English Blackball Pool Federation

Love you too @BeLemonNow

I did wonder @BeLemonNow - but obviously we all love you too

Sorry accidentally included GIF and now can't edit to delete.

Is BH attending as a witness or just submitting a written statement? I hope attending as the evidence BH produced really needs proper examination

I know this is a serious business, but I would like the lawyers and judge to now go down a "local pub" and start actually playing pool...I suspect that is not their usual haunt.

I really hope it isn't lost on some procedural fairness technicality. They had sound reasons for excluding trans women from the female competition.

So, there are expert witnesses. Wonder what makes BH an expert in safety and fairness for women in sport. Not for the entitlement of males, but for women in their own sports.

I hope someone is going to question this "expert" witness then - and point out the poor attempt at science.

Yes, I find it more consistently ‘grubby’ than what we have seen recently. And, the judge seemed to have to intervene to clean it up.

Especially when it's Blair Hamilton between the goalposts.

Women are good at spotting when the goalposts keep getting moved by trans activism though...

Superb 👏

I'm finding this very upsetting, volunteers just doing what they think is best having their words and actions twisted. I hope the Judge can see this.

From what I've seen the judge seems to.be doing most of the questioning and RW seems to be making statements that the C disagrees with - this seems unusual?

The clearest bit of questioning was when the Judge too over.

@Madcats
It's a non-profit org and they are volunteers. These are older people - grey haired, normal, with (I assume) local accents - standing up for women and girls. The man on the stand has just tried to explain to RW how it is different for boys/young men - can go into a pub or hall and play - and how a teenage girl can't really do that on her own in the same way. AFAICS RW gives no indication of understanding or caring about that.

SC: Not sure where this is going.
J: I suppose it must be the animus thing, which we've already had lots about
SC: There is no procedural fairness issue here.

This is all sounding a bit like scenes from the Vicar of Dibley. Presumably these are fairly elderly volunteers(?)who are really struggling to remember all this stuff because it was ages ago and they are finding RMW X-exam all rather stressful/confusing.

But it is very disappointing that they appear to now be rowing back from their previous sensible position and are now running scared of somebody male, just because they are a lawyer.

To be fair, most people don't know the law (or the nuances of it) so when someone who is a lawyer comes along, people think they must be right. IANAL, but a bit of legal knowledge and legalese can go a very long way if you want to come down heavy!

Also, being fair to MN's moderators, I think the position has vastly improved in the last few years - phrases such as "TIM" or references to autogynephilia are often allowed to stand whereas previously they'd have been reported and deleted. Time was we'd have been knee-deep in deletions on a thread like this, but they've actually been accepted and reinstated so I think that's progress.

Blair Hamilton. Brilliant!
Is Blair appearing in person? The optics, again, will be excellent.

Agree 100%.

Also, I'm willing to bet the spending power of the women of mumsnet is far, far greater than the entirety of the transgender movement.

It's not about the advertising, it's about advertisers being willing to bow down before a tiny number of male bullies demonstrating male abuse tactics.

Also - just a point that women who are trans identified (trans men) CAN play in women's sports as long as they're not doping (i.e. taking testosterone). It's about sex not gender.

Bring it on.

That sounds like idiocy! Let them get on with it!

Excellent. The more zealots they ask to support them, the quicker their (non) argument is exposed

🤣

Totally