What’s wrong with this claim?

"Doesn't matter if you think I'm philosophically a woman or not really, what matters is I'm a woman in practice."

Monty really has earned an award for services to comedy. pic.twitter.com/p7hk2KlS8P

— FeministRoar (@FeministRoar) September 15, 2022

How does one be a woman “philosophically”? I suppose he means ontologically. How does one be a woman “in practice”? I suppose he means by doing all the playacting things – wearing skirts, simpering, tilting the head, bellowing “IT’S MA’AM!!” But of course playacting isn’t how one can be a thing. It’s how one can pretend to be a thing, and it can maybe for some thoughtful people be a path to understanding how others feel. Pretending to … Read the rest

The DoJ objects.

Donald Trump’s lawyers are causing “irreparable harm” to the government and public by delaying the investigation into his hoarding of highly classified documents at his Florida mansion, the US Department of Justice said.

Trump and his lawyers of course couldn’t possibly care less. Causing harm is Trump’s raison d’être.

The claim came in a strongly worded court filing urging a district judge, Aileen Cannon, to reconsider her ruling last week granting Trump’s request for an independent “special master” in the case.

Any bets? No, nobody is going to throw their money away on that one.… Read the rest

This is bizarre.

Huge queues are forming along the banks of the River Thames, as people wait to pay their respects to the Queen.

…

The UK government has published a live queue tracker for people to follow on YouTube. Currently the queue is more than two miles long and the back of the queue is now past London Bridge.

TWO. MILES. LONG.

People queuing are being warned they will need to stand for many hours – possibly overnight – with little opportunity to sit down, as the queue will be constantly moving.

The maximum length of the queue is 10 miles – with 6.9 miles from Westminster to Southwark, and a three-mile zigzag queue in Southwark Park.

The futility of arguing with people who believe in nonsense: Michael Gibbon KC, Counsel for Mermaids, asking questions of Bev Jackson of LGBA:

MG: Only a few questions left. Turn to disagreement with Mr Nicholson. He gave evidence that LGBA denigrated people and organisations that support trans rights.

BJ: yes that was his evidence. 

MG: People were invited to make donations in Nicolson’s name, April 2021. See eg tweets here, by LGBA. Thank a JE for donation, she calls Nicolson a misogynist homophobe. Not a sensible thing to do. 

BJ: Agree not sensible, would say mischievous. We were exasperated by his abuse of us. I believe a couple of people donated in his name and we then mentioned this

The Scottish Daily Express reports on the John Nicolson testimony n backlash:

SNP MP John Nicolson has been branded a “liar” and a “misogynist” for his contribution to an official hearing challenging the status of same-sex attraction charity, LBG Alliance.

The gay rights advocates separated from the likes of Stonewall over a belief that lesbian, gay and bisexual people had different needs than transgender-identified people but now face accusations of transphobia and “hate”.

It’s not “hate” to say that people can’t magically become something they’re not. I still can’t get used to the fact that so many adults are insisting so furiously and often that men can become women.

[I]t was a statement during cross-examination, about same-sex-attracted women that

She thinks all this is a joke.

Always nice to make a new pal 🙃 https://t.co/XHyhXicktI

— Hannah Bardell 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@HannahB4LiviMP) September 13, 2022

… Read the rest

Oh, hell.

Dem Senators: “We urge the Department to clarify the scope of prohibited discrimination. Specifically, we recommend the rule address that students must be housed consistent with their gender identity and specify that intentional misgendering is a form of harassment.” 2/4

— Candice Jackson (@CEJacksonLaw) September 13, 2022

So what that means is that men who claim to “identify as” women must be housed with women, but women who simply are women have no right to be housed exclusively with women. Men must be forced on women and women must not refuse or reject or resist.

So, Dem leaders are pleased that the ED Dept is erasing sex in law, but thinks ED should go further to make sure

In the afternoon it was Bev Jackson’s turn. MG is Michael Gibbon KC, Counsel for Mermaids.

MG: You say here, do LGBA sometimes avoid saying “trans” at all and you say yes because it often overshadows discussion of LGB rights. So we are left to deduce what LBGA thinks re trans from other things you say. Eg male bodied for transwomen. 

BJ: Yes we have to – unfortunate we have to say “male bodied”, some people would simply to prefer to say “men”. We are asked constantly why we had to form, why no trans, already lots of LGBT orgs. We have had to have position from the start.

In other words there’s been a lot of “how dare you … Read the rest

Lindsey Graham opens a new front in the war on women:

Senator Lindsey Graham has unveiled his proposed nationwide abortion ban, which would outlaw the procedure after 15 weeks, with certain exceptions.

Not something that will ever ruin Lindsey Graham’s life. Women? Well that’s another story.

Graham said the proposal, dubbed the “Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act”, would match similar laws in European countries. He said the 15-week threshold is when fetuses will feel pain, however that doesn’t quite match the science. Many scientists say fetuses can’t feel pain before 24 weeks, although the subject is complicated and continuing to be researched.

And anyway what does it mean to “feel pain” at that stage of development? … Read the rest

From the afternoon session. I don’t see a thread reader yet so I’ll just quote from tweets directly.

Discussions around ‘born in the wrong body’ narrative. BB explains terms have evolved but some T ppl still use it. KM – Ed Dept published guidance not to use. You made a statement following this you wouldn’t promote that narrative.

BB: I have no recollection of this guidance being the reason though. Was emerging discussion. If so we managed to respond v quickly.

KM: would you have been involved in consultation on DoE guidance?

BB: dont know

KM: met with civil servants / ministers involved?

