Category: Transgenderism

Malpractice Premiums Are Blocking Gender-Affirming Care for Minors | TIME

Nearly half the states have banned medication or surgical treatment for transgender youth. Independent clinics and medical practices located in states where such care is either allowed or protected have moved to fill that void for patients commuting or relocating across state lines. But as the risk of litigation rises for clinics, obtaining malpractice insurance on the commercial marketplace has become a quiet barrier to offering care, even in states with legal protections for health care for trans people. In extreme cases, lawmakers have deployed malpractice insurance regulations against gender-affirming care in states where courts have slowed or blocked anti-trans legislation.

Insurance industry advocates argue that higher premiums are justified because the rise in legislation surrounding gender-affirming care for minors means clinics are at increased risk of being sued.

In 2021, Arkansas became the first state to ban gender-affirming care for trans children. When that ban was held up in court this year, the governor signed a new law allowing anyone who received gender-affirming care as a minor to file a malpractice lawsuit up to 15 years after they turn 18.

Similar laws followed in Tennessee, Florida, and Missouri, all extending the statute of limitations on filing a malpractice claim anywhere from 15 to 30 years. (Another was introduced but not passed in Texas that would have stretched the statute of limitations to the length of the patient’s life.) Typically, malpractice suits must be filed within one to three years of injury.

Source: Malpractice Premiums Are Blocking Gender-Affirming Care for Minors | TIME

UK: Transgender Greens Candidate Reportedly Shared “Sissification” Porn Content On Social Media Board

A trans-identified male recently selected to be a political candidate for the UK Green Party has prompted backlash after describing himself as a “proud lesbian” and accusing critics of “transphobia.” Melissa Poulton, previously known as Matthew Viner, has a disturbing history of sharing pornographic “sissification” content on social media.

Some critics also pointed to Poulton’s 2019 run for the Wyre Forest Council Elections while representing the Conservative Party. During his campaign, he did not yet describe himself as transgender, wore a suit, and still used his birth name, Matthew Viner.

Reduxx has now discovered a Pinterest account believed to belong to Poulton. Within his Pinterest board, populated when he still “identified” as male, Poulton had saved images related to sissification pornography, a genre which involves men being transformed into young women or even into little girls.

This is not the first controversy involving trans-identified males in the UK Green Party.

Just months ago, Heather Herbert, a trans-identified male currently standing with the Green Party, came under fire on social media after uploading photos of himself using a bathroom intended for women with disabilities to “dilate” himself.

In 2019, the party was accused of not properly vetting Aimee Challenor prior to allowing him to run for the position of Deputy Leader. Challenor, who was the party’s “equality spokeswoman” was a top contender for the position until it was learned he had hired his pedophile father to serve as his election agent.

At the time, Challenor’s father was out on bail after being charged for the rape and torture of a 10-year-old girl. Challenor nevertheless hid his father’s past from the public before it was discovered in what the party would later call a “major safeguarding risk.” David Challenor was ultimately sentenced to 22 years in prison for the horrific crime.

While under scrutiny, Challenor’s romantic partner was similarly embroiled in controversy after netizens discovered he had admitted to becoming aroused while fantasizing about children being sexually abused.

Source: UK: Transgender Greens Candidate Reportedly Shared “Sissification” Porn Content On Social Media Board

Transgender woman Rochelle Pattison wants to succeed Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong

The chair of Transgender Victoria, Rochelle Pattison, wants to become the Liberal Party’s first transgender MP and win back former treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s old federal seat of Kooyong.

Pattison, 56, a Liberal Party member for more than 30 years, has formally nominated for preselection for the seat, which teal independent Monique Ryan won from the Liberal Party at the last election.
Her (sic) nomination will have an impact as the party wrestles with trans rights issues after ousted Liberal MP Moira Deeming launched a defamation case against Opposition Leader John Pesutto.

Source: Transgender woman Rochelle Pattison wants to succeed Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong

Schools can overrule parents on child’s gender identity changes |UK

Schools will be able to overrule parents who want their children to change their gender identity if they feel it goes too far under new guidance.

