Wings Over Scotland questioned under caution by police on account of Lynsay Watson

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

No details yet. He says he will post about it at length tomorrow and it will be worth the wait. So this is just a placemarker for the moment.

Interesting: www.ugle.org.uk/become-freemason/women-freemasons

In 1989 Watson was using the name Alex Horwood and was a PC in Kirkcaldy. According to newspaper reports about him. All in the public domain.

A friend of mine was, back when terry Pratchett's first Discworld book had just come out, so that would be in (checks wikipedia) 1984 or so. Or at least, she claimed to have been but was a bit secretive about the whole business. (grin_)

But wouldn't that be a womens' lodge that she was in? Dunno - I only managed the Little Garden of Mary before being drummed out of convent school.

The 1599 Lodge mentioned by pp is in Kirkcaldy so that does fit with Watson being there, but he was using the name Alex Horwood back then. So joined as the man he is. Presumably. Goodness knows how he's presenting himself within it these days. Murky as hell the whole thing.
But it would explain a lot about how he seems to be able to manipulate a lot of events.

Officially, a man transitioning doesn't mean he has to stop being a freemason, according to the website I found. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45030075

And is he still "on the square" as I believe they say*?

(*According to JKR as my entire freemason knowledge comes from The Hallmarked Man)

Well now. Every day is a school day!

And they accept transmen too. At least they are unbiased in the matter. (Or desperate for members.)

In the Times:
https://www.thetimes.com/article/779951ae-b538-472d-9159-7a07a8c2b857?shareToken=a554f0e7abc5724a9f1a33ceb02e005e&ver=article

The air brushing and about 30 odd years are doing a lot of heavy lifting on that photo of Watson.

Watson will be pleased the Times used such an old photo.

Still looks like a nasty piece of work though.

Stuart Campbell could have supplied them with a more recent picture of Watson.

Maybe the Times' picture desk didn't feel that "Jabba The Hut Gone To Seed" was what the good people of the Home Counties needed to see over their morning toast and marmalade.

That is rather kind and considerate of them.

The “Fraternity of Women Freemasons”. It’s weird that there’s no female equivalent for “fraternity” in the English language that they could use, isn’t it? FFS 🙄

I remember looking up the Freemason’s trans policy a few years ago.

At that time, if a male Freemason converted to skirt go spinny they could remain a member. Transmen weren’t eligible though.

Ah the masons. I'm sure I've told this before, but here we go. An older friend of mine asked me to go as his plus one, just friends, to his lodge's ladies night. He'd also invited another couple of friends of ours from the local. We get stuck into the wine, all 3 of us guests being a bit on edge. On my first fag break, the wives of actual masons were nice but seemed surprised I had an actual job. As they supported their masonic men. Fine with me, I said I wasn't actually with my host in that way. Dinner was the old school roast with over cooked veg you'd expect.

So far so good. Ish. Then the men all stood for the song for the ladies. Oh my sweet Lord above. I couldn't look at my friends in case we all corpsed. A whole song about how the lovely ladies kept the homes to support them doing manly things.

And then the raffle. Two tables. On the way in I'd glanced at them, and eyed up a rather nice tool kit as mine was missing a few bits after many years. My number came up! Up i trotted, and it was still there, so I headed to it. Only to be steered to the table on the right, which I hadn't really noticed was full of kitchen equipment and hair curlers etc.

I felt it only fitting to depart with a set of kitchen scales that make me chuckle every time I use them.

That's what I recall as well.

Hilarious, although not in a good way. Woman, know your place.

On the other hand, when FIL was going along to Mason’s meetings with a view to joining, MIL ribbed him so much about rolled up trouser legs and funny handshakes that he quit pronto.

That's hilarious!

The idea of the Masons does seem rather anachronistic, doesn't it?

Oh totally, it was mad re the absolutism of gender roles. I mean I genuinely hadn't noticed that there was a table of men's prizes and another of women's prizes until i got it wrong.

I choose to view it as a trip to a safari park.

And I did adore my friend who asked me (he died during covid) so tried to keep my laughter away from him.

I have no issue with men wanting a men only association, but if that association gives rise to men having particular protections because of that association, then that’s a real problem.

Yes, it was quite clear how business deals etc were done, members of the council were there etc. All calling each other 'brother'....

Wonder if that's how our council agrees such appallingly bad contracts for construction projects. They've seemingly never heard of a penalty clause for a start!