Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? on What no excuses?

“I wish they could have found another way to promote their cause without causing damage.”

All the women who have suffered at the hands of this “cause” would agree. But “causing damage” was the goal of this cause. Getting what transactivists wanted was only possible by destroying women’s rights. Unfortunately there were far too many people eager to do exactly that, knowing full well what the consequences for women would be, and became, because women told them. It should always be remembered that this was a price that activists and their allies were willing to force women to pay. This was not an accident, or an unforeseen, unintended consequence: it was the inevitable result of choices that were made deliberately, choices and policies enforced with calculated, misogynistic malice. Men in women’s prisons. Men in women’s hospital wards. Men in women’s crisis centres. Men in women’s short-lists. Men in women’s sports.

None of this just “happened.” It was all done, with authorization, coordination, and implementation from Cabinet on down, through all levels of corrections, hospital, counseling, and sporting authority management and staff. And all of it was regulated and enforced by these same departments and officials, as well as both the police and the judiciary. It was all reported upon by compliant, partisan, pro-trans/anti-women media, both public and corporate. This was a coup of delusion that captured practically the entire apparatus of the British state. How did it happen so quickly and so completely? How does anyone trust any of these institutions ever again? Some of them engaged in what amounted to state-sponsored terrorism against many of their own citizens, with the vast majority of the victims being women.

I’m still slightly amazed at the ruling of the Supreme Court, but it’s still early days. Too many institutions and departments are dragging their feet, or actively denying and resisting the clear meaning and legal requirements of the ruling. They’re pretending there’s wiggle room, nuance, or confusion when there is none. This is a slap in the face for the women who stood up and said “No” to a state gone mad. We can hope that their courageous example will serve as a beacon and promise of justice to come in other countries. The continuing human toll of what has been perpetrated during this nightmare time may well be incalculable. Some of it just can’t be undone. The tide seems to be turning, but the cleanup will take years; there’s a lot of toxic waste to be collected and safeguards to be installed. Heads should roll, but probably won’t.