The long-awaited guidance states that schools must take a “cautious approach” that complies with their legal duties.
It explicitly states that some forms of social transitioning — under which children change their pronouns, names and uniform — “will not be compatible with a school’s statutory responsibilities”.
Those responsibilities include a legal duty to provide children with single-sex changing rooms and toilets and a ban on boys competing against girls in contact sports where their safety will be put at risk.
Schools will be told that they are not under a “general duty” to allow children to change their gender identity. Ministers had considered an outright ban but were advised that such an approach would be unlawful and require new legislation.
At the heart of the guidance will be a requirement for schools to inform parents if children want to change their gender identity, with some exceptions. They will not be required to do so if the discussions between teachers and children are “general” and no specific action is needed. They will also not be required to do so if there are safeguarding issues.
In a bid to bolster protections for teachers, they will not be “compelled” to address children by their chosen pronoun if they have a “good faith” objection. They will instead be advised to use a pupil’s chosen name. Schools will also be told to exercise “extra caution” with younger children amid concerns that social transitioning could have a more significant impact.
Maya Forstater, executive director of the campaign group Sex Matters, said: “This guidance, though imperfect, sets the global standard for uprooting trans ideology from schools.

Source: Schools can overrule parents on child’s gender identity changes

‘I was quite sick about the situation’: Fury as biological male wins women’s croquet world title

It is the first known case anywhere of a women’s global title being awarded to somebody born male. Australia’s Jamie Gumbrell, who was competing as a male as recently as 2019, is recognised by the World Croquet Federation (WCF) as having been “assigned male at birth”. But when the sport returned from its pandemic-enforced shutdown, the 23-year-old from Canberra began identifying as female and in August became the women’s world champion at the first attempt.

Telegraph Sport has spoken to several of Gumbrell’s fellow competitors, all of whom are furious about the unquestioning gender policy that enabled the Australian to self-identify into the female category and beat England’s Rachel Gee, the 2011 champion, in this year’s final. Sue Lightbody, a member of the England team at the worlds, said women had no idea they would be playing against a biological male until they arrived at the tournament in Southwick, near Brighton.

Croquet’s gender policy is essentially one of pure self-ID, allowing players to compete according to the “gender identity that they persistently and consistently use”. Ian Burridge, president of the WCF, said: “The fact that Jamie was assigned male at birth is not disputed by anyone. Jamie now identifies as female as her entry into the world championships was determined in accordance with our policy, approved by our members in April 2022. We welcome feedback, given the concerns that exist around speaking out in this area.”

Another female international involved at the worlds, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “It’s not just jump shots. To hit a ball that weighs 500 grams 20 metres, I have to use 80 per cent of my strength. The more strength you use, the more precision you lose. Endurance is also a factor. But in a sense, the ‘why’ is not so important. The world rankings, where only 12 of the top 100 players are women, prove that there is a difference.

“We never thought we would have this problem. I really felt sorry in the final for Rachel, who at the end was hiding behind her sunglasses because she was crying. She didn’t complain. She had been training so hard to be the women’s world champion, and then someone born male comes and takes it away.”

A source in Australia said: “What I know is that since playing women’s events, Jamie has won them all: women’s worlds, Australian women’s singles twice, New South Wales women’s singles. Recently, in our team event representing New South Wales as their No 1 woman, Jamie was undefeated in the five-day event. None of the other No 1 women players were undefeated. Perhaps those results tell the story.”

Source: ‘I was quite sick about the situation’: Fury as biological male wins women’s croquet world title

Transgender women should not be held in women’s prisons, as Adam Graham/Isla Bryson case showed – Susan Dalgety

Fans of the classic Australian soap, Prisoner: Cell Block H, may recognise this slogan: “If you think prison is hell for a man, imagine what it would be like for a woman?” Rhona Hotchkiss, a small, grey-haired woman, full of vim and vigour and with a biting wit, looks more like the NHS nurse she once was than the firm but fair prison governor she became.

