Oh get a grip.

Turkey has condemned the burning of a copy of the Quran during a protest in Sweden, describing it as a “vile act”.

Nonsense. It’s just a book. It’s just one copy of a book that’s available in many editions. There must be literally billions of copies of it. Burning one is a gesture; Turkey doesn’t like the gesture; Turkey should get a life.

It said the Swedish government’s decision to allow the protest to go ahead was “completely unacceptable”.

Nonsense. Governments aren’t there to enforce theocratic etiquette toward holy books.

Turkey, which had appealed to Sweden to stop the protest, earlier called off a visit by Sweden’s Defence Minister, Pal Jonson, saying the trip had

A heart-warming tale:

A Scottish man who identifies as transgender has been found guilty of raping two women, and will be held in a women’s prison for up to a month while awaiting sentencing.

That’s nice. So sensitive, so compassionate, so generous – to the man who raped two women. It’s not so sensitive and compassionate and generous to the women in that prison, who aren’t there for raping women.

Adam Graham, 31, began identifying as a woman after he committed the sexual offenses and now goes by “Isla Bryson.” He has been referred to with feminine pronouns both in court and in UK media coverage, and court documents had charged Graham with raping the women with “her penis.”

Now there’s a headline –

Pompeo dismisses Khashoggi as ‘activist’ whose murder was overblown by media

Overblown. Really. It’s no big deal for state agents to murder an activist inside an embassy by carving him up like so much roast chicken. I did not know that.

In a new book, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo derides the idea that Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributing columnist who was brutally murdered in 2018, was a journalist. Pompeo sympathizes instead with Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia who was found to have ordered Khashoggi’s assassination, and defends at length the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia.

In “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I

But what if you identify as someone who doesn’t know when she might want to re-read or browse or look for something in this book and this one and this one?

Some people treat books like totemic, magical objects. I know, I was one. About 10 years ago, my (divorced) parents moved house at around the same time, and gifted me a number of books about which they presumed I might feel sentimental, but which became a sort of albatross in my relationship. When I moved in with my husband, he had very few books, not because he is not a reader, but because he grew up in a Buddhist household, prefers an uncluttered environment and places little value on

So easy for him to say.

The idea that a would-be male rapist is going to dress as a woman for 3 months to get a GRC is laughable. That's why Rape Crisis Scotland, Women’s AID Scotland & Zero Tolerance Scotland support the gender reform bill. They reject fiction & scaremongering! https://t.co/a3AnXPohfI

— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) January 23, 2023

… Read the rest

Fair?

Sometimes an argument is superfluous. Sometimes you just need to watch.
If you can watch this video – take the time, out of respect – and not see a problem, there isn't any amount number of words that can work.

However, I have 8.5k coming tomorrowhttps://t.co/FFWb75FhyY

— Jon Pike (@runthinkwrite) January 23, 2023

… Read the rest

Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? at Miscellany Room.

I had originally written this as a contribution to the comment thread responding to the story that Mike B mentioned here before discovering that you needed to be a paid member to post. Not wanting to pay to do that, I thought I’d post it here instead. Keep in mind this was intended for a different audience, so forgive me if it reiterates arguments and ideas I’ve made here already. But with fewer swears. The direct link to the story and its comment thread is here:

Why oppose this definition: Women are adult humans who identify as female. As I said above, is it simply an unflinching … Read the rest

Steven Gimbel and Gwydion Suilebhan at 3 Quarks Daily tell us how stooooooopid people who think women are adult human females are.

For the last several years, elected Republicans, full of anti-trans zeal, have challenged their opponents to define the word “woman.” They aren’t really curious. They’re setting a rhetorical trap. They’re taking a word that seems to have a simple meaning, because the majority of people who identify as women resemble each other in some ways, then refusing to consider any of the people who don’t.

Yes that’s an honest account. Most people “who identify as women” are alike “in some ways” and then there are other people “who identify as women” who are not alike in those … Read the rest

Where was I this afternoon you ask? Here.

Not in the creek, mind you, but on a trail that accompanies it downhill to a forest/wetlands/beach park on Puget Sound . It’s easier to get to by bus than I thought, so I got to it.

There are railroad tracks between the park and the beach so there is a pedestrian overpass. Looking south from the overpass:… Read the rest

Spot the difference.

1 in 4 black men will get prostate cancer.

That’s a dad, uncle, brother, partner or best mate.

Check your risk with @ProstateUK’s online risk checker. Early diagnosis saves lives. #MenWeAreWithYou https://t.co/4H6kPzL213 pic.twitter.com/88Uiad9hPC

— NHS England (@NHSEngland) January 22, 2023

'It didn’t hurt.’

Five million people received cervical screening invites last year, but almost a third of people eligible haven’t come forward. If you‘ve been invited, take Jodie’s advice and book an appointment — it could save your life. https://t.co/YxWxaD1fLJ pic.twitter.com/XIuSM6PeSD

— NHS England (@NHSEngland) January 23, 2023

… Read the rest

Pakistan makes its “blasphemy” laws even worse:

Pakistan has further tightened its strict blasphemy laws by extending the punishment to those who are convicted for insulting religious figures connected to prophet Muhammad.

Of course such figures can’t be “insulted” since they died many centuries ago.

