A Week in the War on Women: Monday 30th September - Sunday 6th October

Monday 30th September - Listen to Detransitioners

THE FREE PRESS: A woman who formerly identified as trans is now detransitioning and speaking out about so-called ‘gender affirming’ medical treatment.

Roxanne ‘Tiger’ Reed is a 44-year-old librarian from St Louis, Missouri. For 13 years she has identified as trans and has undergone so-called ‘gender affirming’ medical treatment, taking testosterone since the age of 31.

Her childhood was extremely traumatic, involving a heroin-addicted father she never knew and a deeply troubled mother she has not seen since her early twenties. She was sexually assaulted by a stranger when just a toddler and spent most of her formative years being bumped between foster homes and an alcoholic and abusive grandfather. Knowing that she was a lesbian from an early age, Roxanne was often bullied for her masculine appearance. At 17 she was diagnosed with endometriosis, a terribly painful and debilitating disease which affects the female reproductive system. “As I look back, I see how all this shaped my sense that becoming a woman would mean subjecting myself to a lifetime of assault and abuse, and experiencing relentless mental and physical pain”.

In her mid-20s, Roxanne began watching a reality TV series called TransGeneration, which focused on the lives of four transgender college students. “The show was life-changing for me”, she says. “I felt it presented a solution, a way out of the pain of being a woman… I didn’t have health insurance so I turned to the internet to find a solution. I watched hundreds of hours of YouTube videos, and read countless blogs and websites that detailed people’s transitions. These stories are what helped convince me I wanted to transition, too.” 

Encouraged by her college therapist who wrote her a referral letter, Roxanne began taking cross-sex hormones and changed her name to Tiger when she was 31. When she was 36 she underwent a double mastectomy. “In the days following the surgery”, she writes, “I grieved over the loss of my breasts”. She found that the testosterone not only affected her physical appearance, but played havoc with her moods and emotions, replacing her ability to cry with a ‘rage that would come out of nowhere’.

Medical transition was not the solution to her problems she had thought it would be. “All those around me, from my close friends to my colleagues, supported my transition and referred to me with male pronouns. But I always felt a nagging sense that no matter what I did to make myself appear more male, I was an impostor… It turns out transitioning couldn’t bring me the sense of comfort and inner peace I was seeking.”

Roxanne is married to the courageous whistle-blower, Jamie Reed, who, in February 2023, spoke out about her experiences of working at Washington University’s youth gender clinic in St Louis. She made horrifying allegations, later corroborated by an article in The New York Times, that medical staff were dolling out hormones to children and teens with little examination of the patients’ histories and co-morbidities etc. Reed’s account prompted Missouri's Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, to launch a multi-agency investigation into The Washington University Transgender Centre at St Louis Children's Hospital.

Jamie Reed, Roxanne’s wife of 8 years

Jamie Reed’s actions forced Roxanne to examine her own trans identity and the reasons for her medical transition. She is now reducing her testosterone and planning to detransition fully, changing her name back to Roxanne and altering the sex marker on her official documentation so that it reads ‘female’ again.

“Today, the harmful physical effects of over a decade on testosterone have started to make themselves known: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high triglycerides, sleep apnoea, and issues with my kidneys”, she says. Furthermore, Roxanne knows that she has a long and difficult road ahead. While so-called ‘gender-affirming’ medicine is covered by medical insurance, detransitioning is not and Roxanne will need to spend thousands of dollars to remove her body hair and surgically recontruct her breasts etc.

“I want to speak out about adult gender medicine, and how people have been misled -sometimes unintentionally - by gender clinicians about its safety and effectiveness”, she says.

“The gender-affirming care model relies on vulnerable people’s impatience—rushing them toward major medical changes rather than stopping to understand the root of their pain and suffering. This affects not just patients, but entire families… I’m going public because I want people like me who have complex and nuanced reasons for their gender distress to be part of the conversation. I want people to know there are more options than medicalizing their bodies for the rest of their lives.”

Also Today - No Laughing Matter

THE DAILY MAIL: An Australian comedian was kicked off the bill at two Adelaide comedy venues over her gender critical views and material.

Biddly O’Loughlin, daughter of renowned Australian comedian and performer, Fiona O’Loughlin, is a “Darkly funny unwoke comedian, singer and filmmaker from Alice Springs”. Her stand-up act and her social media content frequently contain material which pokes fun at gender identity ideology and upholds the reality of biological sex. “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions”, she says. “Men are not women.”

Speaking on the MilkBar TV podcast, Biddy explained that she has been censured by venues in the past with requests that she not do any so-called ‘anti trans material’ when appearing on their stage. She has performed on a number of occasions at the Cranker Comedy show which is held at the Crown & Anchor Hotel in Adelaide. She was due to perform there on 15th October but, this week, was informed that she has been dropped from the bill.

