Thursday, August 4, 2022
"America’s top child health authority is under fire for pushing the over-use of puberty-blockers and hormones on transgender youth, and for stifling debate over whether a non-drug approach is better."
This day in Herstory: Mayme Agnew Clayton, born August 4, 1923 (died October 13, 2006), was a librarian, and the founder, president, and leader of the Western States Black Research and Education Center (WSBREC), the largest privately held collection of African-American historical materials in the world. (more)
US - American Academy of Pediatrics is accused of pushing trans-identifying teens towards 'nuclear option' of puberty-blockers, hormones and eventually surgery - and blocking a review into its practices
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is accused of promoting drugs-first policy for transgender youth
Critics say the academy is stifling debate at leadership conference, which begins in Chicago on Thursday
U.S. needs ‘rigorous systematic review’ like in Britain, Sweden and Finland, say pediatricians
AAP defends its policies as evidence-based, widely accepted and best bet for vulnerable teens
Polls show Americans are skeptical of AAP's 'gender-affirming' model of care
From Daily Mail (UK)
By JAMES REINL
August 4, 2022
America’s top child health authority is under fire for pushing the over-use of puberty-blockers and hormones on transgender youth, and for stifling debate over whether a non-drug therapy approach is better.
Critics say the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is blocking efforts to review its influential policy on ‘gender-affirming care’ for teens who identify as transgender at its leadership meet, which starts in Chicago on Thursday. ... read full article
US - Appeals court weighs if Biden HHS can force doctors to perform transgender surgeries
From Washington Examiner (USA)
By Kaelan Deese
August 04, 2022
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit brought by nearly 20,000 religious physicians challenging the Department of Health and Human Services rule they say requires doctors to perform gender transition procedures against their conscience.
President Joe Biden's administration is seeking the federal appeals court to lift a lower court order that protected Christian doctors from having to perform gender transition treatment under the Affordable Care Act. The administration contends the court order, which applies solely to the Christian medical group behind a 2016 lawsuit, is contestable because the rule they initially challenged is no longer in effect. ... read full article
US - Senior Woman Banned from Local Pool After Expressing Concern Over Male in Women’s Washroom
From REDUXX (USA)
By Anna Slatz
August 4, 2022
A senior woman who expressed discomfort regarding a trans-identified male in the women’s changing room at her local pool has been banned from using the facilities she frequented for over three decades.
Julie Jaman, 80, had been a guest at the YMCA-run Mountain View community pool in her small town of Port Townsend, Washington for over 35 years. Speaking to Reduxx, Jaman revealed that on July 26, she witnessed a trans-identified male using the female locker rooms at the pool, and became concerned due to the fact he appeared to be watching the little girls as they changed out of their bathing suits. ... read full article
Ed. Note: Libraries and school boards across the U.S. are bearing the brunt of simmering discontent among rising numbers of ordinary Americans who reject progressive political views. Regardless of one’s position, it’s noteworthy that we see this conflict playing out at libraries.
US - A small-town library shut down. Some say the culture wars closed it.
Following an alleged pattern of anti-LGBTQ sentiment directed toward employees, most of the staffers at an Iowa public library left, causing it to temporarily close.
From NBC News (USA)
By Zachary Schermele
August 4, 2022
The public library in a small Iowa farming town has been embroiled in a monthslong controversy spurred by anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, attempts to censor books with progressive and LGBTQ themes and the alleged harassment of LGBTQ staff members.
The situation reached a tipping point last month when the library — a place referred to by some as the “heart of the community” — was forced to close for more than a week after its interim director resigned, saying he felt ostracized for being gay. ... read full article
US - LGBT Ideology Is Literally Making Young People Insane
From The New American (USA)
By Luis Miguel
August 4, 2022
It used to be that if you went around telling people that you’re more than one person trapped in one person’s body, you’d be admitted to a mental institution or given an exorcism. Nowadays, it’ll get you standing ovations and awards.
