A Week in the War on Women: Monday 1st February - Sunday 7th February
Monday 1st February - Witch Burning in the SNP
Joanna Cherry QC, MSP for Edinburgh South West, was sacked from the SNP’s front bench after five and a half years.
Despite being one of the party’s best and most respected parliamentarians, she was removed from her role as home affairs and justice spokeswoman with only 30 minutes notice and virtually no explanation.
Cherry has been a frequent thorn in the side of the SNP leadership where issues around gender identity ideology are concerned. Being a tireless defender of women’s rights and women’s voices, she’s been a target for endless abuse and intimidation, often fuelled by members of her own party. This week she even suffered serious threats to her safety which later resulted in a man being arrested and charged.
Writing in The National this week, Cherry commented:
“At least we now have a pretty good idea of what you can and cannot do under the current SNP leadership and keep your position.
It’s fine to publicly call women, including survivors of sex abuse and your constituents, “Jeremy Hunts” when they write to you with concerns about self-identification of gender. In fact, you will be lauded and retweeted by the party’s official social media account.”
Tuesday 2nd February - Under His Aye
THE SCOTSMAN: Reaction to the Scottish Hate Crime Bill amendments has left MSP Adam Tomkins ‘alarmed and a little afraid’. As we all should be.
Scottish Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, has announced that the controversial Hate Crime Bill will not now include a previous freedom of expression amendment. In an obvious capitulation to trans activists, the removal of this amendment could mean that simply stating biological sex is binary and/or immutable will be illegal.
Under this legislation, accusations of ‘stirring up hatred’ could be levelled at anyone challenging gender identity ideology, making it impossible for women to defend their sex-based rights and protections. Even those discussing gender identity ideology in private could be deemed guilty of a ‘transphobic hate crime’.
The removal of the amendment was, of course, celebrated by gender ideologues such as Scottish Green Party co-leader, Patrick Harvie. He is a huge fan of gender identity ideology but, like so many of the wokerati, he’s not keen on women having opinions about it. You may remember that in 2019 he tweeted a link to a blog post in which MSP Joan MacAlpine was described as “Wanker of the Week”.
The Hate Crime Bill’s definition of a transgender identity will include ‘cross-dressers’ who, Yousef claims, experience high levels of hate crime. So in Scotland men who dress up as women may be afforded greater legal protection than actual women.
Wednesday 3rd February - Ignorance Is Strength
On the USA’s 35th National Women & Girls in Sports Day, the American Civil Liberties Union launched an all-out attack on female sport.
In a scientifically illiterate, hyperbole-laden and shamefully dishonest thread, the ACLU tried to justify the colonisation of women’s sports by males.
Not only did they try to claim that trans identified males have no physical advantage over females, an assertion entirely disproved by all of the scientific evidence, they even tried to pretend that biological sex doesn’t exist at all.
Next they tried to peddle the idea that excluding males from women’s sports is actually detrimental to women because something something masculinity invasive tests.
They finished off with the usual rhetoric about women being cruel meanies if we don’t offer ‘affirmation’ to trans-identified males, whatever the cost to ourselves.
Thanks to evolutionary biologist, Heather E Heying, for her debunking of the whole sorry mess in this excellent thread.
Thursday 4th February - Don’t Submit to Stonewall
LEGAL FEMINIST: Shining a light on Stonewall’s activities - a call for action.
Earlier in the week, Naomi Cunningham wrote an excellent blog post about the risks to Stonewall’s ‘diversity champions’ ie “Submission and compliance”.
Stonewall runs two related programmes which employers can join, the Workplace Equality Index and the Diversity Champions scheme. There are over 850 businesses on Stonewall’s Diversity Champion list, including huge global corporations, prestigious law firms, leading universities, major charities, sporting organisations and even government departments and regulators.
“One of the benefits an employer gets with membership of the Champions scheme is “in-depth, tailored feedback” on their submission to the Workplace Equality Index. The Champions evidently get their money’s worth out of this feedback, because every single one of the top 100 employers on the Workplace Equality Index is also a Diversity Champion.”
