A note from Lee: I’m taking three days off. The next GC News will be Tuesday, April 26. Also, I’m adopting a more compact format for each of the articles. As always, I invite your comments!
This day in Herstory: Sarah Emily Davies, born April 22, 1830 (died July 13, 1921), was an English feminist and suffragist, and a pioneering campaigner for women's rights to university access. She is remembered above all as a co-founder and an early Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge University, the first university college in England to educate women. (more)
Sajid Javid inquiry into gender treatment for children
Health secretary compares political fears over trans issue to silence during Rotherham scandal
From The Times (UK)
April 22, 2022
Vulnerable children are wrongly being given gender hormone treatment by the NHS, Sajid Javid believes, as he prepares to launch an urgent inquiry.
The health secretary thinks the system is “failing children” and is planning an overhaul of how health service staff deal with under-18s who question their gender identity. … continue reading
Michigan congressional candidate sends fundraiser with claim ‘your child’ is receiving gender-affirming surgery
From The Hill (USA)
April 22, 2022
An early version of a fundraiser message for Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett (R) was sent out via text message with the message telling prospective donors “your child” is receiving gender-affirming surgery.
The fundraiser message now appearing online does not contain the claim, but a screenshot of the original message sent via text was obtained by Michigan Advance. According to the outlet, Barrett, who is running for the state’s 7th Congressional District, says in the message that “Your child” will receive “Gender Reassignment Surgery Tomorrow at 9 AM.” … continue reading
New Jersey’s pregnant inmates spur outrage over transgender transfers
From Washington Times (USA)
April 22, 2022
Last year, the New Jersey Department of Corrections agreed to house inmates based on their gender identity after being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union. This year, two female prisoners are pregnant.
Now the ACLU is coming under attack for the settlement agreement requiring prison officials to transfer transgender inmates into the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Critics say the consequences should have been obvious from the start.
… continue reading
Feminist philosophy professor deplatformed at Harvard over belief in biological sex
"For my part, I’d rather be damned with the Romantics and Plato than go to woke heaven with Erin and the Harvard faculty."
From The Post Millennial (USA)
April 22, 2022
Dr. Devin Buckley was scheduled to speak at Harvard University this month about her work regarding British Romanticism and philosophy, though that talk has now been canceled.
On April 18, Buckley was notified that her talk had been canceled, citing her board membership with the Woman’s Liberation Front "WoLF" which they say is "an organization that takes a public stance regarding trans people as dangerous and deceptive." … continue reading
RESISTANCE PROFILE: Canada’s Coach Blade – a leader in the race to save women’s sports
From Gender Dissent (Canada)
April 21, 2022
Tireless in her defence of women athletes against ideological cheaters, Canadian sport-performance coach Dr. Linda Blade isn’t about to let a man’s win of the 2022 NCAA Women’s 500-yard freestyle swim slow her down.
A champion in her own right (Canadian national champion, women’s heptathlon, 1986), Coach Blade has helped athletes improve their performance in more than 15 sports, including NHL hockey and Olympic skating. With World Athletics in the 1990s, Linda educated coaches in the Middle East, including Iran, where she delivered a ground-breaking course for female coaches. Coach Blade also holds a PhD in Kinesiology. Her thesis on growth and development of children informs her coaching, writing and advocacy today. … continue reading
Note from Lee (GC News): Today this thread by Zach Elliott from October 2022 was retweeted. It provides a useful summary of the relevant considerations on the biology of sex, specifically with regard to whether or not sex can be considered as a spectrum. I’m republishing the entire thread here, with Zach’s very kind permission.
Please note: The full thread also includes several helpful screenshots, links, and references.
“Gamete type is the ultimate dividing line of sex, and phenotype (reproductive anatomy) functions as the marker.”
A Twitter Thread by Zach Elliott
1/ In December 2019, a marine biologist (Helm) wrote a thread about how biological sex can have more complex combinations than male or female. We call this the 'sex spectrum.' Let's explore it with peer-reviewed science.
2/ Proponents of the sex spectrum recognize that there is a diverse range of anatomy and physiology within males and females that often overlaps. Knowing this, they reason that perhaps the dividing line between male and female is determined by society, rather than biology.
3/ If the dividing line between male and female is arbitrary, they argue, then classifying individuals as male and female should lose its social significance. This 'sociological premise' is the core of the sex spectrum argument, not the biology it presents on the surface.
4/ This sociological premise--that male and female should have no social significance--is the underlying argument of Helm's thread. Even though most of the thread seems like it's about biology, the biology is only used as a rhetorical tool to reinforce the sociological premise.
5/ So how is this idea--that male and female are arbitrary--reinforced? The answer is through showing that individuals cannot always be divided into male or female through *one single trait.* And this is where we begin with Helm's thread.
6/ Helm looks at the atypical combinations of chromosomes, hormones, and cells to show that there is no single trait we can call "biological sex." I'll include screenshots of her thread as we go along. We'll start with chromosomes.
