This day in Herstory: Carol Elaine Channing, was born on January 31, 1921. She died January 15, 2019. She was an American actress, singer, dancer, and comedienne, known for starring in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, whether singing or for comedic effect. (more)
British Cycling Members Warned Not to Criticize New Trans Policy
… and urged to report behavior and language to the "Integrity and Compliance Department."
From 4W (USA)
By Bryndis Blackadder
January 31, 2022
British Cycling members have been warned that they will be censored and reprimanded if they have any criticism of their newly updated 2020 “Transgender and Non-Binary Participation Policy.”
British Cycling is the lead governing body for cycling in Britain, with roles including picking and managing the British Cycling Team and representing Britain at the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) where they are involved in creating cycling regulation standards at all levels from amateur to the Olympics and Paralympics. … read full article
Kathleen Stock: 'I won't be bullied into submission'
From Holyrood (Scotland)
By Mandy Rhodes
January 31, 2022
Growing up in the east coast town of Montrose in Angus, Kathleen Stock suffered relentless bullying at school. Too tall, too clever, too bookish and coupled with her blue NHS-issue specs, and an occasional headguard attached by rubber bands to a metal dental brace to fix her wonky teeth, there was no escaping the fact that she stood out. She was also Catholic. The added dimension of having ‘larger than life’ English parents, both academics at Aberdeen University, gave her tormentors further ammunition to pick on her for being English [despite being born in Aberdeen], a snob [she wasn’t] and a swot [she might just give them that].
And as a result, Stock learnt the hard way that being different can have painful consequences.
She describes the bullying – name calling, hitting, spitting, hair-pulling, kicking – as being on an “epic scale” and in a small town, there was no escape. … read full article
The woke police are a menace to freedom
They seem more interested in clamping down on gender-critical views than violent crime.
From Spiked (UK)
By Jo Bartosch
January 31, 2022
Women’s rights campaigner Jennifer Swayne is a rebel with a cause. She expects to rile the authorities. But even she was surprised to have her house raided by the police for possession of, er, stickers.
Women’s rights campaigner Jennifer Swayne is a rebel with a cause. She expects to rile the authorities. But even she was surprised to have her house raided by the police for possession of, er, stickers.
The saga started the weekend before last, when Swayne, who is disabled, twisted the throttle of her mobility scooter and headed into Newport, in south Wales. She was armed with stickers and posters critical of trans ideology. She started slapping the propaganda on lamp posts.
Unbeknownst to Swayne the law was on her tracks and the criminal stickering spree was brought to a tyre-screeching end. Speaking on behalf of Gwent police, superintendent Vicki Townsend said the force had been acting on intelligence following ‘several reports in relation to posters containing offensive material appearing in Newport between October and January’.
Swayne was hauled into a police van, along with her mobility scooter. She was held at a police station, without her medication, for 12 hours before being released on conditional bail at 3.30am. … read full article
Police reported to watchdog after visiting women’s charity boss to question ‘female-only’ tweet
Scottish MP says visit is ‘the stuff of totalitarianism’ as senior officer is accused of ‘woeful’ misunderstanding of discrimination law
From The Telegraph (UK)
By Daniel Sanderson
January 30, 2022
Police Scotland has been reported to the UK’s equality watchdog after a senior officer was accused of suggesting a women’s charity had acted “deplorably” by cutting ties with a “trans inclusive” rape crisis centre.
The campaign group Fair Play for Women on Sunday submitted a formal complaint about remarks made by an assistant chief constable after it emerged police turned up at the home of Nicola Murray, the founder of Brodie’s Trust, to question her about a tweet in which she emphasised the female-only nature of her charity’s services.
The 42-year-old was reported to police after saying in September that the Trust, which supports women who have lost a baby to domestic violence or forced termination, would stop referring clients to the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre due to inflammatory remarks made by its trans chief executive.
She claimed officers then turned up at her home near Perth the following month and told her they wanted to “ascertain her thinking” behind the Tweet, despite acknowledging that no crime had been committed. … read full article
Transgender woman who also identifies as a WOLF claims she's 'spiritually' an animal - but insists she would not howl or bark at her 'serious job' or in public
Naia Ōkami, 27, identifies as otherkin therian meaning she is spiritually an animal
Says that while she barks and howls, she does not believe she is physically a wolf
Claims she 'spiritually and psychologically identifies' as a British Columbian wolf
From Daily Mail (UK)
By Monica Greep
January 31, 2022
A woman who identifies as a wolf says that people often have 'misconceptions' about her her 'spiritual and psychological' life as a animal.
Naia Ōkami, 27, from Seattle, identifies as a British Columbian wolf and regards herself as an otherkin therian - a subculture who believe their soul is that of an animal, rather than a human.
