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DEPROGRAMMED: Ex-Palestine supporter blasts 'insane' movement for 'cherry-picking' oppressors

Parishad Kavyani was born in the Islamic Republic of Iran and spent most of her childhood there until she moved to Canada at 14, a reality she says shaped her nuanced view of the pro-Palestine, anti-Israel movement she once supported.

Now she says it was destroyed by "liberal intellectualism" that overly focused on the oppressor instead of the human rights of all affected.

"I have never faced the amount of homophobia, racism and sexism that I have experienced in the past nine months from the leftists, from the very people that I marched with for over two years for a free Palestine, and that is insanity," Kavyani told Fox News Digital of leaving the cause.

Kavyani went on to reveal one of the problems she wrestled with while still supporting the Palestine movement — the absence of support for the freedom and rights of Iranian women.

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"[They] advocate for liberation of people, [they] advocate for women's rights, but when it comes to Iranian women wanting freedom, wanting the freedom to wear whatever they want, [they] suddenly are quiet — and not only quiet, but [they] support the oppressor. That's my issue… [they] cherry-pick between oppressors," she said.

Kavyani, who admits to being a part of pro-Palestine when the movement began to form before splitting with the cause after an array of its supporters began posting pro-Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] content, detailed the intricate view Iranians develop on advocacy for Palestinians.

"As an Iranian born and raised in Iran… you are raised with a lot of information, a lot of propaganda around what is happening in Israel, what is happening in Palestine, and you are just told this every single day by the authorities. That Palestinians need help, they've been oppressed, they've been getting killed all of these years, so we have to help them," she added.

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"Then… you enter the society, and you see there is poverty everywhere. You see that the villages in Iran don't have drinking water. You see that the villagers in Iran don’t have a road to a hospital… Why? Because the government doesn't actually do anything about the people in need inside the country, and you're always told, ‘Oh, but we have to save money to send to Palestine,’" Kavyani said.

"The more time you spend in the country you’re like, ‘Why is it my responsibility to save another nation?’" Kavyani added.

The Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was a tipping point for her.

"When October 7 happened, I had a lot of conversations with people [about it]... Like, just because someone is holding an Israeli passport doesn't mean that they should just get killed… If there’s a war that you're including civilians in that war, and you're taking civilians hostage, and you're raping civilians or torturing civilians — that's not something that I support no matter who this person is, because I'm not somebody who thinks someone deserves to die just because of where they're from or just because the political belief that they hold on to," she said.

HASAN PIKER'S DEFENSE OF HAMAS HAVING 'RIGHT TO RESIST MILITARILY' DRAWS CONDEMNATION FROM HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS

"That is, like, so ideology-driven, which we're seeing right now on the internet and in real life… You cannot create a hierarchy of people and say this person deserves saving more than this person… That liberal intellectualism is, like, so insane," Kavyani relayed.

After it happened, she said, she saw a fundamental flaw in the coalition to which she once considered herself connected, saying they were "cherry-picking" between killers.

"After that happened, I started separating myself… because I was like, this is not the group that I want to associate myself with because I don't think a lot of the people within that movement are there for the human rights aspect of it," Kavyani said.

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DOUGLAS MACKINNON: This land is your land. This land is my land. But it’s not a DEI land

Recently, I was on an extended business trip across the United States that ultimately touched upon planes, trains, automobiles, ships, bridges and majestic skyscrapers. Along the way, I honestly paused in awe to marvel at modern jetliners; the engines pulling passenger and freight trains cross-country; driverless taxis; four-football-field-long megacruise ships; the George Washington and the Golden Gate bridges; and 60-story-plus office towers in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

As I pondered them all over the course of the trip, I had two immediate thoughts. The first being that, in one way or another, those modes of transportation and that stunning and often historic infrastructure all held human life within and upon them. The second was that all were devised and built via meritocracy.

DEI, identity politics and woke dictates played no role in their construction. Nor should they ever, when what is being designed and built will eventually determine the safety of human lives.