Biddy O’Loughlin - IMAGE CREDIT: Instagram

Posting on Instagram, Biddy clarified that her being cancelled was a decision made by the venue, not the comedy club. “For the record the guy who runs Cranker Comedy did not want to cancel my spot. He was strong armed by the pub”, she said.

Later in the week, Biddy learned that she had been dropped by a second venue. Following the refusal of the Crown and Anchor to host her act, Biddy found an alternative pub, the Duke of York, at which to perform. Her gig there sold out. But this venue, too, has cancelled Biddy’s appearance, apparently following complaints by trans activists.

Despite the pressure on her to shut up, despite being shunned by former friends in comedy, and despite fearing the effect of ‘cancel culture’ on her career, Biddy refuses to be silenced and will not shy away from confronting what she describes as ‘this evil truth’. Biddy says that she is fighting for her baby daughter’s rights. “If I don’t do this then she’s going to have to do it. We can do this now and save our daughters from this fight as much as possible. It will take a while for the madness to end.”

Tuesday 1st October - This Never Happens

REDUXX: A trans-identified male serving a 30 year sentence for the brutal murder of a middle aged woman has been moved to a female prison.

In July 2009 Elliot Rivera Jr murdered a 55-year-old woman, Patricia Cantaloupe, in her own home in Sayreville, New Jersey. He beat her to death with a hammer and then made off with her cash and jewellery. An autopsy revealed that Patricia had suffered multiple blunt force injuries.

The investigation into Patricia Cantaloupe’s death revealed that Rivera had also been involved in a carjacking in February 2010. He attacked a 57-year-old woman in a car park, grabbing her arm and trying to force her into her own car.

In November 2011, Rivera was sentenced to a minimum prison term of 30 years for the murder of Patricia Cantaloupe and 10 years for the separate carjacking offence. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Elliot Rivera Jnr pictured in 2010 - IMAGE CREDIT: NJ.Com

Now 35 years old, Rivera ‘identifies as a woman’ and calls himself Jamie Kim Belladonna. Reduxx has discovered that he is being housed in the female estate.

Last year, The Appeal ran a very sympathetic article about Rivera, referring to him as a ‘trans woman’ and using female pronouns with which to refer to him throughout. It claimed that he mutilated his own testicles over the Department of Corrections’ ongoing refusal to house him in a woman’s prison.

Reduxx has now learned that sometime after The Appeal article was published, Rivera was moved to New Jersey’s Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women (EMCFW).

The Edna Mahan facility houses around 30 trans-identified male prisoners. One of those is Perry Cerf, is a sadistic rapist and murderer with a long history of violence against women. Another is Ashley (formerly Adam) Romero who was convicted over his involvement in the trafficking and sadistic sexual abuse of a seven year old girl.

Female prisoners, Miseka Diggs and Dawn Jackson, have spoken out about the nightmare of being incarcerated with males in EMCFW and they described the fear experienced by the women there. Last year, another EMCFW inmate, Kokila Hiatt, also wrote about the terror of being imprisoned with trans-identifying males.

Pointing out that up to 85% of female prison inmates have experienced sexual or physical abuse during their lifetimes, Kokila said, “Abused women are the least likely group of people to defend or assert themselves, especially against a man… Our existence in female bodies inherently makes us vulnerable to physical and sexual assault. We are being forced to allow men, some of whom are convicted sexual predators, to claim victimhood and have their concerns placed above our own.”

Wednesday 2nd October - A Room of One’s Own

EASTERN DAILY PRESS: A woman was raped in a public toilet by a man who followed her into the ladies.

Kent police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was raped in the female toilet of a Tesco supermarket in Sheerness on 1st October during the early afternoon. The victim reported that her attacker followed her into the women’s toilet. The suspect is described as being Eastern European, around 30 years of age and 5ft 3in tall. He was wearing a blue tracksuit at the time.

The fact that this incident occurred in a Tesco supermarket is significant. You may remember that in July, Graham reported on a communication he had received from a women’s rights group about the provision of staff and customer toilets in Tesco stores.

“We have recently discovered that Tesco's have amended their toilet policy for colleagues and based on discussions with people higher up in Tesco's it has been stated that this policy extends to customers. Tesco toilets now operate on a self-id basis. No changes have been made to men’s toilets… The only women's space in stores no longer exists.”

Thursday 3rd October - This Never Happens

LE FIGARO: A refugee convicted of sexually assaulting a minor has escaped deportation from France to Algeria by claiming a trans identity.

In 2019, the French courts convicted a man known as Medhi F of sexually abusing a minor under the age of fifteen and sentenced him to four years imprisonment. Medhi F is an Algerian national who sought refugee status in France around 15 years ago.

In 2020 Medhi F filed an asylum application which was refused. The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) cited the Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and the Right of Asylum, a policy which allows for the refusal or withdrawal of refugee status from a person who has been convicted of a crime or a serious offence and whose presence constitutes a threat to French society.

