A Week in the War on Women: Monday 14th August - Sunday 20th August GOOD NEWS SUPPLEMENT
A handful of the good news stories from the gender beat this week. Enjoy!
Leaving Them Kids Alone In Denmark
Denmark is stepping away from the medicalisation of gender distressed children and moving towards non-invasive methods of treatment.
Earlier this year, Danish Health Minister, Sophie Løhde, unveiled a new policy meaning that medical treatment is only be deemed appropriate “If the child or young person has had gender dysphoria since childhood”. She went on to say that, “If the gender dysphoria has started in connection with puberty, the young person may, among other things, be referred to a process of reflection or clarification”.
This week, Ugeskrift for Læger, the Journal of the Danish Medical Association, confirmed there has been a c-change in the treatment of dysphoric children. Most young people referred to Denmark’s centralized gender clinic are no longer put on a medical pathway but, instead, offered therapeutic counselling and support.
In 2018 65% of the children referred to Denmark’s gender clinic were approved for transition. That number dropped to just 6% in 2022.
Leaving Them Kids Alone Down Under
In similar news from Australia, Liberal MP Alex Antic is planning to introduce a private senators bill to ban puberty blockers and so-called ‘gender reassignment surgery’ for minors under eighteen years old.
He told Sky News, “I think is the sort of thing that people really are looking for, I mean kids can’t get a tattoo until 18, they can’t drink until 18… We need to be drawing a very strong line in the sand about this sort of treatment for kids”.
Nothing Could Be Finer In North Carolina
Legislators in the US state of North Carolina have overridden Governor Roy Cooper’s veto of the three House Bills which pertain to gender identity.
Clinicians in the state will now be prohibited from prescribing puberty blockers to and performing surgeries on gender distressed children. Furthermore, trans-identified males will be prevented from competing in the female categories of middle, high school and college-level sports teams and discussions about ‘gender identity’ in schools will be restricted.
Fuck Around, Find Out
Following his outburst about punching TERFs at the Trans Pride rally on 8th July, Sarah Jane Baker was charged with using threatening or abusive words or behaviour with intent to cause harassment alarm and distress.
At Westminster magistrates court this week, prosecutor Luke Staton said that Baker is also set to face a second allegation; intentionally encouraging the commission of an offence, namely assault by beating.
Baker remains behind bars in a male prison. His trial is due to be held at the City of London magistrates court on 31st August.
Glinner of Hope
As you are no doubt aware, Our Graham made his Edinburgh Fringe debut this week. He was scheduled to perform at Leith Arches as part of a Comedy Unleashed line-up. Two days prior to the gig, Leith Arches cancelled it.
Graham spoke to Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk TV about this situation and she thanked him for his heroism and his courage.
As she ended the interview, JHB commented, “These venues should be ashamed of themselves. They’re pathetic. And all the people who stay quiet on this. You are pathetic and shame on you all.” Absolutely.
Later in the day Graham appeared on GB News and spoke to Patrick Christys.
Patrick described Graham as, “An award winning comedian, an absolute icon, a great comedic mind, a stand-out person of his generation”. Hear hear, Patrick!
Despite a second venue cancelling, the Comedy Unleashed gig went ahead with comedians performing outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Graham played to a large crowd and, from what I’ve heard, of course, he SMASHED IT.
The press coverage was mostly positive and supportive.
The BBC interviewed Graham after the event.
Even The Guardian was reasonably fair.
The Herald newspaper ran a poll, asking readers if they thought that Leith Arches should have cancelled Graham’s gig. The result was pretty conclusive.
And #IStandWithGlinner was trending on social media. If you’re on X (the site formerly known as Twitter) then do have a look at the hashtag for an outpouring of wonderful and richly deserved Graham-love! As the gentleman at the gig so rightly said, we’ve got your back, Graham.
This whole week’s news has moved me to tears of relief; that the tide is clearly turning so that children can no longer be mutilated in the name of ‘progress’; that the incredibly brave & often lone male voice of Graham Linehan is finally being given air space; that he is being given coverage that is no longer spiked, vituperative & hate filled bullshit; that this whole sorry, women-hating epidemic seems finally to be running its course. My 27yr old daughter, off to Manchester Pride this weekend, reliably informs me that hating JKR et al is ‘not cool’ these days; relegated to the chip paper status which is even then too good for it. But Starmer making worrying woke noises still; no room for complacency with these spoilt neo liberal lunatics...this is a hill on which I’m still prepared to die. So much gratitude for the good news 🙏- so much fight left in us yet 💪💪💪💪💪
The tables are turning again. Good for Graham ♥