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My third and overriding thought was: "That’s all about to be thrown out the window once the ‘religion’ of wokeism comes roaring back into play across the spectrum of our lives." If you think otherwise, I most humbly believe you either have not been paying attention to current events or are fooling yourself via the cliché: "Ignorance is bliss."

To be clear, I don’t care if someone is female, male, Black, White, brown, straight, gay, trans, liberal, conservative, faith-based or an atheist. If that person happens to be the best person for the job based solely upon merit and real-world experience, they should get it. Period.

PETE HEGSETH’S ANTI-DEI SPEECH AT WEST POINT IS A TEMPLATE TO SAVE AMERICAN LIVES

But if that person is being inserted into the flight deck of a commercial aircraft; the control tower of an airport; the bridge of a military or commercial ship; behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler; into a police force or fire department; or behind the controls of a major utility simply because of "identity politics," then the lives in the hands of those occupations are exposed to much higher risk simply to appease an ideological narrative.

There are many people — myself included — who strongly believe that DEI never went away. That it was never "defeated" or "crippled." Rather, we believe that it was placed in a purposeful "sleeper mode" by the powerful prophets of "woke" who were simply biding their time while riding out the peak influence of President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement.

SENATE CONTROL IS A COIN FLIP — AND DEMOCRATS’ PATH RUNS THROUGH TRUMP COUNTRY

If the Democrats retake control of the House of Representatives — and quite possibly the Senate — on Nov. 3, expect those identity-politics-pushing prophets to signal their various flocks to fire up the DEI machines across the corporate, academic, political, media and governmental spectrums.

As a stark reminder of the malicious power DEI can wield, we have these exposés: the first being the recent report from the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) which outlined in detail that his agency uncovered "irrefutable evidence that the nation's largest banks have denied, debanked and discriminated against customers and lawful businesses."

ELI STEELE: SPLC'S ‘HATE MAP’ HELPED BANKS WEAPONIZE AND EXPLOIT WHITE GUILT

No surprise at all that many of those targeted were conservative or faith-based. Regarding this seemingly DEI-fueled discrimination, Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould stressed in part: "Americans should have access to financial services regardless of their beliefs, affiliations, or political views."

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital: "Debanking Americans over faith or politics is simply un-American. Expect to hear more from the Banking Committee on this important issue when Congress returns."

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U.S. banks targeting elements of their own customer base because of politics and faith because they happen to operate via the dictates of woke and staffed via identity politics is not only chilling, but dangerous. And yet, such illicit conduct not only exists, but might soon be dialed up to "blast."

Going back to the DEI-compromised airline industry, we first have this recent editorial from The Wall Street Journal: "Flying the Socialist Skies at United CEO Scott Kirby wants a wealth tax. How about more leg room instead?"

WHEN AIRLINE PILOTS SAY THERE ARE SAFETY ISSUES, WE NEED POLICYMAKERS TO LISTEN AND ACT

Kirby, who, according to the Journal, made over $32 million in compensation last year, now wants to tackle "wealth inequality" in the United States. Of course he does. Not surprising, as he has seemingly long been a fan of woke and DEI.

Back in 2021, Kirby pushed DEI hiring practices to the max by stating in part: "Over the next decade, United will train 5,000 pilots who will be guaranteed a job with United after they complete the requirements of the Aviate program — and our plan is for half of them to be women and people of color."

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Kirby continued: "We're excited that JPMorgan Chase has agreed to support our work to diversify our pilot ranks and create new opportunities for thousands of women and people of color who want to pursue a career in aviation."

JPMorgan. Interesting. Would anyone be surprised to learn that JPMorgan has also been implicated in the "debanking" scandal?

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I have a wild idea for Kirby: How about hiring only the most-qualified pilots based entirely upon merit? And if half of them happen to be women and minorities, all the better.

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The planes we fly; the ships we sail; the trains that move us from city to city; the bridges we cross; and the skyscrapers we ascend via elevator are all testaments to genius and meritocracy. But very soon, all may be designed and built not by the most qualified, but someone who checks an ideological identity politics box.

