Brigitte Bandit, a drag queen based in Austin, TX, went viral for taking on anti-drag legislation in Texas that threatened her livelihood and those of her fellow queens. Two bills proposed in the legislature in the Lonestar state this year initially targeted people using “clothing, makeup, or other similar physical markers” to “exhibit” a gender not assigned at birth, in this case just acknowledging men and women. Meanwhile, the legislation also attempted to penalize venues, like libraries, where they might read stories to kids or otherwise perform. What ultimately passed was a different and diluted version of one of the former bills, but drag performers still worried the language was so vague there could be penalties.

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A Taylor Swift fan was shocked to find “creepy” electronic music when she played her new Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) vinyl of the new album. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was released on July 7, 2023 and quickly broke the Spotify record for the most single-day streams for any album in 2023 so far. It is also the most streamed country album in Spotify history. As well as impressive streaming feats, many fans have also opted for physical copies of the album, with over 225,000 vinyl sales, less than a week into its release. Rachel Hunter, a British fan of Swift, couldn’t wait to listen to her copy of Swift’s latest re-recording after returning from vacation. But, as she found out, it seems not every vinyl was pressed correctly. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “This voice started, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, do I have, like, a secret message from Taylor on my album?’” Hunter said Speaking to NBC News. “And I was like, that’s not Taylor Swift.” In her confusion, Hunter posted a now viral TikTok over the mysterious album, asking “does anyone else’s Speak Now vinyl not have Taylor Swift on it?” @mischief_marauder send help I got speak now (not Taylors version) this is so funny #speaknowtaylorsversion @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation #erastour #speaknoworchid Hunter proceeds to play the album, instead of hearing Swift’s voice, she instead hears the song “Happy Land,” an electronic song by the group Ultramarine. On the B-Side of the album is the song “Soul Vine (70 billion People)” by Cabaret Voltaire. After posting the vinyl to TikTok fans quickly discovered that the songs appear on the album “Happy Land: A Compendium of Electronic Music from the British Isles 1992-1996 Volume 1.” “Happy Land” is distributed by the record label Above Board Distribution, whilst Swift’s album is distributed by Universal Musical Group. “Due to a pressing blunder, some Taylor Swift fans received a misprinted copy of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),’ which we have learned features audio of ‘Happy Land (A Compendium of Music from the British Isles 1992-1996),’” said Dan Hill, the founder and managing director of Above Board, in a statement to NBC News. “While this error was beyond our control, we sincerely hope anyone who received what is Not Taylor’s Version of the vinyl enjoys the beats. It might very well end up being a collector’s item!” Hunter said she’s decided to keep the mistresses vinyl, unless someone wants to offer her VIP tickets for Swift’s tour, she joked. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Tottenham’s recent track record for signing centre-backs... doesn’t make for great reading. Since the summer of 2017, Davinson Sanchez, Juan Foyth, Joe Rodon and Cristian Romero have all made the move to north London. One of those has already departed, another is expected to leave this summer, while who knows what the future holds for Rodon. They’ve taken a risk, then, in spending big on Micky Van de Ven. The Dutchman joins from Wolfsburg after an impressive Bundesliga campaign. Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba was another on the radar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the powers that be were convinced by Van de Ven as they sought to bring in a left sided centre-back to partner Romero in Ange Postecoglou’s favoured 4-3-3 system. What has proven crucial is Van de Ven’s leadership qualities. Tottenham were so often all over the place in defence last season. Hugo Lloris committed more errors leading to an opposition goal (4) than any other player in the Premier League last season, while Spurs conceded the sixth most goals (63) in the division. Postecoglou spoke on a number of occasions about the need to bring in a centre-back, up to Tuesday’s confirmation of Van de Ven’s signing, and it’s easy to see why. Even in what promises to be a youthful backline, Van de Ven’s control at the back will be key. He did, after all, captain the Netherlands at the U21 Euros, and this facet to his game helped Spurs make their decision on the centre-back. Romero, for example, needs a leader alongside him to ensure he doesn’t over commit and leave gaps in the defence that can be exploited. While three years his junior, Van de Ven will help keep Romero in check and marshal a defence that needs organising. There’s also the recovery speed that will ensure Postecoglou can implement a high defensive line. Van de Ven was the quickest central defender in Germany’s top tier last term, clocking in at 22.3mph as per the offical Bundesliga website. Van de Ven has been described as “a Cruyffian defender” by Ruben Jongkind, a director Dutch side Volendam where he spent eight years before his move to Wolfsburg in 2021, with Jongkind waxing lyrical about the centre-back. “A lot of risk taking, incredible speed, I have never seen something like that. His special weapon was already there. I worked at Ajax with fast players, but this was incredible.” Jongkind went on to admit that Van de Ven ran a 60m pace dash in seven seconds flat. “After a training session, with a standing start!” This weapon in his arsenal means Spurs can afford to play with a high defensive line, safe in the knowledge that Van de Ven can cover the ground at lightning speed should needs must. On the ball, he’s one that is happy to set his side on the frontfoot, and this will help establish Van de Ven as a fan favourite at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Indeed, he ranked top for passes per game (50.5) and pass success rate (88.3%) of all Wolfsburg players, while 518 forward passes ranked 33rd of all outfielders in the Bundesliga last season, a metric topped by Tapsoba (879). This willingness to get the ball on deck and play out from the back is a key attribute for any modern-day centre-back, and we’ve seen other Premier League sides follow the same tact in the quest for dominance. No longer are defenders needed solely to deny opponents from scoring, but they are tasked with instigating attacks from defence. The upcoming generation of centre-backs all seek to play their part in dominating opponents, and they have become precious commodities in the game today. Chelsea and Arsenal tied Levi Colwill and William Saliba down to respective long-term deals given their ability to pick out a teammate with ease. Manchester City have made Josko Gvardiol the most expensive defender ever for that same reason, and Van de Ven is now the sixth most expensive signing in Spurs’ history following his arrival from Wolfsburg. While the aforementioned trio put in better passing numbers than the latter, this will be due to Brighton, Arsenal and RB Leipzig, respectively, seeing far more of the ball than the Wolves in their respective leagues last season. Spurs have had to spend big on the young centre-back, but he’s one who fits Postecoglou’s style of play, and this ultimately is key. It’s no point bringing in a defender who’d struggle with the Australian’s demands, as this would negatively impact what should prove to be a very important season for the club. A leader at the back, pace to burn and versatile, too; Van de Ven should prove a superb addition to this Spurs side. Read More Tottenham respond to latest Bayern Munich bid for Harry Kane Dejan Kulusevski vows to ‘do everything’ to keep Harry Kane at Tottenham

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