A Week in the War on Women: Monday 3rd October - Sunday 9th October GOOD NEWS SUPPLEMENT
For your entertainment, it is my pleasure to present some of the week’s good news stories from the gender beat. Enjoy!
A Good Start
Making his speech at the Conservative Party Conference this week, Justice Secretary, Brandon Lewis, unveiled his plans to limit the housing of trans-identified males in the female estate.
“It is not right that transgender prisoners, when convicted of serious sexual offences or those who have not had reassignment surgery, are housed in the general women’s prison estate. Conference, this will end. We have a duty of care to all of those behind bars…
Our management of trans prisoners will rely not just on common sense but also capacity. If we need to expand our use of specialist cells for trans prisoners to further protect women in prison, we will.”
A Sporting Chance
Four female high school athletes whose opportunities were thwarted when trans identified males were allowed to compete in their events are pursuing legal action against the state of Connecticut.
This case concerns four female high school athletes in Connecticut whose running careers were blighted by the inclusion of two trans-identified male athletes in women's competitions.
They brought a suit against the state of Connecticut for Title IX violations but the case was dismissed by a federal judge in 2021. The female athletes are now appealing this decision and opening arguments began this week in the US Court of Appeals.
We wish them every success with the case.
The Wheels Keep Coming Off
The National Lottery has ceased funding Mermaids pending the ongoing investigation by the Charity Commission.
“The National Lottery Community Fund confirmed that it had halted all payments to Mermaids during the investigation… Mermaids could not be reached for comment.”
Speaking of Mermaids, Nikki da Costa wrote a brilliant and damning piece about them in The Telegraph.
“Why does Mermaids feel the need to curate information? Why is acknowledging uncertainty, and concerns so difficult? Why is there not more caution when the unnecessary, lifelong medicalisation of children is a potential outcome? Why are they challenging the much needed new charity LGB Alliance in court?
…Taken together, Mermaids’ practices are questionable. Combined with an evangelical approach, and the brushing away of concerns as ‘smears’ or ‘transphobia’ and Mermaids is a siren for the unwary.”
Justice Is Julie Served
Julie Bindel has won her legal case against Nottingham City Council.
Earlier this year, Nottingham City Council cancelled the talk Julie was due to give at Nottingham Library with less than 24 hours notice due to pressure by trans activists. It barred Julie and the event organisers from the venue.
Julie decided to take legal action against Nottingham City Council under both the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998. She was successful.
Writing on her Substack site, Julie announced, “I won my case against Nottingham City Council! They have admitted that cancelling my talk and banning me and my hosts from the library was illegal, and have been made to apologise.”
This isn’t just great news for Julie, it sends a very definite message to any other organisation tempted to silence those pesky feminists who fight for women’s rights!
Nottingham City Council issued a statement:
“Nottingham City Council now accepts that its decision to cancel the event was procedurally unlawful. Nottingham City Council apologises to Ms Bindel and Nottingham Women for Change for cancelling the event in this way and for the inconvenience caused as a result of this decision. It has agreed to make payment to Julie Bindel, Nottingham Women for Change and to ticket holders in respect of their reasonable losses incurred as a result of the cancellation of the event.”
Women Won’t Wheesht
There was a huge show of strength at the Women’s Rally outside the Scottish Parliament this week with women more than making their voices heard.
The event was a tremendous success with a huge turn out.
And it featured some brilliant speakers.
For all the details (and lots more fabulous photographs) from the day, see For Women Scotland’s website. And you can hear all the speeches in full here.
The wonderful Susan Dalgety wrote about the Women’s Rally in her column for The Scotsman.
She discussed the many young women in Scotland, like Nina Welsch who wrote an open letter to the First Minister, who oppose self-ID legislation. She also mentioned that JK Rowling posted a photograph of herself on Twitter wearing a t-shirt reading ‘Nicola Sturgeon: Destroyer of Women’s Rights’ in support of the rally.
“On Thursday morning, hundreds of Scottish women, young and old, stood outside the Scottish Parliament booing Nicola Sturgeon in a protest organised by the grassroots campaign group For Women Scotland.”
First Do No Harm
The ghoulish Dr Sidhbh ‘yeet the teets’ Gallagher has been reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for alleged false promotion of services to under-18s.
Five organisations led by Genspect filed a complaint against Florida-based Dr Gallagher in February alleging Gallagher and her firm have “Engaged in unfair, false, and deceptive practices in the aggressive advertising and marketing to minors of their plastic surgery services”.
We’ll keep you posted.
Mermaids can never be reached for comment - guess journalists need to call the Helpline.
I am so pleased with the prison news! After listening to Amanda’s story at the Brighton rally it’s been playing on my mind so much. Here’s hoping it actually happens...