In 2017, Naia came out as a transgender woman on social media and in November 2019, she revealed to her followers that she had legally changed her gender to female.
She insists that despite sometimes barking and howling like a wolf, she is aware she is physically human and maintains a 'serious job' while 'spiritually expressing herself' as an animal. ... read full article
Teacher who was suspended after allegedly manipulating girl, 11, into believing she is a boy and 'stalking' middle-school students for LGBTQ club is mom of transgender son
From Daily Mail (UK)
Lori Caldeira, the teacher at the center of a legal battle over persuading an 11-year-old girl that she is transgender, has a son who was born a girl, DailyMail.com can reveal
Both she and her ex-husband supported Jake Caldeira-Perry, now 22, when he transitioned as a teen
Caldeira, 52, and fellow seventh-grade teacher Kelly Bakari, 39, are currently suspended by the school district in Spreckels, California
They said that they 'stalked' potential members for an LGBTQ club by mining students' Google searches but now say their comment should not have been taken literally
The teachers and school district are now being sued by a mom who claims they secretly convinced her daughter she was transgender
By Ruth Styles
January 31, 2022
The teacher at the center of a controversy about a secretive LGBTQ club at a California middle school is the mother of a transgender son, DailyMail.com can disclose.
Lori Caldeira's daughter Carolann transitioned to become Jake while he was a teen and has been living as a man ever since. He is now 22.
Caldeira was suspended from her job teaching English at Buena Vista Middle School in Spreckels after she and fellow educator Kelly Baraki, 39, were recorded discussing how they ‘stalked’ students online to find new recruits for their You Be You club and encouraged them to keep discussions hidden from their parents. … read full article
Most of Us Combine Personality Traits from Different Genders
New research underscores that almost everyone’s personality blends “more often seen in men” and “more-often-seen in women” characteristics
From Scientific American (USA)
By Spencer Greenberg and Holly Muir
January 31, 2022
How different are men and women really? About 30 years ago, if dating guides are any indication, some people assumed vast differences in personality, with Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus relationship advice. Today, by contrast, certain communities are pushing back against the idea of binary gender, which presents men and women as separate categories. (A quick reminder: gender—described in terms such as “man,” “woman” and “nonbinary person”—has strong cultural and social components, whereas sex—sometimes described with adjectives such as "male,” “female” and “intersex”—refers to a combination of biological features.)
Scientists are also raising questions around gender, sex and personality. For one, researchers debate how big the personality differences between cisgender men and women truly are. The answer depends on how psychologists measure an individual’s characteristics. For example, a study involving more than 300,000 people in the U.S., who self-identified as either male or female looked both at broad personality traits, such as extraversion and agreeableness, and more specific aspects of these traits, such as a warm communication style or tendency to act altruistically. In this sample, researchers found moderate differences between male and female participants in the broad traits but, in most cases, larger differences at the more specific level. For instance, overall, both male and female individuals in the study were similarly extraverted (a broad trait). When the scientists looked at specific aspects of extraversion, however, they found that male participants, on average, sought out exciting situations more often than female ones did. And female participants demonstrated higher activity levels than male ones. … read full article
FRC Submits Comment on Proposed Rule to Force Insurers to Cover Gender Transition Procedures
From Cision PR Newswire (USA)
By Family Research Council
January 31, 2022
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Family Research Council submitted a comment to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services entitled, "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2023." This proposed rule would force insurers to cover "gender transition" procedures such as cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and sex reassignment surgery.
The comment stated in part: "There is a lack of scientific evidence to support the claim that gender affirmation practices account for any sustained reduction in Gender Dysphoria. There is evidence that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures can cause permanent physiological damage and cause psychological harm. There is also a growing awareness of those who are unhappy with their gender affirmative care and have decided to detransition. Further investigation is needed to understand this population's experiences and those who did not fare well following these medically-based practices. Given the aforementioned reasons, at minimum, these practices should be put on hold until better evidence exists, but they should certainly not be encouraged through the current proposed rule."
Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies at Family Research Council, who authored the comment, added: "Given the use of highly physiologically invasive practices associated with "gender-affirmative care," the nature of these "interventions" should necessitate the highest standard and quality of evidence (e.g., sampling, design). Instead, many of the studies used to support these practices are from cross-sectional studies and are therefore limited in their ability to evaluate the impact of major life-altering pharmaceuticals and surgeries, particularly on minors."
Bauwens continued, "It is hard to imagine any reputable physician who would recommend someone remove a kidney or other organ because the findings from a web-survey concluded that the absence of this organ produced better mental health outcomes. But this is happening in gender clinics every day in the U.S." … read full article