Biden will address your 'gender identity' rather than your sex.

Warning: I just got a message removed where I complained that if people are kind enough not to criticize clothing/makeup/hair of male government leaders, then I expect the same curtesy for female government leaders.

I agree with stumbledin.

He's not in my view an opportunist (beyond the norm for politicians), nor do I agree that his mental capacity is impaired. I think that is an incredibly offensive line to take - I have plenty of people that age in my life who are just as sharp and engaged as ever but whose long life experience often gives them an ability to judge events, developments and people in far more astute and even prescient ways than those decades younger. Furthermore, Biden has himself spoken candidly about the severe stammer he struggled with as a child. As many others who similarly struggled as children, his famous gaffes suggest that he
retains an interiorised one as an adult (ie he has developed a number of techniques to disguise his disfluency when it happens).

What US Americans need is a number of socio-economic and legal reforms, especially the adoption of moderate social-democratic policies widely followed across European countries for decades. There's a number of protections that simply do not exist, in terms of employment, maternity, food safety, standards in all areas of life - whenever there's an issue that pits corporations against ordinary people, the people lose out. This is not benefiting the country as a whole, but reforms are unlikely to happen under Biden. Because he isn't just a believer in the American Dream where hard work pays off in the end, he's lived it. No need for reforms if everyone can succeed if they just try hard enough.

These reforms are viewed and portrayed as socialist, and much argued for by left wing Americans, as is a halt and reverse of the surveillance culture that has thrived after 9/11. There've been a whole range of policies engaged in by administrations of both parties that have grave implications for the civil liberties of Americans.

However, Biden is a centrist who once voted Republican. Whose well-to-do parents lost their wealth when he was younger and who then gained it all back through hard work and business acumen. Who is a moderate on many key issues and as a senator was lauded for his ability to engage in constructive and successful bi-partisan endeavours. He is unlikely to pursue any of these reforms. But he still needs to keep the leftwingers onside somehow. Identity politics offers him the chance to look left wing and progressive. He's never been strong on women's rights, not a clue whether that's coming from disinterest or disagreement. So he's just going to embrace this as an area where being progressive costs him nothing.

That doesn't make him as bad as or worse than Trump or an enemy of women or anything else. It just makes him a typical politician. And an average man engaged in politics - everything else is more important than women's issues.

Feeling subdued today, so glad to see the back of Trump but afraid of how far women’s rights will be lost in the US before being recovered. Seeing Harris being sworn in was emotional though.

EdgeOfACoin is right, legal cases are our best bet right now.

Slight correction, it's Megyn Kelly, best known over here as the Fox anchor who asked Trump a difficult question which caused him to launch particularly unhinged attacks against her including a suggestion that during the questioning she had been menstruating out of her eyes.

It was Megan Kelly.

A contributor on BBC radio 4 now saying Joe Biden needs to back off on the identity politics, Republicans hate it and so do a lot of liberals apparently. She says it's the far left that are pushing it.

It was important for Trump to lose. The final absolute truth of that was his behaviour after the election and particularly on 6 January. However, Trump losing means other losses for us on a number of fronts. Especially since I'm wondering whether Biden will operate as a Trojan Horse.

As EdgeOfACoin says, the focus should be court cases in the UK. They're part of a few oases of sense, including The Times, which are willing to permit discussion and use reality-based decision-making.

Yes, just listened to his inauguration speech. It was good.

He said in his speech "we must reject the culture in which facts are manufactured as well as manipulated."
I hope that happens.

The best thing to do in the UK is to fight and win court cases here.

The US is not bound to follow precedents set in other countries, but generally common-law countries will look abroad if they have a test case to decide. If a common-law country such as the UK has decided one way, it may be used to support a judge's decision in the US.

Of course if Australia does something completely different to the UK then that may also be taken into account by the US.

Equality for All Act - see info from meeting last month www.eventbrite.com/e/the-equality-for-all-act-act-before-congress-convenes-in-january-tickets-131940113431#

Sorry Quaagars - I am also an old person and what I am saying is it is a political tactic to try and promote him to the young, because he alienated many young democrats. Politcal reality and how things are spun is absolutely what is going on here. I suspect like here in the UK 99% of the population do not think of this as an important issue. So ask yourself why does it keep getting pushed up the agenda. Because trans activists have imbedded this as being somehow the future. Women are so passe.

