Category: News
Brayden Parks, who has Notre Dame among offers, powers Brother Rice to state title. ‘We came, we saw, we won.’
Junior defensive lineman Brayden Parks was always confident it would be a successful year for Brother Rice. He knew the defense had the potential to be one of the greatest in school history.
The only question was whether the Crusaders could finally break through and complete the task of winning the program’s first state championship since 1981.
Parks and Co. made sure they would not fall short. Dream season, indeed.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Parks said. “To go through all those years and all those workouts. This is what we work for week in and week out. We came, we saw, we won.”
Parks came through with six tackles, including 3 1/2 for loss, and also had three pass breakups to do his part in a dominant defensive effort Wednesday night as Brother Rice topped Catholic League rival St. Rita 16-0 in the Class 7A state championship game at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
Army recruit CJ Gray ran for 80 yards and a touchdown and threw a 9-yard TD pass to Colin Goggin to lead the Crusaders (13-1). Jaylin Green ran for 104 yards on 23 carries. Kameron McGee contributed two sacks and four tackles for loss.
Brother Rice’s players hold up the state championship trophy after defeating St. Rita in the Class 7A title game at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
It’s the second state title in football for Brother Rice.
“We were doing what we’ve been able to do all year,” McGee said. “I think, personally, we’ve got the best defense in the country. All these guys around me, we all bought in from Jan. 6 at 6 a.m. and now December whatever it is, we’re here.”
Jack Schapendonk totaled 12 tackles for St. Rita (9-5), which came in riding a seven-game winning streak. Brandon Johnson Jr. ran for 54 yards on 13 carries, while Donovan Evans finished with four catches for 37 yards.
The Mustangs, who had scored 110 points over their last two games, were held to 160 yards.
Brother Rice’s Brayden Parks (98) tries to shed a blocker against St. Rita during the Class 7A state championship game at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
Parks was a big part of a Crusaders defensive front that was relentless in stopping St. Rita.
“There are only five offensive linemen and there are four of us on the D-line, so you’re not going to be able to double team at least three of us,” he said. “We’ll get that one-on-one and we’ll get in there, no doubt.”
Parks, who was named the Catholic League Blue’s co-defensive player of the year, is rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and has offers from many prominent programs including Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Accolades aside, he has committed himself to continuing to get better.
Brother Rice’s Kameron McGee, right, tries to get to St. Rita’s Steven Armbruster in the Class 7A state championship game at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
“My run defending took a big step,” Parks said. “I worked on that all offseason. I’ve gotten better in pass rush, too. Being explosive off the ball. Being quick. Being powerful. Just using my hands.”
The Crusaders took an early lead on Gray’s 6-yard TD run and were up 9-0 before Gray hit Goggin for the insurance TD with 4:10 to go.
“I’ve kind of gotten close with CJ these last few years,” Goggin said. “I look at him as another one of my brothers. To be able to do that with him was probably one of the best moments of my life — to be there with him and get to celebrate with him.”
There will be plenty of celebrating to come. The Crusaders — who lost state championship games in 2018 and 1985 and have seen many other highly touted teams fall short in the playoffs — have title No. 2 at long last.
Brother Rice’s Brayden Parks (98) slips through a double team against St. Rita during the Class 7A state championship game at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown)
“It definitely feels good, especially with these guys,” Brother Rice coach Casey Quedenfeld said. “The Class of ’26 came in when I moved here from Houston and they bought into a vision.
“And now it just came into fruition.”
Plus, that defense? Parks saw it grow into a dominant group.
“This team and this defense, we’ve all been close and we’ve developed that bond,” Parks said. “We always go out there feeling like we’re going to win. With all that talent around me, I know we’re going to get it done.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/03/brayden-parks-brother-rice-st-rita-ihsa-football/
The Washington Post’s Attack On Veterans’ Integrity
The Washington Post’s Attack On Veterans’ Integrity
Authored by William Taylor via RealClearDefense,
On the eve of Veterans Day, a moment meant for gratitude and reflection, The Washington Post doubled down on its campaign against those who have served, accusing America’s Veterans of feigning mental health injuries as a means to secure disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The article, one in an unrelenting series of Veteran attack articles from the Post this fall, is disheartening and injurious to those who have sacrificed their minds and bodies for our country.
The series sparked an immediate backlash, with veterans and advocates writing to the Post in droves to slam the reporting as biased and misleading. And they’re right.
