Category: Transgenderism

Lucy Bannerman for The Times writes:

Labour supporters have criticised a “sinister” decision to freeze them out of a Facebook group for sharing an article by the former head of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
In the article for The Times, Mr Phillips, a long-time Labour member, urged ministers not to give in to “trans zealots” over proposals to allow people to self-declare their legal gender.
Within 25 minutes of making the post, Ms Lush was told that she would be muted by administrators for sharing the allegedly “transphobic and offensive” material.
When another female member tried to share the article, the group moderator muted her and asked her “not to share that kind of stuff in the future”.
The member, who declined to be named for fear of harassment, criticised the hypocrisy of the administrators. The woman, a party member for 30 years, said: “The policy has never been debated amongst members, and Labour politicians are colluding with intimidation and silencing. Many women I know are leaving and have left (the party) over this issue.
“I was silenced for sharing an article explaining that the rights and protections of marginalised groups that were fought for for half a century would be destroyed if the push for self ID was successful. I had been perfectly polite and respectful, simply presenting the article for discussion, as I believe the points are valid and important. The silencing of anyone questioning these proposed reforms is not democratic.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/labour-members-punished-over-transgender-facebook-debate-n38wwj8nx

Lucy Bannerman for The Times writes:
Natalie Bird, 38, a mother of two who fled an abusive former partner, was accused of “dangerous transphobia” by transgender activists in the party. She had said that opening up safe spaces without proper safeguards to anyone who said that they were female could put women at risk.
She opposed segregating women’s refuges by chosen gender instead of biological sex, and said that it was not fair to make female victims of domestic violence, abuse and rape share services with people with “functioning” male anatomy.
After being allegedly bullied on social media by party activists, Ms Bird was brought before a disciplinary hearing to face a complaint in the name of Zoe O’Connell, on behalf of the LGBT+ Liberal Democrats. The correspondence says that Ms Bird had “expressed troublesome views”.
The hearing found no evidence to support the complaint of transphobia, but Ms Bird lost her position as chairwoman of the Radical Association, made up of party members, following a vote of no confidence. This cost her her role as a judge of the Ashdown Prize for Radical Thought; an ironic move, Ms Bird said, given that the prize’s aim was to reward “big, bold, radical” solutions to society’s most “daunting problems . . . no one has the courage to argue for”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/lib-dem-trans-activists-hounded-abuse-victim-b6dx39tv3

Nazia Parveen for The Guardian writes:
A “predatory and controlling” rapist has been jailed for life after she(sic) attacked vulnerable women in female prisons.
Karen White, 52, who was described as being a danger to women and children, admitted sexually assaulting women in a female prison and raping another two women outside jail.
The 52-year-old, who is currently transitioning, was sentenced yesterday for two counts of rape, two sexual assaults and one offence of wounding.
White has previous convictions for indecent assault, indecent exposure and gross indecency involving children, animal cruelty and dishonesty.
The Ministry of Justice has apologised for moving her(sic) to the women’s prison, saying that her(sic) previous offending history had not been taken into account.
Prosecutor Chris Dunn described White as an “alleged transgender female” who has used her(sic) “transgender persona to put herself in contact with vulnerable persons” whom she(sic) could then abuse.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/11/transgender-prisoner-who-sexually-assaulted-inmates-jailed-for-life

Travis McEwan for CBC News reports:

A transgender man is calling for Canadian Blood Services to change its screening policy when dealing with trans donors.
Jack Biamonte donated blood five times over the past year. Two weeks ago he had an embarrassing experience after he revealed his recent hysterectomy surgery to staff.
Staff, unaware Biamonte was a female-to-male transgender individual, asked him if he had genital-reconstruction surgery. When he said no, staff told him he would have to answer questions based on his sex assigned at birth.
Donors who have not had genital-reconstruction surgery are screened by their gender assigned at birth.
That means trans men born female are screened as women and questioned about pregnancies, as donors who have had a pregnancy are more likely to have antibodies in their blood that may cause a rare but potentially fatal complication in a recipient.
“I feel like if it’s better explained people will be more accepting of it,” Biamonte said.
But he disagrees that the policy is based on science.
[ed: sounds like they will need to ask all donors about
pregnancies now regardless of how they present.]
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/trans-canadian-blood-services-1.4851296

