A Week in the War on Women Monday 27th June - Sunday 3rd July
Monday 27th June - Shhhhhhh!
THE CRITIC: The organiser of Julie Bindel’s talk in Nottingham has explained how women wanting to discuss male violence were banned from a library.
Siân Louise is an organiser with feminist group, Nottingham Women for Change. She invited Julie Bindel to Nottingham to talk about her decades of work in the sphere of male violence against women and organised a space for the event in Aspley Library. The event, a private talk for ticket-holders only, sold out within 48 hours.
A month later, only two days before the event, Siân Louise was contacted by the library service and told it had received complaints from a small number of people who felt the talk could be offensive to the LGBTQ+ community (even though it was on the subject of male violence - nothing to do with LGBTQ+ issues - and the speaker is herself a lesbian). The library service said it was liaising with the council and needed to pass this on to the appropriate ‘portfolio holder’, Pavlos Kotsonis, who would decide whether or not the event could go ahead.
Siân Louise emailed Kotsonis after failing to reach him by telephone. He replied to her email to say that the officer responsible for libraries would be in touch if there was any change to her booking. The day before the event, the library service staff called her at 11am to say that the talk could go ahead. At 3.40pm, however, she was informed that the booking had been cancelled. She was told that the decision had been taken by David Mellen, the leader of the council.
The room was booked for 9am the next morning with the event due to begin at 11am. Siân asked if those attending the event could, as members of the public, still use the library and talk there. The head of the library service, Nigel Hawkins, said he had been instructed to cancel the event and that Siân and Julie Bindel would be ‘barred from entering’ if they tried to use the library. Siân asked if she could discuss this with council leader David Mellen but her request was refused.
Siân went ahead with the event outside and Julie spoke to attendees from the car park.
Later that day Nottingham City Council released a statement. They used two female councillors, Adele Willams and Neghat Khan, as their representatives. Neither of these women had ever spoken with Siân and neither have any responsibility for the city’s libraries.
Siân said, “This is an account of women banned from libraries; a strange thing to have to write in 2022 — but here we all are.”
Also Today - Rules Are For Other People
THE DAILY MAIL: The trans-identified male who took first prize in a women’s skateboarding competition is a father of three whose testosterone levels were too high to make the Olympic qualifiers.
Last week we reported on Ricci Tres, sometimes known as Ricci And Tres, a trans-identified male who beat a 13-year-old girl in a women’s skateboarding competition.
29-year-old Tres took first place and $500 prize money in the women’s division of The Boardr Open in New York City on 25th June. He beat five female competitors, four of them under the age of seventeen, to take the top spot.
Tres, formerly known as Richard Batres, is a father of three who served in the US Navy for four years as a machinist petty officer of the 2nd class. (GL: Ex-military! Drink!)
Last year he tried to enter the Women’s Street USA Skateboarding National Championships in a bid to qualify for the Olympics. He was rejected because his testosterone levels are too high. He has been taking hormones but says this is the ‘extent of his transition’.
In an interview last year he protested that transgender athletes should not be required to lower their testosterone in order to comply with sex category requirements. “You can't ask an elite professional athlete to compromise their health. Besides the fact that I've explained transitioning as a sense of enlightenment has nothing to do with your testosterone level. It's a matter of decision and feelings.”
Tuesday 28th June - A Room Of One’s Own #1
BBC NEWS: A woman is suing a rape charity over its failure to provide her with a female-only space.
Sarah (not her real name) is a mother of two in her 40s. She discussed her experiences in an interview with The Mail on Sunday last November. As a child she was abused for years by a family friend and then later raped by a man she knew when she was in her twenties. When she learned that she was going to come into contact with the man who raped her again some years ago, she felt in need of help to deal with the trauma of her experiences. She joined a peer support therapy group at Brighton-based Survivors’ Network. Initially, Sarah felt that she’d found a safe and supportive women-only space in which to start healing. “We spoke a lot about how we were manipulated and coerced by men. I can't tell you how much it helped me mentally.”