The Post’s articles risk leaving readers with the pernicious idea that it’s commonplace for Veterans and their private benefits consultants to scam the VA benefits claims system by using PTSD and other mental health disorders as an excuse to collect benefits from the government.
Mental health disorders are not mere excuses for Veterans to collect benefits; they’re a reality. Ryan Gallucci, Executive Director of the VFW’s Washington, D.C. office, put it best when he called PTSD one of “the signature wounds of modern warfare,” adding that it’s “either ignorant or deliberately cruel” to claim that conditions like this are fake and unworthy of benefits claims.
Mental injuries may not be as physically dramatic as a bullet or explosion wound, but too many Veterans hobble through life dealing with mental anguish, and some – more than 17 per day, according to a recent report – end their own lives early to finally be free of it.
America’s Veterans endured incalculable stress and anguish fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Post’s reporting does not contextualize exposure to the toxic burn pits, the constant threats of violence on patrol, and the grueling physical demands of war and counterinsurgency in 100-plus-degree and sub-zero temperatures for months at a time. And that’s not counting the horrors many Veterans store in their memories, like the dismembered body parts of comrades after their Humvees rode over IEDs – or the burned skin, torn muscles, and protruding organs after shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade that sprayed into fellow soldiers nearby.
These stressful memories can return, shaking us to our core. This is PTSD. It’s traumatic, it’s painful, and it’s real. I’m proud that my organization, Veterans Guardian – and the 150-plus Veterans, Veteran spouses, and spouses of active-duty service members who work there – have helped thousands of Veterans afflicted by PTSD and other mental health disorders get the benefits they’ve earned.
By glossing over the unfortunate truths of mental illness and accusing Veterans and those supporting them as fraudulent, the Post has belittled Veterans’ great sacrifices.
They’re also perpetuating an idea they’ve been conditioned to believe through the military, that they should “suck up and deal with” every challenge that comes their way. That standard shouldn’t apply when soldiers transition to Veteran status and civilian life. Civilians are not expected to “suck it up” if an insurance company denies a claim that should be honored.
The same principle applies to Veterans.
When recruits sign up for the armed services, they enter an agreement with the government and people of the United States. As soldiers, they would sacrifice their bodies and minds protecting the Constitution and the freedoms of Americans. But in exchange for these sacrifices, Veterans would receive benefits that help them manage health issues and integrate back into civilian life after serving. Veterans earned the right to receive these benefits, and they should be honored.
The VFW, in response to the Washington Post’s October 6tharticle casting Veterans in a dishonorable light for generalizing the bad actions of very few, perfectly summed up practically every Veteran’s feelings in three words: “honor the contract.”
Reputable claims consultants like Veterans Guardian and Veteran Service Organizations like the VFW may not always see eye to eye, however, we are in lockstep solidarity when it comes to protecting our Veterans, just as we are in our beliefs that the Washington Post doesn’t fully understand Veterans, the benefits system, and the gravity of their reporting.
These kinds of articles share the same hallmarks of the unfortunate reality of the misinformation environment around Veterans: inflammatory anecdotes, the inaccurate portrayal of Veterans as dishonorable, and the vilification of compensating our Veterans for the many burdens they’ve endured. I would ask that everyone that talks about Veterans and their struggles keeps in mind the potential negative impacts their statements can have on our Veterans and their mental health.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/03/2025 – 20:55
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/washington-posts-attack-veterans-integrity
Coach Doc Rivers disputes report that Giannis Antetokounmpo is talking with Milwaukee Bucks about his future
MILWAUKEE — Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday that there have been no talks between team officials and Giannis Antetokounmpo regarding the two-time MVP’s potential exit from Milwaukee.
Rivers’ comments before the Bucks’ game against the Detroit Pistons came following an ESPN report that Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, had started speaking with the Bucks about the superstar’s future and whether he’s best suited to stay with the team or play elsewhere. Rivers said “there’s been no conversations” in that regard.
“Giannis has never asked to be traded — ever,” Rivers said. “I can’t make that more clear.”
Antetokounmpo’s future has been the subject of much speculation around the NBA ever since the Bucks made a third consecutive first-round playoff exit last season.
ESPN reported before the season that the Bucks and New York Knicks engaged in trade talks regarding Antetokounmpo in August but never gained traction on a potential deal. According to ESPN, Antetokounmpo had indicated New York was the only place he wanted to play outside of Milwaukee.
