The Pulitzer for insulting women goes to…

Andrea Long Chu, a contributor to Artforum and its recently shuttered sister publication Bookforum, has won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. A book critic at New York magazine since 2021, she was honored on the strength of five stories she wrote for that publication last year…

“Each of her subjects is a portal into something broader,” said New York editor in chief David Haskell at the time of her hiring, “and each of her reviews you end up mulling hours after you put them down.” The Brooklyn-based Chu has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, and n+1, among other publications. Her book Females

Then there’s the one about the “you can grab them by the pussy” tape.

here's a clip from Trump's deposition where he comments on the Access Hollywood tape pic.twitter.com/HxrPtH0UYa

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 5, 2023

Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan asks him: “When you’re a star they let you do it, you can grab them by the pussy, you can do anything, that’s what you said, correct?”

Trump: “Well historically that’s true with stars.”

Kaplan: “True with stars that they can grab women by the pussy?”

Trump tilts his head: “Well that’s what – it’s – ya look over the last million years, I guess that’s been largely true, not always, but largely true.”

Huh. Million years. I wonder how … Read the rest

I’ve been thrashing around for what feels like hours trying to find clean clips of Trump’s deposition – clean in the sense of being just deposition, not 80% talking head commentary and 20% deposition – when I finally remembered Aaron Rupar has them all.

(Why do I want them? To pick apart Trump’s “thinking.”)

CNN just played a clip from Trump's deposition in the E Jean Carroll case pic.twitter.com/VAtNHjgy1M

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 5, 2023

That she’s not my type? Yeah. [squares his shoulders pugnaciously] Because it’s not politically correct to say it [swings his head defiantly] and I know that but I’ll say it anyway.

There, that’s some of his “thinking.” It’s a new, trendy, silly, pretentious, politically … Read the rest

Another man proudly takes what belongs to women.

An Australian Transgender surfer who competes against women has said that “Trans Athletes are Here to Stay”

Sasha Lane Lowerson, the first openly trans pro-surfer, recently competed in the women’s category at the World Surf League’s Manly Longboard Classic.

Lowerson said… pic.twitter.com/K9ZjiAGt0M

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 10, 2023

“Trans athletes” are welcome to stay. Men are not welcome to compete against women.

Lowerson said while competing against men he “didn’t feel safe.”

So he competes against women and makes them unsafe. Seems fair.… Read the rest

The CBC tells us:

N.B. reviews gender-identity policy in schools as supporters accuse minister of caving to anti-LGBTQ pressure

But of course it could be just pressure not to promote trans ideology, as opposed to pressure to hate anti-lesbian gay bi trans queer people. In other words “anti-LGBTQ” is probably a misnomer.

The Higgs government in New Brunswick says it is rethinking its policy on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools because of a backlash against the guidelines.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development confirmed it’s reviewing the policy, designed to support gay, lesbian and trans youth, “after hearing concerns and misunderstandings of its implementation.”

The review was already underway before Education Minister Bill Hogan distanced

The Times sedately reports:

A Manhattan jury on Tuesday found former President Donald J. Trump liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of the magazine writer E. Jean Carroll and awarded her $5 million in damages in a widely watched civil trial that sought to apply the accountability of the #MeToo era to a dominant political figure.

The what of the what? When has it ever been ok for a man to push a woman up against a wall and violently grab her “by the pussy”? Never. That’s never been ok. The fact that some men have thought they get to do it anyway is beside the point.

I don’t believe in this “MeToo era” thing. Sexual assault is … Read the rest

Verdict is in. No on rape, yes on sexual abuse. $2 million in damages.

Correction: 5 million. FIVE.… Read the rest

Safe, joyful, inclusive, all the good things.

🧵I was honoured to work with Tom from @cabaretagainst to produce a safe, joyful protest against a hateful anti-trans propaganda film they wanted to screen at the University of Edinburgh. The personal attacks and backlash he is receiving for standing up to hate is proof that the

— Dr Katie Nicoll Baines (she/her) (@knicollb) May 8, 2023

I’m sickened by the way the GC movement weaponises victimhood to further their cause, taking personal swipes at anyone that stands up for trans rights accusing them of hating or harming women. It does nothing for equality.

— Dr Katie Nicoll Baines (she/her) (@knicollb) May 8, 2023

Yes isn’t it sickening how feminist women point out … Read the rest

It is, indeed, disgusting.

This has to be one of the nastiest, most disgraceful responses to legitimate concerns about the gender cult ever voiced by a senior Labour politician. And the competition has been stiff https://t.co/3A3RgpOq8a

— Simon Edge (@simonjedge) May 9, 2023

… Read the rest

Sonia Sodha is unimpressed by Stonewall’s tantrum.

More on why we should all be glad the EHRC is doing its job rather than adopting wholesale the controversial & discriminatory Stonewall worldview that gender identity should effectively replace sex in law and society.https://t.co/896p2s1nwN

— Sonia Sodha (@soniasodha) May 9, 2023

Dennis Kavanagh same.

1/ Firmly in the category of national joke, Stonewall now determine to become an international one. Domestic irrelevance/laughing stock status means this failing gender borg cube now has to appeal to niche international audiences populated by fellow gendocrats. pic.twitter.com/NsnifpnTPo

— Dennis Noel Kavanagh (@Jebadoo2) May 9, 2023

… Read the rest

Stonewall is in a lather.