The Pakistan National Assembly unanimously passed the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill which will not only widen the ambit of the law, but increase punishment and fines for those convicted under it.

Because more religious fanaticism and sadism is always better, yeah?

In Pakistan, an insult to the prophet Muhammad or Islam carries a potential death sentence. The laws have also been used to persecute and target minority faiths and sections in the Muslim-majority

Lloyd R-M explains that he didn’t move to sit in front of Miriam Cates to intimidate her, no no it’s all a big misunderstanding. Almost no one believes him.

He’s so firm in his conviction that he turned off replies. The quote tweets are…skeptical.

– What a load of absolute codswallop this is.

– Another disciple of the Boris Johnson School of Political Jackanory.

– Absolute BS, this man is a disgrace

– BULLSHIT

– If you want to read some bollocks, here’s some bollocks.

– What a liar!!!

Etc.… Read the rest

Nicola Sturgeon gave a press conference.

Despite the minuscule audience, the First Minister’s decision to answer her many, many, MANY critics on the SNP’s Gender Reform Recognition Bill by giving a Covid-style briefing to journalists only raised more questions.

Why did she do this? Could it be the avalanche of bad press that followed her MPs and MSPs posing in front of a violently misogynistic sign in Glasgow at the weekend? Very possibly.

Is the penny finally dropping? Are people at last noticing that violent misogyny is pervasive in “trans activism”?… Read the rest

The police are investigating.

POLICE Scotland has launched a probe after complaints about a sign at a pro-trans rally reading “Decapitate Terfs.”

The placard – which also included a drawing of a guillotine – came to prominence on social media yesterday after it featured in images and video of SNP politicians attending the rally, including MSP Kaukab Stewart, and MPs Stewart McDonald, Alison Thewliss and Kirsten Oswald. 

Especially after JK Rowling shared the image.

Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said he had reported the sign to the police, saying carrying it was “clearly a hate crime and a public order offence”. 

He added: “Good grief [Nicola Sturgeon], should your MP and MSP [Kirsten Oswald] and [Kaukab Stewart] really be standing

She really does say that – “to support our trans siblings” – like a deluded child.

SNP politicians are here at the Glasgow protest against the UK Government's gender bill block.

Kirsten Oswald and Kaukab Stewart told us why they felt it important to attend. pic.twitter.com/SLFeNjK9WG

— The National (@ScotNational) January 21, 2023

Why are trans people called “our siblings” when workers, migrants, people with disabilities are not? What is it about transness that makes trans people our “siblings”?

Anyway, the cuddly warm fuzzies the word is no doubt meant to invoke is pretty thoroughly canceled by the “behead” part.… Read the rest

Just the usual – sadistic violent death threats aimed at women who defend women’s rights.

On January 19, disturbing tweets from a now-deactivated Twitter account began to circulate amongst women’s rights activists. The posts fantasized about the brutal murder of Posie Parker and her colleagues at an upcoming women’s rights demonstration in Glasgow.

The beans one.

Weird, isn’t it, but I struggle to remember any other progressive movement that attracted so many men who love fantasising about the brutal deaths of women. pic.twitter.com/mX0DYhfv42

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 21, 2023

But there’s more.

Shortly after, the user, calling himself Gaymon De Vaslayra, posted two audio clips to Twitter in which he targets Labour Member of Parliament Rosie Duffield and

The Times has a long piece on parents of “trans children” and the schools that encourage the children to think they’re trans while hiding the encouragement from the children’s parents. It’s grim reading.

Although the number of young people who identify as transgender in the United States remains small, it has nearly doubled in recent years, and schools have come under pressure to address the needs of those young people amid a polarized political environment where both sides warn that one wrong step could result in irreparable harm.

The fact that it’s nearly doubled in recent years should be a giant red flag.

The public school that Mrs. Bradshaw’s son attends is one of many throughout the country that allow

A quotable:

Some say “sex is socially constructed,” because societies attach expectations, stereotypes, and roles to the sexes.

But this is like saying that astrologers built the stars, by attaching strange ideas to them.

Tomas Bogardus… Read the rest

The Independent reports Sam Smith’s ridiculous pretense that he cares about the absence of women.

Sam Smith has shared their “frustration” about the treatment of women at the Brit Awards.

Whose frustration? Women’s? Of course he doesn’t share it, because he’s not the one being treated that way.

Or is it supposed to mean his frustration? Which is part of the problem with the non-binary they/them: it creates pointless confusion.

The Telegraph also chimes in. It too dutifully uses the specialty pronouns.

Smith has been nominated in the song of the year category for their collaboration with German singer-songwriter Kim Petras on the viral hit Unholy.

They will face tough competition for the award from a host of

Sam Smith agitates to make an award “gender-neutral” and when he succeeds he pretends to have a sad about the women.

Smith’s popularity is remarkable — 30 million more monthly listeners on Spotify than Adele — and the recent, riotous single Unholy feels like a statement. As does the new album, Gloria, which blends house, gospel and a blast of choral to create music of release, with lyrics steeped in “queer history”. Unholy earned Smith a Grammy nomination for the first time since that debut and is also up for best song at the Brit awards.

Ah, the Brits. The one step forwards, two steps back awards show. Smith will have to wait until next year’s ceremony to