After that report, Antetokounmpo expressed confidence in what the Bucks could accomplish this season and said he was “locked in,” but he also acknowledged the possibility he could change his mind depending on how things developed over the next several months.
“I believe in this team,” Antetokounmpo said at the time. “I believe in my teammates. I’m here to lead this team to whatever we can go. It’s definitely going to be hard. We’re going to take it day by day, but I’m here. All the added extra stuff, that doesn’t matter. I’ve communicated with my teammates, communicated with the people that I respect and love, that the moment that I step in on this court, in this facility, I wear this jersey. The rest does not matter. I’m locked into whatever I have I front of me.
“Now if in six, seven months I change my mind, that’s human too. You’re allowed to make any decision you want. But I’m locked in. I’m locked into this team. I’m locked into these guys, this group, and to my coaching staff and to myself.
Since then, the Bucks have struggled.
The Bucks entered Wednesday 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 9-13 record after dropping eight of their last nine games. That includes a seven-game skid in which Antetokounmpo missed four games with a left adductor strain.
“Let’s just call a spade a spade,” Rivers said. “We’re not playing well. We had a tough loss (at Washington) the other night, and so now, this is the subject matter. It’s no more true than it was this summer. Does it affect our team and our players? I hope not. I can tell you after listening to our guys talk today, it doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean it won’t. I can’t answer that.”
Rivers then reiterated his belief that Antetokounmpo has no interest in leaving.
“The thing I keep saying is I go to the source,” Rivers said. “I talk to the source every single day — every single day — and he loves Milwaukee and he loves the Bucks.”
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their first title in a half-century in 2021, scoring 50 points in the Game 6 clincher against the Phoenix Suns. But the Bucks have won just one playoff series since and have lost in the first round of the postseason each of the last three years.
The Bucks have made plenty of blockbuster moves the last few years while trying to win another title. Antetokounmpo repeatedly has said he would like to stay in Milwaukee but prioritizes playing for a team committed to contending for championships.
The Bucks acquired seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard to team up with Antetokounmpo shortly before the 2023-24 season, but injuries caused them to play just two playoff games together from start to finish.
After Lillard suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 2025 playoffs — knocking him out for the 2025-26 season — the Bucks took another big swing by waiving him and stretching the rest of his salary for the next five years to create the cap room to sign former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. The Bucks hoped they had built an ideal supporting cast for Antetokounmpo by getting younger and more athletic.
During the Bucks’ media- day event before training camp, owner Wes Edens said he had had a “great conversation” with Antetokounmpo in June and that the nine-time All-NBA selection had “made it clear that he was very committed to Milwaukee.”
Antetokounmpo was asked about that conversation later during that event and he said he couldn’t recall that meeting.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/03/milwaukee-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-doc-rivers/
Presidente de Venezuela confirma conversación con Donald Trump en medio de creciente tensión
CARACAS (AP) — El presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, habló el miércoles por primera vez de una conversación que mantuvo con el mandatario de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, asegurando que se desarrolló en un “tono de respeto”, pero sin ofrecer detalles en medio de la creciente tensión por el gran desplieque de buques y aviones de guerra estadounidense en el Caribe y ataques letales contra embarcaciones con presunta droga.
“Hace unos diez días, aproximadamente, de la Casa Blanca, llamaron al Palacio de Miraflores. Tuve una conversación telefónica con el presidente Donald Trump”, señaló Maduro durante un acto de gobierno televisado. “Puedo decir que la conversación fue en un tono de respeto, inclusive puedo decir que fue cordial”.
“Digo más, si esa llamada significa que se están dando pasos hacia un diálogo respetuoso de Estado (a) Estado, de país a país, bienvenido el diálogo, bienvenida la diplomacia, porque siempre buscaremos la paz”, acotó.
El comentario de Maduro se produjo tres días después de que Trump confirmó a periodistas que habló por teléfono con el mandatario venezolano. “No quiero comentar al respecto, la respuesta es sí. No diría que salió bien o mal. Fue una llamada telefónica”, indicó.
Maduro, quien estuvo seis años frente a la Cancillería venezolana durante el mandato de su predecesor y mentor, el ahora fallecido presidente Hugo Chávez (1999-2013), dijo que aprendió como ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (2006-2012) “la prudencia diplomática. Me gusta la prudencia, a mí no me gusta la diplomacia de micrófono cuando hay cosas importantes en silencio, tienen que ser hasta que se den”.
