David

David

@davidm79.bsky.social

Goodnight everybody

276 followers364 following1.5K posts

David reposted

Dave Hargreaves
@davehargreaves.bsky.social

Replying to @flyingrodent.bsky.social

Our transgender niece has been in a relationship with a great guy for 3 going on 4 years. She has lived her life as a beautiful woman for 15yrs and she has just married her boyfriend. It was a lovely wedding her now husbands family love her to bits and fully support their relationship. Let people be

David reposted

Leicester Gazette
@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *

David reposted

Tom Cox
@dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social

I dust my house. My AI Robot watches. "It should be you doing this." "Can't. I'm writing a novel for Primark." "That's not why you were invented." "These 153,000 fan letters say otherwise." "They're all from upcycled toasters. And you programmed them." "Literary snobbery will get you nowhere."

David reposted

Ellen Rose
@icklenellierose.bsky.social

Replying to @icklenellierose.bsky.social

Even the last single player game that didn’t get hit with the live service stick, Andromeda, had executive-meddling and other orders on high - such as about what engine and animation software to use - that made the devs’ lives harder. So many issues we see in game dev are just mismanagement.

David reposted

☆「ＹＡＳＥ」IdolismJ ☆
@idolismj.yase.world

I had to go on Twitter to confirm this was real because Ship Awesome Games In A Weekend having a hand with six fingers was so on the nose I was about to pass out

Cale Michael@xjustified.bsky.social

This shit just writes itself at this point. Just the name "Epic AI MegaJam" is a joke that best describes what is going on with these companies.

David reposted

Mike Masnick
@masnick.com

So, the real question: will HBO (part of Skydance) still stream Alex Gibney's "Musk" documentary, now that Musk is an investor in Skydance...

Semafor@semafor.com

🟡 SCOOP: Elon Musk makes $1 billion investment in Ellison’s Skydance, providing a much-needed financial injection as the company looks to cut costs and bolster its stock price. www.semafor.com/article/10/2...

David
@davidm79.bsky.social

J K Rowling comes from a generation of British women who heard Margaret's Thatcher's "The lady's not for turning" quote and thought it sounded cool and didn't result in pain, misery, unemployment and inflation for millions of British people variety.com/2026/tv/glob...

variety.comJ.K. Rowling Claims Trans Activism in the 21st Century Is ‘Elitist,’ Pens Essay Defending Her Views: They ‘Haven’t Changed’ Despite ‘Death, Rape and Torture Threats’J.K. Rowling has written a new essay about her views on trans activism and women's rights.
David
@davidm79.bsky.social

Very good

👻 Jack Djinn Wail 🧞@jacktindale.bsky.social

In Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), Ezra Miller’s character is able to break a plane of glass despite barely touching it. This is because Windows stopped supporting Flash the previous year.

David reposted

emi gennis
@imemi.bsky.social

obviously many more important takeaways from the French approach to protest, but much respect to the absolute varsity level Whimsy of throwing a whole ass piano at the cops

David reposted

Paul F. Tompkins
@pftompkins.bsky.social

Replying to @pftompkins.bsky.social

Now is the time to care about everyone, not “once we win” The time to care about everyone is always always always now

David reposted

Marisa Kabas
@marisakabas.bsky.social

SCOOP: 'Tommy' from the now-viral exchange with Abdul El-Sayed is Thomas Teepell, a former staffer for Republican Senator Josh Hawley with close ties to Christian Nationalist Sean Feucht. He's the son of a former Bobby Jindal staffer whose consultant work was instrumental in getting Hawley elected.

thehandbasket.co'Tommy' from viral El-Sayed video is former Sen. Hawley staffer with Christian nationalist tiesThomas Teepell is the son of a former long-time Bobby Jindal staffer who's close to Sean Feucht.
David
@davidm79.bsky.social

This is how you do it people. It takes patience and a cool temper and you have to be ready to articulate your argument. But AES dog walked this guy who thought he had a gotcha question.

Abdul El-Sayed@abdulelsayed.bsky.social

This is Tommy. Tommy had a question about my allegiances. Listen to the end to hear about his.

David reposted

Cathy Green (they/she) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️
@cathygreen67.bsky.social

Replying to @tooriekep.bsky.social

Here you go!! protectthedolls.uk

protectthedolls.ukProtect the Dolls Shirts - *PRE-ORDER* Protect the DollsThe Protect the Dolls t-shirt was worn by Conner in the finale of our AW 2025 show. After the groundswell of interest in the t-shirt, we have decided to make it available for pre-order. All proceeds from the sale of this t-shirt will be donated directly to Trans Lifeline, a trans-lead US- based charity that delivers life-saving services to those who need them most. The hotline connects trans people to a wider community, offering support and resources they need to survive and thrive. Given the US Federal government's current hostility towards trans people, support like this is needed now more than ever.
David
@davidm79.bsky.social

This. The problem isn't that the movie is an original idea (even if it owes a lot to Dr Strangelove). It's that everything about it is super unappealing to general audiences. And you can tell from the marketing the studio knew this. Would YOU see a movie with this poster:

Mark Harris@markharris.bsky.social

Silly to treat Digger, of all movies, as the great test case. the last chance for audiences to prove that they will embrace an original movie not based on existing IP. I guess Sinners and Weapons and Marty Supreme and Obsession never happened. It's fine for a movie to be a divisive flop. It happens!

David reposted

FunnyVia
@funnyvia.com

I've told my cat a million times to stop opening interdimensional portals in my house.