Break it down for me?

[TortiousTortoise]

Hi all, I am fairly new to the discussion on the impact that transwomen are having on women generally and I want to more fully understand the issues (been trying to talk to my husband about it and am struggling to articulate it).

I feel so awkward writing about this as I definitely don't want to come across as sounding horrible about transpeople, I just want to understand.

Also there are a lot of acronyms being thrown about. Can anyone help me out?

Another male lactation paper

A recent case study.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13006-024-00624-1

Case presentation
In this case a 37-year-old transgender woman, who was under the care of the centre of expertise on gender dysphoria in Amsterdam, and in 2020 started lactation induction because she had the wish to breastfeed her future infant. She was in a relationship with a cisgender woman and had been using gender affirming hormone therapy for 13 years. Prior to initiating gender affirming hormone therapy she had cryopreserved her semen. Her partner conceived through Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, using our patient’s cryopreserved sperm.

To induce lactation, we implemented a hormone-regimen to mimic pregnancy, using estradiol and progesterone, and a galactogogue; domperidone. Our patient started pumping during treatment. Dosage of progesterone and estradiol were significantly decreased approximately one month before childbirth to mimic delivery and pumping was increased. Our patient started lactating and although the production of milk was low, it was sufficient for supplementary feeding and a positive experience for our patient.

Two weeks after birth, lactation induction was discontinued due to suckling problems of the infant and low milk production.

Conclusions

This case report underlined that lactation induction protocols commonly used for cisgender women are also effective in transgender women. However, the amount of milk produced may not be sufficient for exclusive nursing.

Nevertheless, success of induced lactation may be attributed to its importance for parent-infant bonding, rather than the possibility of exclusive chestfeeding.

Thanks @Helleofabore - talk about a case of wanting to have your cake and eat it.

Whatever about being 'able' to produce some amount of milk, I'm so concerned about the quality of the milk itself. Is it safe for infants to consume? It feels like we're using babies as test cases, surely that's not right

This is a good wrap up of where the campaign for female sports is at the moment. It provides top level counter arguments for many of those we see on threads. It also provides some up to date reference links.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/sms.14581

The International Olympic Committee framework on fairness, inclusion and nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations does not protect fairness for female athletes

Tommy R. Lundberg, Ross Tucker, Kerry McGawley, Alun G. Williams, Grégoire P. Millet, Øyvind Sandbakk, Glyn Howatson, Gregory A. Brown, Lara A. Carlson, Sarah Chantler, Mark A. Chen, Shane M. Heffernan, Neil Heron, Christopher Kirk, Marie H. Murphy, Noel Pollock, Jamie Pringle, Andrew Richardson, Jordan Santos-Concejero, Georgina K. Stebbings, Ask Vest Christiansen, Stuart M. Phillips, Cathy Devine, Carwyn Jones, Jon Pike, Emma N. Hilton

Perspectives:

The IOC framework on fairness, inclusion and nondiscrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations is misaligned with current scientific and medical evidence and offers insufficient protection of fair competition for female athletes within a female category. Also, it does not adequately engage female athletes, who are primary stakeholders in their sport. Male pubertal development results in large performance advantages in athletic sports, which necessitates a female category that excludes male advantages, to ensure equal opportunity through fair competition for female athletes at all levels of sport. There is currently no evidence that testosterone suppression in transgender women can reverse male development and negate male advantages. In contrast, there is convincing evidence that the male advantage persists even when testosterone is suppressed. As a result, sports face the uncomfortable reality that the inclusion of transgender women in female sports categories cannot be reconciled with fairness, and in some instances safety, for females in athletic sports. The IOC must reconsider its framework and revise the 10 principles to reflect scientific evidence and fundamental principles of fair competition. We also recommend implementing a system to enable female stakeholders to be consulted in this matter and to have their voices heard, recognized, and valued.

It also has this:

“In adulthood, circulating testosterone concentrations do not come close to overlapping between females (0.1–1.7 nmol/L) and males (7.7–29.4 nmol/L).”

@LifeInAHamsterWheel I don’t like to use up space here but definitely question if this ‘does no harm’ and why they’re experimenting on infants… ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should’.

New study from Finland on detransition:

Discontinuing hormonal gender reassignment: a nationwide register study.

Riittakerttu Kaltiala, Mika Helminen, Timo Holttinen & Katinka Tuisku

19 August 2024

Background

With increasing numbers of people seeking medical gender reassignment, the scientific community has become increasingly aware of the issue of detransitioning from social, hormonal or even surgical gender reassignment (GR). This study aimed to assess the proportion of patients who discontinued their established hormonal gender transition and the risk factors for discontinuation.

Methods

A nationwide register-based follow-up was conducted. Data were analysed via cross-tabulations with chi-square statistics and t tests/ANOVAs. Multivariate analyses were performed via Cox regression, which accounts for differences in follow-up times.

Results

Of the 1,359 subjects who had undergone hormonal GR in Finland from 1996 to 2019, 7.9% discontinued their established hormonal treatment during an average follow-up of 8.5 years. The risk for discontinuing hormonal GR was greater among later cohorts. The hazard ratio was 2.7 (95% confidence interval 1.1–6.1) among those who had accessed gender identity services from 2013 to 2019 compared with those who had come to contact from 1996 to 2005. Discontinuing also appeared to be emerging earlier among those who had entered the process in later years.

Conclusions

The risk of discontinuing established medical GR has increased alongside the increase in the number of patients seeking and proceeding to medical GR. The threshold to initiate medical GR may have lowered, resulting in a greater risk of unbalanced treatment decisions.