In April 2023, Medhi F filed an appeal which was subsequently upheld when the National Court of Asylum (CNDA) annulled OFPRA’s previous decision.

On this occasion, Medhi F’s lawyer, Isabelle Zribi, argued that he is “In the process of changing gender to become a woman” and “Feared being persecuted if he returned to Algeria because of her [sic] sexuality and gender change.” The CNDA decision stated that, “The documents in the file and the declarations of Mehdi F, particularly spontaneous and substantiated, made it possible to take as established his sexual orientation and his trans identity, as well as the persecutions resulting from them in the event of his return to Algeria”.

Friday 4th October - The Clocks Are Striking 13 in Cheltenham

THE TELEGRAPH: The Cheltenham Literature Festival has warned speakers against expressing gender critical views, likening them to racism and homophobia.

The 10-day Cheltenham Literature Festival opened on Friday 4th October. Prior to the event, organisers contacted contributors who are hosting talks, instructing them to follow its newly adopted guidance in order to protect themselves and the festival ‘from complaints’. The email stated, “If, during any of your events, a speaker shares an opinion that could be deemed controversial, please reinforce that everyone is entitled to express an opinion, however Cheltenham Festivals does not endorse the views shared on stage”.

The email continued, “By controversial we mean those views that may be harmful to an individual or group of people, particularly those who have been historically marginalised or oppressed” and it gave a number of examples beginning with ‘gender critical views’. The list went on to include, “Misogyny; extreme political views including on migration, sexuality, gender, and military action; potentially problematic views on race, religion, or ethnicity; homophobia, including opinions linked to religion; extreme views on abortion and female reproductive health; widely disputed conspiracy theories”.

The email received by Cheltenham Literary Festival speakers - IMAGE CREDIT: Sonia Sodha

Helen Joyce, Director of Advocacy at Sex Matters, told The Telegraph, “Heaven forbid that a book festival should allow mention of biological reality without immediately distancing itself. It is of course outrageous to compare gender-critical views to racism or conspiracy theories. But Cheltenham Literature Festival is only revealing publicly the degree of hostility routinely suffered in private by gender-critical women in literary circles”.

Saturday 5th September - The Clocks Are Striking 13 in the EU

EURONEWS: The European Court of Justice has ruled that European Union countries must recognise legal changes of ‘gender’ made in other member states.

Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi is a trans-identified female who moved to Britain from Romania in 2008. In 2017 she adopted a male name and in 2020 she was granted a gender recognition certificate and is now legally male. She applied to alter her birth certificate but the Romanian authorities would not recognise her UK documents, insisting that she undergo Romania’s own gender recognition process.

Mirzarafie-Ahi then took legal action in a Bucharest court which referred the suit to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the EU’s highest court which is based in Luxembourg. The ECJ ruled that Romania had broken EU law by not recognising a new ‘gender identity’ granted in another country. It deemed that initiating a new process in her home country would expose Mirzarafie-Ahi to the risk of “An outcome different from that obtained before the authorities of the member state which lawfully granted that change of first name and gender identity”. 

Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi - IMAGE CREDIT: The Telegraph

The ECJ ruled that European Union countries had to accept changes to names and legal ‘gender identity’ made in other EU states.

The ruling sets a precedent across the entire EU bloc, meaning that trans identities must be validated, even if individuals do not fulfil the required criteria for a legal gender change in that particular country.

Sunday 6th September - I Can’t Believe it’s Not Satire

THE TELEGRAPH: The Financial Services Ombudsman found two different organisations discriminated against ‘non-binary’ people.

The comparison website, MoneySuperMarket (MSM), and credit union, Transunion, have both been forced to pay hundreds of pounds in compensation after supposedly discriminating against their ‘non-binary’ customers.

Separate complaints were made against both financial service firms because their application forms did not include options for ‘non binary’ customers. Both complaints were escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) which, in each case, awarded compensation to the ‘non binary’ complainants for the ‘distress and disappointment’ they supposedly suffered. (Because an online form conformed to the reality of biological sex and not their manufactured ‘gender identity’…?)

Transunion had to pay £350 to a ‘non-binary’ customer known as Mx E for not providing a Mx title option on its form. MSM was ordered to pay £200 to a ‘non-binary’ customer known as Mx B who, when applying for insurance, was asked if they are male or female. MSM explained that the questions on its application forms have to reflect the information required by its insurance partners. But to no avail.

The ombudsman did acknowledge that being ‘non-binary’ is not a status recognised in law. However, the ombudsman erroneously claimed that ‘non-binary’ identities are protected under the Equality Act 2010. They are not; the Act lists seven protected characteristics, one of which is gender reassignment, not gender identity.

Why is the Financial Ombudsmen Service apparently so ignorant of such a significant piece of legislation?

See you next week.