All entries by this author
Apr 7th, 2025 9:00 am |
By Ophelia Benson
I have a great idea – let’s stop talking about “asexuality” and instead go back to what it used to be called: low libido.
Funny thing: if you ask Google if “asexuality” is a sexual orientation it says yes and provides a shower of links to politicalish sites, but if you ask about low libido you get medical sites.
Hmmmmm.
Should we just start making all medical issues a matter of idenninny instead of physical realities? Or are we already halfway down that road?
Here’s the Cleveland Clinic on low libido:
Low libido (low sex drive) is a decrease in sexual desire. It’s common and can be temporary or long-term. Libido naturally varies from person to person and can
…
Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
1 Comment »
Apr 6th, 2025 6:31 pm |
By Ophelia Benson
Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? on Happy Asexuality Day to those who celebrate.
If you’re not announcing your “asexuality” to the world, how does anyone know to oppress you on the basis of this supposed asexuality? It’s completely invisible, or at least it is until you wave the flag and/or wear the Approved Colours, and having looked them up in the appropriate volume of the Official Licorice All-Sorts Field Guide to Gender Identity Vexillology and Hair Dye Selection (or nearest British Rail Inclusivity Poster), innocent bystanders now know that they probably should be oppressing you in order for them to do their bit, so that you can earn your LGBTQIA%$?@√π Community Martyrdom Merit Badge. It’s the … Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
3 comments
Apr 6th, 2025 4:49 pm |
By Ophelia Benson
Notes on Trump and Denmark and Greenland:
In a Newsmax interview, Trump Jr. accused Denmark of mistreating Greenland. When he was asked about the idea of making Greenland an American territory, he bragged about his father’s prowess: “My father understands how to wield America’s economic might. He understands how to wield America’s military might. He knows how to do these things.”
As to his father’s talk of absorbing Canada and the Panama Canal, Trump Jr. gloated that Americans were “starting to again assert their dominance—not taking a back seat to, you know, little countries that don’t have, again, our economic might.”
All very upfront: we are bullies and we want your stuff and we’re going to take it.… Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
4 comments
Apr 6th, 2025 3:35 pm |
By Ophelia Benson
Oh but they’re so sweet in their Corporate Memphis.
Ok, maybe there is such a thing, but why does it need a day? Why does it need an international day? What is the point of these “days” anyway? They’re not holidays, so what are they for? If you tell me it’s international paper bag day, what are you expecting me to do about it? Who is deciding which days are what, and why haven’t I been consulted? Is there any place where we can lodge a dissent, and demand a different day, or the … Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
22 comments
Apr 6th, 2025 12:41 pm |
By Ophelia Benson
Oops, it appears they made a booboo.
English universities are scrambling to review policies related to transgender students and staff amid “anxiety” over whether they comply with free speech duties after the University of Sussex was hit with a record fine.
Several institutions appear to have removed documents from their websites in the wake of the Office for Students’ ruling last week, which found that Sussex failed to uphold its academic freedom obligations when its former professor, Kathleen Stock, was forced to resign because of protests over her gender-critical views.
The case – which saw Sussex fined £585,000 – centred on Sussex’s trans and non-binary equality policy that required academics to “positively represent trans people and trans lives”
…
Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
No Comments »
Apr 6th, 2025 10:19 am |
By Ophelia Benson
“Rachel” Saunders trying to convince onlookers that he’s a deep thinker:
My contention is that the history of gender critical discourse is rooted in a reaction against third wave feminist approaches to trans inclusive feminism…
So his contention is that gender critical discourse is rooted in criticism of gender bullshit. Well ya don’t say, Sherlock. How long did it take you to work that one out?
The history of feminist discourse is littered with ascendent ideas which wane as society moves on…
Hahahaha got enough mangled incompatible metaphors in there? How can history be littered with something? How high can ideas ascend? What are the signs of a waning idea? Where does society move on to?
Raymond’s book spurred
…
Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
2 comments
Apr 6th, 2025 7:48 am |
By Ophelia Benson
The return of measles:
The measles crisis in West Texas has claimed the life of another child, the second death in an outbreak that has burned through the region and infected dozens of residents in bordering states.
The 8-year-old girl died early Thursday morning of “measles pulmonary failure” at a hospital in Lubbock, Texas, according to records obtained by The New York Times. It is the second confirmed measles death in a decade in the United States.
We’re energetically going backwards. Hey team, let’s bring back lethal epidemics!
If the virus continues to spread at this pace, the country risks losing its measles elimination status, a hard-fought victory earned in 2000. Public health officials in West Texas have
…
Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
3 comments
Apr 5th, 2025 5:09 pm |
By Ophelia Benson
Hemant Mehta – remember him? – has written a snotty abusive post about Jerry Coyne and his failure to subscribe to trans ideology. It’s not an intellectually respectable attempt.
In an essay published in print yesterday, on the Trans Day of Visibility, biologist Jerry Coyne wrote in the Wall Street Journal (archived link) about his recent self-own against the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Weeds already. They do dash into them, the gender-worshippers. The sanctimonious “on the Trans Day of Visibility” is downright childish. Wtf is “the Trans Day of Visibility” and why should anyone care and above all why should anyone consider it a sanctified day on which it is unacceptable to say that trans ideology is bullshit? Hey, heads … Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
7 comments
Apr 5th, 2025 10:40 am |
By Ophelia Benson
Originally a comment by maddog at Before you find yourself throwing up your hands in a tizzy.
A separate division denies them their truth to compete as their authentic selves and is antithetical to USA Fencing’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) vision.