Molly Hayes in The Globe and Mail writes:
A controversial Toronto psychologist said he feels “vindicated” and “liberated” after receiving an apology from the country’s largest mental-health centre for erroneously representing his behaviour and work in a public review three years ago.
Kenneth Zucker headed up CAMH’s Family Gender Identity Clinic for more than 30 years before he was ousted in December, 2015. Sparked by criticisms that the clinic had been practising conversion therapy on young people who identify as transgender, CAMH had launched an external review earlier that year.
Although the report also looked specifically at Dr. Zucker’s interactions with patients – including a reference to him insulting a patient – he was not consulted. He was fired the same day it came out. The clinic for children and youth was ultimately shut down as well.
But while his removal was celebrated by many activists in the transgender community, many of his colleagues were outraged – and more than 500 clinicians and researchers signed a petition in his defence.
In Dr. Zucker’s view, it sparked a fear that the field of gender dysphoria – where he says there remains many urgent and unanswered clinical and theoretical questions – has been “poisoned by politics.”
“I think that conflation with politics has made it very difficult for many people in the field to say what they really think,” he said. “And I think that’s really sad, that in a field where there are so many important issues to discuss and work on, that really bright people feel intimidated.”
He disputes the idea that he was practising conversion therapy by not immediately pushing for transition for a child expressing gender dysphoria.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/canada/toronto/article-doctor-fired-from-gender-identity-clinic-says-he-feels-vindicated/

Hugo Greenhalgh for Reuters reports:
Britain’s leading LGBT+ rights group was attacked on Thursday for stifling debate as opinion split over whether the rights of trans women were compatible with those of other women.
The debate has raged in recent months and was rekindled when a group of high-powered campaigners wrote to the Times newspaper to lambast Stonewall’s dismissal of opposing views to its stance that “trans women are women”.
At the heart of the matter is whether trans rights are compatible with those of other(sic) women.
A petition was set up this week asking Stonewall “to reconsider its transgender policies and approach”.
Ruth Hunt, the group’s chief executive, said the petition had asked for an acknowledgement that there was a conflict between trans rights and “sex-based women’s rights”.
“We do not and will not acknowledge this,” Hunt said in a statement. “Doing so would imply that we do not believe that trans people deserve the same rights as others. Our motto is ‘acceptance without exception’.”
Britain is currently reviewing its 2004 Gender Recognition Act (GRA), which governs services offered to trans people. The consultation period ends on October 19.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/britain-lgbt-women/britains-top-lgbt-rights-group-under-fire-over-transphobia-idUKL8N1WK48J

Julie Bindel for Feminist Current writes:
Not only do lesbians have the least clout in the “queer” world, on account of being mere women, the word “lesbian” is becoming synonymous with “transphobia.” Lesbians have been the most vocal in challenging current Orwellian transgender ideology, because we have the most to lose by conceding hard-won ground to men who identify as women. Well-funded, powerful organizations that supposedly advocate on behalf of lesbians and gay men are leaving many of us behind in the quest to be as transgender friendly as possible.
But why are so many organizations caving in, and lauding trans activists whilst losing lesbians? Two words: fear and funding.
But despite the bullying and the threats to jobs and livelihood, many lesbians have had enough of the aggressive trans takeover of LGBT rights. The disquiet came to a head during London Pride this year, when a group of lesbians protested, holding placards with the slogan, “Lesbians don’t have penises,” and lying down on the parade route.
So-called progressive men who secretly hate or resent women just love the battle between militant trans activists who bleat that they are “real women,” and the feminists and lesbians that are not having it. These men have created the perfect opportunity to call us “bigots” and “haters” and still be thought of as “woke.”
https://www.feministcurrent.com/2018/08/29/many-lgbt-organizations-caving-trans-activists-losing-lesbians/