“Creo que el camino del pueblo de Estados Unidos y el pueblo de Venezuela tiene que ser un camino de respeto, de diplomacia y de diálogo”, añadió.
El gobierno de Trump sostiene que el despliegue naval, entre otras medidas, busca combatir las amenazas de los cárteles de drogas latinoamericanos. Maduro, en tanto, describe el despliegue como un ataque a la soberanía de la nación y parte de un esfuerzo por derrocarlo.
A inicios de agosto, Washington duplicó a 50 millones de dólares una recompensa por información que dé con la captura de Maduro, a quien acusó formalmente de narcoterrorismo. Maduro ha dicho que son infundadas las denuncias y que buscarían desestabilizar su gobierno.
Man facing attempted murder charge for alleged shove onto Blue Line tracks
A Chicago man has been charged after allegedly punching and pushing someone onto the tracks at a CTA Blue Line stop in Forest Park this week, local authorities said.
Tommie Carter, 39, faces one count of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated battery to a police officer.
Forest Park police officers responded to a call of a battery at the Harlem Avenue CTA Blue Line stop just after 8:30 a.m. Monday morning, according to a news release from the department. Officers were told, through the village’s dispatch center, that an elderly man had been punched and was lying on elevated train tracks, police said.
When officers arrived, they found the victim lying on the tracks while Carter was on the train platform. As officers tried to arrest Carter, he “defied verbal orders, actively resisted arrest and fought with officers trying to secure him in handcuffs,” police said. Carter then proceeded to spit on an officer after he was placed in custody, police said.
The victim was transported to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood. Police did not give the victim’s condition.
Further investigation showed that an outbound CTA train was approaching the Harlem station as the victim lay in the tracks, police said. However, the train conductor witnessed the incident and stopped the train just in time.
Cook County court records show Carter is separately facing misdemeanor trespassing, assault and damage to government-supported property charges in a case filed in mid-October and was out on pretrial release when he was arrested this week. Carter was previously convicted in 2023 in two separate cases, one on a felony theft charge and the other for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, according to court records.
Carter was ordered detained in a hearing on Wednesday. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 19.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/03/chicago-cta-blue-line-attack-forest-park/
China Debuts First Locally Built GE-Designed Gas Turbine
China Debuts First Locally Built GE-Designed Gas Turbine
China has launched its first power plant using an advanced gas turbine manufactured domestically, marking a major step toward reducing dependence on foreign technology amid a global equipment shortage, according to Bloomberg.
China Energy Investment Corp. commissioned the Anji Power Plant, which operates two GE-designed turbines of roughly 400 megawatts each.
Bloomberg writes that the turbine design comes from GE Vernova, which formed a joint venture with state-owned Harbin Electric in 2019 to localize production and supply up to a dozen units annually.
The achievement advances China’s long-running effort to build its own gas-turbine industry at a time when worldwide demand is surging—driven by data-center expansion and by developing nations shifting away from coal.
China’s gas-fired capacity is expected to reach about 150 gigawatts this year, with proposals to grow to 200 gigawatts by 2030. Gas power is becoming increasingly important in coastal regions facing limited land for renewables and grid bottlenecks, according to Qi Qin of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
Other domestic manufacturers, including Dongfang Electric and Shanghai Electric, are also speeding up their gas-turbine development programs.
The move carries broader geopolitical significance. As advanced gas turbines have long been dominated by a small group of Western and Japanese suppliers, China’s ability to localize production reduces a key point of technological leverage.
At a time when global supply chains for strategic equipment are tightening and export controls are expanding, demonstrating domestic capability in large-scale turbine manufacturing strengthens China’s energy security and lowers its vulnerability to potential sanctions or supply disruptions.
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/03/2025 – 20:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/china-debuts-first-locally-built-ge-designed-gas-turbine
ELN libera 28 personas secuestradas en el noreste de Colombia
Associated Press
BOGOTÁ (AP) — La estatal Defensoría del Pueblo de Colombia informó el miércoles sobre la liberación de 28 personas, incluidos niños, que fueron secuestradas a inicio del año por la guerrilla Ejército de Liberación Nacional en Catatumbo, en el noreste del país.
Los secuestrados fueron entregados a una comisión humanitaria conformada por la Defensoría del Pueblo, la Misión de las Naciones Unidas en Colombia y la iglesia Católica. La liberación fue acompañada por familias de las víctimas y dirigentes comunales, señaló la Defensoría en la red social X.