BB: would like to, don’t know in this case

KM reading through the guidance. If LGBA were

More from John Nicolson testimony:

KM – referring to assertion of extensive political campaigning of LGBA. Is that the right place for them to go?

JN – yes, but they should be doing some charitable work as well. They are only doing lobbying. I have yet to see an example of their charitable works.
KM – we will hear about that when they give their evidence so you don’t need to worry about that. Now reviewing the correspondence. You refer to their lobbying – are these appropriate avenues to be lobbying.
JN – yes, but they need to be doing some charitable people. Kemi Badenoch in particular was not an appropriate person to be holding the Equality brief, given

John Nicolson MP is the witness today. KM is Karon Monaghan KC – Counsel for LGB Alliance.

KM – outlining the panel, fairly stringent requirements

Now going on to proposed reforms. 

KM – may apply for a GRC if 16,
JN – you can vote in Scotland at 16 that is the motivation
The use of the word child is ’emotive’ and that person has adult responsibilities.
KM – Legally ‘child’
JN – You would agree that a child is not allowed to vote
KM – I’m not here to answer your questions.

JN – repeats point. Then can we agree ‘young adult’.
KM – I will say child.
JN – I will say young adult.

Naturally. Words are … Read the rest

Mermaids reports on the first day of the tribunal:

Paul Roberts, CEO of LGBT+ Consortium, gave evidence in support of Mermaids.

LGB Alliance’s legal team cross-examined Mr Roberts on his Witness Statement for several hours, and under intense questioning, he was clear that Consortium’s view is that trans women are women, trans men are men, and trans people belong in the LGBT community.

The tribunal also ruled in favour of publishing documents relevant to the case, including skeleton arguments and witness statements.

That’s it. That’s the sum total of their reporting. One of the martyrs was questioned for hours but he stuck fast to the dogma.

Not to mention the circularity of “trans people belong in the LGBT … Read the rest

Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? on Incredibly diverse and incredibly intersectional.

AR – what I am putting to you is that it is reasonable for you to hold that trans women are women and for LGBA to say that they are not.

PR – they are transphobic and focus on trans phobic activities.

AR – gender critical views are transphobic views?

PR – yes.

AR – you don’t think that anyone that has gender critical views should be running a charity in the LGBT sector.

PR – I don’t believe that any charity that is campaigning to remove the rights of trans people to live their lives safely and fully, should be allowed to exist.

AR

Ah so this is yer man –

On his own frequent admission, @paulsatravellin is #NotAnExpert on any of these things. But he wants to destroy the @ALLIANCELGB, which has the temerity not to be part of his 300-strong group-think federation @LGBTConsortium, and does know about these matters. Slow handclap. pic.twitter.com/XS7oWaqzmv

— Simon Edge (@simonjedge) September 12, 2022

He “leads to ensure Consortium stays community focussed and LGBT+ issues are listened to by a range of stakeholders…”

But that’s not true, is it. He doesn’t lead to ensure LGB issues are listened to by a range of stakeholders; very much the opposite. He’s shockingly ignorant on some of them, and shockingly hostile to some of them. He’s all about … Read the rest

Next installment:

AR: moving on. You complained about a tweet by Bev Jackson who observed that female lesbians are being driven off lesbian dating apps. If you are told by the people running the site that you cannot specify that you only want to meet female bodied people you are being denied service by the dating site based on your sexual orientation.

PR – I’m not on these sites and not a woman.

He’s not a trans woman, either, but that certainly doesn’t stop him advocating for their purported rights to the detriment of other people’s rights.

AR – you complained about this tweet, so I hope you can answer some questions. 

PR – yes
AR – Do you agree

More Tribunal:

(I’m not sure if this is the next ReaderApp thread in the sequence or a third for the day.)

AR – we are talking about material that children might use to decide whether to go on to a medical pathway.

PR – I disagree, our members are providing helpful materials to young people struggling with their identity.
AR – a young person wouldn’t look at these words and attempt to figure out their identity.
PR – It’s a very complex area, lots of organisations working in this area helping young people.
AR – lets go back to the definitions. Gender identity is about whether you instinctively relate to the gender stereotypes of your sex 

PR – I

He won’t like that.

International guests are said to have been asked to travel on commercial flights and forbidden to use helicopters or private cars to reach the [Queen’s] funeral. They are to arrive together on a bus from a site in west London, Politico said, citing official documents.

Westminster Abbey is expected to be so full that only one representative from each country can attend, although they can be joined by their signficant other.

Questions have been asked in the US over whether the former president, Donald Trump, would be invited but British sources have scotched the idea that he could accompany the US delegation and said there would not be space for Biden’s predecessors. The former US

Tribunal part 3:

AR – going back to charitable objects of LGB Alliance, same sex attraction and advocacy.

PR -yes,
AR – the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
PR – that’s what they claim.
AR – that’s quite a broad object many ways they could do that. AR – they do not hide their object that they are campaigning to maintain the definition as same sex attracted.
PR – what there aims are and what they do are different
AR – we are not talking yet about what they do, there is no dark agenda. They don’t lie about it. 

PR – what they say and what they are doing is different. I disagree.
AR –

More tribunal:

AR – you agreed its transphobic to say that a person with a female body can be a gay man.

R – yes
AR – you believe that it is transphobic to say that gay men do not have sex with people with female bodies.
R – its not for me to say who should have sex with anyone. 

Naughty. That’s not the issue. The issue is definitions.

AR – I’m not talking about individuals. Is it a transphobic statement in general?

R – that puts it in a very binary way and I’m not sure I agree.

But that’s the whole point. The trans ideology does put it in a very binary way: it does shun … Read the rest