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DEI is about to come back with a vengeance if political control switches hands on Nov. 3. If — and when — it does, the lives of countless Americans will be put at more risk in service to woke over merit.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DOUGLAS MACKINNON

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MATT CALKINS: Megan Rapinoe defends biological males in women's sports saying sports were not meant to be fair

There is a reason that Megan Rapinoe only does interviews with people she knows won't challenge her. It's the only way the former soccer star won't end up red-faced or storming off in a fit of rage.

Her answers leave her too vulnerable. Her comments sit on the summit of Mindless Mountain.

Her recent sit-down with comedian W. Kamau Bell proved as much.

MEGAN RAPINOE SAYS WOMEN'S SPORTS ARE FACING 'REGRESSION' OF 'EQUAL RIGHTS' IN NEW KAMALA HARRIS INTERVIEW

Among the topics the pair discussed was trans people in women's sports, which Rapinoe has been a staunch advocate for.

Here's how it started.

Bell: "There's a lot of talk about how damaging trans women are to sports, so I give you credit for not being afraid to stand with trans people of all types, but also trans women in sports."

Rapinoe: "I am appalled, I think at just, like, the lack of basic humanity and empathy that people are showing and just the amount of fear and hate, and I just think the silence of athletes is a lot."

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Basic humanity and empathy? Fear and hate? One could just as easily argue — or better yet, more convincingly argue — that she lacks empathy toward the women and girls who are losing competitions or sharing locker rooms with biological males. Last week, I saw a girl forfeit her cross country season because she chose not to race against a boy. She wasn't giddy about this. She broke down in tears while hugging her mother. Does Rapinoe feel empathy for her?

As for athletes being silent? Megan might want to take that as a sign. It's probably not that they're afraid to stand with her on this issue — it's that they likely disagree with her, as do most Americans. And unlike Rapinoe, who can't lose a spot to a male, these athletes are still active and under that threat.

The interview continued.

Bell: "Why aren't you afraid of trans women in sports? Because that's the big fear is that it's like, suddenly it's LeBron James with a wig on, blah blah blah."

Rapinoe: "Yeah, and that example isn't happening, and I don't think it's ever going to happen. I think there's a lot that trans people have to go through. If you're a trans person in sports to even play, it's like you couldn't just say, one day, 'I'm a woman' and go play. That's not how it works."

Excuse me, but ... HAHAHA. That is exactly what happened with the high school cross country runner in Camas, Washington. He started the year on the boys team, finishing 76th in a junior varsity race. Then he switched to the girls team, where he's won one varsity race and finished second in three others. And not that it should matter, but he hasn't seemed to do anything to try and present himself as a girl. Not even a name change. So, yeah, Megan — it's happening.

Rapinoe continued with the pièce de résistance: "And for me, one of the biggest things is God forbid somebody be good at sports and have some sort of advantage — and, by the way, sports is not fair in any sort of way ever. Right?"

Bell (clapping his hands): "Yeah, it's not meant to be fair."

Rapinoe: "Yeah, what's fair?"

Bell: "I always point to [the 7-foot-4 Spurs center] Victor Wembanyama. Is that fair?"

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Rapinoe: "What does that mean, even? It's already not fair, and also, just like, it isn't the most important thing in the world over someone's human rights or getting to play or being cruel to people. I don't know. I've won everything at every level, and played, you know in sort of every competition, and I'm just kind of like, I'm the one who could speak to it. Like, I'm okay if God forbid a trans person play sports and they're halfway decent at it."

Yes, Rapinoe has won at everything at every level and played in every sort of competition. But do you know what one of those competitions was? Her U.S. National team playing a group of 15-year-old boys from Dallas and losing 5-2. So, in that sense, she is uniquely qualified to speak to boys playing in girls sports. She knows they'll kick girls' behinds.

But even more asinine is the notion that sports aren't meant to be fair — along with Bell's attempt to equate Wembanyama's natural advantages with those of a transgender athlete.

