The Good News Supplement: Monday 27th January - Sunday 2nd February

A final bit of cheer

Feb 04, 2025

This is my final GNS and I am delighted to be bowing out on such a high note as it’s bulging at the seams with good news from the gender beat. So, with my sincere thanks, fond farewell and very best wishes to you all, for the last time… ENJOY!

Cleaning House

This week President Trump signed a landmark Executive Order aimed at preventing the ‘maiming and sterilizing’ of gender-confused minors aged 18 and under.

This order states that the US Federal Government will not “Fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures”.

The main provisions of the order are as follows:

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to encourage practices that will ‘improve the health of minors with gender dysphoria’ rather than treat them medically with puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones etc.
HHS is to publish a review of the “Existing literature on best practices for promoting the health of children who assert gender dysphoria, rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or other identity-based confusion.”
Federal agencies providing funding to medical institutions must ensure that those institutions are not providing medical treatments to gender distressed children and teenagers.
There is protection for whistle-blowers who report on organisation medicalising dysphoric children in violation of the executive order.
Federal insurance programmes are subject to the order with Tricare and Medicaid being expected to exclude gender-related medical treatment for the under-18s.
Agencies must “Rescind or amend all policies that rely on WPATH guidance, including WPATH’s Standards of Care Version 8”.

Writing on her Substack site, Kara Dansky talks about the need to strike “The right balance between celebrating the order and remaining mindful of its limitations”. As she says, there is work still to do. But this certainly feels like the beginning of the end and victory seems far closer than ever before.

Hope Springs Down Under

The Queensland government has stopped prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for dysphoric minors and will launch a Cass-style review into their use.

This week, Queensland’s health minister, Tim Nicholls, announced that the state is to implement an independent review into the prescription of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for gender distressed children and adolescents under the age of 18.

The state government has already halted any new patients under 18 being provided with these drugs through the public health system until the review’s outcome. Children suffering with gender dysphoria will still be able to access psychiatric and psychological care but can no longer be medicalised.

Wonderful News From Ireland

The Irish government has ditched its previous plan to follow WPATH guidelines and allow under-16s to legally ‘change their gender’.

In its approach to gender identity ideology, the Irish government’s new Programme for Government is a radical departure from that of 2020.

Most importantly, the new programme has scrapped its previous plan to base a gender health care model on WPATH’s guidelines and the government will no longer consider allowing children under-16s to legally ‘change genders’. Furthermore, it has also ditched a commitment that public bodies will use preferred pronouns.

The dominoes are starting to topple.

Law In Action

Campaigners are urging Wes Streeting to prevent private medical clinics from prescribing cross-sex hormones to minors.

Three health campaigners, led by the courageous Keira Bell, want Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, to introduce a ban on the private sale of cross-sex hormones for minors, just as he did with puberty blockers.

Sinclairs Law, the firm acting for the campaigners, has written to Streeting stating that it will seek a judicial review unless he takes the required action.

We wish them every success with their campaign.

A Level Playing Field #1

One of the candidates in the race to become president of the International Olympic Committee is now echoing Lord Coe’s call to protect the integrity of women’s sport.

Former Olympian and member of the IOC executive board since 2018, Kirsty Coventry, is among the leading candidates vying to be president of the IOC. She has clearly seen which way the wind is blowing. Like her fellow contender, Lord Sebastian Coe, Coventry is now supporting an Olympic-wide policy of barring trans-identified males from competing in women’s events.

She said, “Protecting the female category and female sports is paramount – it’s a priority that we collectively come together. There is more and more scientific research… It is very clear that transgender women are more able in the female category, and can take away opportunities that should be equal for women.”

A Level Playing Field #2

In an extremely significant shift from their previous policy, CrossFit Games have implemented new regulations which require athletes to compete in categories appropriate to their sex, not based on their self-declared gender identity.

The new policy states that athletes must “Register and compete in the gender division corresponding to their gender assigned at birth” throughout all competition stages, including the Open, Community Cup, Semifinals, In-Person Qualifying Events, and Finals. No exceptions will be permitted.

Her Name Is Rio

Let Women Speak was in Brazil this week, holding a brilliant, well attended, and hugely successful event in Rio.

Gender Ideology Going Down the Pan

A new poll has revealed that public support for ‘gender neutral’ toilets is at its lowest level for five years.

A recent YouGov poll found that 91% of respondents believe that public spaces should include separate toilets for men and women. This is up from 85% in 2020. The tanker is turning around.

Stonewalls Come Tumblin’ Down

Sex Matters has pointed to a quiet but extremely significant change in Stonewall’s definition of ‘transphobia’ this week.

Note that the reference to the ‘denying’ of ‘gender identity’ has vanished.

And on the subject of Stonewall, Julie Bindel wrote in The Spectator this week about their ongoing fall from grace. Even The Green Party has deserted them.

“Not one major UK government department is still signed up to Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme. At long last, Stonewall’s toxic influence on free speech, equality law and government policy is coming to an end.

But the final nail in the coffin has to be the exit of the Green Party… The Green party’s departure shows how even the most extreme trans activists recognise that Stonewall has lost its power and influence.”