Cornton Vale’s replacement – HMP & YOI Stirling – is nothing like the grim Cell Block H. Indeed, with its housing units named Primrose, Bluebell and Iris, it could pass for a boutique spa hotel. But look behind the flowery names and the soft furnishings, and it is still a prison. The women living there have no choice. They cannot check out until their sentence is served. Their comfortable bedroom cannot mask the fact that it is a prison cell. They are incarcerated. And Rhona Hotchkiss is angry on their behalf.

Her main contention, confirmed by a close reading of the policy, is that biologically male offenders who identify as transgender, including those who have committed sex crimes, will still have the right to spend their sentence in a women’s prison.

Or as one newspaper headline put it: “Trans inmates with history of violence against women to be mostly kept out of female Scottish jails.” “Mostly” being the operative word. The new policy will allow a transgender prisoner to be housed in the female estate where there is “compelling evidence” that they do not “present an unacceptable risk of harm to those in the women’s prison”.

“What is an acceptable risk to women?” asked Rhona Hotchkiss. “Is it a five per cent chance they will be assaulted, is it a 60 per cent chance they will be assaulted? The fact that they [the Scottish Prison Service] are willing to take a risk with women’s safety at all is just unacceptable.”

To be fair, the report did point out the prison service had considered the risk. It says: “Some external stakeholders were particularly concerned about the vulnerability of non-transgender women in prison and the need for them to be protected from further harm.”

Let’s pause there for a moment. The Scottish Prison Service has just re-classified female prisoners as “non-transgender women” and says that those who argue that no level of risk is acceptable may be guilty of prejudice.

Not all biological men who identify as transgender are violent, by any means. But they were all born male. Women’s prisons should be female only. Anything else risks male violence against women, which, as the Scottish Government tells us, has no place in our society. It has no place in women’s prisons either.

Source: Transgender women should not be held in women’s prisons, as Adam Graham/Isla Bryson case showed – Susan Dalgety

Edinburgh MP hits out at major clothes chain after employee wears badge with ‘slur’ on it

An Edinburgh MP has lashed out at a major fashion chain after she was served by a staff member wearing a badge with a “slur” on it.

Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry claimed she’d been served by a man in Superdry in the St James Quarter “wearing a badge with a bleach bottle with the words ‘TERF repellent’ on it”.

She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Just been in your St James store Edinburgh where I was served by a man wearing a badge with a bleach bottle with the words “terf repellent” on it. Terf is a slur used against feminists and lesbians with boundaries. Are we not welcome in your store?”

The tweet sparked a heated debate with some showing support for the MP calling out the store for having an employee wearing a “discriminatory badge.” One claimed they would boycott the store until the confirmed ‘their position on discrimination’.

Ms Cherry said in another post on Tuesday, 12 December: “Pleased that Superdry are investigating my complaint. It’s contrary to their duties under the #EqualityAct to allow staff to wear badges indicating discriminatory intent towards any protected characteristic including sexual orientation and religion or belief.”

Source: Edinburgh MP hits out at major clothes chain after employee wears badge with ‘slur’ on it

Sisters at University of Wyoming Sorority Demand Court Clearly Define “Woman” In Appeal To Have Trans-Identified Male Removed, Claim He Filmed Them Without Consent

The female complainants at the center of a lawsuit to have a trans-identified male removed from a sorority at the University of Wyoming have re-filed their appeal, demanding the court clearly define the word “woman.”

The initial suit, filed at the end of March, had asserted that Langford, who is 6’2″, had been voyeuristically peeping on the women while they were in intimate situations, and, on at least one occasion, had a visible erection while doing so.

In May, a judge twice prohibited the women from suing anonymously, while stipulating that Langford’s identity should remain protected. Langford was referred to by the pseudonym “Terry Smith” and male pronouns in the legal documents. Six of the women then refiled the lawsuit under their own names, and are requesting that the court void Langford’s membership in KKG.

In June, the sorority filed a motion to dismiss the suit, calling it a “frivolous” attempt to eject Langford for “their own political purposes.” According to the motion, the women suing were flinging “dehumanizing mud” in order to “bully Ms. Langford on the national stage.” The sorority invited the women to resign their membership “if a position of inclusion is too offensive for their personal values.”

