Laura Favaro’s article in the Chronicle of Higher Ed last September:

“There’s just such a toxic climate around this subject,” I was repeatedly told. A mid-career sociologist added: “There is conflict, and bullying, but no debate happening.”

But the topic seemed too important to ignore. In recent times, it has moved from Twitter (where it now trends almost daily) to the centre-stage of politics; would Liz Truss have been elected as the new Conservative Party leader by Tory MPs and party members without her consistent opposition to gender self-identification? Nowhere is the debate more febrile, however, than academia. It has ended friendships, research collaborations and even academic careers.

One recent case in point is the accusation that University and

… Read the rest

Breathtaking. (You know how sometimes when you read something really appalling you find yourself not breathing as you read on? I don’t think I’m the only one.)

A university has “confiscated” the findings of an academic studying Britain’s gender wars in a row over her “dangerous” research data, The Telegraph can reveal. 

Dr Laura Favaro began the first ever taxpayer-funded study into whether social scientists at universities feel censored over their views on transgender issues in March 2020 at City, University of London.

But it has descended into chaos, with the study’s author allegedly hounded out of the university, stripped of the findings she collected and barred from publishing them amid claims of transphobia.

How can they do that???… Read the rest

Hahahaha I got a spam comment in Latin. I’ve been trying to check them before deleting lately, because one or two genuine comments (from non-first-time commenters) got put in spam a week or so ago. Latin is a novelty.

First para:

Qui nam amet placeat ab reprehenderit. Consequatur rerum non natus numquam qui ipsum qui quod. Temporibus inventore dolore et eveniet consequatur impedit a. Dolores facilis autem id occaecati.

Google translate:

For he who will be pleased by the rebuke. The consequence of things is never born who himself who what. In times of discovery of pain and consequences, it prevents a. But it was easy to be blinded by sorrows.

I love “who himself who what,” also “it … Read the rest

What not to do.

Twelve people have died from heatstroke while many others have been admitted to hospital after attending an awards ceremony in India’s Maharashtra state.

The government-sponsored event took place in an open ground under a blazing sun and lasted for several hours.

In one of India’s hottest months.

Just don’t do that. It’s not difficult. Heat kills. Don’t put on events in the open when it’s hot.

Thousands of people attended Sunday’s event, which was held to felicitate a prominent social activist.

Many people complained of dehydration and other heat-related ailments after attending the function.

Navi Mumbai – a city close to financial hub Mumbai – where the event was held, recorded a maximum temperature of

… Read the rest

Whittle actually said welcome!!! And meant it totally sincerely and not at all sarcastically teasingly figuratively please beat them uply!!!

I actually said ‘welcome’ not protest !!! Buy got kicked off here for 12hrs & only got my ‘get out of twitter jail’ by agreeing to delete my ‘welcome ‘ tweet

— Prof. Stephen Whittle OBE, PhD, DLaws, FAcSS, (@stephenwhittle) April 17, 2023

… Read the rest

Originally a comment by latsot on Refusing to serve.

I was outside the pub in the beer garden (damn pub had a step to get in) so I didn’t see any of this. But the Scottish and Irish witches outside with me didn’t take it lying down. There was a lot of protest singing, mostly about penises, led by actual Julia Long, which I have to say I didn’t expect. There’s video circulating, I’ll post it when I’ve had chance to find it.

The attack on Tony was shocking. He’s a lovely and gentle man who attends loads of women’s events, all over the place, supporting quietly in the background and helping out. I hope the police acted quickly … Read the rest

Judy Blume clarified or explained or reworded or something yesterday.

pic.twitter.com/jaRYqNPJv1

— Judy Blume (@judyblume) April 16, 2023

It doesn’t really clarify though. More like that other thing. What does “support the trans community” mean? What does “stand with the trans community” mean? Why does she feel nervously compelled to say she does both in one short statement? Why does she mention a “trans community” at all? Why does she say “the trans community” instead of “trans people”? Was she told to word it that way?