La entidad detalló que fueron liberados 17 hombres, 11 mujeres y cinco menores de edad, quienes “manifestaron que se encuentran en buen estado de salud, salvo uno de ellas, que presenta dolencias por una herida en su cuerpo”.
El ELN, alzado en armas desde 1964, no se pronunció tras la liberación de los secuestrados en la cuenta de X donde suele hacerlo.
En enero, el ELN lanzó una incursión violenta en el Catatumbo para disputar el control del territorio fronterizo con Venezuela con el “Frente 33”, una de las disidencias de las extintas Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) que no se acogió al acuerdo de paz firmado entre la guerrilla y el Estado en 2016.
Las autoridades reportaron el homicidio de más de 90 personas, el desplazamiento de más de 56.000 personas y el secuestro de civiles.
Tras la ola de violencia en Catatumbo, el presidente Gustavo Petro suspendió indefinidamente las conversaciones de paz que sostenía con el ELN.
La Defensoría del Pueblo reiteró el llamado a avanzar en más acciones de desescalamiento del conflicto armado y la violencia.
What Israel’s plan to reopen the Rafah border crossing means for Palestinians in Gaza
CAIRO — Israel said Wednesday that it would reopen the Rafah border crossing in the coming days, allowing Palestinians to leave Gaza. That could be a major development for residents of the devastated strip, for whom leaving has been extremely difficult — if not impossible — for most of the war.
The announcement has raised hopes that thousands of sick and wounded people in Gaza will finally be able to access the care they need. Gaza’s health system was decimated by the two-year war, rendering advanced surgical procedures out of reach.
But, there are complications. For one, Israel says Palestinians wanting to leave Gaza will have to get Israeli and Egyptian security approval. It’s unclear what criteria that will involve.
Another key dispute: Israel says that until militants in Gaza return all the hostages they took in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, it will only allow Palestinians to exit Gaza, not enter.
Egypt, meanwhile, says it wants the crossing immediately opened in both directions, so Palestinians in Egypt can enter Gaza. That’s a position rooted in Egypt’s vehement opposition to Palestinian refugees permanently resettling in the country.
A lifeline for Gaza
Before the war, Rafah bustled with goods and people passing to and from Egypt and Gaza. Although Gaza has four other border crossings, they are shared with Israel, and only Rafah links the territory with another country.
After Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel in 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage, Egypt tightened its restrictions on traffic through the Rafah crossing. After Israel took control of the Gaza side in May 2024 as part of its offensive that has killed more than 70,100 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, it closed the crossing except to the occasional medical evacuation.
The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians, though it says roughly half of those killed have been women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas-run government. It is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.
A reopened Rafah crossing would make it easier for Palestinians in Gaza to seek medical treatment, travel internationally or visit family in Egypt. The World Health Organization says there are more than 16,500 sick and wounded who need to leave Gaza for medical care.
It would also help Gaza’s decimated economy, allowing Palestinian merchants to market products beyond the borders of the pummeled territory.
Last-minutes hurdles delay reopening
Israel said the crossing would be opened in the coming days. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational plans, said the European Union mission supervising the crossing needed to finalize the logistics before the crossing can open.
The crossing, heavily damaged during the war. may also require repairs. A dispute between Israel and Egypt over Palestinian entry into Gaza may also delay the opening.
Citing an unnamed Egyptian official, Egypt’s State Information Service said Wednesday that the crossing, if an agreement is reached, will be used for travel in both directions, in accordance with a ceasefire plan advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Egypt is opposed to accepting Gaza refugees. It is already home to tens of thousands of Palestinians and hosts a migrant population of some 9 million people. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has warned of the security implications of transferring large numbers of Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, bordering Gaza.
Egypt supports the creation of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem ,and fears a permanent displacement could erode that possibility.
But Israel’s government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said that entry into Gaza would not be permitted until Israel receives all hostages remaining in Gaza. Before the most recent return of remains, there were believed two deceased hostages in Gaza — an Israeli and one Thai national. The remains returned Wednesday have not yet been identified.
Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/03/rafah-border-crossing-reopening/
The Link Between Transgenderism and Autism
The Link Between Transgenderism and Autism
Authored by Darlene McCormick Sanchez via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Chloe Cole grew up a tomboy, was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by age 7, and referred for autism screening by age 17.
Cole began identifying as a boy during adolescence and sought physical changes to match.