And

”It has long been assumed that very few patients embarking on medical GR regret their choice and seek to reverse it. From the 1970s to the 2010s, estimates of those regretting their initiated GR were only in the region of 2% [5, 6]. However, more recent research suggests that alongside the increase in the number of people accessing medical gender reassignment, reversing the initiated transition seems to be increasing [7]. In recent samples, 20–30% of those who initiated hormonal GR discontinued hormonal treatment in four to five years [8, 9]. It is possible that some patients discontinue hormonal treatment because they have reached their transition goals.”

And

“More importantly, those who have detransitioned have repeatedly reported that before their embarking on medical GR, insufficient attention was given to their mental health and psychosocial problems, which, in retrospect, they believed played a major role in their desire to transition. They have expressed concerns that assessments for medical gender reassignment were too superficial, with no search for explanations for their distress beyond an assumed stable sex-discordant identity requiring transition.”

Sports specific thread continues here:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5142027-save-female-sports-evidence-thread?page=1

If you use this sports thread, please do not start discussions on it. Let's leave it as purely and information source.

Puberty Blocker and Aging Impact on Testicular Cell States and Function

Varshini Murugesh, Megan Ritting, Salem Salem, Syed Mohammed Musheer Aalam, Joaquin Garcia, Asma J Chattha, Yulian Zhao, David JHF Knapp, Guruprasad Kalthur, Candace F Granberg, Nagarajan Kannan

March 27, 2024.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.23.586441v1.full

Abstract

"Spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) acquisition of meiotogenetic state during puberty to produce genetically diverse gametes is blocked by drugs collectively referred as ‘puberty blocker’ (PB). Investigating the impact of PB on juvenile SSC state and function is challenging due to limited tissue access and clinical data. Herein, we report largest clinically annotated juvenile testicular biorepository with all children with gender dysphoria on chronic PB treatment highlighting shift in pediatric patient demography in US. At the tissue level, we report mild-to-severe sex gland atrophy in PB treated children. We developed most extensive integrated single-cell RNA dataset to date (>100K single cells; 25 patients), merging both public and novel (52 month PB-treated) datasets, alongside innovative computational approach tailed for germ cells and evaluated the impact of PB and aging on SSC. We report novel constitutional ranges for each testicular cell type across the entire age spectrum, distinct effects of treatments on prepubertal vs adult SSC, presence of spermatogenic epithelial cells exhibiting post-meiotic-state, irrespective of age, puberty status, or PB treatment. Further, we defined distinct effects of PB and aging on testicular cell lineage composition, and SSC meiotogenetic state and function. Using single cell data from prepubertal and young adult, we were able to accurately predict sexual maturity based both on overall cell type proportions, as well as on gene expression patterns within each major cell type. Applying these models to a PB-treated patient that they appeared pre-pubertal across the entire tissue. This combined with the noted gland atrophy and abnormalities from the histology data raise a potential concern regarding the complete ’reversibility’ and reproductive fitness of SSC. The biorepository, data, and research approach presented in this study provide unique opportunity to explore the impact of PB on testicular reproductive health."

And an article

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13276501/Mayo-Clinic-puberty-blockers-trans-kids-fertility-cancer-medicine.html

"We’re still categorising being transgender as a medical problem, which it is not.". says Dr Vassili Crispi (he/they), an academic neurosurgery trainee who sits on the British Medical Association (BMA) UK Council, and who is part of the doctors’ union’s new LGBTQ+ network.

https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/64466/1/the-fight-against-britains-trans-healthcare-ban-cass-review-puberty-blockers

Place marking

The long awaited Johanna Olson-Kennedy study

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.14.25327614v1

Mental and Emotional Health of Youth after 24 months of Gender-Affirming Medical Care Initiated with Pubertal Suppression

Johanna Olson-Kennedy, Ramon Durazo-Arvizu, Liyuan Wang, Carolyn F. Wong, Diane Chen, Diane Ehrensaft, Marco A. Hidalgo, Yee-Ming Chan, Robert Garofalo, Asa E. Radix, Stephen M. Rosenthal

May 16, 2025

Abstract
Background and Objectives Medical interventions for youth with gender dysphoria can include the use of gonadotropin releasing hormone analogs (GnRHas) for suppression of endogenous puberty. This analysis aimed to understand the impact of medical intervention initiated with GnRHas on psychological well-being among youth with gender dysphoria over 24 months.

Methods Participants were enrolled as part of the Trans Youth Care United States Study. Eligibility criteria for youth included a diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria and pubertal initiation. Youth with precocious puberty or pre-existing osteoporosis were ineligible. Youth reported on depressive symptoms, emotional health and suicidality at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after initiation of GnRHas. Parent/caretaker completed the Child Behavior Checklist at baseline, 12 and 24 months after initiation of GnRHas. Latent Growth-Curve Models analyzed trajectories of change over the 24-month period.

Results Ninety-four youth aged 8-16 years (mean=11.2 y) were predominately Non-Hispanic White (56%), early pubertal (86%) and assigned male at birth (52%). Depression symptoms, emotional health and CBCL constructs did not change significantly over 24 months. At no time points were the means of depression, emotional health or CBCL constructs in a clinically concerning range.

Conclusion Participants initiating medical interventions for gender dysphoria with GnRHas have self- and parent-reported psychological and emotional health comparable with the population of adolescents at large, which remains relatively stable over 24 months. Given that the mental health of youth with gender dysphoria who are older is often poor, it is likely that puberty blockers prevent the deterioration of mental health.

