A handful of this week’s good news stories from the gender beat. Enjoy! JK Tops The Chart Just one week after its release, JK Rowling’s latest book, The Ink Black Heart, sold over 50,000 copies and soared to the top of UK’s official book chart.The Glinner Update is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Happy to see the Welsh Rugby Union addressing the 'gender' issue, but "those whose sex was recorded as female at birth” is still a suspiciously circuitous way to say 'women', don't you think?
It's not ideal wording, that's for sure. But I think they've had to pick their words very carefully - they know this news is going to make them a target for the gender stasi!
Ah, not quite so good as it had been of late but still a few good bits. Very impressed with Zions Bank, who, despite supporting the T as well as LGB, sensibly draw the line at drag activities involving children. I do hope more people and institutions will start splitting up all those subdivisions that have been riding on the rights of LGB people.
How can the Mermaids challenge be ignored by anyone with an ounce of integrity? Really upsetting to witness. Hope Kate recovered ok. Kate and Bev both incredibly brave women.
Got positive Friday vibes after reading an article in the Times Higher Education today by Laura Favaro. Had to read it twice just to make sure it was there, in that forum, saying what it did. It's a very big deal indeed (and shouldn't be, of course!) for THE to publish this and hugely symbolic of the shift that is taking place. It's a very well-written piece. Working in academia, I can echo so much of what's been said. There are very many people who would love to debate this freely. It's easy to criticise researchers for not sticking their heads above the parapet - Laura is clear and concise about the repercussions for staff when they do.
Example:
Censoring efforts were not limited to journals. Genderist academics reported personally imposing bans from academic networks and events, along with language policing of colleagues as well as students. “If students write ‘female’ in their essay, I’ll cross it out,” a sociologist told me, because “what matters is gender [identity]”.
Thanks to JL for these. Good news for "Terf Island"! Maybe some more of that common sense will waft over the pond to the US... Loved the video of the dog saving the goldfish, though I'd like to bean the people who put a shallow goldfish bowl within reach of a cat, even a seemingly reluctant fish-killing cat! Don't get me wrong, I love cats, have a few of my own, but the most they can get their hands on are house centipedes and spiders.
Cheers JL. Thank heavens for the good news! It is comparitively to the bad news, a little light but it has huge effect in terms of what these acts accomplish and on us GC folk as it lets us know that sometimes sanity can still prevail.
Thanks BlackieKat. Yes, some good news weeks are busier than others. But there's always progress to report! And remember that I only have a finite number of hours in my day. I have to earn a living and, occasionally, I'm actually allowed a couple of hours sleep! I can't cover everything and there's bound to be plenty of good news that I miss! ;-)
Of course you do. It was not meant as criticism, but rather as gratitude for shining the light on the good news amidst what can seem like an avalanche of bad news. I was trying to say that the even small amounts of good news are welcome and provide hope against the ongoing waves of unsanity.
Oh I know it wasn't a criticism, BlackieKat! 😘 Of course! I just meant to say that there may be good news I've missed! I don't want people to feel disheartened if the GNS is a bit light. It might just mean I haven't had as much time to devote to it as I'd like. But the truth is out there... 😊
I'm glad you didn't feel criticised. You, Graham, Moley, Helen, Arty and so many others do a great job shining the light where it needs to be shone. I am grateful for what you all do, and to everyone here for helping to be part of a community where people like me can gain some feeling of solidarity rather than feeling ship-wrecked on a sea of madness. I was in a meeting yesterday and we were discussing somehting and the fact that people can identify strongly to the team they are in, then the poor chap realised he'd hit on that precious subject "identity", apologised to the three of us in the meeting saying he didn't want to suggest that something as important as identity should be seem as just relating to work, tied himself in knots and then moved on. No-one had complained though. He was self-correcting based on the culture of fear that this nonsense has created in the civil service.
Happy to see the Welsh Rugby Union addressing the 'gender' issue, but "those whose sex was recorded as female at birth” is still a suspiciously circuitous way to say 'women', don't you think?
