Reasons to be cheerful

[PerkingFaintly]

Felt we could do with a good news thread, to keep spirits up.

This has pleased me greatly today.

First female medical students get degrees at last
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-48885287

Seven women who were prevented from graduating as doctors 150 years ago have been awarded posthumous honorary degrees in medicine. The "Edinburgh Seven" were the first women admitted to study medicine in Britain when they enrolled in 1869.

Sorry to be a misery guts but this doesn't make me cheerful at all. It is sheer window dressing. It costs nothing at all to signal your virtue by rewarding dead women and merely distracts from the shit that is going on in our universities today.

It's also only event because of the historic wrong, which can never be fully righted.

But I'm still more pleased that they have done this, than if they hadn't.

And I could do with the occasional fillip of good news.

PerkingFaintly I'm really glad you've started a thread of good news. I find the story about the medical students depressing though - like TheCountess says, it's exactly the sort of meaningless window-dressing that stands in place of real progress.
Some things I do find hopeful:

• Pride London backtracking on their attempt to ban photographers

(mentioned in this thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3630064-Press-photographers-banned-from-pride-because-of-last-year-s-Get-The-L-Out-protest?pg=2)

• Amanda Spielman's speech at the Stonewall conference (mentioned in this thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3629628-Transgender-Trend-banned-from-Stonewall-conference-tomorrow?pg=1)

I too spotted the article about the female medical students finally being awarded their degrees, and thought it cheering news, even though the awards were long overdue.

Anyway, I saw these videos of women photographers on the BBC website, and thought they deserved a mention here. It's good that attention is being drawn to such interesting women through exhibitions and anthologies like these.

www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-48875762/life-magazine-and-its-women-behind-the-lens

www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-42571598/a-celebration-of-black-female-photograph

Here's some great news!!

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7220897/GPs-risk-transgender-storm-issuing-unprecedented-warning-lack-evidence-treatments.html

Just received this press release from Speak Up for Women. Good to see that the NZ government has listened carefully to the UN, especially in regard to women's rights. So, something to feel cheerful about I think.

The govt announced on Thursday last week that it had accepted 160 of the UN’s 194 recommendations and noted the remaining 34 as future areas where reform is needed. SUFW is pleased to see that improvements to justice and health in regards to Māori, the rights of children, and the rights of women have been made top priorities, says spokeswoman, Ms O'Brien. The group acknowledges that gender identity activists will be disappointed by the announcement, however, Ms O'Brien said that SUFW challenges these activists to identify the human rights that they are currently deprived of. “Trans people have all the same human rights as anyone else in New Zealand. It’s not clear to us what further protections are needed,” she said.

speakupforwomen.nz/feminist-group-congratulates-minister-of-justice-on-human-rights-announcement-press-release/