Society has become increasingly acclimated to the broad array of ideologies that fall under the rainbow banner of LGBT. What’s shocking is not just the level of lunacy that is currently tolerated compared to just a few years ago, but the speed — so fast it almost seems to have happened overnight — at which the change occurred. ... read full article
US - San Diego School District sparks outrage by claiming that heterosexuality is a 'system of oppression' and encourages students to call themselves 'two-spirit'
Chris Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, made available training documents the San Diego Unified School District gives to teachers
The documents follow the tenants of academic queer theory, which states that the gender binary is a social construct and is harmful to society
In the training documents, administrators explain that heterosexuality is a form of 'oppression' and encourage students to examine their gender identities
The trainings also encourage teachers to do away with the terms 'men' and 'women' in favor of the terms 'people with a penis' and 'people with a vulva'
From Daily Mail (UK)
By MELISSA KOENIG
August 4, 2022
The San Diego Unified School District has found itself under fire after it was revealed administrators are railing against heterosexuality and are encouraging students to explore their gender identities.
Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, made the shocking revelation on Wednesday when he tweeted out screengrabs of the training documents administrators use to broach the topic. ... read full article
US - Case Study: Mom begins socially transitioning her 4-month-old 'theyby'
For this mom, 4 months old isn't too young to start priming her child for a trans identity.
From Breaking the Spell of Social Justice (USA)
By Christina Buttons and Colin Wright
August 2, 2022
Last month, a mother of three young children made a post in a Facebook group for parents of “transgender kids” asking members when they began to notice their “trans child” (or themselves, for the adult trans members) exhibiting discomfort at being addressed according to “their assigned at birth gender.” She is curious because she claims to have noticed her “almost 2 year old” son getting “upset” when she refers to him using the word “boy.”
Because her son has apparently shown interest in stereotypically feminine things “from birth” like “long hair and pretty dresses and pink,” she decides that she “will no longer say terms with boy in it to him.” ... read full article
US - The Three Faces of Patriarchal Power
When radical feminists use the word "power," what exactly do we mean?
From 4W (USA)
By Katherine Kinney
Aug 4, 2022
As feminists, we talk a lot about power—namely the fact that women and men have unequal amounts of it. But when we use the word "power," what exactly do we mean? The political and sociological understanding of power has evolved over time. A traditional definition of power would say something like "Men have power over women to the extent that men are able to make women do what women otherwise would not do."
While the breadth of this definition is valuable, it lacks the nuance to explain the different ways power can be used and the different forms power can take. I’ll be focusing on a different framework of power— with three dimensions. Each of these builds upon the last, and each works upon us in a different way. When all three faces exist together, this is called hegemony, or total domination. ... read full article
US - Hey, Jack Turban! “Nah-UH!” Is Not Research
From The 21st Century Salon (USA)
By The 21st Century Salonnière
August 4, 2022
Yesterday an article from NBC News made some surprising claims:
“‘Social contagion’ is not driving an increasing number of adolescents to come out as transgender, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics.
“The study also found that the proportion of adolescents who were assigned female at birth and have come out as transgender also has not increased, which contradicts claims that adolescents whose birth sex is female are more susceptible to this so-called external influence.”
Both of those claims seemed rather definitive, so I had to look up the full article to see what this amazing new research showed. ... read full article
Regarding the following article: We at GC News do not agree with the framing assumption of this article that "to include or not to include?" is the central question in the debate regarding males competing with females in sports. We also completely disagree that there are more than "two types of people: men and women." That statement is not supported by well-established science.
We believe the central questions are about safety and fairness. The author does admit to the well-documented unfair and potentially dangerous advantages enjoyed by athletes who have gone through male puberty. She suggests that in contact sports, trans-identified males can practice, but not compete with females; however, injuries happen during practice as well as in competitions. Furthermore, her suggestion that athletes with male advantage should compete alongside females in individual sports but have their times counted separately would lead to their female competitors rarely getting the experience of leading the pack or "breaking the tape." This practice would be demoralizing to female athletes and give mediocre male athletes a sense of dominance that they do not deserve.
