Our friend latsot went to a protest in Leeds yesterday…

I was at the Keep Prisons Single Sex event in Leeds yesterday. Needles to say some misogynists turned up to try to down out the women with a loud and expensive PA.

I politely asked three different police officers from @WestYorksPolice if they wouldn't mind just politely asking…

— latsot (@latsot) June 29, 2025

I politely asked three different police officers from @WestYorksPolice if they wouldn’t mind just politely asking the misogynists to turn down their music just a little bit so that anyone could hear both sides.

All three absolutely refused, two laughed in my face. They were, of course, under no obligation to do so, but when I

Originally a comment by Arcadia on Are they though?

I quite agree, and find the part that gets me is how much disputed stuff just slides by as obvious, assumed knowledge and common perspective, things that “everyone” supposedly thinks.

For instance, that Trump likes this (perhaps), that these changes are “pulverising the trans community” (significant evidence to the contrary), that Trump’s doing it to be righteous (perhaps, he’s not usually driven by that value though), that it’s an issue of “metaphysics” (Christ on a bike!), that it’s about “trans in sports or prisons” (when it’s about males in female sports and prisons), that these medical, hormonal, surgical and societal interventions constitute “care” (evidence mostly to the contrary), that this is

Justin Weinberg at Daily Nous on Alex Byrne’s response to his criticism:

Alex Byrne (MIT) has written an op-ed in The Washington Post in which he admits to being one of the co-authors of the US government’s “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria” Report, discussed previously.

Sly, that “admits to” – as if it were a crime.

…in response to a question from a reader, I elaborated on the reasons for my criticism; here’s part of what I said:

Trump seems quite happy to pulverize the trans community—for political gain, for the pleasure he takes in domination, and maybe even because he occasionally thinks it is a way to be righteous. It’s horrible. Whatever your views are about

Daily Blegh.

That’s the headline of UNC philosophy professor Justin Weinberg’s June 26 post on his philosophy news site, Daily Nous (@DailyNousEditor). I’m posting comments here since Weinberg has chosen to not to open them on this particular post. What’s Byrne’s sin? He served as one of nine co-authors on the recently released HHS report “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices.” (Available on the HHS website.)

Weinberg clearly disagrees with Byrne (who, for the record, did not vote for Trump) about whether serving as a co-author of the report was the right thing to do.

I happen to have intimate knowledge of Byrne’s motives—I’ll refer to him as “Alex” from here on—because

Originally a comment by Your Name’s not Bruce? on A means to exclood.

once he ‘transitioned’, he did his landscaping in hot pants and spike heels. That just proves he isn’t a woman; no woman of any sense at all would mow a lawn dressed like that. [quoting iknklast]

It’s a vicious circle. Performance and appearance are all that TiMs have; any time they’re not in “woman-coded” clothes and accessories = not being a woman, so even in situations where safety, comfort, and mobility compel women to dispense with “woman-coded” wardrobes, TiMs have to keep up the pretense, because doing otherwise results in even smaller chances of “passing”. Their use of stereotyipcal, exaggerated “female” clothing and mannerisms are the … Read the rest

It seems the NHS is allowing lunatics to tell NHS midwives that men can breastfeed infants.

NHS midwives have been trained by a trans workshop that promotes male breastfeeding, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Queer Birth Club runs “LGBTQ+” competency and lactation classes, using the tag line “birthing people ain’t all women”.

People who think men can get pregnant ain’t right in the head.

The group has provided training sessions for NHS England and a number of trusts across the UK, and its founder has given talks at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

One nurse who raised concerns about the training is now facing disciplinary action.

Oh come on. Seriously?

The Queer Birth Club has said that

Huh. The Scottish government is still trying to get away with it.

Earlier this month, officials told For Women Scotland (FWS) that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) had advised ministers to wait for the Commission’s final Code of Practice before making changes and to “not do anything in advance of that”.

The comments earned a stinging rebuke from Baroness Kishwer Falkner, the Chair of the EHRC, who said the Commission had made it “clear” to civil servants that public bodies should not wait for updated guidance before acting on the judgment.

“Comments” is not the right word there. It should be claims or assertions or orders. We’re not talking casual remarks over a beer, we’re talking officials … Read the rest

Sigh.

CNN:

President Donald Trump stepped up attacks on his handpicked Federal Reserve chairman on Wednesday, claiming Jerome Powell has “low IQ” and suggested that he has narrowed down the list of potential replacements to three or four people.

“He’s an average mentally person…Low IQ for what he does,” Trump said of Powell during remarks at a press conference at the NATO summit in the Netherlands Wednesday. “I think he’s a very stupid person, actually.”

Well which is it? Average or very stupid?

Tell you what: only a very stupid person starts with “average” and then pivots to “very stupid” and tries to get away with it by adding “actually.”