Prevalence of Personality Disorder Diagnoses in People Referred to Specialized Gender Identity Clinics in Finland

Marja Kaila-Vanhatalo, Tommi Tolmunen, Aino Mattila and Riittakerttu Kaltiala

Published Online: 28 Apr 2025

https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.2025.39.2.95

Abstract

A higher prevalence of personality disorder diagnoses has been found among individuals with gender dysphoria. However, previous studies on this topic have been limited and methodologically inconsistent. The object of this research was to determine the prevalence of personality disorder diagnoses in individuals requesting medical gender reassignment. A registerbased follow-up study tracked individuals who contacted the nationally centralized gender identity services in Finland in 1996-2019 (n = 3,665) and 8:1 age- and sex-matched population controls (n = 29,292). All their specialist-level psychiatric treatment contacts in 1994-2022 were identified in the National Care Register for Health Care. ICD-10 diagnoses and dates of the contacts were extracted.

Among the gender dysphoria group, 15.0% (551 out of 3,665) had received a diagnosis in the personality disorder group (F60-69 excluding F64.x), while among the control subjects, 2.1% (625 out of 29,292) had received such a diagnosis.

Hooray!!! SEGM has a page with links to studies. This is a great archive.

It covers treatment, and side effects, mental health, suicide, even social transitioning.

https://segm.org/studies

The measurable impact on brains of having to learn the streets of London, an indication that people who share interests / occupations etc may have similar changes to their brains over time and repetition.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34914151/

London taxi drivers: A review of neurocognitive studies and an exploration of how they build their cognitive map of London

Griesbauer, Manley, Wiener, Spiers

Jan 2022

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hipo.23395 for full text

'A range of evidence indicates that within the brain the hippocampus provides a cognitive map of the environment to support memory and navigation (Epstein et al., 2017; Gahnstrom & Spiers, 2020; O'Keefe & Nadel, 1978) and damage to the hippocampus disrupts navigation (Morris et al., 1982; Spiers, Burgess, Hartley, et al., 2001). Hippocampal neurons encode spatial information (O'Keefe & Nadel, 1978) and for a selected group of individuals, who spend their daily lives navigating using map-based recall of space, their posterior hippocampal gray matter volume increases with years of experience and is larger than in the general population (Maguire et al., 2000). These individuals are licensed London taxi drivers.'

Posting this summary from the YouGov tracker

Comparing 2018 answers too.

In the following questions a transgender woman is someone who was biologically male at birth, but now identifies as a woman. A transgender man is someone who was biologically female at birth, but now identifies as a man.

Do you think transgender women should or should not be allowed to…
Take part in women's sporting events?2018 in italics, 2022 in [brackets vs 2024

Should be allowed 27 [16] 12% 2018 - 2024 this is decrease by 15%
Should not be allowed 48 [61] 74% 2018 - 2024 this is increase by 26%
Don't know 25 [22] 14%. 2018 - 2024 this is decrease by 11%

Use women's changing rooms? 2022 in brackets vs 2024

Should be allowed 42 [34] 25%. 2018 - 2024* this is decrease by 17%
Should not be allowed 33 [43] 58%. 2018 - 2024 this is increase by 25%
Don't know 25 [23] 17%. 2018 - 2024 *this is decrease by 8%

Use women's toilets? 2022 in brackets vs 2024

Should be allowed 46 [38] 33%. 2018 - 2024 this is decrease by 13%
Should not be allowed 30 [41] 51%. 2018 - 2024* *this is increase by 20%
Don't know 23 [21] 16%. 2018 - 2024 this is decrease by 7%

Use women's refuges? 2022 in brackets vs 2024

Should be allowed 47 [39] 29%. 2018 - 2024 this is decrease by 18%
Should not be allowed 27 [36] 55%. 2018 - 2024 this is increase by 28%
Don't know 26 [25] 16%. 2018 - 2024 this is decrease by 10%

No surgery question was asked in 2018

And the specific non surgical question from 2020:

Do you think a transgender woman who has not had gender reassignment surgery should or should not be allowed to...

Use women's changing rooms? 2020 in italics, 2022 in [brackets] vs 2024

Should be allowed 26 [25] 19%. 2020 - 2024 this is decrease by 7%
Should not be allowed 46 [48] 63%. 2020 - 2024* *this is increase by 17%
Don't know 28 [27] 18%. 2020 - 2024 this is decrease by 10%

Use women's toilets?

Should be allowed 31 [29] 23%. 2020 - 2024* *this is decrease by 8%
Should not be allowed 41 [46] 60%. 2020 - 2024 this is increase by 19%
Don't know 27 [25] 18%. 2020 - 2024 this is decrease by 9%

And finally:

This question was also not asked in 2018

Do you believe that allowing transgender women to use spaces reserved for women, such as women's toilets or changing rooms, does or does not present a genuine risk of harm to women? 2020 in italics, 2022 in [brackets] vs 2024

Does not present a genuine risk of harm 39 [32] 25%. 2020 - 2024 this is decrease by 14%
Does present a genuine risk of harm 32 [39] 55%. 2020 - 2024 this is increase by 23%
Don't know 29 [29] 20%. 2020 - 2024 this is decrease by 9%

d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/Transgender_data_2018.pdf

https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/Transgender_data_2020.pdf

https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/Internal_TransgenderIssues_220720_final_extraXbreak_FINAL.pdf

https://ygo-assets-websites-editorial-emea.yougov.net/documents/YouGov_-_Transgender_study_2024.pdf

There was also a Sex Matters poll done within days of the YouGov tracker. These are the results of it compared to in the past too. Just pulling them together, the Sex Matters (2533 adults polled) results were often more supportive than the YouGov results (2078 adults polled).

https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/SexMatters_Gender_241219_ZMwbM2T.pdf

In the following questions a transgender woman is someone who was biologically male at birth, but now identifies as a woman. A transgender man is someone who was biologically female at birth, but now identifies as a man.