As for “LGBTQIA+ people” (I guess it’s ok to call them people but not trans the community?) – what does the Q mean? Why is the A there? Was she handed a script and … Read the rest

Originally a comment by Rob on Give a New Zealand welcome.

First, not a ******* NZ welcome, the trans lobby can own that one all to themselves.

Second, advocating violence.

Third, The haka is not about intimidation, it is about honour and honouring.*

Fourth, to use the haka in the way he advocates would do both sides great dishonour and back in the day would be grounds for war.

Fifth, is a white English bloke really suggesting that white Irish and English (presumably) people appropriate the culture of brown Maori from the other side of the planet for their own nefarious purposes? Because if he is (he is), there are a lot of people who’d like to have a … Read the rest

Trans man Stephen Whittle, who advertises himself as “Prof” and OBE, PhD on Twitter, urged people to use violence against Kellie-Jay Keene in Belfast.

Just so everyone is aware of what Peter is now attempting to back-pedal from…

The image on the left was taken after an activist threw soup at KJK.

Seems an odd image to post if Peter isn’t endorsing physical assault… pic.twitter.com/aKoeHmmqMQ

— Andrew Doyle (@andrewdoyle_com) April 16, 2023

This movement sure does bring out the best in people.… Read the rest

Gee, they finally noticed.

‘Dangerous’ inmate Barbie Kardashian to move prisons amid fear she could follow through on threats.

Prison bosses are struggling to find a suitable segregation unit for dangerous transgender inmate Barbie Kardashian.

The 21-year-old was last month jailed for four-and-a-half years for threatening to rape, torture and murder her mother.

It is understood Kardashian will be moved from Limerick Prison in coming weeks because staff do not feel safe with her being housed there.

…

A source said Kardashian, who was born Gabrielle Alejandro Gentile and changed her name by deed poll, is deemed too dangerous to mix and poses a serious threat to inmates and staff.

The source told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “Meetings are

… Read the rest

We need to set up a campaign group of women, says Ellie Mae O’Hagan, Head of External Engagement at The Good Law Project. Huh. We women agree, which is why several such groups exist. Standing For Women is one.

https://twitter.com/elliemaeohagan/status/1647585735883517952

Oh, women who support “trans rights,” by which the Good Law Project means “do everything men who identify as trans tell us to do.” No thanks – no anti-feminist women’s groups for me.

https://twitter.com/elliemaeohagan/status/1647586828982145027

Oh no, we’re emboldened and vocal. How horrifying.

Honestly what a fool to set herself up for derision that way, complaining about women being emboldened of all things. We’re supposed to be timid and shy and in hiding? She sounds like men complaining about the Pankhursts. … Read the rest

Remind us why they deserve all this?

Queen Elizabeth II may have been styled the “people’s monarch”, but for much of her reign, and especially its last 40 years, the amassing of vast wealth was simply de rigueur for the UK’s financial and landed elites.

As the Guardian investigation into the cost of the royal family reveals, the late queen was at the forefront of her class’s pursuit of wealth extraction. Using royal privilege, the crown secretively exempted itself from public scrutiny and taxation. Royal fortunes soared. And this was the rule, not the exception.

She wasn’t “styled ‘the people’s monarch'” by me thank you very much.

The consequent optics for the incoming head of state are [bad]. His

… Read the rest

The police are on the scene.

They are here now. We have a photo of the man who committed the assault. pic.twitter.com/tXGaAYZJuJ

— Emily Wilding Davison (@Wommando) April 16, 2023

I’m wondering what the temperature is in Belfast. Two people in short sleeves, one person in a puffa jacket. Is it cold or hot?!