But really. Trump is horrifyingly successful, obviously, but not … Read the rest

Oh did he now.

Men won’t comply with laws or rules or norms that tell them to stay out of women’s toilets and changing rooms. Man MP says hooray, taller man visitor smirks.… Read the rest

Nancy Armour, a sports columnist at USA Today, rounds up the usual suspects.

The days of transgender athletes being able to compete at the Olympics are numbered.

The International Olympic Committee will no doubt dispute that, arguing that new president Kirsty Coventry’s announcement Thursday was only for a working group to examine how to “protect the female category.” But from her loaded language to the dearth of transgender athletes at the Games, it’s obvious this is intended as a means to exclude, not include.

Let’s start with her lede. Is there some moral law that says transgender athletes should be able to compete at the Olympics? I mean, one could also write a sob story about how crappy athletes … Read the rest

Hmmm.

President Donald Trump stepped up attacks on his handpicked Federal Reserve chairman on Wednesday, claiming Jerome Powell has “low IQ” and suggested that he has narrowed down the list of potential replacements to three or four people.

“He’s an average mentally person…Low IQ for what he does,” Trump said of Powell during remarks at a press conference at the NATO summit in the Netherlands Wednesday. “I think he’s a very stupid person, actually.”

But…sir…you…you yourself are…

Oh never mind.

… Read the rest

What’s this what’s this?

Court of Appeal has refused Liberty permission to appeal on all grounds, unanimously.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind.

Counsel now arguing about costs. EHRC seeking some £35K, which is quite a bit more than the £20,235 raised by their crowdfunder. https://t.co/wJ2r4wrfKV

— Richard Dunstan (@Wonkypolicywonk) June 26, 2025

The Guardian three weeks ago:

EHRC commissioner calls for ‘period of correction’ on trans rights after legal ruling

Transgender people must acknowledge a “period of correction” of rights after the supreme court decision on gender because they “have been lied to over many years” about what their rights actually were, one of the commissioners drawing up the official post-ruling guidance has said.

Speaking at a debate about

Occupy Democrats on Facebook:

Senator Jon Ossoff streamrolls Donald Trump’s slimy OMB Director Russell Vought after he tries to shift blame to Joe Biden during a hearing: “I don’t want to hear about the Biden administration! You’re here on behalf of the Trump administration.”

Finally, someone shut down the MAGA blame game…

“You guys are making mistakes and I want to focus on the mistakes that you’re making at the CDC. Have you visited the CDC Mr. Vought by chance?” asked Ossoff.

“I have not,” admitted Vought, who was testifying on behalf of the Office of Management and Budget about Donald Trump’s disastrous proposed cuts to federal funding.

“It is the flagship epidemiological and public health agency for the

Spot the problem.

Just one paragraph from the Everyday cancellation article:

A criticism of SEEN in Publishing, a sex equality and equity network for publishing professionals, was that its organisers chose to remain anonymous, but reactions from the industry – including naming it a “vile TERF publishing group” (commissioning editor) and a “nasty, anonymous, hate-filled little network” (editor), and telling its members to “get fucked” (publisher) – show why it has been necessary for them to do so. “I was really scared,” said a representative of SEEN in Publishing of her decision not to reveal her identity. She pointed out that most of the abuse directed online at the network had been sent from social-media accounts that were linked to their employers

Sex Matters has a new report on Everyday cancellation in publishing.

This research investigates the working environment for authors, agents and publishing staff who believe that sex is binary and immutable, and that it matters in life and law. It was commissioned to investigate widespread but anecdotal reports that publishing has become a hostile environment for people who hold gender-critical beliefs.

That’s an important thing to investigate. Publishing, like universities, journalism, social media, conversation, is how we learn about things: how we learn truths and also falsehoods. We all rely on these institutions and pastimes to get things right, so that we can get them right ourselves, and not fuck everything up by getting them badly horrifyingly wrong. … Read the rest

Make America Sick Again.

The new members of US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s panel of vaccine advisers will review long-approved immunisation schedules for children and teens. The seven members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (Acip) met for the first time on Wednesday, weeks after Kennedy ousted all 17 of their predecessors.

The Acip recommends who should be vaccinated and when these immunisations should occur to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ahead of the meeting, public health experts and politicians raised concerns about the qualifications of the new members – several of whom are vaccine critics.

Who the hell wants immunity from dangerous diseases anyway? Getting extremely sick builds character. Dying builds … Read the rest

Nailed it.

The opposition.

Oh gee will you look at that.

Two Guardian headlines.

21 days apart.

Don’t ever let them say they’re not erasing the word ‘woman’. pic.twitter.com/sipJ6U9KVQ

— Jill Foster (@JournalistJill) June 24, 2025

Kind of conspicuous, isn’t it.… Read the rest