Do you think transgender women should or should not be allowed to…
Take part in women's sporting events?2018 in italics, 2022 in [brackets vs 2024 SM (YG 2024)

Should be allowed 27 [16] 11%SM 2018 - 2024 SM this is decrease by 16% (YG 12%)
Should not be allowed 48 [61] 74%SM 2018 - 2024 SM this is increase by 26% (YG 74%)
Don't know 25 [22] 15%SM. 2018 - 2024 this is SM decrease by 10% (YG 14%)

Use women's changing rooms? 2022 in brackets vs 2024
Should be allowed 42 [34] 27%SM. 2018 - 2024SM this is decrease by 15% (YG 25%)*
Should not be allowed 33 [43] 56%SM. 2018 - 2024SM this is increase by 23% (YG 58%)
Don't know 25 [23] 17%SM. 2018 - 2024 SM this is decrease by 8% (YG 17%)*

Use women's toilets? 2022 in brackets vs 2024
Should be allowed 46 [38] 33%SM. 2018 - 2024 SMthis is decrease by 13% (YG 29%)
Should not be allowed 30 [41] 51%SM. 2018 - 2024SM this is increase by 20% (YG 55%)
Don't know 23 [21] 16%SM. 2018 - 2024 SM this is decrease by 7% (YG 16%)

Use women's refuges? 2022 in brackets vs 2024
Should be allowed 47 [39] 31%SM. 2018 - 2024 SM this is decrease by 16% (YG 29%)
Should not be allowed 27 [36] 47%SM. 2018 - 2024 SM this is increase by 20% (YG 52%)
Don't know 26 [25] 22%SM. 2018 - 2024 this is decrease SM by 4% (YG 20%)

And the specific non surgical question from 2020:

Do you think a transgender woman who has not had gender reassignment surgery should or should not be allowed to...

Use women's changing rooms? 2020 in italics, 2022 in [brackets] vs 2024SM (YG 2024)
Should be allowed 26 [25] 20%SM. 2020 - 2024SM this is decrease by 6% (YG 19%)
Should not be allowed 46 [48] 62%SM. 2020 - 2024 SM this is increase by 16% (YG 63%)
Don't know 28 [27] 18%SM. 2020 - 2024 SM this is decrease by 10% (YG 18%)

Use women's toilets?
Should be allowed 31 [29] 26%SM. 2020 - 2024 SM this is decrease by 5% (YG 23%)
Should not be allowed 41 [46] 58%SM. 2020 - 2024 SM this is increase by 17% (YG 60%)
Don't know 27 [25] 16%SM. 2020 - 2024 SM this is decrease by 11% (YG 18%)

For me, there was the thing itself: the radical claim that men could be women, the medicalisation of confused children and the erasure of women in law. Beyond that, there was the extreme censorship, coercion and societal capture. That was terrifying. That's why I will never, ever say anything bad about Elon Musk. He saved freedom of speech. There is either a very horrible social contagion happening ala Salem witch trials, or a very concerted effort to... I don't know what. Control population? Wrest procreation from the realm of women? Who knows?

Before this thread tops out at 1,000 posts . . . I was concerned a couple of years ago that some long "resource" threads from 2018 and 2019 had disappeared, apparently reported long after they were complete.

It seems less of a concern now but I decided to start archiving this thread. When it is complete I will archive the final, 40th page.

All archived pages can be found on https://archive.today by entering this URL into the Search Box - remember to include the asterisk at the end of the URL to see a list of all the pages archived:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/3145470-Break-it-down-for-me*

Violence and intimidation against women speaking to the end of 2023

https://x.com/glinner/status/1980390649246675001?s=46

On my website, JL collected almost a decade's worth of trans activist violence to disprove the "bad behaviour on both sides" myth. I just asked ChatGPT to summarize it:
Documented pattern spanning nearly a decade of violent intimidation, physical assault, property damage, vandalism of memorials, stalking, hostage-taking, and sustained harassment campaigns specifically targeting women's rights advocates, lesbians, feminists, and anyone questioning gender ideology. Only one side doing this.

2014 onwards - "Kill All TERFs"
Widespread violent threats on social media documented by website "Terf is a Slur" - rape and death threats against women.

September 2017 - Speakers Corner & Maria MacLachlan
We Need To Talk event forced to change venues after harassment. Trans activists followed attendees through Hyde Park. Meeting at University Women's Club had to be curtailed due to mob outside screaming and intimidating elderly members. MacLachlan assaulted on camera by Tara Flik Wood.

November 2017 - Social Justice Warrior at Book Fair
Woman surrounded for over an hour by 30 trans activists at anarchist bookfair, subjected to misogynistic abuse.

March 2018 - Spooking Millwall Football Club
We Need To Talk forced to cancel after relentless harassment of venue. Previous events in York and Glasgow also cancelled under pressure.

March 2018 - Violence on the Picket Line
Paula Lamont attacked on her own Bectu picket line by trans activists including Tara Flik Wood. Forced to leave for her safety.

April 2018 - The Siege in the Jam Jar
Trans activists forced their way into Bristol venue, physically blocked staircase, prevented attendees including Julie Bindel from entering. Heather Brunskell-Evans trapped in stairwell.

June 2018 - WPUK Besieged at Conway Hall
London Young Labour incited protest. Venue cancelled hours before event. Alternative venue surrounded by 100+ masked activists. Women assaulted, had projectiles and water thrown at them. One woman suffered panic attack running gauntlet of protesters.