Survivors’ Network has a ‘trans inclusive’ policy. Despite having a service specifically for trans people, they ‘actively welcome’ males into their supposedly female-only groups if those males ‘self-identify as women’. So this opens the door to ‘women’ like paedophile ‘Rachel’ Fenton…
Or ‘Rose’ Whitby, a child rapist.
A similar ‘transwoman’ joined Sarah’s group. She describes him as being six feet tall, having a deep voice, wearing traditionally masculine clothes and 'with no obvious female attributes'.
Sarah explained that the sanctuary and trust of the sessions were violated by his presence there and she found it impossible to discuss her experiences in it. “It felt like the priority of the group was not to talk about male entitlement any more or our shared experiences, but about making sure this person who was born male felt comfortable.” The newcomer did not volunteer any information about himself. Sarah said, “My paranoid side makes me think they were there for voyeuristic reasons.”
Sarah wrote a letter to the charity, explaining how she felt. She received a response from Carys Jenkins, the head of operations. “We do not police gender and we do not define who is and is not a woman; we allow women to define this for themselves.” In other words, any male can claim to ‘identify as a woman’ and be allowed to hear women discussing the trauma of being raped. Jenkins told Sarah she should find an alternative service. But there are no groups in Brighton which offer a female-only service for survivors of sexual violence; they’re all ‘inclusive’ of trans-identified males.
Sarah told The Mail, “I thought, 'How can you let women down so badly?' You're supposed to be a service for women who have experienced sexual violence… We've been told by men to ignore our instincts and do what they want us to do and now we're being told that by a rape crisis service. It’s crazy.”
Now she is bringing legal action against Survivor’s Network under the Equality Act, claiming indirect discrimination as well as victimisation and harassment. The organisation provides a trans-only space and a male-only space but there is no guaranteed female-only space for female rape survivors. You can contribute to her crowdfunder here.
(GL: I heard a number of blue tick Twitter accounts were saying disgusting things about this woman. Did anyone get screenshots?)
Wednesday 29th June - A Room Of One’s Own #2
REDUXX: A vulnerable woman was evicted from a domestic violence shelter when she expressed her concern about being accommodated with males.
Jane (not her real name) was a resident at Peggy’s Place, a Vancouver shelter which offers accommodation to women with mental health issues who have suffered domestic violence. She was referred by her social worker being sexually abused by her male partner. On arrival, she was informed that the shelter housed men who identify as women and, knowing little of the debate around sex and gender, said she had no issue with this. She soon came to change her mind.
Shortly after she moved in she encountered a trans-identified male who lived at the shelter. He was standing in the hallway right outside Jane’s room, naked except for the bra he was holding up against his chest and his male genitalia exposed as he posed in a mirror. Jane was terrified. “In my mind, I shut down. There was so much fear.” She tried to raise this issue with staff at the shelter but says her concerns were dismissed.
Soon after Jane witnessed this male screaming a tirade of abuse at another female resident whom she describes as ‘severely physically and intellectually disabled’ and with such a severe eating disorder that she could not walk unassisted. When Jane tried to discuss this incident with staff they were, again, more concerned about her ‘misgendering’ the male in question than about his abusive behaviour.
A few months later another trans-identified male arrived at the shelter, having been moved there from a men’s refuge. Almost immediately he was whisked away for full sex reassignment surgery. Jane was horrified as she felt he was ‘mentally unstable’ and in no position to make such a life-altering decision. He later confided in her that he thought he’d made a mistake. His recovery became the focus of the shelter leaving the female residents neglected.
These experiences caused Jane to investigate gender identity ideology and to become more vocal about her concerns. As a result, Jane was informed that she was being evicted from the shelter. She was told she had three hours to pack and find alternative housing. When she cried and pleaded with the manager to let her stay she was told, “There’s only two things going on: You’re transphobic, and this is a trans-friendly agency.”
