A Week in the War on Women: Monday 4th December - Sunday 10th December GOOD NEWS SUPPLEMENT
Plenty of good news from the gender beat this week. Enjoy!
That’s Some Section, That Section 35
Surely the best news of the week! The Scottish government has lost its appeal against the UK government’s Section 35 order so the Gender Recognition Reform Bill is prevented from becoming law.
Presided over by Lady Haldane, the Court of Session ruled that the UK government had acted lawfully in its vetoing of the legislation. “In doing so, it rejected every argument put forward by the Scottish Government for its controversial legislation” writes Michael Foran, in Unherd.
Writing in The Scotsman, Susan Dalgety points out, “It is a victory for the thousands of women across Scotland who, for the last five years at least, have campaigned against self-ID and gender reform… They have been proved right.”
Huge congratulations and much gratitude to all the wonderful feminist campaigners over the border, especially those legends at For Women Scotland.
Queen Kemi
Kemi Badenoch, the Minister for Women and Equalities, proved an absolute tour de force in the House of Commons this week. Making it unequivocally clear she’d have no truck with the lunacy of gender woo, she delivered a game-changing statement.
She began by stating, “It is this government’s policy that the UK does not recognise self identification for the purpose of obtaining a gender recognitions certificate”. She then described the government’s plans to tighten up the list of countries which are included within the ‘overseas track’ of the Gender Recognition Act, thus closing the legal loophole which allows some people to get a UK GRC via self-identification.
She went on to talk about the confusion around sex and gender and confirmed that her department will provide ‘legal clarity’. She spoke of the need to clarify the relationship between the Equality Act and the Gender Recognition Act.
On the subject of NHS treatment for dysphoric minors, Badenoch was clear that the government will protect gay, lesbian and gender non-conforming children from harmful medical interventions. She spoke about being ‘fully informed’ by the Cass Review and the need for evidence-led policies.
She stated unequivocally, “No child is born in the wrong body and no child should be put on a pathway to irreversible medical transition”. She was also clear that there will be an end to gender indoctrination and the ‘social transition’ of pupils in schools.
Kemi Badenoch understands that gender-identity ideology is harming women’s sex-based rights and spaces, eroding safeguarding protocols and causing havoc in schools, hospitals, workplaces and sports etc. And she is going to ‘sort it’.
“Stonewall does not decide the laws in this country”, she said.
Julie Bindel in The Telegraph: “Some women have lost their jobs, reputations, and even been arrested for saying the things Badenoch said in Parliament yesterday – yet she simply made common-sense, fact-based statements. As Equalities Minister she seeks to protect same-sex-attracted young people from irreversible medical and surgical interventions, and women and girls from predatory men by securing their right to single-sex spaces… What Badenoch did was the most progressive thing I have seen in Parliament for a long time.”
‘No Debate’ Is Over
Gender ideology was being discussed elsewhere in Parliament this week.
In the House of Lords, Baroness Jenkin led a debate on the child safeguarding in schools. It involved speeches on the harm of gender ideology including from Baroness Morris, Baroness Eaton, Baroness Bottomley and Lord Sandhurst.
Also in the House of Lords, Baroness Browning spoke about the link between autism and the huge rise in young girls identifying as trans and she highlighted the need to protect vulnerable children from indoctrinated clinicians and teachers.
In the House of Commons, Liz Truss introduced a private members bill; the Health and Equality Acts (Amendment) Bill.
This bill would prohibit under-18s from accessing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, protect single-sex spaces by clarifying the Equality Act 2010 and prevent formal recognition of ‘social transition’ in minors.
Glinner of Hope
Don’t miss Our Graham on the Good Listener Podcast this week.
And on the Law & Liberty podcast.
Readers in the US will be delighted to know that Graham’s book, Tough Crowd, is now available directly from Amazon with fast delivery before Christmas.
And don’t forget that, in the UK, Tough Crowd is available from Amazon, The Express shop, Lightning Eye, Waterstones, Blackwells and all other discerning outlets. (There are also audio versions available on Audible and Spotify too.)
Who could have imagined - certainly not me - that a large group of left-leaning women and men would be cheering on a Tory in Parliament as many of us did when Badenoch spoke so well.
We would not, I think, also have been shouting at the computer screens in irritation and dismay when various MPs on the 'other side of the house' spoke so badly and used unpleasant rhetoric and discredit arguments against her position. That being the reasonable position of sense and logic.
Still, as they say, here we are.
I would throughly recommend the book.
The tone of voice is just right - interesting and likeable.