Doctors readily consented to medical intervention. They prescribed puberty blockers and testosterone at age 13. At 15, surgeons performed a double mastectomy, she told The Epoch Times.
But doctors didn’t address her neurological issues first. The same gender specialist who referred her for breast surgery later referred her for autism screening. Cole has described herself as being on the autism spectrum, but said she was never formally diagnosed.
Cole is now a leading campaigner against interventions to transition children with gender dysphoria.
She said many of those she knew personally when she was involved in the transgender community, as well as many of the detransitioners she knows, “are either somewhere on the autism spectrum, or they have been diagnosed with similar conditions, like ADHD.”
Her observations are increasingly supported by research. For at least a decade, studies have reported links among transgender identity, autism, and other neurological conditions. These connections have recently gained greater public attention.
Growing evidence of an autism–transgender link is already prompting some nations to recommend neurological screening before intervention. In America, the treatment model remains unchanged, and the predominant “affirmation” model makes the link difficult to investigate.
Autism and Gender Dysphoria
A report published this month by the British think tank Centre for Social Justice showed that autism and ADHD were “overrepresented,” or disproportionately high, among youth with gender dysphoria.
The report, citing data from the UK’s National Health Service, showed 32.4 percent of gender dysphoria referrals had an autism diagnosis, and 11.7 percent had an ADHD diagnosis.
Those numbers were 16 times higher than the national population averages for autism, and more than twice as high for ADHD. The population-wide averages for autism and ADHD in the United Kingdom are estimated at 2 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
“Individuals with autism spectrum disorder are far more likely to identify as transgender,” Joseph Nicolosi Jr., a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher in California, told The Epoch Times via email.
A pair of studies conducted in 2016 and 2019 indicate that autistic children are between four and seven times more likely to experience gender dysphoria or gender variance, he said. A 2019 study was conducted by researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and a 2016 study was conducted at New York University.
Nicolosi said there are several reasons for the connection, including “rigid thinking.”
For example, if a boy with autism lacks stereotypical male interests, he may doubt he is a boy and assume he must be a girl. Reading social cues is often hard for those with autism, so they may perceive same-sex peers as getting along better than they do.
“This heightens their sense of alienation from their peers,” Nicolosi said.
Cole recalled having difficulty coping with her body beginning to mature around the fourth grade, younger than most of her peers.
“The older I got, the less I associated with femininity, and I didn’t really feel like I fit in—especially with my female peers—but with my peers in general,” she said.
“It’s a common sentiment amongst people who have either ADHD or autism.”
Erin Friday, who gained national attention for successfully steering her ADHD daughter away from identifying as a transgender male, said she knows many detransitioners who are on the autism spectrum. A detransitioner is someone who had previously taken steps to transition to the opposite gender.
But most of the medical community doesn’t recognize transgender identity as a maladaptive coping mechanism, she told The Epoch Times.
They view autism and transgender identity as complementary and natural, instead of looking at causality, she said.
“This is the intersection of autism and transgenderism, like peas and carrots, it goes together,” Friday said. “They’re not even looking at … what is the causality?”
She observed that some hospitals offering pediatric transgender care have integrated autism and gender dysphoria services.
“It’s a feeder,” she said. “So it gives an endless stream of patients.”
Children’s National Hospital in Washington runs a Gender and Autism Program that treats autistic patients with gender dysphoria, illustrating the recognized connection between the two, she noted.
“We do not understand why autism and gender expansiveness often occur together, but we do know that this co-occurrence can be complex to navigate for young people and their families,” the website states.
The hospital did not respond to a request for comment.
Neurological Screening
In the UK, a seminal report released last year on how the country has handled treatment of children with gender dysphoria suggested screening children for neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and mental health issues.
That review, led by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass, sparked a wave of reforms, and the UK’s National Health Service all but halted the prescription of puberty blockers because there was a lack of evidence that the treatment was beneficial.
The Cass report found that young people distressed about their gender often have complex problems contributing to that distress, including mental illness, neurodiverse traits, and a variety of social problems.
Sweden and Finland recommend that neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism and ADHD be addressed as part of the evaluation process for the treatment of pediatric gender dysphoria.
In the United States, however, psychological organizations prioritize “gender-affirming care” without recommending neurological screening.
Instead, most follow the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care, which call for individualized, age-appropriate care to “improve health and wellbeing” of youth who identify as transgender.
