A Week in the War on Women: Monday 21st November - Sunday 27th November GOOD NEWS SUPPLEMENT
Another hectic week on the gender beat and plenty of positive stories to burst the seams of the Good News Supplement. Enjoy!
Reem Intervenes
In probably the best and biggest news of the week, Reem Alsalem, the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Girls, has condemned the Scottish Government’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
In a scathing 4,500-word letter she said that the consultation on the bill had been ‘insufficiently fair and inclusive’ and criticised MSPs for ignoring the testimony of women who’ve suffered male violence. She warned that the Scottish government could infringe the Equality Act by negatively impacting women from different faiths and talked of the bill’s effect on women’s safety. “The Scottish government does not provide for any safeguarding measures to ensure that the procedure is not, as far as can be reasonably assured, abused by sexual predators and other perpetrators of violence.”
The Times reported on the story, stating, “Reem Alsalem’s devastating critique dismantled the approach taken by Nicola Sturgeon’s government, describing the legislation as unfair, rushed, vague and contradictory. Above all, she stressed the threat to women from violent males who could abuse the proposed self-identification process to acquire a gender recognition certificate.”
The SNP’s proposed self-ID legislation has been condemned from various other quarters this week, too. The Scottish Express reported on the social workers speaking out against the ‘ill-informed’ bill and the danger it poses to women and girls.
Rosetta’s Stones
If you haven’t already seen it, check out this fabulous thread. A journalist was tasked with writing a hit piece on JK Rowling but, instead, she declared “I’m done” and described how this assignment helped to ‘peak’ her.
“3 months of dedicated research & I cannot find a single truly transphobic JK Rowling quote that stands up against the scrutiny of journalistic integrity… You’re burning the wrong witch. I stand with JK Rowling.”
The story made The Daily Mail.
And how’s this for a happy ending?
Ofsted To A Good Start
Amanda Spielman, head of Ofsted, has spoke out against the dangers of schools keeping parents in the dark about a child’s ‘gender identity’. She also warned that urgent guidance is needed for teachers on ‘transgender issues’.
Spielman told the Commons Education Committee, “It's very important for all schools to understand that whether or not a child is exploring gender identities, the fundamental principles of safeguarding continue to apply and biological sex continues to be relevant”.
Physician Heal Thyself
A leading New York surgeon and university professor has spoken out against ‘gender affirming’ medical treatment, likening it to lobotomies and eugenics.
Dr. Michael Egnor, a pediatric neurosurgeon and Professor of Medicine at Stony Brook University in New York, has decried “This enormous growth, this explosion of transgender ideology”. He said he also wants to encourage others in the medical profession to speak out about what he describes as an ‘extraordinary medical atrocity’.
Sisters Doin’ It For Themselves
The wonderful Women’s Rights Network now has a Disability Group.
“Set up by disabled women, for disabled women. The group aims to raise awareness and protect rights of disabled women.”
The Sinking Ship
In the most intriguing news of the week, Susie Green has left her role at Mermaids.
Her sudden departure was announced by Mermaids in an extremely brief statement which can best be described as curt.
As Julie Bindel writes in The Spectator, “Green has appeared untouchable for years, but perhaps her arrogance – that she could destroy another charity that provides much-needed support for same-sex attracted people – has been her downfall. A CEO resigning before a replacement is appointed doesn’t happen overnight, it is a sign of a charity in internal crisis”.
Hadley Freeman, finally free to write about the charity after years of being stymied by her bosses at The Guardian, added: “Ultimately, I don’t care why she went, because so much damage has already been done. But what I do want to know is this: how did so many people take Green so seriously for so long? Why did so many people turn off their intelligence when faced with this former IT consultant from Leeds? And how could so many LGBT activists champion and defend a woman who saw effeminacy — and therefore homosexuality — in her two-year-old and feel she had to “correct” this “defect”?
No doubt there is a lot more to this story and, of course, we will be reporting on any breaking news.
Something very manipulative, hypocritical and disingenuous about Susie Green's Ted Talk is that it's titled 'Transgender: a mother's story'. The word mother surely primes the audience to accept the story as one of motherly care. However, the word mother is exactly the type of term ideologues such as Green actively try and destroy. 'Transgender: a birthing parent's story' just doesn't have the same impact.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZiVPh12RQY
Fair play to EJ Rossetta.
It would be good if she chatted with Glinner or somebody like Andrew Doyle, good insight in to how these organizations are trying to daemonize people.