January 2020 - Death Threats at Oxford University
Professor Selina Todd required security detail after speaking at WPUK event. Death threats credible enough for university protection.
June 2020 - Death Threats for Children's Author
JK Rowling subjected to rape and death threats after tweeting about biological sex. Continues after she published statement about concerns over gender ideology.

October 2020 - L'Amazone in Paris
Female-only space broken into by trans activists who changed locks, shut women out, vandalised artwork including memorial to murdered woman by drawing penis over it.

February 2021 - Spain's New Dictatorship
Trans activists hung effigy of First Vice President Carmen Calvo by neck from tree after she opposed self-ID laws.

March 2021 - Breaking Bones in Canada
Chris Elston assaulted approximately 20 times while campaigning. Attacked by masked thugs in Montreal who stole equipment, punched him, broke his arm.

July 2021 - Protest at Melbourne University
Trans activists organised protest calling for Dr Holly Lawford-Smith to be sacked. Women verbally abused, had water thrown at them, called c*nts. Trans-identified male shouted into woman's face with loudhailer.

August 2021 - Police Escort for Gay Man at Pride
Alexander Bramham assaulted at Manchester Pride, hat stolen, required police escort. Gay man ejected from Pride event for wearing LGB Alliance logo.

September 2021 - The Hounding of Kathleen Stock
Sussex University professor subjected to ongoing campaign of threats, harassment. Required cameras at home, bodyguards on campus. Anonymous 'Anti Terf Sussex' group posted guerrilla-style photos with smoking flares demanding she be fired. Eventually forced to resign.

September 2021 - Trying to Set Lesbians Alight
Trans-identified male attacked lesbians at Bordeaux Pride with lit flare.

October 2021 - Intimidation at FiLiA Conference
Large group of mostly male trans activists protested Portsmouth conference about ending male violence. Brandished placards with misogynistic slurs whilst women inside spoke about rape and domestic abuse.

November 2021 - Women Attacked in Brussels
Small group of women marching against male violence surrounded by 50 trans activists. Beaten, insulted, intimidated. One woman kicked in back.

April 2022 - Fantasising About Male Violence
Trans-identified male Gretchen Felker-Martin published "Manhunt" - novel featuring hunting and killing women described as "TERF soldiers" and "knights of JK Rowling". Features rape scenes and disturbing violence.

May 2022 - Bookshop Burning in Barcelona
Trans activists attacked bookshop hosting authors of "No One is Born in the Wrong Body", clashed with police, threatened to burn down shop. Authors forced to shelter inside with blinds drawn for 45 minutes.

March 2022 - Let Women Speak in Manchester #1
Large gang marched from St Peter's Square chanting "Terf scum off our streets". Disrupted WPUK meeting where speakers included Zimbabwean lesbian asylum seeker and CSA survivor discussing importance of female-only spaces.

June 2022 - Bristol Let Women Speak
Masked, hooded, predominantly male protesters screamed at women. Held signs reading "TERFs can suck my dick". Wrote "Colston - Terfs are next" on pavement (reference to torn-down statue of slave trader).

June 2022 - MP Escorted By Police at Pride
Jo Gideon, Conservative MP, subjected to non-stop abuse at Stoke Pride by 20 LGBT+ Society activists. Required police escort. Banner vandalised.

June 2022 - Let Women Speak in Barcelona
Feminists protesting male violence surrounded by trans activists screaming "Kill the TERF".

July 2022 - Destroyed Memorial to Murdered Babies
Trans activists vandalised street mural memorial to 14 babies killed by shaken baby syndrome. Collage created by grieving mothers whose babies were murdered by male partners. Vandals admitted destroying it because creators were "transphobic feminists".

August 2022 - Let Women Speak in Philadelphia
Trans activists with drums, noise makers, megaphones tried to drown out women. Crowded Kara Dansky, tried to grab mic, screamed "Shut the fuck up", gave continual thumbs down. Police unprepared.

August 2022 - Let Women Speak in Port Townsend
80-year-old Julie Jarman barred from pool after protesting male employee in women's changing room watching little girls undress. Women's press conference attacked by trans activists. Activists threw equipment, tore flags, damaged property, screamed in faces. Man with AR-15 over trans flag on cap present. Aggressive men shouting at Black woman and rape survivor.

September 2022 - The New Homophobia
Lesbian Strength march in Leeds disrupted by trans activists.

September 2022 - Attacking a Stonewall Veteran
Fred Sargeant, 74-year-old gay rights pioneer who was at original Stonewall riot and organised first Pride march (1970), assaulted at Burlington Pride. Pushed to ground, hit on head, jabbed with umbrella, had coffee poured on him. Required hospitalisation. Over $550 property stolen/damaged.

September 2022 - Let Women Speak in Brighton
Trans activists arrested for assault, obstructing police officer, and sexual assault by touching.

October 2022 - Portland Cancellation
Event cancelled after credible death threats by Antifa. Portland police unable to offer protection. Isabel Rosa Araujo (Antifa militant) publicly fundraised for pepper spray, collapsible baton, Bowie knife. Made open threats: "Smash On Sight", "Make TERFs afraid again". Few brave women who did gather were attacked.

October 2022 - Let Women Speak in Tacoma
Despite death threats, police refused presence. Man in short skirt rushed Lierre Keith at mic. April Hutchinson had fingers deliberately crushed and broken by male activist's bare hands. Trans activists advertised with image of boot stamping on women.

