The foul Texas anti-abortion law has gone into effect, courtesy of the Supreme Court’s refusal to do an emergency review. Reporting on the subject is badly undermined by the near-total avoidance of That Word.

A near-total abortion ban in Texas empowers any private citizen to sue an abortion provider who violates the law, opening the floodgates to harassing and frivolous lawsuits from anti-abortion vigilantes that could eventually shutter most clinics in the state.

“Abortion access will be thrown into absolute chaos,” says Amanda Williams, executive director of the abortion support group the Lilith Fund, a plaintiff in the suit that challenged the law. “Unfortunately, many people who need access the most will slip through the cracks, as we have

Rob Jessel tests Scotland’s shiny new Hate Crime and Public Order Act:

As Lucy Hunter Blackburn explained in her superb analysis of the Bill, feminists were alarmed by its failure to address speech about sex and gender, arguing that it would increase the chilling effect on debate. The Scottish Government breezily responded that people would not be criminalised for making basic statements about the nature of sex and gender identity, in ordinary language. 

But they were joking. Jessel went to Glasgow Sheriff Court to support Marion yesterday along with a bunch of other people. What to wear?

As a minor but grizzled combatant in the gender wars, I have acquired a number of t-shirts stating biological facts, including

On the one hand a feminist woman gets arrested and persecuted for gender critical tweets, on the other hand Fox News and Republican members of Congress openly incites violent insurrection with impunity. It’s like a kind of displacement behavior – the alpha male bites a junior so the junior bites not the alpha male but someone even more junior. Fox and members of Congress are powerful; feminist women who tweet not so much, so lets go after the feminist women who tweet.

In a Monday night monologue targeting the White House and military leaders over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Carlson demanded resignations. He also said: “When leaders refuse to hold themselves accountable over time, people revolt. That happens.

Can you say “reversal”?

Jolyon Maugham yet again asserting his belief that evil witches control the world.

"Always ask who has the power?" says the rich educated straight white male lawyer who is fully aware of his privilege and never uses it to "tell those without it they are wrong." pic.twitter.com/a3OxTcISXj

— FeministRoar (@FeministRoar) August 31, 2021

Always always ask who has the power, says Jolyon Maugham, by way of underlining that it’s women.… Read the rest

This was carefully timed.

To understand the careful timing we have to go back to June, and a post by Women Are Human dated June 10:

Airdrie, Scotland. A 50-year-old mother-of-two has been charged with a hate crime after an extremist transgender advocate reported her to police for retweeting a photograph of green, white and violet women’s suffrage ribbons.

Police Scotland confirmed that Marion Millar, an accountant, business owner and gender-critical feminist campaigner, was arrested. Ms Millar, who has since been released on bail, is accused of posting six tweets in 2019 that run afoul of the Communications Act 2003.

The women’s suffrage ribbon, which was tied to a chain-link fence in front of a tree outside the

Originally a comment by Bjarte Foshaug at Miscellany Room.

I have recently taken an almost obsessive interest in the study of cults. I have thus far been reading Cults Inside Out by Rick Ross, Losing Reality by Robert Lifton, and Cults in our Midst by Margaret Singer [1]. Rather than write a separate summary or review of each book, I will try to make a synthesis of what I take to be some of the main points. “Cult apologists” often dismiss the cult label as a pejorative to stigmatize new or unconventional religions. All the authors are therefore careful to stress that cults are defined by their behavior rather than their beliefs, and while many cults are religious in … Read the rest

The Beeb:

Marion Millar faces homophobic and transphobic charges

Do journalists/headline writers get no training these days? They don’t mean the charges were “homophobic and transphobic” but that’s what they said.

A feminist activist has appeared in court accused of sending homophobic and transphobic tweets.

Marion Millar, 50, allegedly behaved in a threatening or abusive manner between October and June within the Glasgow area and in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire.

Prosecutors state she repeatedly posted content on social media that was of a “homophobic and transphobic nature”.

Bollocks.

Joanna Cherry told the court why she wanted “to continue without a plea”:

“The first is practical. Miss Millar only saw the complaint, with charges from the Crown, 10 minutes prior (to

Perhaps I can help. Yes, this prosecution does go against Marion’s human rights. We can see that from all the way over here. … Read the rest

What kind of tweets don’t get prosecuted in Scotland?

You know.

Meanwhile a trans person in Scotland can put out tweets actually urging violence with impunity, because Police Scotland is in bed with Stonewall. Tweets like this pic.twitter.com/s4BfRTlhBo

— Anya Palmer (@anyabike) August 31, 2021

And this pic.twitter.com/5LyZB6yTJW

— Anya Palmer (@anyabike) August 31, 2021

What do you think?

— Anya Palmer (@anyabike) August 31, 2021

Police Scotland knew about all those tweets that show exactly how this person supports violence against women they disagree with, advocates it, thinks it justified. They were sent to Police Scotland. And still this thug didn't face prosecution.

— Anya Palmer (@anyabike) August 31, 2021

But Marion does.… Read the rest

Why didn’t they consider that before arresting her and charging her? Why didn’t they think “Oh wait, all she did was say what she thinks in a tweet or two, and she didn’t say anything like ‘all ___s should be exterminated,’ so what are we doing? We can’t arrest her for that – we’d have to arrest everyone in the fucking world.”

I can’t make any sense of it at all. It enrages me as it enrages so many, but I also just can’t even make sense of it. What prosecutor would think this is worth prosecuting? And why?… Read the rest

Adjourned until October, it seems.