If sports weren't meant to be fair, there wouldn't be rules or referees. There wouldn't be punishments for performing enhancing drug use, weight classes in boxing or age limits in Little League. There is always going to be someone who's the best — whether it be Usain Bolt, Michael Jordan or Michael Phelps. But exhibiting athletic supremacy isn't unfair. Allowing men in women's sports, on the other hand, defies the very reason we separate the sexes. Simply put: If there was no separation, women's sports wouldn't exist.

Personally, I don't think Rapinoe actually believes what she's saying. She saw firsthand what those 15-year-olds did to the best women's international soccer team in the world.

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She's pandering to a woke crowd and refuses to be challenged. The woman famous for kneeling only accepts interviewers who bend their knee to her.

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MATT CALKINS: Media keeps calling women's sports advocates 'anti-trans' without a shred of proof

I saw it right there in the lede of a Washington Post column Tuesday.

"A transgender girl stretched for a high school race as supporters of a new anti-trans ballot measure chanted 'enough is enough'."

I saw it six days earlier in a Guardian headline about how doctors are fighting an "anti-trans measure" that would separate biological girls from boys in women's sports.

The Portland Mercury got in on it, too, writing in its Monday headline how "anti-trans activists" attempted to overshadow the Thorns' playoff-clinching win.

These aren't columnists offering subjective opinions. These are media outlets writing opinions as fact.

The message? You can't possibly be a women's sports advocate without being transphobic. And that thought is just ... tired.

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I have no doubt there are people who have genuine scorn for members of the trans community. Every group — men, women, Whites, Blacks, gays, Muslims, Jews. etc. — has its haters.

But the voices backing these ballot measures? The figures advocating for girls' and women's spaces? They aren't demonizing trans people. Not in the slightest.

Perhaps the most famous face to speak up on this issue in the past few months is Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who said in an ESPN interview: "I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."

But she prefaced that very sentence by saying "I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that.' I think that I am here to extend love."

A few days after that interview came out, a high school girl in Seattle named Ahnaleigh Wilson — holding a sign saying "Thank You Sophie For Speaking Up For Girls" — echoed Cunningham's sentiment, saying "I don’t hate trans people and I have nothing against them. I just think that girls should have their own sports."

SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM COMMENDS WASHINGTON STATE GIRLS WHO WALKED OFF CROSS COUNTRY RACE OVER MALE TEAMMATE

Fellow Washingtonian Frances Staudt — who says she's been harassed constantly for refusing to play a high school basketball game against a boy — added "There’s only so many times that I can say that what we are standing up for is not anti-trans. This is pro-women’s sports."

Yet the headlines have kept coming.

From Colorado Newsline: "Signatures submitted for anti-trans Colorado ballot measures."

From Politico: "Democrats revamp their midterm playbook for GOP's anti-trans attacks."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGE

From Ms. Magazine: "This Midterm Season, Five States Are Voting on Anti-Trans Ballot."

If you read these stories, you'll notice that none give examples of someone issuing a slur or insult. They just presume that a bill or person opposing certain demands from members of the trans community is "anti-trans."

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It's pretty glaring when and how the media chooses to use the word "anti."

When Colin Kaepernick wore pig socks and compared cops to modern-day slave patrol, did "anti-police" headlines from legacy media come flooding in? What about when BLM protesters chanted "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon!"

That was pure vitriol toward their opponents. You simply don't see that type of rhetoric from the separate-men-and-women-in-sports crowd.

And by the way, that crowd includes Caitlyn Jenner — perhaps the most famous transgender person in the world. It includes Ari Laureano, a detransitioned male who was kicked out of a Portland Thorns game last week for his XX-XY shirt.

The biggest misnomer in this debate is that supporters of biological female-only spaces in sports and locker rooms all have animus toward trans people. But the media keeps repeating the lie that they do.

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Makes sense, I suppose. When you don't have the truth, repetition is your best weapon.

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