I call BS. Why is creating separate divisions* for transgender athletes not a proper solution?
One advantage to creating a separate division for trans women athletes is that there would be no need for artificial T suppression, as there would be no need to pretend that the trans woman was an actual woman.
Creating a division for trans women would not “deny them their truth.” “Their truth” consists solely of an internal, unexaminable feeling (or claim of a … Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
2 comments
Apr 5th, 2025 7:08 am |
By Ophelia Benson
What an unpleasant person.
It’s not “being a bigot” for a woman to object to a man competing in women’s races. It is being a bully and a cheat for a man to compete in women’s races. It’s bizarre for a woman who claims to be a radical to abuse women for … Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
15 comments
Apr 5th, 2025 6:34 am |
By Ophelia Benson
But sir…
From the Scottish Daily Express:
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has claimed that banning trans women from using female bathrooms is a “dangerous road to go down” as he raised concerns about how this would be policed. He also insisted that he didn’t regret voting for Nicola Sturgeon’s controversial gender reforms, despite the issues they have raised now.
But sir. But sir. You say “dangerous” but what about the danger to women if men who claim to be trans are not banned from using female bathrooms? Why do you worry about the danger to men while ignoring the danger to women? You are aware that male violence to women is a good deal more common than … Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
4 comments
Apr 5th, 2025 6:04 am |
By Ophelia Benson
Aw, diddums.
Lia Thomas left feeling ‘devastated’ and ‘grief’
Is he now the poor wee mite?
Is anyone telling him to think about how girls have been left feeling because of him?
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has revealed she felt “devastated” and experienced “grief” after being banned from competing against biological women.
Thomas made these comments whilst serving as a keynote speaker at HiTOPS’ annual Trans Youth Forum at the weekend.
Makes sense. Trans ideology doesn’t work unless everyone is rigorously trained to be indifferent to the harms to women and girls.… Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
2 comments
Apr 5th, 2025 5:40 am |
By Ophelia Benson
This time I’m not the only one saying it, there’s a flood of people saying it. No, you lying shits: the nurses don’t object to trans nurse using their changing room; they object to MALE nurse using their changing room. Stop lying about it.
… Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
No Comments »
Apr 4th, 2025 4:52 pm |
By Ophelia Benson
Ok let’s see if I can stomach this. Dreadful pompous smug fencing coach in August 2023 telling women and girls why they should take a back seat and like it.
So perhaps, before you dive in, it’s best to call out my beliefs up front before you waste your time reading this and find yourself throwing up your hands in a tizzy.
He means women there. It’s only women who “throw up their hands in a tizzy.” It’s so womany – stupid, weak, emotional, futile. Already we know where we are.
- Trasngender women are women and gender is not sex.
- Transgender fencers deserve the right to compete with the gender they identify with, and those of adult age should comply
…
Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
11 comments
Apr 4th, 2025 4:23 pm |
By Ophelia Benson
The rot is deep.
A director on the USA Fencing board once published an opus in support of trans athletes — less than two years before the athletic organization disqualified a female fencer from a tournament because she refused to compete against a trans opponent.
Damien Lehfeldt, the board’s elected at-large director, outlined his staunch position in a long-winded Aug. 30, 2023, blog post, in which he defended the right of trans fencers to compete against women, despite conceding they may have “a physical advantage.”
Can confirm. I started reading it but had to stop – it’s too enraging. I might go back to it later to gather some excerpts. It is indeed long-winded, and of course self-admiring, … Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
4 comments
Apr 4th, 2025 10:47 am |
By Ophelia Benson
Et tu Brontë Parsonage Museum?
Meet the Senior Leadership Team:
Our Senior Leadership Team steers the Brontë Parsonage Museum towards achieving our goals, and ensures we continue to work with our core values at heart.
Contact list of staff members
- Rebecca Yorke Pronouns She/her Role Director
- Mhairi Tomlinson Pronouns She/her Role Head of Finance
- Gail Price Pronouns She/her Role HR and Operations Manager
- Ann Dinsdale Pronouns She/her Role Principal Curator
Let’s see…does the Shakespeare Trust do that?
Nope. Not a pronoun in sight.
Dickens Museum?
Nope. The staff seems to be all or mostly women – the real kind.… Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
No Comments »
Apr 4th, 2025 10:23 am |
By Ophelia Benson
Reduxx back in 2023 on men taking over women’s fencing.
In November of 2022, USA Fencing adopted a Transgender and Nonbinary Athlete Policy which stated that division placement would be determined based on self-declared “gender identity” or “gender expression” rather than on biological sex.
Now let’s pause for a second to think about who benefits from such a policy and who does not.
Could it be that men benefit at the expense of women? And thus necessarily women are cheated for the pleasure of men?
Yes, it could. It couldn’t be any other way. Everybody knows this.
“USA Fencing will not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, regardless of sex assigned at birth, or any other form of
…
Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
2 comments
Apr 4th, 2025 7:50 am |
By Ophelia Benson
When babies fall out.
Donald Trump fired six national security council staffers after a fraught meeting in the Oval Office where the far-right activist Laura Loomer presented opposition research against a number of staffers that she said showed they were disloyal to the US president, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The firings encompassed four staffers who were fired overnight, after the meeting, and two who were removed over the weekend. It created the extraordinary situation where Loomer appeared to have more influence than the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, over the NSC and undercut Waltz in having aides axed under him.
And when the Guardian says “Loomer” it means a completely random person off the street … Read the rest
Posted in Notes and Comment Blog |
1 Comment »