As Naomi Cunningham points out, Stonewall has “An unhealthy level of influence over large employers, especially public authorities”. But she has devised a brilliant plan to try and counteract its dominion.
“Many of the 850-plus Stonewall Diversity Champions are public authorities, which means they have to respond to requests under the Freedom of Information Act . So let’s ask them about their dealings with Stonewall – it only takes a couple of minutes.”
Forcing public bodies to reveal their involvement with Stonewall is an effective way of putting pressure on them to withdraw from its schemes. So Cunningham is suggesting that we send all the public authorities on Stonewall’s list of “Champions” an FOIA request. If you are able to participate, it’s a quick and simple process and there are straightforward instructions on the latest Legal Feminist blog post.
Friday 5th February - The Woke Homophobia of Gender Ideology
Of course, it’s women who usually bear the brunt of gender identity ideology with lesbians being in the firing line almost constantly. (This blog isn’t called the War on Women for nothing.)
However, gay men are not immune. Facebook group, The Boxer Ceiling, has been documenting some of the homophobic abuse directed at them by the gender ideologues for being same-sex attracted
You might as well join us, fellas. They’re coming for you too.
Saturday 6th February - Detransition Researcher Goes to the ECHR
THE TELEGRAPH: The psychotherapist blocked from researching detransition is taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights.
James Caspian is a psychotherapist who has specialised in counselling trans people for over 10 years. He has worked with numerous de-transitioners and had planned to conduct an academic study into this massively under-researched area. However, Bath Spa University rejected Caspian’s MA proposal. He was told, "Attacks on social media may not be confined to the researcher but may involve the university."
Caspian is now taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights. He told The Telegraph why he is pursuing this issue:
“Too much is at stake for academic freedom and for hundreds, if not thousands, of young people who are saying that they are being harmed and often silenced by a rigid view that has become a kind of transgender ideology and permits no discussion.
My preliminary research had revealed a growing controversial schism in transgender politics and inpatient experiences which greatly concerned me and confirmed the need for this research. Some of the people I spoke to said they were too traumatised to speak about their experiences, which proved it was even more important to research the issue, not less.
…The implications for a democratic society of the suppression of information and discussion are deeply worrying. I have felt morally obliged to speak out because people are telling me that they’ve been harmed, and my profession should do no harm.”
Sunday 7th February - The Real Cost of Spending a Penny
THE DAILY MAIL: Women are losing access to public toilets by stealth.
A huge increase in mixed sex toilets means women are losing access to female only facilities, according to experts.
In addition to virtue signalling organisations, like the Old Vic Theatre, making their toilets unisex in order to pacify the gender stasi, penurious local councils are also installing ‘gender-neutral’ facilities in an effort to save money.
Jackie Doyle-Price MP, co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on women’s health, said it was ‘astonishing’ that women still have to fight to preserve our toilet facilities in the 21st Century. Another campaigner on the issue, Conservative peer, Lord Lucas, said that without proper toilet provision ‘Access to the world is severely restricted’.
This is certainly true for many women. It’s not just about a lack of privacy and feeling unsafe and uncomfortable, for many women, victims of male violence and those of certain faiths and cultures etc, sharing toilet facilities with males is just impossible.
It means that, far from being obsolete, the urinary leash is getting ever tighter and women are once again being excluded from public life. But maybe that was the goal all along.
See you next week.
Ive submitted a FOI to the BBC and my local council Southend on sea -
Lyme Regis council installed unisex toilet facilities on the seafront - can't remember exactly how many cubicles, proably eight or so. these loos feel safe and are generaly clean and well kept. Normally they are unattended but during lockdown an attendant was ensuring they didn't become overcrowded and that people used sanitiser before entering. Three cubicles were then designated men only. I asked the attendant why and he said it was because men were disgusting and if he left all the cubicles available to men, he would have to close the whole lot for cleaning every hour or so whereas this way he could just close three cubicles for cleaning. Done with the best of intentions but still leaves women short changed. Personally, I think they should make this provision women only to redress the balance (women always end up queuing more) and let the men use the toilets nearby. Not as nice but perfectly adequate.