Marion comes out looking emotional. Her case has been adjourned until October as there are matters of human rights to be considered. She’s not allowed to make a statement at this time #marionmillar pic.twitter.com/l8QDPa5XSd

— Kerstin Rodgers (@MsMarmitelover) August 31, 2021

Oh there are matters of human rights to be considered all right. They should have been considered in the first place.… Read the rest

What on earth is this nonsense doing in Scientific American?

Nonbinary Scientists Want Funding Agencies to Change How they Collect Gender Data

The title might as well be Tooth Fairy Scientists Want Funding Agencies to Change How they Collect Fairy Data.

Every year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) send a series of surveys to students and researchers around the country. The surveys are used to monitor changing demographics and track levels of financial support for scientific research, and filling them out is required for anyone who receives NSF funding. There are limited gender options in these surveys: male, female and, on some surveys, “do not wish to disclose.”

That’s … Read the rest

Marion’s trial is under way.

I’m shocked that this sham trial is going ahead when women are faced with actual hate crimes on this platform every day & no one can get the police to do a damn thing about rape & death threats, doxxing, harassment or stalking.#IStandWithMarionMillar #WomenWontWheesht

— Dr. Jessica Taylor (@DrJessTaylor) August 31, 2021

The CPS is on its arse, can’t even prosecute rapists properly. We provide them with reams of threats and abusive messages and it’s all ‘we can’t prove who is behind the account’ and ‘you can’t prove they actually tweeted that though’ – but prosecuting women seems a doddle

— Dr. Jessica Taylor (@DrJessTaylor) August 31, 2021

Seriously. One percent of reported rapes … Read the rest

Ron DeSantis is energetically promoting a treatment for Covid.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Monday morning in Jacksonville to give an update on monoclonal antibody treatment centers across the state.

…

DeSantis has been touring the state recently to open additional sites. So far, 21 state-run sites are open and offering Regeneron treatments. More than 30,000 treatments have been administered since the first site opened in Jacksonville, according to the governor.

Ok but he’s also obstructing all efforts to get people vaccinated, so what’s his point? It’s like stabbing people and then promoting this really awesome kind of bandage.… Read the rest

Somehow I’m not very reassured.

Royal College of Nursing chief denies hostility to women

The chairman of the Royal College of Nursing was suspended over allegations that he was “openly hostile” towards women weeks before the organisation cancelled its annual congress.

I wonder if anyone thought to appoint a woman as chair of the Royal College of Nursing. Wild, I know, but it just might work.

Dave Dawes, a bondage expert who has led workshops in the practice, was suspended last month over the allegations, which also include that he was dismissive of staff concerns about discrimination and included sexual references on his own social media account. He was suspended weeks before the decision to cancel the conference over allegations

And then sometimes it just goes terribly wrong.

The interminable fight over what it means to be a woman, or a man- whether it’s a matter of identity or biology- misses one vital point.

The truth is that sex and gender are both about POWER. ‘Woman’ and ‘man’ are political categories inscribed without consent on the body.

— Laurie Penny (@PennyRed) August 28, 2021

She thinks that “inscribed on the body” makes her sound clever.

Bimodal reproductive sex?

— Emma Hilton (@FondOfBeetles) August 28, 2021

Uh oh. Emma’s a biologist.

Are you seriously claiming to have more in common with a clownfish or a stick of asparagus than a male human being?

— Laurie Penny (@PennyRed) August 29, 2021

You’re

Honesty research and fake data:

A landmark study that endorsed a simple way to curb cheating is going to be retracted nearly a decade later after a group of scientists found that it relied on faked data.

Now there is a lede. Crisp, clear, and a great punchline.

According to the 2012 paper, when people signed an honesty declaration at the beginning of a form, rather than the end, they were less likely to lie. A seemingly cheap and effective method to fight fraud, it was adopted by at least one insurance company, tested by government agencies around the world, and taught to corporate executives. It made a splash among academics, who cited it in their own research more

Behold the Female Motivational Speakers Agency:

The Female Motivational Speakers Agency is a booking bureau dedicated to inspiring businesswomen, female athletes and equality advocates across the globe.

Established in 2003 and based in London, we are part of a larger agency launched in the early 2000s. Such relevancy combined with decades of professional experience makes our team the best in the business. Our booking agents have years of experience working with some of the biggest brands and female speakers on the circuit, ensuring your event is in safe hands.

It has a treat for us: ten quotes to “empower women” in prepraration for International Women’s Day 2022, all from clients of the agency.

Here’s Joanne Lockwood’s empowering wisdom:

“Diversity

Professional Judy at Lesbian and Gay News on that Manchester Pride incident:

As far as I can tell a mob – including self-described “queer woman” April Preston – surrounded Alex, the crowd chanting ‘Trans Lives Matter’ in the same way football hooligans chant their thought-terminating mantras against the other side before using beer bottles to smash their heads in. Preston later tweeted: “Five mins in got a terf removed – happy with that #mcrpride”. 

If you can stomach it, the video is harrowing. You can feel the tension and the naked rage from the crowd whipped up into a frenzy by people like Preston, who is the Liberal Democrat’s candidate for Withington, and I found myself genuinely worried about poor

Not in your case though.

‘Attention-seeking’ is such a specific and sexist slur. It’s almost always used attack women and queer people. It relies on the cultural assumption that women, girls and LGBT people should stay small and silent and compliant and never draw attention to themselves.

— Laurie Penny (@PennyRed) August 28, 2021

Sometimes, maybe, but in your case? No. Telling an indifferent world what “your” pronouns are, and prefacing it with “Your Saturday reminder” as if we’d asked you – that’s attention seeking, and also attention expecting, for a completely fatuous detail about how you see yourself and your plans to make us see you the same way. Of course it is. Talking about yourself when no one … Read the rest