Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Oliver Brown in The Telegraph 'Spell of trans cult has been broken'.

31 replies

Rightsraptor · 02/05/2025 07:41

Yet another article by Oliver Brown (in the online Telegraph) about the gross unfairness we've seen in women's sports for the last few years. It's behind a pay wall.

He mentions injuries to women, girls being punished for asking if a man is a man, the cowardice of the FA - 'even in the short statement it issued, there was no reference to the women and girls disadvantaged for years by its genuflecting to the fallacy that people cold be whatever sex they purported to be'. All of it.

And how wonderful to see the domino effect: first the FA, then England Netball and E&W Cricket Board, and as Mr. Brown points out these latter two were 'saved by football's abrupt about-turn from any need to make a stand on their own'. We'll be seeing that a lot, I think - quietly returning to common sense with no real issue made of it because the big boys did it first.

I hadn't known until I read this article that two years ago, The Telegraph was presented with letters from parents of girls as young as 12 who were all alarmed that their daughters were being sent into bat against middle aged men. I mean, I knew about the girls & the men, but not about the letters.

The usual list of wonderful women get a name check: Mara Yamauchi, Fiona McAnena, Nic Williams, Emma Hilton and, of course, Sharron Davies, with an honorable mention to Daley Thompson.

It's a stonking article, do read it if you can. I know Oliver has always been good on this but he really wraps the whole thing up with no loose ends in this one.

OP posts:
highame · 02/05/2025 07:59

A good read. I commented that Oliver was one of the reporters who had been most outspoken for GC women and he too deserved thanks

yetanotherusernameAgain · 02/05/2025 08:16

Does this work as a gift link:

Spell of trans cult has been broken

www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/2c15e9ed7a0714b7

Didactylos · 02/05/2025 08:24

Thanks for the gift link yetanotherusername

rubyslippers · 02/05/2025 08:27

yetanotherusernameAgain · 02/05/2025 08:16

Does this work as a gift link:

Spell of trans cult has been broken

www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/2c15e9ed7a0714b7

Yes it works - thank you
its a blistering article

MeanMrMustardSeed · 02/05/2025 08:39

Outstanding. Interesting comment below about Lloyd’s of London pulling public liability for incidents between men and women in sport. Does anyone know if it’s true? Either way, it’s a great outcome.

Oliver Brown in The Telegraph 'Spell of trans cult has been broken'.
LadyBracknellsHandbagg · 02/05/2025 08:40

yetanotherusernameAgain · 02/05/2025 08:16

Does this work as a gift link:

Spell of trans cult has been broken

www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/2c15e9ed7a0714b7

Thanks for the share token, it’s a great article.

TeaAndCakeMakeThingsBetter · 02/05/2025 08:43

Fabulous article! I’ve also noticed a massive shift in tone in the comments sections on all the news outlets, with the majority saying ‘hurrah for common sense’ and just a few lone voices continuing to shout ‘bigot’ ‘transphobe ’ and ‘what about those scary trans men’, who are all being calmly and quickly shot down with facts. Just feels like a tide swell of normal people feeling that they can speak out 🥳

RedToothBrush · 02/05/2025 08:54

MeanMrMustardSeed · 02/05/2025 08:39

Outstanding. Interesting comment below about Lloyd’s of London pulling public liability for incidents between men and women in sport. Does anyone know if it’s true? Either way, it’s a great outcome.

I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

NecessaryScene · 02/05/2025 08:55

I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

My first thought was "why now"?

But I guess the point is that the judgment has made crystal clear that insurers have the right to do this. Presumably insurers might have been uncertain that this sort of cover refusal could have been interpreted as gender reassignment discrimination.

BiologicalRobot · 02/05/2025 09:08

Awesome article. Thanks for the heads up about it, and thanks to pp for the share link!

RedToothBrush · 02/05/2025 09:10

NecessaryScene · 02/05/2025 08:55

I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

My first thought was "why now"?

But I guess the point is that the judgment has made crystal clear that insurers have the right to do this. Presumably insurers might have been uncertain that this sort of cover refusal could have been interpreted as gender reassignment discrimination.

Why now?

Legal liability coverage.

We are now potentially in an open season for claims in this area.

BernardBlacksMolluscs · 02/05/2025 09:21

That is a corker

Trans people have not lost any rights as a consequence of these latest decisions. They have as many rights as you or I. It is simply that a small number of men have lost a perceived entitlement, one that was never theirs to begin with, to colonise women’s sport.

yup

Shortshriftandlethal · 02/05/2025 09:27

I must say I have definitely noticed a relieved tone in some radio presenters when it comes to discussing this subject. Before it was like they were mortified with fear and so woud turn robotic when it came to interviewing and discussing the matter.

ON BBC Radio 4 yesterday a presenter commented on how it was the topic that most terrified journalists, and as a result they didn't want to go near it.

Trans terrorism certainly did its job in keeping people quiet and compliant.