It is highly doubtful that this writer's idea will be applauded by those who want males to be able to compete against females any more than those of us who believe mixed-sex sports are unfair and unsafe for girls and women. We see this piece as another crack in the Queering Wall, which at least is not gaslighting readers by declaring there are no physical advantages to being a biological male in sports.
The only way to assure safety and an equal playing field for girls and women is to continue to segregate sport by biological sex and to expect that males can make room for their fellow males, whether they are trans-identified or not. - Editors, GC News
US - A Fair and Inclusive Solution for Transgender Women in Sports
From Forbes (USA)
By Donna Lopiano and Mariah Burton Nelson
August 4, 2022
To include or to exclude? That’s the question at the core of the debate about transgender women in sports. But that’s a binary way of thinking about a nonbinary situation. It presumes only two types of people: men and women. People are more diverse than that. … read full article
UK - Government diversity training 'riddled with left-wing views', says Suella Braverman
The attorney general backs Liz Truss's plan to scrap diversity and inclusion roles in the civil service, describing them as "patronising" and "divisive".
From Sky News (UK)
By Jennifer Scott
August 4, 2022
Diversity training across government departments is "riddled with left-wing views", claims Suella Braverman.
The attorney general says she is "all for a diverse workforce... meritocracy [and] inclusion" but tells Sky News there has been a "takeover by HR teams [and] campaign groups" in the civil service, which has "propagated a political ideology when it comes to identity politics".
She is backing plans from Conservative leadership contender Liz Truss to scrap the diversity and inclusion roles in Whitehall, which the foreign secretary claims will save £12m a year. … read full article
UK - Law firms ‘should quit Stonewall advice scheme’ after Allison Bailey ruling
From The Times (UK)
By Catherine Baksi
August 4, 2022
Victory for the Lionesses in the Euros at the weekend temporarily quelled the debate over what a woman is — they are footballers who win trophies for England.
More widely, an employment tribunal published a ruling last week protecting free speech in the gender debate. It found that Garden Court Chambers victimised and discriminated against Allison Bailey, one of its barristers, because of her gender-critical beliefs. ... read full article
UK - Time for honest reflection, not defence
14 signatories call for ‘recovery and redemption’ around the announcement of a new model and Early Adopter services by NHS England following recommendation from the Cass Review.
From The British Psychological Society (UK)
August 3, 2022
The closure of the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock has attracted significant public and media attention.
Closure resulted from the Cass Review of children and young people’s gender services in England. The interim report recommended a new service model which acknowledges multiple routes in and out of gender dysphoria. Elevated rates of same-sex attraction, autism spectrum disorders, mental health issues, and looked after children were noted amongst the – now majority female and hugely increased – GIDS cohort. Dr Cass reported that ‘diagnostic overshadowing’, using gender as the primary clinical lens, had led to such wider issues being relatively neglected. Inadequate records and data were highlighted, particularly regarding puberty blocker outcomes. The new model intends to re-centre the young person’s needs, taking a holistic view of their difficulties. ... read full article
How Tavistock Came Tumbling Down
I was a nurse working on a team that recklessly prescribed puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to kids. I blew the whistle in 2005. Now the government is finally listening.
From Common Sense (US)
By Sue Evans
August 4, 2022
I joined the Tavistock Clinic in North London as a clinical nurse therapist in 2003. Back then, Tavistock was prestigious—known all over the world for its professional seminars and specialized psychological treatments for mental-health patients. Before I ever worked there, I would attend lectures and training workshops to hear from renowned psychoanalysts, who were considered some of the best in the field.
A lot can change in a decade.
Last week, the National Health Service ordered that the gender youth clinic at Tavistock shut its doors by next spring. And I am part of the reason why. ... read full article
UK - Trans charity Mermaids uses beloved British Mr Men characters to promote its gender ideology to young children
The charity has redesigned some of the UK's most beloved children's characters
It replaced the titles 'Mr' and 'Little Miss' with the gender-neutral term 'Mx'
The character's names were also replaced with trans-supporting statements
It has led to accusations it's trying to promote gender ideology to young children
From Daily Mail (UK)
By MATTHEW LODGE
August 4, 2022
A transgender charity is using characters from the beloved Mr Men series to promote its gender ideology.