November 2022 - Mob at New York City Hall
Kellie-Jay Keen unable to reach podium due to aggressive demonstrators. Large crowd of trans activists and Antifa members required barricades. Demonstrators spat at women, chanted insults, used whistles/bells/drums/alarms, fought with NYPD, breached barricades, followed and threatened attendees.
Two topless trans-identified males grabbed and fondled own "breasts" whilst screaming at women. Amara Gisele Jones Velasquez screamed "I'm going to beat your ass", "These titties are way more real than you", "No man wants you", called 77-year-old LGBT activist "fucking faggot".
NYPD Strategic Response Group deployed. Unlawful assembly declared. Multiple arrests. Eli Erlich (accused of rape/sexual assault) bragged "We glitterbombed, pied, flipped off, screamed at, spit on, and cursed TERFs".

December 2022 - Shit-Throwing in Brussels
Céline Masson and Caroline Eliacheff (authors of "The Making of the Transgender Child") attacked at Brussels café. Twenty hooded men threw pots containing litter and excrement at attendees, tried to assault speakers, vandalised venue.

January 2023 - Storming McGill University
Professor Robert Wintemute (37 years defending LGB rights) prevented from giving talk at McGill. 100 trans activists stormed discussion. Attendees physically assaulted - shoved, pushed, blasted with bullhorns, one pushed to ground. Professor had flour thrown at him.

March 2023 - UCL Feminist Conference
Feminist conference featuring Joanna Cherry KC, Julie Bindel, Helen Joyce besieged. Sarah Jane Baker (30 years for kidnap/torture/attempted murder) yelled "c*nts" at women. Activists banged on windows, screamed. Kate Worley (DJ Lippy) assaulted - phone wrestled away and thrown, thumbs pulled back, bruised.

February 2023 - Storming Mexican Congress
Trans activists stormed Mexico City Congress protesting legislation to prevent child medicalisation. Smashed doors and windows, threw rocks, graffitied. Victoria Sámano forced way through, fought security guards.

March 2023 - Auckland Mob
Kellie-Jay Keen's New Zealand event besieged by "feral" mob before it started. Predominantly men, not in dresses. Shoved women, screamed in faces. Broke through barriers, descended on rotunda. Kellie-Jay doused with tomato juice, grabbed, jostled, stomped on. Mob tried to trip, punch her, grabbed clothing.

March 2023 - Assault in Vancouver
Chris Elston mobbed and surrounded by masked male activists in camouflage. One lunged at him twice, jabbed hand in his face. Another activist threw Elston's supporter to floor whilst police watched. Trans-identified male with long blond hair screamed "Fuck you!" repeatedly in Elston's face. Police did nothing.

April 2023 - Threats in Nantes
Symposium "Woman, Life, Freedom" supporting Afghan/Iranian women postponed after threats of "rotten eggs and baseball bats" from trans activists. Poster circulated with knife superimposed. Organiser faced "absolutely monstrous violence".

April 2023 - Riley Gaines Held Hostage
Riley Gaines speaking at San Francisco State University heckled throughout. After speech, mob burst in, turned off lights. Man in women's clothing hit her twice - shoulder then face. Cornered in hallway with no exit. Barricaded in office for three hours whilst mob hammered walls screaming "Open the door, we want Riley", "This is vengeance". Eventually required SFPD cordon and had to run to car as mob chased her. Left at 2am.

April 2023 - Gay Man Assaulted by Belfast Bar Staff
Man assaulted by staff at Robinson's bar Belfast after Standing For Women event.

July 2023 - Incitement to Violence at Trans Pride
Sarah Jane Baker told London Trans Pride crowd: "If you see a TERF, punch them in the fucking face". Cheered loudly. Recording shared by official London Trans Pride Instagram who defended it: "Sarah and many others hold a lot of rage and they have the right to express that anger".

July 2023 - Woman Seriously Assaulted in Aberdeen
Julie Marshall assaulted at Women Won't Wheesht event. Male activist struck her full in face with sign, glasses flew off, then punched her in arm. Suffered black eye and severe bruising. Esme Houston, trans-identified organiser of protest, celebrated male violence on social media.

August 2023 - 'Millions of Dead Terfs' in San Francisco
WDIUSA conference at Hilton Hotel besieged. Trans activists outside making sexually aggressive gestures, chanting obscenities. Hotel locked doors. One activist held sign "millions of dead terfs". Eight scaled fence trying to attack Meghan Murphy and K Yang on rooftop. They had to run. One attacker physically assaulted hotel general manager.
Nearby art exhibition "A Nasty Piece of Work: The Art of Dissident Feminists" featuring work by lesbian and Black African artists also targeted.

November 2023 - Portland Violence
WDI event at Multnomah County Library. Trans activists stalked organisers to AirBNB, slashed car tyres. Vandalised library - smashed glass doors, spray-painted graffiti. Library forced to close. Event moved outside. 30-50 masked male trans activists descended on 10 women. Threw cans, pepper-sprayed women directly in faces causing temporary blindness. Punched women, pushed them down, kicked them on ground. Four hospitalised. Equipment stolen, phones snatched/destroyed. Elderly uninvolved woman in 70s pushed down. Portland Police never responded to multiple 911 calls reporting active assaults.

Thank you for that Helle. It's truly shocking seeing it documented in that way.

This movement is driven by a seething, boiling, hatred of women and girls everywhere.

As soon as you start reading it, you realise that it's got fuck all to do with any kind of 'identity'.

It's pure, unadulterated violent misogyny. The glee with which they attack grieving mothers, rape victims, artists, the elderly.

The word, the whole concept of Terf was invented purely to shut women up, shut them down, and whack them if you can get close enough.

