One becomes stupider by reading this sludge:

A bold and daring new play from one of Australia’s leading trans voices.

Bold? Daring? It’s a hit piece on JK Rowling. About as daring in Melbourne as wearing shoes.

Anna Piper Scott stars in a controversial new work that asks, “How did one of the world’s most celebrated authors become one of the most hated?”

She didn’t. The fact that some ignorant self-involved “activists” hate her doesn’t make her one of the world’s most hated authors. Trump has his name on books. Thousands of fervently hated people have written books. Rowling is way down that list.

In this rare and exclusive literary event, join world-renowned children’s author JK (as played by

Because of a deeply irritating “They should just get over it already” in the comments I’m going to share a little history lesson from the Library of Congress:

The Convict Leasing System: Slavery in its Worst Aspects, by Lynn Weinstein.

“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Article XIII, February 1,1865

Emphasis added. That “except as punishment” clause was resisted by the radical Republicans, and they were right. That clause was death to a lot of former slaves and their descendants.

While many believe that the 13th Amendment ended slavery, there was an

Exactly.

Imagine a case hinging on whether astrology is fraudulent, and the judge starts by asking counsel their star signs https://t.co/7JCrpoZMhG

— Sonya Douglas (@SonyaDouglas) October 2, 2023

… Read the rest

Another example of how ludicrous and interrupting and contrary it is to try to talk about women or lesbians (or indeed men or gay men) by invoking the alphabet soup.

October is Women’s History Month in Canada. The government tells us:

October is Women’s History Month in Canada, a time to celebrate the women and girls from our past, and our present, who are contributing to a better, more inclusive Canada.

In 1992, the Government of Canada designated October as Women’s History Month, marking the beginning of an annual celebration of the outstanding achievements of women and girls throughout Canada’s history. 

Ok. So far so good.

This year’s theme, Through Her Lens: Celebrating the Diversity of Women, emphasizes

The discussion gets so laughably (but maddeningly) incoherent, thanks to the secret but binding law that requires us to use ALL the letters EVERY time. LGBTQ Nation (see?) tries to report:

A trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) organization called the Lesbian Action Group applied for an exemption from Australia’s anti-discrimination act so it could hold a lesbian event that excluded trans women.

Or to put it in normal language, a lesbian feminist group applied for an exemption from Australia’s anti-discrimination act so that it could hold a lesbian event.

Why, you might wonder if you didn’t already know, is an anti-discrimination act telling lesbians they can’t hold an event? Why is an anti-discrimination act discriminating against lesbians? Aren’t … Read the rest

And if the judge’s request for pronouns isn’t enough horror for one day, there’s a ruling from the Australian Human Rights Commission a few days ago:

Australia’s Human Rights Commission has released a preliminary decision prohibiting lesbians from holding events for females due to the exclusion of men who identify as “women.” The Commission’s decision comes after a lesbian rights group applied for an exemption under the [Sex] Discrimination Act 1984.

Lesbians may not hold events for women, because men want to intrude.

The application to the Commission was submitted by long-time Australian women’s rights activist Jean Taylor on behalf of herself and the members of the Lesbian Action Group, a collective established to address discrimination experienced by

You have GOT to be kidding.

The Jo Phoenix v Open University hearing has started today.

So…

Judge asking for pronouns in Jo Phoenix v OU

😱😱😱 https://t.co/75Ogy376CP

— Maya Forstater (@MForstater) October 2, 2023

Words fail me.

Lawyers speak up.

When a senior silk openly discusses this drastic measure, you know something seriously irregular has occurred in court. https://t.co/o3ziTKzwuV

— Dennis Noel Kavanagh (@Jebadoo2) October 2, 2023

In over 20 years in the criminal division I have never once been asked for "my pronouns" in court by a judge or magistrate. https://t.co/ILDaCgmeB9

— Dennis Noel Kavanagh (@Jebadoo2) October 2, 2023

This was surprising conduct from the judge. https://t.co/BMmwhcfjx8

— Legal Feminist (@legalfeminist) October 2, 2023

But for a judge

Originally a comment by Steven on Their own load of unclaimed baggage.

There’s an interesting/funny circular logic concerning cryptids.

When people talk about cryptids, they mean BIG cryptids. If I claim there is an unknown species of bacteria, or lichen, or insect, or even a small bat in some jungle somewhere, well, sure. There probably is.

But the cryptids that people get excited about are the big ones. Sasquatch. Yeti. Nessi. And the thing about big cryptids is that there just can’t be any of them in lower Manhattan. We’d see them, right? There can’t even be any in Nebraska. The farmers would run into them with their tractors and there would be video on YouTube.

The big cryptids … Read the rest

The new know-nothingism.

I'm pretty sure no one should be writing books on autism who isn't autistic. You wouldn't do it with any ethnicity so why autistics. It's dire and just drives stigma.