Politics isn't what happens when people type something on a keyboard. It is what happens in meetings behind closed doors when tactics and strategy over take pure policy.

Like it or not women's voices are irrelevant. Trans activism is, not only on social media but in MSM the touchstone to indicate how in touch you are with "forward" thinking.

And I suspect Biden's more traditional politics means he also doesn't think it much of an issue so having trans rights pushed to the front of the queue has little or no meaning for him because he has probably never spent any time thinking about women's rights.

So as is always the case women's rights get pushed to the back of the queue. The left has always been able to make women feel guilty about asking for their rights to be seen as being as important as other rights.

And lets face it a lot of feminists in the US said more important to get rid of trump that worry about self identity.

And if pollsters were right that a lot of young voters who would have voted democrat couldn't be bothered to do it for Clinton, then it was essential to make sure they could be bothered to vote for Biden. Dont forget just how many votes Trump got, and if young democrats had stayed home and not voted what might have happened.

I found myself in a quandary in the run up to the US election. I didn't want Trump to win but neither did I want Biden and the trans-agenda to win.

Biden and the Democrats have not hidden their trans-agenda nor their willingness to throw women under any passing bus.

I know little of Dr Levine so I'm happy for the Dr to prove that they do understand the importance of biological sex in health outcomes.

Sorry I know it's not related to the topic but I can't help myself... Just seen Titania McGrath's post... I'm in stitches listening to the clip. 😂😂

twitter.com/TitaniaMcGrath/status/1351894232643076099?s=20

When Biden was asked in a recent interview how many genders there are his reply was 'At least 3'.

I'm not on Twitter personally but I have a professional account which mostly follows academics in the UK and Ireland. The Twitter response to Biden's statement - 'At least three' - was delight, glee and fondness. 'Aw, isn't he great, what a brilliant response, he gets it, how cute' were the tweets about it. When one brave person tweeted that she was worried about single sex spaces, she was piled on and reported.

Here is a clip. What on earth is he saying?

He nearly says sexuality and mentions OBGYN for some reason. Wtaf?

twitter.com/NorfolkGTI/status/1351220616435822593?s=20

Fair enough if you think that, but I keep seeing his age being dragged into it (old man) he's in his 70s just like Trump is.

or that they don't know what they're doing.

From the footage I have seen of Biden discussing this - I think that it is a very fair conclusion to say that he has either no idea or no care about the implications of this policy on women and girls.

Appointing a trans woman in this job is just part of the woke signally that this (sorry to say this) old man is using to show how in touch he is

His age has nothing to do with it.
Don't insinuate that "old people" who have different opinions to you must be doing it to look cool or woke or whatever, or that they don't know what they're doing.
Talk about patronising.

Sorry dont haave time to get the thread links but there has been an active campaign by gender critical feminists in the US, and they have done on line briefings on this.

One of the first directives Biden will bring in is to allow self identification. ie any facilities or services aimed at women will be open to men who "indentify" as women.

Appointing a trans woman in this job is just part of the woke signally that this (sorry to say this) old man is using to show how in touch he is, in the same way as having a young woman of color or Lady Gaga sing the nation anthem this after noon.

The appointment of one individual is nothing like as damaging as the bill that will be passed this afternoon.

Maybe someone can pull up the threads onthis including links to the briefing.

As it is in Texas they have already had a court case saying it is discriminatory to stop trans women competing in women's sports.

Be prepared for the total avalanche.

Because as it is here, every one just assumes those who oppose this are just right wing fundamentalists and on what will be the political high of Trump being kicked out, the long embedded trans activists will now be able to influence all areas of women's lives in America.

I have zero faith in Biden being any good.... goes off to make another round of comforting toast

I think Biden is not going to be a leader in a real sense but will be a follower having fed to him issues and the views he should hold by a number of groups including identity politics focused progressives.

Lisa Nandy praising Biden as a ‘woke guy’ has made me cringe myself inside out this morning.

Has she said anything about that trans rapist?

I thought she would be worried sick that he does not go to a mens prison