They're all disgusting, but for some reason, this one epitomised it for me. They're completely open about their hatred

October 2020 - L'Amazone in Paris
Female-only space broken into by trans activists who changed locks, shut women out, vandalised artwork including memorial to murdered woman by drawing penis over it.

There's a thread running at the moment of a dad whose daughter is at Brighton School having to disrobe in front of the boys to validate them.

He's running into brick walls everywhere.

But he has said even other pupils are gender critical but they're too scared of the social repercussions to say so.

The entire fucking edifice is built on fear.

This is a copy to the full dossier for the BBC lack of impartiality.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/06/read-devastating-internal-bbc-memo-in-full/

https://archive.ph/F5K38

The section about gender identity is below:

-start-

Biological sex and gender

A BBC presenter contacted me about a month after I started working with the EGSC. He put me in touch with a reporter and a producer. All three were from different parts of the BBC but had shared concerns about BBC coverage of the trans issue.

The story that each person told me was what sounded like effective censorship by the specialist LGBTQ desk within News.

As virtually all shows had lost their own reporters, programme editors had to make requests to News if they wanted a correspondent to cover a story. I was told that time and time again the LGBTQ desk staffers would decline to cover any story raising difficult questions about the trans-debate.

The allegation made to me was stark: that the desk had been captured by a small group of people promoting the Stonewall view of the debate and keeping other perspectives off-air. Individual programmes had come to lack their own reporters as a counterweight.

What I was told chimed with what I saw for myself on BBC Online - that stories raising difficult questions about the ‘trans agenda’ were ignored even if they had been widely taken up and discussed across other media outlets.

There was also a constant drip-feed of one-sided stories, usually news features, celebrating the trans experience without adequate balance or objectivity.

A typical example was the story of Gisele Shaw, a gushing tale of a transgender wrestler who felt “liberated” by coming out.

This story, posted on March 15th, 2023, glossed over how the wrestler, who is a biological male, had repeatedly won trophies by competing in women’s competition.

The Board might take note that the one undisputed run of ground-breaking journalistic excellence in this space was that of Newsnight’s Hannah Barnes, who went on to author the seminal book about the medical treatment and mistreatment of ‘trans children’.

Her work might well now not be possible at the BBC, given the culture I describe above combined with changes at Newsnight and the lack now of any programme-specific reporters.

Ms Barnes, with a proud track record at the BBC, elected to depart for the New Statesman.

Story selection and diversity of opinion

David Grossman’s report examining the BBC’s coverage of trans issues came to the EGSC in October 2024.

It found many shortcomings, in line with my fears and the concerns raised with me by BBC staff.

These included:

• On story selection, his report warned of an “unintended editorial bias”
• “Significant voices” were too often missing from the BBC’s coverage, including those who had transitioned and regretted their decision or those who had concerns about the process
• The report couldn’t find a single example in the review period that reflected the experience of de-transitioners
• It noted there were more stories about the waiting times for people to receive care than examining the quality of that care itself
• It also noted a surprisingly high number of stories about drag queens considering it is such a niche group of people
• Stories that raised concerns about the quality or safety of care given to gender questioning children and adults received “little or no coverage”
• In March 2024, there was widespread media coverage of leaked documents from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health which raised concerns about the quality of care given to gender-distressed children. It was picked up by the Mail, Economist, Observer, Washington Post, the Times and others but not the BBC
• There was also scant coverage of biological women campaigning to exclude biological men from sensitive spaces
• The BBC failed to cover the story of Darlington nurses who took their employer to court for allowing their changing room to be used by biological males. This story was covered extensively by other news outlets including Sky News and GB News
• Similarly, there was no coverage of claims biological male police and prison officers were being allowed to conduct strip searches on women and girls
• The report warned that the phrase “assigned at birth” in relation to biological sex was appearing frequently in coverage, despite being advised against in guidelines
• The report noted concerns with how the debate about the Cass Review was framed on Newsnight – the views of a doctor critical of the Tavistock Clinic were “balanced” with those of a trans woman, who said she had received excellent care. The report pointed out that if Newsnight was covering concerns about a maternity unit it would not seek to provide balance by interviewing a mother who was happy with her care

Gender identity

The concept of gender identity is contested but David warned the EGSC that “some of our coverage is presented in a way that suggests the concept of gender identity is an established fact rather than contested.”

He also warned there was a tacit acceptance of the concept of ‘gender identity’ in BBC guidelines that could cause impartiality problems and recommended a change.

The guidelines state: “for most people their sex and gender identity are the same”.

He suggested adding: “Others may reject the idea that they have a gender identity that is separate from their biological sex at all”.

My understanding is we are still waiting for the updated news style guide, nearly 12 months since David’s report was presented to the EGSC.

David’s findings highlight a cultural problem across the BBC – that too many of its staff have never considered the idea of “gender identity” to be either spurious or offensive to many people.

As an institution the BBC too often views issues of gender and sexuality as a celebration of British diversity rather than exploring the complexities of the subject.

Without anchoring stories in biological sex, they risk becoming incomprehensible to audiences. For example, they may not understand the concerns about a transgender woman being sent to a woman’s prison.

David flagged one article, carried on BBC News in June, 2024, under the headline: “Transgender woman guilty of rape after night out”. Without adding that the offender was a biological man, this story would be confusing for many.
The review recommended BBC reporters and presenters should use language more “anchored in biological sex” – such as biological males and biological females.

“Otherwise, there is a real danger that audiences may not understand the stories we are attempting to cover.”