Thursday 30th June - Pink News In Parliament
A source from inside Westminster has informed us of an event happening shortly. It seems that Pink News has arranged a ‘summer reception’ in the Speaker’s State Rooms, a venue normally reserved for grand occasions and distinguished guests.
We do not know why Parliament feels it appropriate to host a publication that has harassed and vilified female MPs for speaking up in defence of women’s sex-based rights and spaces.
Pink News has slammed MPs Rosie Duffield, Johan Lamont, Joanna Cherry, Jackie Doyle-Price and Tonia Antonazzi for their refusal to bend the knee to gender ideology.
In 2019 Pink News was forced to issued an apology and make reparation after it published a defamatory story about Joanna Cherry QC. They were also succesfully sued by another lesbian, journalist Julie Bindel.
And now the House of Commons is, we hear, hosting Pink News in the prestigious Speaker’s State Rooms. As if this event isn’t enough of a slap in the face to the women of The House, the venue adds to the mockery; the Speaker is supposed to be the office responsible for the safety and security of female MPs.
Also Today - How not to help vulnerable people
The Toronto Police issued a missing persons notice about a ‘woman’ called Isobella who was referred to with female pronouns and described as “5'10", with a thin build, shaggy blonde hair, and a full goatee”.
Friday 1st July - Scotland’s Uncivil Service
THE TELEGRAPH: Feminists were vilified, reality was denied and lies were told with impunity in a trans training course provided to Scottish civil servants.
The Scottish Government’s LGBTI+ internal staff network, which is funded by the tax-payer, held an ‘awareness raising event’ called ‘Trans 101’ for civil service colleagues.
At this event, attendees were told that women who question gender ideology are known as ‘FARTs’, ie ‘feminism appropriating ridiculous transphobes’, are part of a ‘trans hate group’ and have have ‘an unhealthy fascination with trans kids’.
Those taking part in this training were also urged to consider that biological sex is a ‘falsehood’ invented by the medical profession to ‘reinforce white supremacy and gender oppression’. Other outrageous claims made in this training were that there is ‘virtually no difference’ between the sporting performance of women and trans-identified males and that biology is an ‘outdated understanding of sex’.
Furthermore, a senior official from the Scottish Digital Academy, a Scottish Government body which delivers training across the public sector, sent staff an email with a link to a ‘trans language primer’. (This link was leaked to Stuart Campbell who writes the Wings Over Scotland blog where you can read about it in more detail.) It provided definitions for a variety of terms including ‘male bodied’ and ‘female bodied’ which, it was claimed, are ‘outdated’ and ‘discriminatory against trans people’.
Susan Smith, a director of For Women Scotland, commented, “How are women to believe that civil servants, potentially including those drafting legislation like gender recognition reform, have any care for our rights when they are being trained to call us offensive names and told we are hate groups? …Perhaps the Scottish Government think they are above the Equality Act and other laws on discrimination in the workplace - they are not.”
Saturday 2nd July - Leave Them Kids Alone #1
DAILY MAIL: The Scouts Association is promoting gender identity ideology to the children in its care and has introduced a new ‘trans fun badge’.
The Scout Association has introduced a ‘Pride collection’ of merchandise to ‘celebrate inclusion’. One of the items available for purchase is a ‘trans fun badge’ which features the association’s traditional fleur de lys symbol on a trans flag background.
The information on the website reads, “Make a bold statement with this vibrant Scout Pride trans woven badge. It is perfect for adding to a blanket, poncho, clothing or a bag to show your support for Scout Pride and the LGBT+ community… Scouting is open to all and welcomes young people and adults, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity.”
Stephanie Davies-Aria, director of Transgender Trend, told the paper, “The Scouts need to be very careful about the message they are sending to children from the age of four that ‘trans is fun’. Asking children to be ‘allies’ to what is essentially an adult political movement is not appropriate. Children shouldn’t be asked to be allies to any group.”