7/ CHROMOSOMES: It's true that XX and XY do not always mean you will develop as a female or male, respectively. For example, Helm rightfully points out that a translocation of the SRY gene to an X chromosome can cause XX individuals to develop as males.[1][2][3]
8/ On the other hand, if the SRY gene is absent in an XY zygote and/or the gonads do not differentiate into testes, these individuals will develop as females with Mullerian reproductive structures.[4]
9/ DSD XX males and XY females are not in between sexes or new sexes. They are unambiguously male and female. How? Because male and female are not defined through chromosomes, but rather, through the reproductive anatomies they develop for the production of sperm or ova.[5][6]
10/ XX males develop reproductive anatomies structured for sperm, even if they are infertile, and XY females develop reproductive anatomies structured for ova, even if they are infertile as well. And this, the reproductive phenotype, is the marker of sex.
11/ HORMONES: It's true that hormone levels are variable within males and females and between them. This means there's a distribution for males and a distribution for females with different amounts of overlap depending on the hormone. But hormonal profiles do not define sex.
12/ For example, females with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia are often exposed to male-typical levels of androgens in the womb, sometimes virilizing (masculinizing) the external genitalia.[7] And males with Klinefelter's (47,XXY) can often experience low testosterone levels.[8]
13/ Both males with 47,XXY and females with CAH are defined as male and female, respectively, despite their hormone levels. How? Because male and female are not defined through hormone levels but through the reproductive anatomies they develop for the production of sperm or ova.
14/ CELLS: Cells have protein molecules known as receptors which bind to hormones. Some receptors code for sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. If the receptor has a mutation, the sex hormone might not be able to bind to the receptor, and the signal will not be sent.
15/ For example, if the gene which codes for androgen receptors has a mutation, testosterone in an XY fetus will not be able to bind to androgen receptors to build masculinized structures, and the fetus will develop a female phenotype, as in cases of CAIS.[9]
16/ THE PREMISE: For proponents of the sex spectrum, all this variation in sex development means we can define your sex through chromosomes, or hormones, or through cells, and this can all be combined in different ways, creating a spectrum of sex.
17/ Because it seems like biological sex cannot be defined through one singular trait, Helm makes an interesting case that perhaps male and female are not as cleanly defined as we think, and this is where the sociological premise of her argument is revealed.
18/ The sociological premise is that, if we cannot clearly define male and female, we should not use 'biological sex' as a socially significant category, and thus, we should allow identity--one's internal sense of self--to be the primary marker for the ordering of society.
19/ The problem, however, is that Helm shows the diversity of sex development mechanisms that produces males and females while never defining the terms 'male' and 'female.' Variations in sex development do exist, but these variations still form males and females, not new sexes.
20/ Despite the diversity of sex development mechanisms and the wide variety of secondary sex characteristics in humans and other animals, male and female are not arbitrarily divided but can be objectively defined across all sexually reproducing species. Here's how.
21/ If one develops a phenotype structured for small gametes, one is male, and if one develops a phenotype structured for large gametes, one is female.[10] Gamete type is the ultimate dividing line of sex, and phenotype (reproductive anatomy) functions as the marker.[11]
22/ One's reproductive anatomy does not have to be fully developed or fully functional to be a male or female. All the classification needs is that you started on the path of development towards the production of sperm or ova, regardless of past, present, or future functionality.
23/ As Helm writes, we should not use sex, or other biological criteria, to discriminate against someone based on their identity. Everyone should be treated with respect. At the same time, biological sex is real and important, and bigoted beliefs do not define scientific facts.
24 END / Biological sex, male and female, is one of the most objective categories in biology, clearly definable across all sexually reproducing species, and it's why we are all here in the first place. We don't have to deconstruct its meaning to treat others with respect.
Refusing What We Are: The Evil of Children’s Transgenderism
It’s difficult for us to acknowledge the enormity of the crime committed against our children because it’s hard for us to acknowledge how deeply we have failed.
From American Greatness (USA)
April 22, 2022
Sometimes there is a flash of light so bright that you are compelled to look away. Sometimes a crime is so profound that it is difficult even to name it; to grasp the enormity of it. The recent explosion of transgenderism in children, an affliction currently affecting the lives of more than 1-in-50 young adults and children in Gen Z, is one such instance. … continue reading
Nonbinary Gender on Birth Certificates Will Likely Be Banned in Oklahoma
From Newsweek (USA)
April 22, 2022
A bill banning the identification of non-binary gender on birth certificates has passed in the Oklahoma House and Senate, heading to Governor Kevin Stitt's desk today.
The summary of Senate Bill 1100 said that it "requires the biological sex designation on a birth certificate to be either male or female and prohibits a nonbinary or any symbol representing a nonbinary designation," adding that "the measure declares an emergency." … continue reading
Women-only public toilets to be reinstated in Camden Town
Action to be taken as a 'priority' at underground loos
From Camden New Journal (UK)
April 21, 2022
Camden made the underground toilet gender-neutral after saying it had to find money to repair the gents
THE Town Hall last night (Wednesday) said it was ready to reinstate women-only toilets in Camden Town as an urgent “priority” – less than a week after the New Journal revealed users’ safety concerns.
And Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said it was “unacceptable” that a woman had reported a frightening experience in the gender-neutral loos in Parkway but received no response from the council at all. … continue reading
Feminist student ‘bullied’ by trans activists loses bid to sue university
Raquel Rosario-Sánchez claims Bristol University failed to stop a two-year campaign and threats of violence against her
From The Telegraph (UK)
April 22, 2022
A feminist student “bullied” by trans activists should not have expected the university to protect her, a tribunal has ruled.
Raquel Rosario-Sánchez, 32, said she had been subjected to a two-year campaign and threats of violence by transgender activists which she claimed Bristol University bosses failed to stop.
Ms Rosario-Sánchez, who was accepted on to a PhD course at Bristol in January 2018 and lists her academic specialism as “ending violence against girls and women”, claimed that she was targeted for attending feminist meetings that opposed allowing transgender women into female-only spaces such as lavatories and domestic violence refuges. … continue reading
Ambiguous Loss
From Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans (PITT) (USA)
April 22, 2022
What do you call a loss that is unresolved, enigmatic? A loss that is lacking in clarity, in certainty, in resolution? One that doesn’t allow for the typical markers and rituals that help a person process a loss, delaying and complicating their grief? Though I have a Ph.D. in Psychology, my experience lies outside the realm of the clinical and counseling professions, so I did not have a name for this type of loss. That is, until I came across the concept of Ambiguous Loss (Boss, 2000) – a concept which I have found captures, almost perfectly, the grief I’ve experienced since my (now) 14-year-old daughter abruptly announced she was transgender a year and a half ago.
Like many stories you will read on this substack, my child’s transgender identity came on very suddenly, a few months into the pandemic, with no prior signs of gender dysphoria or of nonconforming behavior, whatsoever. … read full article
Trans Vision: Through a glass dark and distorted
From Gender Dissent (Canada)
April 21, 2022
Something otherworldly is happening in America.
The February edition of Harper’s Magazine featured an examination of attempts to create sealed human biospheres. The author, Jessica Camille Aguirre, wondered whether “we as a species would be compelled to seek some new terrain, a foreign place where our appetites might grow, expanding and expanding, like the universe itself.” … continue reading
Florida fights back against Biden’s trans agenda
The state has issued sensible advice on gender-related distress in minors
From The Post by UnHerd (UK)
April 22, 2022
The United States is fast becoming an outlier in paediatric gender medicine. Whereas medical authorities in Sweden, Finland, France, and the United Kingdom have recognised that evidence for the mental health benefits of paediatric transition is weak while evidence for its risks and harms is stronger, the Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now committed itself to promoting the “affirming” model of care. … continue reading
New York Times Admits: Experimenting On Trans Kids Has Horrifying, Irreversible Consequences
In a New York Times podcast, a lesbian mother and her transgender daughter affirm that gender dissenters have been right all along.
From The Federalist (USA)
April 22, 2022
Any remaining people unbothered by the “queer” activists pushing for children to question their gender, screw with their biological chemistry via hormone pills and even potentially mutilate their genitals, should immediately listen to an episode this week of The New York Times’s “The Daily” podcast.
If it doesn’t fill everyone with shock and horror, it’s all over and the monsters of this country have won. That two-part episode, “When Texas Went After Transgender Care,” features a lesbian mother and her biological daughter, Grayson, who is 17 and has attempted to become a male. … continue reading
Stan, MacKensey Pulliam deny anti-LGBTQ+ bias in 'War on Woke'
While they deny being homophobic, Sandy political couple rallies likeminded parents to fight against curriculum on gender identity, sexual orientation in schools
From The Madras Pioneer (USA)
April 22, 2022
Despite actions taken federally to prevent discrimination against transgender students in schools, political action group Oregon Moms Union and Republican gubernatorial candidate and Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam have expressed concerns that the "woke left" is forcing curriculum about gender identity and sexual orientation on children. … continue reading
Louisiana lawmakers are eyeing another transgender athlete ban. Here’s how other states are faring
Laws barring transgender student athletes from competing on sports teams aligning with their gender identity have passed in 15 states. Another 19 are looking to follow.
From The Hill (USA)
April 22, 2022
Story at a glance
Lawmakers in Louisiana are hoping to become the 16th state to pass a law preventing transgender athletes from playing on sports teams that match their gender identity. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) vetoed a similar bill last year.
If the bill passes, Louisiana will be the 16th state to enact such a law. More are likely to come.
Outside of legislative action, state athletic associations in more than half of U.S. states have put policies in place barring trans athletes from high school sports.
Senators in Louisiana this week passed legislation seeking to prevent transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity, sending the bill to the state House of Representatives for consideration.
… continue reading