A prime example would be the case of Scarlet Blake - a transgender woman sentenced on February 26th, 2024, for the murder of Jorge Martin Carreo. When the story was reported on the One O’Clock News, Blake was not referred to as a trans woman, only a woman. On the Six O’Clock News, she was referred to as a trans woman.

In a statement, the BBC conceded that Blake should have been referred to as a trans woman in the lunchtime programme. It is interesting to ask how the lunchtime news got this wrong - it may well speak to capture by a particular lobby or a nervousness when reporting these subjects.

-end-

Following this, similar suggestions have been made that Australia's ABC is similarly influenced:

This is also a report stemming from the BBC report on the similar influence of ACON for ABC in Australia.

https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episodes/bbc/106019728

In this report they say about Gender identity bias:

But as for that third major criticism that the ABC, like the BBC, is failing to report critically on transgender issues, we fear there may indeed be grounds for concern.

Because despite some coverage in recent years, like this Four Corners, about the debate over youth gender care and these online stories – all of which have included criticisms of the gender-affirming approach to care – there have also been significant gaps, beginning three years ago with dramatic news that the prominent Tavistock Clinic in London was to be shuttered.

Despite Australian physicians mirroring some of Tavistock’s gender-affirming approach, this news was not reported by the ABC for three weeks after the event. Since then, a number of significant developments have played out, like this one in an Australian court, reported in June:

RENOWNED PROFESSOR REVEALED AS SUBJECT OF JUDGE’S CRITICISM

NATIONAL GUIDELINES QUESTIONED

- The Australian, 6 June 2025

That story revealed that Michelle Telfer, Australia’s experienced gender-medicine expert, was identified as having given misleading evidence in a Family Court case involving a mother wanting puberty blockers for her 12-year-old child.

The judge in that case questioned claims puberty blockers were fully reversible and relatively risk-free, as well as what he described as the “ … oddly binary approach … in relation to children … to affirm unreservedly those who present with concerns regarding their gender …” ( The Australian, 6 June 2025)

The story, of obvious significance, was covered by the Law Report on ABC Radio National.

But even though the ABC News division had previously shown great interest in Telfer’s work, including in this 2021 doco, it published not a single story about the case which might have also canvassed criticisms of the judgment.

In 2014, Four Corners produced this intimate and important portrait of two children seeking to change gender - and a landmark Family Court ruling which eased the availability of puberty blockers, interviewing its then chief justice Diana Bryant who wrote the decision.

Last week, however, Diana Bryant revealed she would not find the same way now:

“… if I were deciding the … case now and had the evidence that’s now becoming available, I certainly doubt that I would have come to the conclusion that … (court) approval wasn’t needed for puberty blockers.”
- The Australian, 10 November 2025

Which, a week on, has yet to be reported by the ABC.

Meanwhile, Auntie has also failed to tell its audience about an appeal of a Federal Court decision, which ruled for the first time that a trans-woman must be granted access to a women-only online space under the Sex Discrimination Act.

Nor as far as we can tell, has the ABC interviewed Sall Grover, the woman running that appeal, despite her appearing regularly in other parts of the media.
We asked the ABC if those stories should have been covered or covered more extensively.

A spokesperson told us:
"We’re always open to feedback if there are significant gaps in news coverage or we could do more." - Email, ABC spokesperson, 14 November 2025

Adding:

"The ABC takes no position on gender affirming care but seeks to adequately cover this issue, keeping in mind its obligation to not unduly cause harm … Over time the ABC has covered this issue from many angles and given voice to both opponents and proponents of gender-affirming care." - Email, ABC spokesperson, 14 November 2025

There are, I’m sure, several reasons for these gaps in the ABC’s coverage, and I suspect one of them is how clamorous the blowback can be reporting this very difficult story about a very vulnerable community.

But the ABC and its journalists have a duty to the public to find the courage to do so, with just as much dispassion as compassion.

Helen Webberley was interviewed by Ben Leo on 16th November 2025. It is a remarkable interview that shows how some people can use Extreme transgender activist talking points while dismissing any negative response.

Webberley did this interview because Gender GP has extended into the USA market. This interview was designed to promote the service.

Here is the thread about it here.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5445637-helen-webberley-interviewed

This is the list for the Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife thread.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5379717-sandie-peggie-list-of-threads-covering-employment-tribunal-and-afterwards

This tribunal case has been so very important and there are 50+ threads that have been generated by it. Nauticant thankfully created an index thread with links to each thread. No doubt, the judgement when it comes will create more threads too.

There will only be 2 remaining posts after this one. @TortiousTortoise do you want to start thread #2? It’s beneficial to link threads like this to their successors.

Alas, this ‘Break it down for me’ thread is finished. However, there is more as women keep fighting to make sure that women and girls, and all children, have rights that meet their unique needs met.

The new thread will be titled: Break it down for me 2 - General Break it Down archive thread

However, that is not the only resource at all. There are also specific threads that might be useful that will be the stash for specific types of links and information.

The specific archive threads (including this one) are:

Save female sports evidence thread
Statistics & poll evidence archive thread
Medical treatment archive thread
It will never happen - resource thread
Court cases/Judicial Reviews/ET/ETAs
Break it down for me 2 - General Break it Down archive thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5445899-break-it-down-for-me-2-general-break-it-down-archive-thread
Medical treatment archive thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5445882-medical-treatment-for-gender-identity-evidence-archive-thread

Thank you to all who contributed. Particularly to R0wantrees who did so much work on this thread.

Apologies

Here is the link for the new thread (I got blocked from starting it so I couldn't link it up).

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5445899-break-it-down-for-me-2-general-break-it-down-archive-thread

Thanks everyone!