Talk Radio right now talking JK Rowling!

[BaronessSnippyPantsofCroneArmy]

Started a few minutes ago, so will be on catch up later too..

I’m going to have to listen to this later when the kids are in bed and there is quiet.

I don't normally post on this board but have been listening and wanted to share my joy somewhere. That was so refreshing - coherent and open discussion at last!

I quite like Talk Radio. They have presenters from all political persuasions including quite far right - Farage has a slot for a while - and whilst I don't agree with a lot of them, it's good to hear the opposing view sometimes. There's also a lot of 'common sense. James O'Brien is good.

@nauticant

If you want to hear the forbidden and heresies spoken aloud in a plain speaking way that isn't struggling to be heard in a howling storm of unreason this might be the show for you SerenityNowwwww.

Cheers m’dear. Glass of wine, bar if chocolate and I’m ready.

You're going to need a bigger bottle.

For when you start dancing round the room.

@Iamhangingin

I think Helen will represent many trans women. She has gone what was in her words a long and difficult journey to obtain her GRA. She has had a medical diagnosis and gone through all the steps, which at the end of the day are there as a safeguarding mechanism to make sure this was the right path for her to take. Self id makes a mockery of her journey and doesn't protect vulnerable people who may not really be trans, they may have another issue.

I don't think I would be so concerned but our mental health provision in the UK is shocking. People need support and wanting to change gender could possibly by a symptom of something else, but with out a thorough medical diagnosis no one will know.

This. When you see people like "the human Ken doll" transitioning after extensive plastic surgery (including having his ribs removed to create a more slender waist) you really do just feel sad and angry. Lack of safeguarding is failing trans people too.

I don't listen to the radio but I'm thrilled to hear TalkRadio presenting a balanced debate on this, which actually respects people's concerns about self ID for once. I'm also gratified to see the LGB Alliance get a platform for once, and to hear the views of dissenting trans people amplified. It goes a long way towards fighting the impression that trans people in general don't care

Sounds good, will listen later.

It’s not though, so many media people disagree with her. If it was just losers in basements then it wouldn’t be so worrying.

Exactly. And some men who spent their youths as basement-dwellers now have jobs in tech companies like Google and Twitter where they are able to influence what can and can't be said.

@SlightyJaded

I don't normally post on this board but have been listening and wanted to share my joy somewhere. That was so refreshing - coherent and open discussion at last!

I quite like Talk Radio. They have presenters from all political persuasions including quite far right - Farage has a slot for a while - and whilst I don't agree with a lot of them, it's good to hear the opposing view sometimes. There's also a lot of 'common sense. James O'Brien is good.

Aren’t you talking about LBC?

@SlightyJaded

I don't normally post on this board but have been listening and wanted to share my joy somewhere. That was so refreshing - coherent and open discussion at last!

I quite like Talk Radio. They have presenters from all political persuasions including quite far right - Farage has a slot for a while - and whilst I don't agree with a lot of them, it's good to hear the opposing view sometimes. There's also a lot of 'common sense. James O'Brien is good.

James O'Brien is on LBC and behaved in an appalling manner to women who rang in when he talked about the GRA once, including Posie Parker. But he has a special 'gentle' voice he uses for men who identify as women. He reminds me of little Owen Jones...

Nigel Farage was also on LBC, not Talk Radio.

Watched pretty much the whole thing - how fascinating. And what a lot of sense was being spoken, too, without a spokesperson like munroe bergdof or lilly madigan completely dominating proceedings and not letting anyone else speak....

Soooo interesting that no one from the other side of the argument phoned in, even to offer an alternative view.

I have to echo - WHO are the people leading this narrative? When obviously most people agree with JKR?

I’ve spent the last couple of hours listening to this whole programme. It’s so refreshing to hear sensible, articulate discussion of the issue. The transexual, Helen made a lot of sense., even down to the fact that the term Transexual is being erased, as so few people go through the whole process. Thanks OP for the link.

