include Charlotte, San Jose, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and Fort Worth. For the same travel period, airfare to the U.S. from Mexico is averaging below $575, with fluctuations depending on the arrival state. In some parts of Latin America, travel to the U.S. is on the decline. Although data from the National Travel and Tourism Office's International Visitor Arrivals Program (ADIS) shows U.S. travel demand for 2025 remains strong in countries like Brazil and Argentina, overall visitor numbers from South and Central America have dropped. From this past March to last, South American arrivals decreased by around 6% and over 35% for the Central Americans. 'We are seeing varying trends in demand for US travel across Latin America," the online booking platform Skyscanner said in a statement. "What we do know is that since the pandemic travelers are more engaged with travel warnings and advisories and these will likely influence demand." 'Everything is changing so fast' Alan Estrada, a 44-year-old Mexican travel content creator who shares his journeys under Alan Around the World, frequently travels to the U.S. for work. He recently attended the opening of the new theme park Epic Universe in Orlando and was also in Washington, D.C., earlier this month for the World Pride Music Festival. In July, the Mexico City-based traveler will visit New York for an event with one of his sponsors. Most of Estrada's U.S. visits are for work reasons, and he said he doesn't have any upcoming leisure trips planned. This is not only due to tensions like the ICE riots, but also the potential for other U.S. issues to escalate, like involvement in the war between Israel and Iran. "I'm not saying I won't do it," he said about going to the U.S. for pleasure. It's just that now is not the right time, he said. Although he's never had any issues with immigration, border control or hostility from Americans, the U.S. political landscape is on Estrada's radar. "Everything is changing so fast and can escalate from one day to another really, really quickly," said Estrada. "So, we have to be informed and aware all the time." About half of Estrada's audience is Mexican and most others live throughout Latin America. Lately, he's noticed a majority of comments on his social media channels and website – where people can call or email for travel advice – are about visiting the U.S. "There are some people in the comments saying like, 'is it safe to go to the U.S.' or 'please don't go to the U.S.,' depending on the political views of my followers," he said. "I can feel the people kind of worry a little bit about what's happening right now." Estrada believes the rise in concern comes from a mix of being more "cautious," disagreeing with American politics, and not finding the high price of travel to the U.S. to be worth it. As many situations remain unresolved, these travelers' decision to visit the U.S. is in the air. "The thing that I would need to see is not seeing people protesting because I think that's one sign that everything is getting uncomfortable, and not seeing the president talking about immigrants, about changing the rules," Aguayo, of La Karencita, said. Although Aguayo has never been to the U.S., it's not a priority for her either. In the meantime, she's content traveling the rest of the world.

Miami Herald
19 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Newsom's podcast sidekick: a single-use plastic water bottle
LOS ANGELES — Johnny had Ed. Conan had Andy. And Gov. Gavin Newsom? A single-use plastic water bottle. In most of the YouTube video recordings of Newsom's new podcast, 'This is Gavin Newsom,' a single-use plastic water bottle lurks on a table nearby. Sometimes, it is accompanied by a single-use coffee cup. Other times, it stands alone. Typically, such product placement would raise nary an eyebrow. But in recent weeks, environmentalists, waste advocates, lawmakers and others have been battling with the governor and his administration over a landmark single-use plastic law that Newsom signed in 2022, but which he has since worked to defang - reducing the number of packaged single-use products the law was designed to target and potentially opening the door for polluting forms of recycling. Anti-plastic advocates say it's an abrupt and disappointing pivot from the governor, who in June 2022, decried plastic pollution and the plague of single-use plastic on the environment. 'It's like that whole French Laundry thing all over again,' said one anti-plastic advocate, who didn't want to be identified for fear of angering the governor. Newsom was infamously caught dining without a mask at the wine country restaurant during the COVID-19 lockdown. Newsom's efforts to scale back SB 54, the state's single-use plastic recycling law, has dismayed environmentalists who have long considered Newsom one of their staunchest allies. 'Our kids deserve a future free of plastic waste and all its dangerous impacts ... No more,' Newsom said in 2022, when he signed SB 54. 'California won't tolerate plastic waste that's filling our waterways and making it harder to breathe. We're holding polluters responsible and cutting plastics at the source.' Asked about the presence of the plastic water bottle, Daniel Villaseñor, the governor's deputy director of communications, had this response: 'Are you really writing a story this baseless or should we highlight this video for your editor?' Villaseñor said via email, attaching a video clip showing this reporter seated near a plastic water bottle at last year's Los Angeles Times' Climate Summit. (The bottles were placed near chairs for all the panelists; this particular one was never touched.) After this story was first published, the governor's office said the plastic water bottles seen on the podcast were placed there by staff or production teams and not at Newsom's request, and that the governor remains committed to seeing SB 54 implemented. More than a half-dozen environmentalists and waste advocates asked to comment for this story declined to speak on the record, citing concerns including possible retribution from the governor's office and appearing to look like scolds as negotiations over implementing SB 54 continue. Dianna Cohen, the co-founder and chief executive of Plastic Pollution Coalition, said that while she wouldn't comment on the governor and his plastic sidekick, she noted that plastic pollution is an 'urgent global crisis' that requires strong policies and regulations. 'Individuals — especially those in the public eye — can help shift culture by modeling these solutions. We must all work to embrace the values we want to see and co-create a healthier world,' she said in a statement. On Thursday, Newsom dropped a new episode of 'This is Gavin Newsom' with independent journalist Aaron Parnas. In the video, there wasn't a plastic bottle in sight. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.