The UK’s national human rights institution, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), has completely failed to engage with significant recommendations given to it for improvement to their governance and conduct, and is instead doubling down on its attempts to roll back trans rights and to seek trans people’s exclusion from public life, a coalition of leading LGBTQ+ charities has warned.

But of course the all too familiar question immediately arises – how are you defining trans rights?

Being Stonewall, they are of course defining trans rights as doing whatever they want all the time, which unfortunately clashes with the rights of other people, in particular women, lesbians, gay men, children, teenagers…quite a lot … Read the rest

Dahlia Lithwick reminds us where we are:

Over the past few weeks we have learned that Justice Clarence Thomas took multiple luxury vacations, valued in millions of dollars, over many years, paid for by Harlan Crow, a billionaire GOP donor who has business before the court. We know Crow had also contributed the $500,000 seed money that became Ginni Thomas’ Liberty Central, which paid her salary. We also know that Harlan Crow purchased the home in which Justice Thomas’ mother currently resides, rent free. And late last week, we learned that Crow paid years’ worth of private school tuition for Thomas’ grandnephew, Mark Martin, of whom Thomas had legal custody and whom Thomas was, as he put

What a lovely fellow. Imagine not wanting to be part of a political trend he approves of.

I really fucking hate this absolutely horrible old bag. Terfs are hateful fuckers. https://t.co/ngXuvFVDq9

— Michael Legge (@michaellegge) May 8, 2023

… Read the rest

Joanna Cherry’s statement on The Stand Comedy Club:

“In January, I accepted an invitation from The Stand to speak at an event in The Fringe this coming August. To my disappointment, and after initially backing the event, the Board of The Stand cancelled the event, citing concerns expressed by staff who were unwilling to work at it. The event has been running for four years and has a wide and diverse range of speakers, including from various political backgrounds.

I immediately required to defend my reputation. I said last week on BBC Radio Scotland:

“I’m being cancelled and no-platformed because I’m a lesbian, who holds gender-critical views that somebody’s sex is immutable.

“I’ve made those views clear over a

What a Maroon pointed out the Washington Post’s not at all manipulative poll on attitudes to the holy sacred anointed extremely special set of people known as “trans.”

Headline:

Most Americans support anti-trans policies favored by GOP, poll shows

But of course the policies aren’t “anti-trans.”

Clear majorities of Americans support restrictions affecting transgender children, a Washington Post-KFF poll finds, offering political jet fuel for Republicans in statehouses and Congress who are pushing measures restricting curriculum, sports participation and medical care.

But “restrictions” can mean a lot of different things. Restrictions on unhealthy additives in food are a good thing. Restrictions on lead-based paint are a good thing. Restrictions on a rush to trans a child are also a good … Read the rest

Peaceful and joyful.

Let us be clear and frank. We do not endorse violence against anyone. We do not allow intimidation tactics at our events. We offer peaceful and joyful forms of activism thru music song and dance.

— Cabaret Against The Hate Speech (@cabaretagainst) May 7, 2023

Except when we don’t.

If we were wrong in our presumptions then we would gladly apologise but this action on live TV along with other evidence proves otherwise.

Comparing us to a violent stalker when all we are doing is questioning an event and holding hate speech accountable is unacceptable.

— Cabaret Against The Hate Speech (@cabaretagainst) May 7, 2023

Nah, it’s trying to silence and punish people who don’t believe in … Read the rest

Choss didn’t wait to appoint a new Head of the Royal Medical Household. Edzard Ernst has the details.

Last September, THE GUARDIAN published an article about the HEAD OF THE ROYAL MEDICAL HOUSEHOLD. I did not know much about this position, so I informed myself:

The royal household has its own team of medics, who are on call 24 hours a day. They are led by Prof Sir Huw Thomas (a consultant at King Edward VII’s hospital [the private hospital in Marylebone often used by members of the royal family, including the late Prince Philip] and St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, and professor of gastrointestinal genetics at Imperial College London), head of the medical household and physician to the

Among those arrested for being a potential nuisance to Charles Windsor were women’s safety volunteers.

Westminster City Council officials said they are “deeply concerned” by reports women’s safety volunteers were arrested hours before the Coronation.

The Met said at about 02:00 BST on Saturday three people were arrested in Soho on suspicion of conspiracy to commit public nuisance. Among items seized were a number of rape alarms, the force said. The Met said it “received intelligence” people “were planning to use rape alarms to disrupt the procession”.

And which is more important? Women’s safety? Or the procession?… Read the rest

They what???

Met Police officers have arrested anti-monarchy protesters in central London ahead of the King’s Coronation. The leader of anti-monarchy group Republic has been arrested and the force said it had detained multiple people in the City of Westminster.

They are held on suspicion of breaching the peace, conspiracy to cause public nuisance and possessing articles to cause criminal damage, the force said. Republic said hundreds of their placards had also been seized.

“A significant police operation is under way in central London,” the force said on Twitter. Footage on social media showed officers using their powers under the new Public Order Act.

Chief executive of anti-monarchy group Republic, Graham Smith, was among those apprehended in St Martin’s