The Times today

[Blessex]

Hmmmm does this headline mean I can now enter the paralympics because I feel disabled?

Well let's not stop there! Today I identify as a sausage.

This is a natural next step to be honest. First the push towards anyone identifying as a woman and accessing protected spaces. Now we are moving on to anyone identifying as black or disabled. In the future anyone will be able to identify as pregnant, married or a different age. Grown adults will shout about feeling unsafe because they identify as a six year old but don’t have full access to school environments.

This seems part of a bigger move towards breaking down legally respected protected characteristics.

@SaltySheepdog

This is a natural next step to be honest. First the push towards anyone identifying as a woman and accessing protected spaces. Now we are moving on to anyone identifying as black or disabled. In the future anyone will be able to identify as pregnant, married or a different age. Grown adults will shout about feeling unsafe because they identify as a six year old but don’t have full access to school environments.

This seems part of a bigger move towards breaking down legally respected protected characteristics.

Absolutely this. And the sheer momentum of it is terrifying.

The self ID as disabled is already happening to some extent among students. My DD who had an EHCP and has in the past had PIP and DLA - a 50-page document and you need to add lots of supplementary information to make a case (she doesn’t want to continue the process as it’s so stressful especially the face to face interview) has found that resources, time and support she needs to do her course are being tracked towards increasing numbers of students with self-declared diagnoses. Meanwhile she physically can’t do certain things without assistance and is generally fed up at not being able to order a drink because bar staff assume she is drunk. The gatekeeping via assessment is not nice and obviously has become more stringent in the past decade but objectivity is necessary.

Shouldn't the Times just have a rolling "today's transphobic article is.." thread?

Start it disgusted. Of Manchester.

What's transphobic about the article?

@DisgustedofManchester

Shouldn't the Times just have a rolling "today's transphobic article is.." thread?

I see you've declined to answer the question? Surprise, surprise.

Not sure what the UCU's strategy is here but Twitter threads about Doc. Stock are referencing the unions support for transracialism. It even 'featured' in comments about Taiwo Owatemi's letter about her

To the point that there's a suggestion that Owatemi is full-on pro-transracialism - she's obviously aware of UCU's stance, with their well-publicised support for transracialism.

Gonna be tough to dig herself out of this one, but I suspect that other black MP's and candidates, particularly those on the Labour side (the LibDems don't really have any interest in having black candidates for Parliament) are going to be asked repeatedly if they are pro-transracial.

@lanadelgrey

The self ID as disabled is already happening to some extent among students. My DD who had an EHCP and has in the past had PIP and DLA - a 50-page document and you need to add lots of supplementary information to make a case (she doesn’t want to continue the process as it’s so stressful especially the face to face interview) has found that resources, time and support she needs to do her course are being tracked towards increasing numbers of students with self-declared diagnoses. Meanwhile she physically can’t do certain things without assistance and is generally fed up at not being able to order a drink because bar staff assume she is drunk. The gatekeeping via assessment is not nice and obviously has become more stringent in the past decade but objectivity is necessary.

@lanadelgrey

Sorry to hear about your DD. My DS is in a similar boat with a hidden disability (Dyspraxia) Whilst not wanting to make a fuss as he sees it, he was outraged that someone on his course could self-ID as dyslexic and dyspraxic (He's probably dyslexic too, but the LA decided not to pay for the expensive diagnostic tests even though recommended by the OT who assessed him for dyspraxia. )

Anyway I think his outrage is that he took 5 attempts to pass GCSE English and he endured a lot of bullying by staff and pupils at his school before being diagnosed. He knows how high the bar is and how difficult life is with his disability. In his eyes this kid wouldn't have a snowballs chance of being dx because he's not ND

That's outrageous, jlpartnerrs . An absolute scandal.

That Twitter linked letter from MP Owatemi is shockingly awful.

Labour will never have my vote while basic safeguarding and women hold such low priority.