Another news story from the weekend suggests that Girlguiding has plunged even further down the gender rabbit hole.
According to the Sunday Express, Girlguiding leaders are learning nearly 100 gender-inclusive terms to discuss with their young members and are even teaching the much-ridiculed ‘genderbread person’.
Sunday 3rd July - Labour Losing Women
THE GUARDIAN: The Labour Party has been accused of, yet again, silencing women’s voices after refusing to allow a feminist group a presence at its conference.
Labour Women’s Declaration, a group that campaigns for women’s sex-based rights, together with six parliamentarians, requested a stall at the forthcoming Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Their request was refused.
The party claims that the conference was simply oversubscribed but the group do not accept this explanation. Their application was made in March and a place was provisionally agreed. In May they received a rejection which stated, “All applications for commercial business which include an exhibition stand or branding at annual conference are subject to a review process. After due consideration, the proposal to enter into a commercial arrangement was declined.”
Feminist organisation, Filia, were also refused a conference presence.
As were the LGB Alliance.
Labour Women’s Declaration commented, “This refusal is part of the party’s historic suppression of dissenting views on gender identity and the outdated and indeed discriminatory assumption that those of us who are advocating for more discussion and the protection of women’s rights should not have a platform/voice within the party.”
Also Today - Leave Them Kids Alone #2
SUNDAY TIMES SCOTLAND: Scottish primary school children are being bullied for ‘misgendering’ school friends and for questioning gender identity ideology.
Campaign body, Safeguarding Our Schools Scotland (SOSS), says that dozens of parents have raised concerns over school children - some as young as eleven and even those with learning disabilities - being brandied ‘transphobic’ and bullied by their peers when they cannot understand gender ideology. Their behaviour is not malicious; they just struggle to comprehend how other children can suddenly claim to be a different sex.
One parent told SOSS that her child was bullied for ‘misgendering’ a classmate who had changed name and pronouns several times. The child was reprimanded, had to appear before the head teacher and got bullied in the playground. A child with dyslexia was bullied when he continued to use male pronouns for a boy who now ‘identifies as a girl’. Another child was abused verbally and on social media when she could not acknowledge that a girl she had known for five years now ‘identifies as a boy’. The stress caused her to self-harm.
Lucie Phillips from SOSS was due to raise the issue with a senior official from Scotland’s anti-bullying service, Respect Me, last month. However, the meeting was cancelled after she outlined her concerns.
Phillips explained the situation - that school children are being bullied because they do not adhere to gender identity ideology - to Lorraine Glass, Respect Me’s interim director. Glass responded, “I appreciate you being in touch but I think a meeting would fail to advance the discourse in the direction you desire.”
RespectMe is fully funded by the Scottish government and co-managed by LGBT Youth Scotland.
Also Today - ‘Both Sides’
In Germany, this weekend lesbians were attacked when they tried to defend same-sex attraction.
Cologne’s ‘dyke march’ is held every summer as part of the city’s Pride celebrations. However, those speaking out about the inclusion of heterosexual trans-identified males in lesbianism are not welcome there.
At this year’s march a group of lesbians were told by organisers that they could not display their Labrys Lesbian pride flag. The flag was then snatched from them.
They were physcially attacked by trans activists.
Other lesbian flags and banners reading ‘homosexual not queer’ were also taken from the leabian group during the event.
But the misogynistic message, ‘Fuck TERFs’, however, was deemed perfectly acceptable.
See you next week.
“You can't ask an elite professional athlete to compromise their health” by lowering their testosterone says Ricci Tres.
At least we agree that pumping your body with hormones can comprise your health. Perhaps that’s a warning that will be better publicised in the future, especially to children considering or even being advised to take them.
Ricci Tres who stole a title and prize money from a 13 year old girl is not a woman. He certainly isn't a man either, as no real man would act in such a cavalier and hateful way towards a young girl.