— Caroline Keep (@Ka81) October 1, 2023

No one should be writing books on autism, which has to mean also that no one should be doing research on autism, who isn’t autistic? What sense does that make? Is it a rule for all such subjects? No writing or research about blindness if you’re not blind? No writing or research about cancer if you don’t have cancer? No writing or research about chronic depression if you’re not chronically depressed? No writing or research about alcoholism if you’re not … Read the rest

Originally a comment by Artymorty on + Month.

A purity spiral in action:

In 1970 it was Pride Day.

By the mid-1990s it was Pride Week.

By the turn of the millennium it was starting to be called Pride Month.

By 2022 the Canadian government had declared all of summer, from June to September, as “Pride Season.”

And now, just a year later, of course, Diversity, Equity, and Incusion busybodies want to extend the season through October.

This will just about get queer people safely to the end of the second week of November, which is the start of Trans Awareness Week. And the day after that is of course the Trans Day of Visibility.

In case you’re worried … Read the rest

Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? on The dog that didn’t bark.

Saying ‘we have evidence’ or ‘there is evidence’ is not the same as presenting evidence. There are a lot of people who claim to have evidence for bigfoot; sure. Show us the evidence. Subject it to rigorous review and repetition to see if the claims hold up. Then you’ll have evidence.

One of the things that many people who argue for the existence of creatures like bigfoot/sasquatch, Mokele-mbembe, or the Loch Ness Monster don’t seem to realize or appreciate is that their claims entail perforce the continued existence through time of an entire population of their preferred cryptid(s). A population and a history. One means … Read the rest

How many?

In October we celebrate 2SLGBTQQIA+ Month, recognizing the history of the diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & queer communities. We encourage our schools & students to become allies & stand up against discrimination, bullying & harassment. #acceptance #love #inclusivity pic.twitter.com/QuuP2nV53O

— Ontario Principals' Council (@OPCouncil) October 1, 2023

But…but…but…

Laurier has Pride

Each June, Pride Month recognizes and honours the experiences and history of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual (2SLGBTQQIA+) and other identities and communities and celebrates the positive impacts 2SLGBTQQIA+ people have had around the world.

Isn’t that enough?

Meanwhile where is Women’s Month?

Wilfrid Laurier University aims to create safe and equitable campuses for all 2SLGBTQQIA+ members of its community. The university

Seriously now. Take a good hard look at that cover.

What is the central image, the one that jumps out at the viewer? A very conservative Muslim couple, the woman in a burqa chador and a man with the regulation full beard, with a child between them, both of them wreathed in smiles as they walk a few inches behind an apparent gay couple.

That is not the real world.

Very conservative Muslims do not beam joyously on gay couples in the park. They don’t. Secular liberal Muslims yes, but the uniform-wearing ones, no. Theocrats, Christian or Jewish or Hindu or Muslim, do not beam approvingly on same-sex couples, not even when they’re actually not same-sex couples because one … Read the rest

Rich guy who shares some of his millions:

Hamish Ogston is one of Britain’s richest men…

He has spent the last five years building up his eponymous foundation, which has donated tens of millions to heritage projects, healthcare and women’s education in the global south.

He’s had dinner with Charles Windsor. Anne Windsor’s husband has had dinner with him. Heady stuff.

Today, a Sunday Times investigation reveals evidence that suggests for the last 15 years he has engaged in the exploitation of vulnerable southeast Asian sex workers. Documents suggest Ogston has trafficked or attempted to traffic Thai and Filipina sex workers, and hosted women who entered the country as tourists only to stay at his property and engage in

Bahahahahaha behold the progressive paradise where men carry babies and women are muffled in burqas. Theocrats and gendercrats join hands to defeat the dreaded feminist monster! And everybody is smiling!

New fairytale just dropped. pic.twitter.com/9QHmoQHTNx

— iamyesyouareno (@iamyesyouareno) September 30, 2023

… Read the rest

Classic. Right-wing ideology in a nutshell. People must be allowed to do whatever they want, provided that what they want to do is expensive and destructive and dangerous.

And we’re introducing new measures to improve people’s experience driving 👇 pic.twitter.com/sNRBwvXFvd

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 30, 2023

Fuck public transportation yeah? Fuck pedestrians and cyclists yeah? The only decent people are the ones in cars, god damn it, so give everything to them and punish all those reckless lazy anti-capitalist people who don’t have six cars in their garages.

Only the @Conservatives will give people the freedom to travel how they want and when they want.

Our long-term plan means:

🚗 smoother journeys
🚙 stopping unfair enforcement
🚗 easier

Queering the what now?

One year ago:

The influence of the worst kind of smug, ideologically led LibDem/Green Council? (Apologies for thinking it was still Labour).”Queering the Burton” is the opposite of inclusive and reflects the worst of modern curatorship. @YorkArtGallery @yorkmuseumstrust pic.twitter.com/dvKCtrIBpr

— George Wade I/me (@GeorgeWOxford) September 23, 2022

So naturally I had to find the source.

York Art Gallery: Queering the Burton

York Art Gallery and the York LGBT Forum have been working to queer the Burton Gallery by telling the stories and sharing the perspectives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people. Art works from York Art Galleries collections will be ‘coming out’ from the stores as well as looking again at