Just jumping in on the James O'Brien point. I was pleased to note that whereas he was absolutely fixed on his opinion for the vast majority of the book (on Brexit, Islam, Trump etc) he was equivocal on the trans issue.

He articulates the 'be kind' philosophy very eloquently, citing examples of real transphobia - the stuff that is analogous to racism, which I don't think anyone could possibly approve of. He believes the trans suicide stats, he worries that Trump attacks trans people and doesn't want any kind of association with Trump-thoughts.

So he is reaching for a middle ground. He admits 'I dont know'

It's the first time I've heard it said that taking hormones can diminish the penis so that there isn't enough to invert into an adequate vagina.
They might have been making a joke, I don't know.
Wirelessgroup is owned by Rupert Murdoch as is the new Times radio station. But at least it's not hidebound by wokeness like the BBc.

I am delighted this was covered. I'm also delighted with the first three callers in particular. All articulate and from a real position of knowledge.

So much of the debate was aired. Autistic girls, child transitioning, the madness of self ID, the over reaction to JKR's reasonably comments and even the absolute absence of any of the crazies coming on to shout.

I started to get a little irritated later on, though, which sounds a little ungrateful, but I think, like many men, the ones that called were largely missing the point and talking about anti-establishment, Marxism...etc, which just dilutes the real and present danger - and also, Ian kept referring to the issue being about the 'lived experience and dispositions' of women.

Dispositions?

I kept wanting to shout: 'biology!'

That is a minor irritation, though, given how happy I am it was covered and not in a 'let's talk about it but try to keep it in safe waters' kind of way.

I hope they keep shedding light.

Listened to the first hour. Really excellent so far.

Slight niggle was that presenter - to begin with at least - implied that JKR"s main point was that Trans women have different life experiences than women. Her point was wider than that - especially about the conflict between the new trans rights agenda and women's rights. But this came out very clearly from the first few caller anyway, so no matter.

I think penises that have had their development arrested by puberty blockers may stay too small to provide enough skin to invert for a fake vagina? I am fairly sure I have heard that mentioned. Don't know about the hormones idea.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

I think penises that have had their development arrested by puberty blockers may stay too small to provide enough skin to invert for a fake vagina? I am fairly sure I have heard that mentioned. Don't know about the hormones idea.

Yes, this is what happened to Jazz (the kid on reality TV). They had to have some kind of experimental technique which unfortunately had complications and needed further surgery. Hopefully Jazz is fully recovered now.

I think penises that have had their development arrested by puberty blockers may stay too small to provide enough skin to invert for a fake vagina? I am fairly sure I have heard that mentioned. Don't know about the hormones idea.

Men who don't produce testosterone do sometime's suffer penis shrinkage. Men who get castrated (for whatever reason) end up with smaller penises than they started with and even men suffering from long term impotence can see a reduction in length. So I suppose it is possible that a male person taking oestrogen for a lengthy period of time before they had 'bottom surgery' would then find that there was no longer enough tissue down there to do the job properly - especially if their penis was at the smaller end of the spectrum to start with.

But anyone on puberty blockers who never developed properly will certainly not have enough tissue for reconstruction surgery - as seen very publicly with Jazz Jennings.

Jazz didn't seem to have a life outwith their gender identity. Now they have transitioned what are they going to do with themselves? I wonder how Jazz will cope when it's "oK I look like a girl, now what?" All this gender identity stuff seem a distraction from sorting out a career and life plan.

Let's hope they make a career out of something that fascinates them intellectually and can break away from a lifetime dedicated to campaigning for other kids to follow their "gender identity journey".

Not listened to the whole thing yet. But very encouraged by the first 10 min. Presenter is pretty much on top of all this. And sounds righteously indignant.

Talk Radio has over 400,000 listeners.

400,001 now!

@teawamutu

Talk Radio has over 400,000 listeners.

Excellent! I've not listened yet, might catch up on my run tomorrow.

Excellent, well balanced and fair