The recent appeal against the suit’s dismissal, filed on behalf of the young women by Sylvia May Mailman of the Independent Women’s Law Center, the Law Office of John G. Knepper, Schaerr Jaffe LLP, and Cassie Craven of Longhorn Law firm, details several alleged violations of the sorority sisters’ rights, as well as KKG’s own policies.\

It goes on to note that from 1870 to 2018, KKG defined “woman” to exclude “transgender women” and that any new definition may not be enacted without a KKG bylaw amendment.

Numerous examples are given of rules put forward by the sorority which use the term “woman,” with the attorneys maintaining that “‘woman’ is not an ambiguous term open to an evolving interpretation.”

In addition to denying women anonymity, Wyoming chapter officials, after consultation with Kappa’s leadership, had told members that voting against Langford’s admission was evidence of “bigotry” that “is a basis for suspension or expulsion from the Sorority.”

Curiously, prior court documents also reveal that Langford was admitted to KKG despite not even meeting their basic academic eligibility requirements.

Source: Sisters at University of Wyoming Sorority Demand Court Clearly Define “Woman” In Appeal To Have Trans-Identified Male Removed, Claim He Filmed Them Without Consent

Detransitioner suing American Academy of Pediatrics

A Florida woman who medically transitioned from female to male as a 14-year-old is suing the American Academy of Pediatrics — alleging she was whisked through the process as a minor by “a collection of actors who prioritized politics and ideology over children’s safety, health, and well-being.”

Isabelle Ayala, now 20, is also suing her doctors in Rhode Island in a first of its kind case, filed in Providence/Bristol County Superior Court.

Ayala says she was sexually assaulted as a child and began precocious puberty at age 8 — both experiences she says made her resent her femininity and believe she was better off male.

At 11, she found solace in the transgender activist community on Tumblr, and thought, “This is going to fix me.”

She learned from trans activists that fabricating suicidal ideation is a surefire way to get a testosterone prescription quickly. So, at age 14 she did just that: “I learned that from the internet that… I had to convince [my doctors and family] that if they don’t affirm me, I’m gonna kill myself.”

Ayala said she was referred to a gender clinic and diagnosed with gender dysphoria by transgender health expert Dr. Jason Rafferty. According to the lawsuit, he determined she “would benefit from being put on cross-sex hormones” in a single visit that lasted less than an hour.

Less than a year into treatment, Ayala said, she actually did attempt suicide.

By age 17, in 2020, Ayala felt the urge to begin presenting femininely again. A YouTuber who had detransitioned inspired her to identify as a woman again — and she soon realized her transition had been a massive mistake.

Three years on, according to the lawsuit, she still struggles with unwanted body hair, vaginal atrophy and an altered bone structure from the testosterone.

“She has since contracted Hashimotos’s disease, an autoimmune disease that only the males in her family have a history of, from taking testosterone,” the suit claims.

Ayala filed her lawsuit in October, naming seven doctors and 15 John Does she accuses of “civil conspiracy, fraud and medical malpractice.” Among the physicians named is Dr. Jason Rafferty, the doctor who she alleges prescribed her testosterone on her first visit.

Source: Detransitioner suing American Academy of Pediatrics

Draft bill to ban gay conversion practices in Tasmania criticised by advocates for having too many loopholes – ABC News

The government has released draft legislation that would make it a criminal offence to “attempt to change or eradicate the sexual orientation or gender identity” of a person in a way that causes physical or mental harm to the recipient.

But it would allow a defence if the person subjected to the practices was an adult, consented to it and understood that the practice could cause physical or mental harm.

Attorney-General Guy Barnett said support provided “by health professionals, family and friends or in religious or spiritual settings” would not be considered conversion practices under the draft legislation.

It has sparked a furious response from Equality Tasmania spokesperson Rodney Croome, who said the draft legislation did not go nearly far enough.

Australian Christian Lobby Tasmanian director Christopher Brohier said the draft legislation was “oppressive and unnecessary” and could restrict vulnerable Tasmanians from accessing help.