It's not ideal wording, that's for sure. But I think they've had to pick their words very carefully - they know this news is going to make them a target for the gender stasi!
they need to avoid men in their auntie's frocks, who say 'but I AM a woman'...
Congrats to Stephanie Davies-Arai, JK Rowling, Kathleen Stock and Welsh Rugby Union!
Ah, not quite so good as it had been of late but still a few good bits. Very impressed with Zions Bank, who, despite supporting the T as well as LGB, sensibly draw the line at drag activities involving children. I do hope more people and institutions will start splitting up all those subdivisions that have been riding on the rights of LGB people.
Love the pup returning the fish to the bowl.
Adorable isn't it?! As Ricky Gervais so often says, we don't deserve dogs.
“The new policy means contact rugby for players in the female category is limited to those whose sex was recorded as female at birth.”
In other words, women!
I'm looking forward to next week's WWW on the superb work of Kate and Bev this week.
Incredible women. Not sure I can do them justice!
How can the Mermaids challenge be ignored by anyone with an ounce of integrity? Really upsetting to witness. Hope Kate recovered ok. Kate and Bev both incredibly brave women.
Got positive Friday vibes after reading an article in the Times Higher Education today by Laura Favaro. Had to read it twice just to make sure it was there, in that forum, saying what it did. It's a very big deal indeed (and shouldn't be, of course!) for THE to publish this and hugely symbolic of the shift that is taking place. It's a very well-written piece. Working in academia, I can echo so much of what's been said. There are very many people who would love to debate this freely. It's easy to criticise researchers for not sticking their heads above the parapet - Laura is clear and concise about the repercussions for staff when they do.
Example:
Censoring efforts were not limited to journals. Genderist academics reported personally imposing bans from academic networks and events, along with language policing of colleagues as well as students. “If students write ‘female’ in their essay, I’ll cross it out,” a sociologist told me, because “what matters is gender [identity]”.
I've just been writing that article up for this week's War on Women! An excellent piece.
Thanks to JL for these. Good news for "Terf Island"! Maybe some more of that common sense will waft over the pond to the US... Loved the video of the dog saving the goldfish, though I'd like to bean the people who put a shallow goldfish bowl within reach of a cat, even a seemingly reluctant fish-killing cat! Don't get me wrong, I love cats, have a few of my own, but the most they can get their hands on are house centipedes and spiders.
I like to think the cat in the video was helping not hindering. Though based on my long experience of cats, I doubt it! ;-)
Thanks JL
My pleasure!
Cheers JL. Thank heavens for the good news! It is comparitively to the bad news, a little light but it has huge effect in terms of what these acts accomplish and on us GC folk as it lets us know that sometimes sanity can still prevail.
Thanks BlackieKat. Yes, some good news weeks are busier than others. But there's always progress to report! And remember that I only have a finite number of hours in my day. I have to earn a living and, occasionally, I'm actually allowed a couple of hours sleep! I can't cover everything and there's bound to be plenty of good news that I miss! ;-)
Of course you do. It was not meant as criticism, but rather as gratitude for shining the light on the good news amidst what can seem like an avalanche of bad news. I was trying to say that the even small amounts of good news are welcome and provide hope against the ongoing waves of unsanity.
Oh I know it wasn't a criticism, BlackieKat! 😘 Of course! I just meant to say that there may be good news I've missed! I don't want people to feel disheartened if the GNS is a bit light. It might just mean I haven't had as much time to devote to it as I'd like. But the truth is out there... 😊
I'm glad you didn't feel criticised. You, Graham, Moley, Helen, Arty and so many others do a great job shining the light where it needs to be shone. I am grateful for what you all do, and to everyone here for helping to be part of a community where people like me can gain some feeling of solidarity rather than feeling ship-wrecked on a sea of madness. I was in a meeting yesterday and we were discussing somehting and the fact that people can identify strongly to the team they are in, then the poor chap realised he'd hit on that precious subject "identity", apologised to the three of us in the meeting saying he didn't want to suggest that something as important as identity should be seem as just relating to work, tied himself in knots and then moved on. No-one had complained though. He was self-correcting based on the culture of fear that this nonsense has created in the civil service.