A Week in the War on Women: Monday 23rd January - Sunday 29th January GOOD NEWS SUPPLEMENT
It’s been another busy and extremely positive week. Here are just a handful of the good news stories from the gender beat. Enjoy!
Sportswomen Won’t Wheesht
Prominent female athletes are speaking out against World Athletics’ proposed policy which would force them to compete against trans-identified males.
Firstly, British shot put champion, Amelia Strickler, protested the ‘preferred’ World Athletics policy, stating women in sport will be ‘screwed’.
Then team GB’s Beth Dobbin and Emily Diamond and 2024 Olympics hopeful, Ellie Baker, also voiced their fierce opposition.
Two leading British discus throwers, Jade Lally and Kirsty Law, made their feelings known on social media, with the latter commenting, “How is this even close to being fair!” and adding the hashtag #ProtectWomensSport.
And it’s not just prominent athletes who object to the World Athletics’ policy; there is fierce opposition at a grassroots level, too.
Athletics Weekly reported that a survey of over 400 organisations has shown, “An overwhelming majority of grassroots athletics and running clubs in the UK are opposed to male athletes who identify as transgender competing in women’s athletics.”
A Level Playing Field
In keeping with the English, Irish and Welsh rugby union teams, Scottish Rugby have updated their ‘gender participation policy’ to bar trans-identified males from playing on female contact rugby teams.
“Scottish Rugby has opted to make a decision which puts safety first, based on the current research. As such, it is in line with World Rugby’s Transgender Policy and the Guidelines produced by the UK Sports Councils’ Equality Group.”
Bristow In Da House
Paul Bristow, Conservative MP for Peterborough, raised a point of order in House of Commons condemning the behaviour of Lloyd Russell-Moyle.
He described Russell-Moyle’s behaviour as deliberately intended to intimidate Miriam Cates MP and asked the deputy speaker to advise honorable members of The House about appropriate behaviour.
Blunkett Shows The Way
Setting a wonderful example for lefty lads, Labour peer, David Blunkett, also criticised Russell-Moyle’s atrocious behaviour when speaking on the BBC this week. Furthermore, he expressed his support for the government’s use of Section 35 to veto the Scottish gender bill.
He went on to say that the Labour Party shouldn’t be pandering to any situation that would ‘put aside’ 50 years of equality campaigning for women. “Sex and gender are entirely separate things. You can have someone who feels that they are of a different gender You can help and support them. But in the end women’s equality trumps it all.”
A Good Start
The UK Government has updated its transgender prisoner policy to prevent trans-identified males who have been convicted of sexual offences or who have retained their male genitalia from being placed in the general women’s estate.
“As a result of the new policy, transgender women who are in future sentenced to custody and have male genitalia OR who have been convicted of sexual offences will not serve their sentences in the general women’s estate unless there are exceptional circumstances.”
Life’s (Not) A Drag
This week the North Dakota House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favour of a bill that would criminalise drag performances in the presence of children.
The House voted 79-13 in favour of House Bill 1333 which would prohibit ‘adult-oriented performances’ in the presence of minors.
The bill will now advance to the Senate when the chambers exchange passed legislation in March.
Dates For Your Diary
UCL Women’s Liberation SIG and WPUK are hosting a day of feminist thought and women’s activism on Saturday 4th February.
Speakers include Joanna Cherry KC, Julie Bindel, Kathleen Stock, Helen Joyce and Akua Reindorf. “This conference aims to bring together feminist activists, students, academics, writers, politicians and women’s organisations… Focusing on education in feminism and women’s lives, the conference will address interconnected themes.” More information here.
Standing For Women is coming to Glasgow with a now legendary Let Women Speak event to be held at George Square at 12pm on Sunday 5th February.
LGB Alliance and Lesbian Labour have organised some brilliant women-only events in Edinburgh, Cardiff and London in February. Comprising “Speakers, socialising, music and resistance”, these events will include the tour de force that is artist, Tonje Gjevjon.
More information, dates and tickets available here.
Glinner Of Hope
Don’t miss Our Graham on GB News’ Headliners programme, discussing the stories in the news with Andrew Doyle and Josh Howie.
Did you see that Sturgeon is saying that rapist is faking being trans now? How does she expect people to buy this BS?
Aren’t you all enjoying Nicola Sturgeon’s discomfiture?! A few years ago the SNP insisted that trans people must have their ‘acquired genders’ affirmed immediately. Seems that rapist ‘Isla’ Bryson isn’t a woman though in Sturgeon’s eyes, he’s a rapist. Is that another gender? Given that under Scots’ law only men can commit rape (because only men have a penis), it’s clear that Bryson is, has always been and will always be, a man. Sturgeon just couldn’t bring herself to say this. She said she didn’t have information about the validity of the rapist’s gender! And with that her self-id bill is destroyed forever as what we’ve been asking for all along is that every trans person’s gender is validated when they apply for a GRC as a method of gatekeeping. It’s just delicious!