The organization says assisting gender dysphoric patients “may include gynecologic and urologic care, reproductive health, voice and communication therapy, mental health services (e.g., counseling, psychotherapy), and/or hormonal or surgical treatments, among others.”
WPATH does not believe an autism diagnosis should prevent “gender-affirming care.”
“There is no evidence to suggest a benefit of withholding [gender affirming medical and surgical treatments] from [transgender] people who have gender incongruence simply on the basis that they have a mental health or neurodevelopmental condition,” according to WPATH.
Likewise, a 2023 commentary appearing in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics said that autistic youth deserve “gender-affirming care, and an [autism spectrum] diagnosis should not prevent youth and families from providing informed consent to gender-affirming care.”
The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network said in its June newsletter that the government shouldn’t interfere with an autistic person’s decision to transition.
“They think autistic people cannot really know if we are transgender. They say we are being tricked or we are confused. They think we should not be allowed to get gender-affirming care,” the newsletter stated.
Republican lawmakers in many states have enacted bans against gender-related medical treatments on minors, with corresponding federal actions to restrict funding for such practices.
Shortly after taking office earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that the federal government will not fund or promote transition-related care for children who identify as a different gender.
This spring, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a 409-page review of medical procedures used for gender dysphoric children. The report advocates for psychotherapy as a “noninvasive alternative to endocrine and surgical interventions,” since the benefits of hormones or surgery have not been established.
“Many of these children and adolescents have co-occurring psychiatric or neurodevelopmental conditions, rendering them especially vulnerable,” the executive summary for the report states.
Read the rest here…
Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/03/2025 – 20:05
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/link-between-transgenderism-and-autism
Los Rockies de Colorado contratan a Josh Byrnes como gerente general para revitalizar la franquicia
Por PAT GRAHAM
Los Rockies de Colorado incorporaron a Josh Byrnes, procedente de los Dodgers de Los Ángeles, campeones de la Serie Mundial, para convertirse en su gerente general y dar un giro a un club que pasa penurias.
Byrnes se reencontrará con Paul DePodesta, quien fue contratado el 7 de noviembre como presidente de operaciones deportivas de los Rockies. Los dos unieron fuerzas en Cleveland en la década de 1990, antes de que DePodesta se fuera a los Atléticos de Oakland y Byrnes se uniera a los Rockies para trabajar con el entonces gerente general Dan O’Dowd.
“Estoy increíblemente emocionado de poder incorporar a Josh a nuestro grupo. Pocos ejecutivos en el béisbol comparten su combinación de curiosidad intelectual, amplitud de experiencia y éxitos en el campo. Somos extremadamente afortunados de añadirlo, ya que fortalece de inmediato toda nuestra operación de béisbol”, afirmó DePodesta el miércoles en un comunicado.
Byrnes se une a un equipo que viene de su tercera temporada consecutiva con 100 derrotas. En contraste el directivo acaba de ganar una Serie Mundial con los Dodgers por segunda temporada consecutiva. También estuvo con el equipo de Los Ángeles en 2020, cuando se coronó.
A sus 55 años, Byrnes reemplaza a Bill Schmidt, quien renunció después de la temporada tras una larga trayectoria con el equipo en varios roles.
“Estoy encantado de regresar a la organización de los Rockies, especialmente en un momento tan emocionante para el futuro de la franquicia. Trabajar junto a Paul nuevamente es una oportunidad increíble y estoy ansioso por unirme a él y al resto del grupo mientras trabajamos para llevar béisbol de calibre de campeonato a los Rockies”, expresó Byrnes.
Byrnes conoce bien la División Oeste de la Liga Nacional, ya que también ha laborado para las gerencias de los Diamondbacks de Arizona y los Padres de San Diego. Ingresó al negocio como cazatalentos avanzado en Cleveland. Byrnes estuvo con Boston como subgerente general en 2004, cuando los Medias Rojas ganaron la Serie Mundial.
Colorado se perdió los playoffs por séptima temporada consecutiva. Los Rockies terminaron 43-119 este año, evitando por poco convertirse en el equipo con el peor récord desde que comenzó el calendario de 162 juegos en 1961.
Entre los primeros movimientos de DePodesta estuvo el ascenso de Warren Schaeffer a manager de tiempo completo. Schaeffer asumió el rol de manera interina después de que los Rockies despidieron en mayo a Bud Black —el manager con más triunfos en la historia de la franquicia— tras un inicio de 7-33.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