ItisntOver · 02/05/2025 09:39

yetanotherusernameAgain · 02/05/2025 08:16

Does this work as a gift link:

Spell of trans cult has been broken

www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/2c15e9ed7a0714b7

https://archive.ph/c3ZcA

Archive of article - excellent work by Brown and a roll call of honour for those who sacrificed so much and worked so hard to bring us to this day.

ItisntOver · 02/05/2025 09:42

Shortshriftandlethal · 02/05/2025 09:27

I must say I have definitely noticed a relieved tone in some radio presenters when it comes to discussing this subject. Before it was like they were mortified with fear and so woud turn robotic when it came to interviewing and discussing the matter.

ON BBC Radio 4 yesterday a presenter commented on how it was the topic that most terrified journalists, and as a result they didn't want to go near it.

Trans terrorism certainly did its job in keeping people quiet and compliant.

Edited

I read that Havel Grocer piece again last night.
Your account of the presenters make it sound like they know they’ve been living through that.

Greyskybluesky · 02/05/2025 09:45

yetanotherusernameAgain · 02/05/2025 08:16

Does this work as a gift link:

Spell of trans cult has been broken

www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/2c15e9ed7a0714b7

Thank you for the link. What an article! So glad I read it. Great comments too.
🍾to you Oliver Brown.

dubaichocolate · 02/05/2025 09:47

Shortshriftandlethal · 02/05/2025 09:27

I must say I have definitely noticed a relieved tone in some radio presenters when it comes to discussing this subject. Before it was like they were mortified with fear and so woud turn robotic when it came to interviewing and discussing the matter.

ON BBC Radio 4 yesterday a presenter commented on how it was the topic that most terrified journalists, and as a result they didn't want to go near it.

Trans terrorism certainly did its job in keeping people quiet and compliant.

Edited

I do understand that but also they’re journalists. It’s their job! But it also shows the problems with eg the BBC, because a BBC journalist knows that the Beeb won’t back them - as seen by Justin Webb and Jenni Murray.

TheOtherRaven · 02/05/2025 09:48

"The FA left no doubt that it took this decision, banning men from playing women’s football at all levels, with extreme reluctance. Even in the short statement it issued, there was no reference to the women and girls disadvantaged for years by its genuflecting to the fallacy that people could be whatever sex they purported to be."

There never is, he is absolutely right. It was ruling on women's rights but everyone talks exclusively about men. Even mentioning the women and giving the whole story is seen as betraying men. As pp says, even now there's no care for women, just for money as the insurers have to change policy.

The misogyny is absolutely stark and it is repulsive.

MsPug · 02/05/2025 09:49

@yetanotherusernameAgain

thanks for the share! Excellent article

TheOtherRaven · 02/05/2025 09:53

Another comment below the article:

less than 30 men, who in the guise of women have played in Womens football teams, have had the rights of the many thousands of women who play football, turned upside down for years.

Less than 30 men. More important than any member of an entire sex class division.

BeanQuisine · 02/05/2025 10:00

A fine article, thanks. And thanks to all the inspiring women who fought so hard through some very grim years.

Rightsraptor · 02/05/2025 10:37

Many thanks for the link @yetanotherusernameAgain .

OP posts:
flyingbuttress43 · 02/05/2025 12:12

I've been one of Oliver Brown's biggest fans for years on this issue (in fact the whole DT editorial policy on trans). But I stumbled across a Reddit forum that makes me doubt that any hearts and minds are changing.

I subscribe to a specific sports sub reddit on motor sport, which is absolutely fine and doesn't actually cover the trans issue at all. I usually access it on my laptop and don't look at anything other than this sub reddit, but yesterday I accessed the main Reddit forum on my phone and the SC ruling was trending. There seemed almost unanimous support for trans women in sport, women's spaces etc. with hundreds of upticks for the trans activists' views and nobody putting the other side.

There was, for example, huge support for the BMA resident doctors "sex is complex" that left me thinking: my God these people are in hospitals near you, 7 years of training and unable to tell a man from a woman. That was just one topic. Another was mass condemnation of TERFS spitting on "peaceful" trans protesters. Really? Lots of other examples. I signed off feeling terribly depressed but coming to the conclusion that I suspect (or hope) a lot of the posters were Gen Z with little real life experience and soaked in the be-kind uni experience. I hope so anyway. But it does not fill me with any hope for the future.🙁

BaseDrops · 02/05/2025 12:36

MeanMrMustardSeed · 02/05/2025 08:39

Outstanding. Interesting comment below about Lloyd’s of London pulling public liability for incidents between men and women in sport. Does anyone know if it’s true? Either way, it’s a great outcome.

How disappointing and yet how utterly unexpected if this is true.
The law says single sex is single sex.
Morally and equitably single sex should be single sex.

Yet organisations only adhere to the law when there is uninsured financial risk. How can anyone see this and think there is equality between the sexes and pesky legislation is outdated and not necessary?

mumda · 06/05/2025 18:26

dubaichocolate · 02/05/2025 09:47

I do understand that but also they’re journalists. It’s their job! But it also shows the problems with eg the BBC, because a BBC journalist knows that the Beeb won’t back them - as seen by Justin Webb and Jenni Murray.

I wonder what else they've been frightened to report accurately.