But more seriously I’m wondering if the cop will arrest the victim.… Read the rest

More from the annals of violence against people who reject gender ideology.

https://twitter.com/Aja02537920/status/1647646051086598145 https://twitter.com/Wommando/status/1647633618800373761

There’s also this but the audio is useless so I can’t actually tell what he said.

https://twitter.com/ScottishSuffra1/status/1647632155105800192

Robinsons has declared that women's money isn't as good as men's money. Refusing to serve women with purple green and white on.#LetWomenSpeakBelfast pic.twitter.com/ZuL9fNvOZJ

— Dr EM (@PankhurstEM) April 16, 2023

That “refusing to serve” thing…what does that remind me of…hmmmm…………….

… Read the rest

Judy steps up next to Joanne and Hadley Freeman tells us about it. Power trio!

You can try to explain Judy Blume in numbers: her books for children have sold 90 million copies worldwide, most famously Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Over a 54- year career she has won more than 90 literary awards and been translated into 32 languages.

But this doesn’t explain her impact on generations of children, particularly girls. Blume, more than any other author before or since, taught kids about masturbation (in Deenie), menstruation (. . . It’s Me, Margaret) and sex (Forever). She reassured them that hating your younger sibling sometimes is normal (Tales of a

… Read the rest

The only way to defend “the right to bear arms” is to make sure everyone has more and more and more guns. Literally everyone: toddlers included.

South Dakota’s governor told an audience of people that her two-year-old grandchild has several guns.

While speaking on Friday at a National Rifle Association (NRA) lobbying leadership forum in Indiana, the Republican governor Kristi Noem told audience members her toddler grandchild has multiple guns, reported Mediaite.

The toddler granchild is not yet two, and she has a rifle and a shotgun. (It’s not clear what “having” means. I don’t suppose they’re in her toy box. It could just mean that they’re officially her guns, but she can’t just grab one and … Read the rest

Like this kind of thing for instance. Why aren’t the BBC and Labour and the Independent constantly lamenting the fact that abused women can’t escape their abuse because they have nowhere to go? Why isn’t that as tragic and desperate as the plight of men who enjoy pretending to be women?

More than 10,000 women escaping domestic abuse across England were refused safe housing last year, amid warnings that many could be left homeless or driven back to dangerous partners as a result of a “woeful” lack of safe accommodation.

Official figures seen by the Observer found that almost 8,000 households referred to a safe accommodation service did not receive support because there was no capacity. A further 3,000

… Read the rest

Ahhhhhh just in case you wanted a little cheerer-upper…

You’re never too busy to show kindness to a child. Watch how this construction crew takes time to honor & involve a toddler who brought his toy dump truck along to see their own big machine in action. https://t.co/f5H5GwohEI

— Dan Wuori (@DanWuori) April 15, 2023

… Read the rest

Originally a comment by Artymorty on Oppression for the Bugatti set.

I think collective guilt and shame about the past’s homophobia casts a long shadow in the minds of progressive Euroamericans. And as for gay people ourselves, we can add personal trauma to the mix. We seem as a society, gay and straight alike, to be transferring all of our unresolved feelings about gay rights over to the trans phenomenon.

I was having dinner with someone the other night, who is sympathetic to my position. But he was very gravely concerned about the plight of “vulnerable feminine gay boys” and their anguish in the hands of cruel Republicans passing so many “anti-trans hate bills.”

I tried to take apart … Read the rest

I keep wondering about this “most vulnerable” thing – the endless repetition of the claim that trans people are “among the most vulnerable” or just plain “the most vulnerable.”

Why do people think that?

In a world where we have wars, genocides, torture, rape, poverty, earthquakes, floods, droughts, poverty, epidemics, secret police, criminal gangs, poverty, racism, enslavement, exploitation, poverty – how is it that people who claim to be the gender that doesn’t match their bodies are described as “the most vulnerable”?

That’s a genuine question, because I have no idea what the answer is. It’s like sitting in front of a person with multiple broken bones and severe burns, complaining about a scratch. It’s Luxury Oppression. It’s Pretend Oppression … Read the rest