Trans activism on retreat - Sarah Ditum, Sunday Times

[Igneococcus]

I do hope she is right:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/3422b888-39a5-11ec-a14e-75e3a4bcdc4c?shareToken=ae8e96e0285845775f46c996b8eb4b6b

Yep, there is absolutely no 'middle ground' when it comes to TRAs.

Quite true, but just the fact that there is sudden talk of this mythical entity suggests some people have seen that the tide that has buoyed them up for so long is starting to recede

Sarah's column was so well done!
That poor 5yo though. I have a 5yo and she is still so, so young.

Serious politicians (and Keir Starmer) 😂

She packs so many fabulous lines into that piece. I must say though that it doesn't feel in retreat in Scotland at all, it feels like/is the establishment - glad things are better south of the border though!

A conference held by the organisation Woman’s Place UK on female prisoners last week was picketed by trans activists calling the women inside fat, ugly and old. Who knew that 1970s working men’s club comedians were writing the script for the gender revolution all along?

Can I just say how envious I am of your UK feminist writers? Last week I was utterly disappointed by my former favorite US writers, Amanda Marcotte (Salon) and Michelle Goldberg (NYTimes) who both decided to slut shame a 14-year old girl who was raped. They used phrases like "meeting up for sex... as kids do," and using "relationship violence" as a way to soften rape.

Thanks for leading the way.

@MoltenLasagne

The tide seems to be turning in England, I fear the SNP are more determined to push it through in Scotland.

True but it makes no sense for the legal definition of 'woman' to change as you drive from Newcastle to Edinburgh on a land mass of the relatively small size as the UK. Maybe the devolved and reserved powers need to be revisited in certain areas, despite Scottish Law always having been slightly different.

Another voice of scepticism for.. I don't think the tide is turning as I’m reading a document about my organisation that states we need to be inclusive of "trans and LGBTQUA+ people". Is it telling that trans gets to be mentioned twice? Neither gay and… or bi and… or lesbian and …get a second mention. Maybe a Freudian slip of a keyboard? However, overall, it seems that language and practice is getting more attention, not less.

@FindTheTruth

The mermaids line shows that she doesn't understand the proposed conversion therapy ban. Not a criticism as most people don't.

The proposed ban is a trojan horse to get gender identity onto the statue books and according to solicitors (who have studied it from a legal perspective) it would ban exploration with a young lesbian or gay person. If this becomes law, groups can issue 'conversion therapy protection orders' CTPO's to stop anyone exploring what circumstances led the young lesbian or gay person to believe they are trans. For example a lesbian who is continually asked if she's 'trans' at school, who has straight people in the LGBT youth group tell her they think she's trans, who has straight male moderators in lesbian subreddits controlling her speech, correcting 'wrong think', telling her that same-sex attraction is 'transphobic'. A lesbian who has had friends send her links to Youtube (Jammi Dodger), articles and tik toks saying "this reminds me of you". A young lesbian who is told lesbians are T**Fs as bad as racists and will be ostracised from their friendship groups and society. A lesbian who is told by adults that 'everyone has a gender' and friends point to where they think she is on the 'spectrum'. If a lesbian then identifies as transgender her parents or counsellors will feel threatened with criminal charges for asking if she's a lesbian. Groups like Gendered Intelligence got 'gender identity' added to the bill to stop exploration and watchful waiting for any young person who believes they have a gender identity.

I think it could be a Trojan horse but equally it could mean schools are no longer allowed to push gender ideology to anyone, which will leave gay teens free to just be gay teens. The medical profession is not supposed to be banned from 'talking therapy'. It is appallingly badly written and worded, in that it fails to define its terms and that is why it is unclear and I am disappointed that Liz Truss has signed the letter at the beginning without seeing how unclear it all is. We all need to respond and feedback who and what we are trying to protect (young people mainly).

Maybe the devolved and reserved powers need to be revisited in certain areas
From your lips to the goddess' ears!

@MishyJDI

The Times is just so biased these days against any reasonable middle ground, that it is hard to take them seriously. Just a propaganda machine IMHO stirring up minority issues to sell copy.

I guess that is how they survive in today's world, but what an unethical business to be in.

No, @MishyJDI, that's The Guardian you're referring to.

Thanks for the share token, OP.

Is it worth remembering that a Canadian psychiatrist (wrongly) got fired for allegedly practicing ‘conversion therapy’ when he suggested parents first affirm their child’s natal sex. Isn’t that what could happen here?

@MishyJDI

The Times is just so biased these days against any reasonable middle ground, that it is hard to take them seriously. Just a propaganda machine IMHO stirring up minority issues to sell copy.

I guess that is how they survive in today's world, but what an unethical business to be in.

The Times and Daily Mail for all their faults, have been excellent on covering the threats to women’s rights. The era of No Debate is over, TRAs & Stonewall have had their way for far too long.