Mermaids, a charity which advocates for and supports transgender children, posted pictures of the characters with phrases such as 'trans women belong in sports'.
UK - Drag shows aren’t for children
Their appeal lies in sexual dissidence
From UnHerd (UK)
By Andrew Doyle
August 4, 2022
One Easter Sunday, many years ago, some friends and I attended a showcase of performances in a network of dank subterranean vaults. The event was self-consciously avant-garde, and many of the artists were drag queens who were exploring the more subversive aspects of their craft. This involved a great deal of screaming, bloodletting and carnal depravity. At one point I wandered into a chamber in which two naked performers were engaged in full penetrative sex. Around them a cluster of middle-class hipsters had formed, pensively observing them as though they were connoisseurs contemplating a Henry Moore. ... read full article
EU - EU Crackdown on Online Hate Speech Will Further Silence GC Women
Vague hate speech definitions, coupled with big fines from Brussels, may spur tech companies to censor risky posts
From 4W (USA)
By Róisín Michaux
Aug 4, 2022
Politicians in Brussels have signed off on a new EU law that can inflict unprecedented penalties on tech companies that allow hate speech on their platforms. While moderation should be welcomed, the law leaves the definition of what constitutes a hate crime up to the countries themselves, and some EU countries have definitions that are broad or vague.
Such broad-ranging or unclear definitions of 'hate', coupled with the severity of the fines (up to 6% of annual turnover for the biggest tech giants) are likely, according to policy analysts, to encourage companies like Twitter and Meta to err on the side of caution and remove any content that could be misconstrued as hateful, thus further censoring certain social media users, particularly those that criticise gender ideology orthodoxies. ... read full article
Australia - No penises, please: Lesbian who wants to ban trans women and men from her public parties comes under fire - but she fires back: 'It's humiliating being told to include someone with a d**k'
Lesbian in legal fight to have same-sex events excluding men and trans women
Launceston woman Jess Hoyle says biological women need their own events
Anti-discrimination commissioner denied exemption to only lesbian events
Case now before Tasmanian tribunal and Ms Hoyle prepared to go to High Court
From Daily Mail (UK)
By DAVID SOUTHWELL
August 4, 2022
A lesbian who wants to ban anyone with 'penises' from attending her drag events has vowed to take her fight against the anti-discrimination watchdog to the High Court.
Jess Hoyle wants to hold lesbian-only drag nights in her Tasmanian hometown of Launceston, but would refuse to welcome transgender women or men. ... read full article
Australia - Lesbian ready to make High Court bid to ban anyone born male or ‘with penises’ from events
A Launceston woman has vowed to take her bid to ban men and trans women from her same-sex only events to the High Court. SEE WHY
From The Courier Mail (Australia)
By Julie Cross
August 4, 2022
EXCLUSIVE: A lesbian who wants to ban men and trans women from her same-sex only events is preparing to take her fight to the High Court in what could be a test case for Australia.
Jess Hoyle, 34, was prevented from hosting drag king bingo, drag king karaoke and drag king nights for the lesbian community because she wanted to exclude anyone born male or “with penises”. ... read full article
Australia - Queensland wants to erase sex.
How "self ID" affects ordinary women.
From Edie’s Newsletter (Australia)
By Edie Wyatt
August 4, 2022
The Queensland government, ever keen to distract from their own corruption, has decided to erase women’s rights to privacy, dignity and safety in public spaces and facilities by deleting the connection between sex and bodies.
It is reported that the Queensland Parliament are considering allowing people to change their birth certificate to “better recognise trans and gender diverse people”. In effect, the proposed change to the Births Deaths and Marriage Registration Act 2003 will allow people to change their legal sex for all purposes with a simple declaration. ... read full article