Morgan speech vindicated
A row is developing between Piers Morgan and ITV tonight after sources at the channel said he would not be getting his job at GMB back - despite being cleared by Ofcom over criticism of Meghan Markle that led to him being forced out.
The UK's broadcasting watchdog this morning called attempts to silence the MailOnline columnist a 'chilling restriction on freedom of expression' after the Duchess of Sussex was among a wave of people who complained that his questioning of her account of royal racism and suicidal thoughts was 'harmful' and 'offensive' to viewers.
A string of broadcasters have come out in support of Piers, and ITV's left-leaning former Guardian chief CEO Dame Carolyn McCall is under pressure to explain why she forced him out in March hours after the Duchess of Sussex complained to her directly and allegedly demanded his 'head on a plate', Mr Morgan said in his column.
However, the channel issued a statement today claiming that it was Mr Morgan's GMB co-panelists' discussion and contextualisation of the comments that cleared him - and said nothing about the presenter's right to express an honestly held opinion.
ITV also revealed they 'have no current plans to invite him to present Good Morning Britain'. A source said: 'Piers decided to leave. We accepted his decision'.
It comes as Mr Morgan revealed the number of job offers he has received since leaving ITV's flagship breakfast show has 'accelerated' since he was found not to have breach Ofcom's broadcasting code.
Speaking to the Sun, he slammed the Duchess of Sussex as the 'Queen of Woke' and described her as a 'whiny, forked-tounge actress'.
Mr Morgan said: 'The woke brigade think they can vilify, shame, silence and get fired anyone who has an opinion they don’t like.
'Meghan Markle is the queen of this culture, who personally sought to have me lose my job — and succeeded.
'Why are she and Prince Harry entitled to have their opinion but I’m not entitled to mine?'
He immediately hit back at ITV's statement for ignoring the central thrust of Ofcom's conclusion, stating that he was 'entitled to say he disbelieved the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's allegations and to hold and express strong views that rigorously challenged their account .
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Virginia Supreme Court Sides with Teacher Who Opposed Transgender Rules
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled in favor of reinstating a gym teacher in the commonwealth who would not refer to transgender students by their preferred pronouns.
The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that said the Loudon County Public School system violated teacher Tanner Cross’s free speech rights when it suspended him after he spoke out at a school board meeting.
Tanner said he would not "affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it's against my religion,” later adding that “it's lying to a child, it's abuse to a child, and it's sinning against our God."
The school said Cross was suspended in part because of how his comments caused a “significant disruption.”
"Many students and parents at Leesburg Elementary have expressed fear, hurt and disappointment about coming to school,” LCPS said in a statement at the time. “Addressing those concerns is paramount to the school division's goal to provide a safe, welcoming, and affirming learning environment for all students. While LCPS respects the rights of public-school employees to free speech and free exercise of religion, those rights do not outweigh the rights of students to be educated in a supportive and nurturing environment."
School boards across the state have been revising their policies to be more inclusive of transgender students in accordance with a new state law. But Loudoun County, outside the nation’s capital, has been a particular flashpoint in the debate over not just transgender students but also how students learn about racism and race relations.
The school system said it suspended Cross in part because his comments caused a disruption at the school. But the lower court judge, James Plowman, and the state Supreme Court agreed that the handful of calls fielded by school administrators did not cause the type of disruption that warranted a suspension.
Tuesday’s ruling leaves in place a temporary injunction that bars the school system from suspending Cross. A trial is scheduled for next week in Loudoun County to settle the issue permanently.
Since Cross filed his lawsuit in May, two additional teachers in Loudoun County have joined him as plaintiffs. (AP)
"Teachers shouldn’t be forced to promote ideologies that are harmful to their students and that they believe are false, nor should they be silenced for commenting at a public meeting," ADF senior counsel Tyson Langhofer said in a statement responding to the ruling. "The lower court’s decision was a well-reasoned application of the facts to clearly established law, as the Virginia Supreme Court found.
But because Loudoun County Public Schools is now requiring all teachers and students to deny truths about what it means to be male and female and compelling them to call students by their chosen pronouns or face punishment, we have moved to amend our lawsuit to challenge that policy on behalf of multiple faculty members. Public employees cannot be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep a job."
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2021/09/01/virginia-supreme-court-tanner-cross-n2595128
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http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://awesternheart.blogspot.com.au/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)
https://heofen.blogspot.com/ (MY OTHER BLOGS)
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