A Week in the War on Women: Monday 21st February - Sunday 27th February GOOD NEWS SUPPLEMENT

PHOTO CREDIT: @Womens_Voices_

(Note from Graham: Apologies for the late posting! Been a mad week.)

It is my pleasure to present for your diversion some of this week’s good news stories from the gender beat. Enjoy!

Polis Policy Review

Scottish police are reviewing their policy which allows rapists to ‘self identify’ as women.

For Women Scotland @ForwomenScot

Glad to see that Police Scotland are reviewing this policy. As @KennyMacAskill says “We have to have accuracy in our statistics and people who are fraudulently masquerading as women simply distort the basis upon which policies are formulated,"

telegraph.co.ukPolice Scotland to review policy that allows male rapists to self-identify as womenThe force provoked criticism in December when it said it would record the sex of criminals in line with how they ‘present or self-declare’

Martyn Evans, the chairman of the Scottish Police Authority, told a board meeting that the SPA are ‘rightly reviewing internal policies and recording procedures’ around sex and gender. It’s about bloody time.

Parent Power In The Highlands

Highland Council is reviewing its decision to install ‘gender neutral’ toilets in a new school following complaints from parents.

The local authority proposed mixed-sex facilities at the new Ness Castle School which is currently under construction in Inverness. However, it is now reconsidering this policy after concerned parents lodged their objections at a meeting last week.

Fair Play For Women told the paper, "Parent power has already reversed similar plans by Highland Council to install unisex toilets in Culloden and Bettyhill schools”.

The Mridul Mess

The EHRC, Britain’s equalities watchdog, has been asked to scrutinise the appointment of Mridul Wadhwa as CEO of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre following For Women Scotland’s legal victory regarding the definition of ‘woman’.

FairPlayForWomen @fairplaywomen

Fair Play for Women, has written to the EHRC urging it to investigate the procedure of the Wadhwa appointment. “This is an opportunity for EHRC to protect and uphold one of the sex exceptions and prevent its meaning from being distorted.”

thetimes.co.ukActivists call for inquiry into rape crisis centre trans appointmentBritain’s leading equalities watchdog has been urged to scrutinise the appointment of a trans woman as head of a Scottish rape crisis centre after a legal ruli

The CEO role was advertised as open to women only and Wadhwa has no gender recognition certificate. Feminist campaign groups are, therefore, urging the EHRC to investigate how someone still legally male was appointed.

Discernment Down Under

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has backed Senator Claire Chandler’s Save Women’s Sports bill.

Bernard Lane @Bernard_Lane

"I support it" --- Australia's prime minister @ScottMorrisonMP backs the Save Women's Sport Bill of Sen. Claire Chandler, who has raised concerns about activist "trans inclusion" policy exposing women & girls to potential injuries & unfair competition.

youtube.comPrime Minister Morrison supports Senator Chandler’s Save Women’s Sport Bill.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison endorses Senator Claire Chandler’s Save Women’s Sport Bill, which will ensure Australian women and girls have the ri...

“I think it’s a terrific bill... Claire is a champion for women’s sport and I think she’s been right to raise these issues in the way that she has.”

Big News From Sweden

Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare has released new guidelines regarding the medical treatment of gender-dysphoric children and teenagers.

Läkartidningen @lakartidn

Socialstyrelsen: Unga ska bara få hormonbehandling i undantagsfall dlvr.it/SKRRCW

The board is reversing previous advice due to a lack of evidence to support medicalising gender-dysphoric children. A new emphasis has been placed on psychiatric care and psychosocial support and so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ (ie puberty blockers and hormones) will only be used in exceptional circumstances.

SEGM @SEGMtweets

Yesterday, Sweden released its long-awaited guidelines for the care of gender-dysphoric youth. These guidelines represent a major departure from the WPATH "Standards of Care," and are a vital step towards safeguarding vulnerable youth from medical harm./1

socialstyrelsen.seUppdaterade rekommendationer för hormonbehandling vid könsdysfori hos unga

SEGM describe these guidelines as ‘a major departure’ from those issued by WPATH and a ‘vital step’ in protecting vulnerable young people from medical harm.

Women Won’t Wheesht In Gwent

Even though Jenni Swayne’s bail hearing has been postponed, there was still a wonderful show of strength in her support at a rally in Gwent on Thursday.

LesbianLabour @LesbianLabour

Today in Newport in Gwent . Protests by women #WewillnotSubmit

Womens Voices Matter @Womens_Voices_

Today's Women's Rights rally outside Newport Police station is bathed in sunshine & infused with feminist eloquence. #WomenWontWheesht #SexNotGender

FiLiA @FiLiA_charity

Thanks to the organisers of the #JusticeForJen rally! @gwentpolice you are being called upon to answer legitimate questions raised by Women. What's your answer?? #Newport #JusticeForWomen

The wonderful women (and male allies) in attendance made the papers.

Jenni’s bail hearing has currently been set for 11th March. We stand with you, Jenni.

It’s A Fair Cop

Bravo to Harry and the Fair Cop team for playing Lincolnshire Police at their own game… and winning hands down.

WeAreFairCop @WeAreFairCop

Last night, we relit @LincsPolice HQ in the suffragette colours in support of Jenni Swayne. Can’t imagine @gwentpolice will be terribly impressed… #CanIReadThis #JusticeForJenni

Tate & Guile

There was another great show of feminist strength this week when protestors gathered at London’s Tate Modern gallery on Friday.

They were there to voice their objection to the screening of a film called ‘What is a Woman?’

The Critic @TheCriticMag

“Some wore gorilla masks both to hide their identities and as a reference to the Guerrilla Girls, the art activists who battled sexism in 1980s and 90s” — @jo_bartosch reports on the #ArtNotPropaganda protest which took place at the Tate on Friday night

thecritic.co.ukLates at the Tate | Josephine Bartosch | The Critic MagazineOn Friday evening, the “wine moms”, “Karens” and shadowy members of the “mumsnet mafia” burst through the self-conscious cool of the Tate’s Starr cinema and demanded to be heard.

A spokesperson for the group said, "We are here to say loudly and proudly to Tate Modern that women are adult human females… It is not our intention to ‘cancel’ Håskjold’s film - we think artistic freedom is important. But the public deserves better than to only be shown one side of what is the most significant question of our time."

And Finally…

Mark Tomasovic @MarkTomasovic

Sheep dog clears traffic jam