This day in Herstory: Hiratsuka Raichō, born February 10, 1886 (died May 24, 1971) was a writer, journalist, political activist, anarchist and pioneering Japanese feminist. … Upon graduation from university, Hiratsuka entered the Narumi Women's English School where, in 1911, she founded Japan's first all-women literary magazine, Seitō (青鞜, literally Bluestocking). She began the first issue with the words, "In the beginning, woman was the sun" (「元始、女性は太陽であった」) – a reference to the Shinto goddess Amaterasu, and to the spiritual independence which women had lost. Adopting the pen name "Raichō" ("Thunderbird"), she began to call for a women's spiritual revolution, and within its first few years the journal's focus shifted from literature to women's issues, including candid discussion of female sexuality, chastity and abortion. Contributors included renowned poet and women's rights proponent Yosano Akiko, among others. (more)
Child Safeguarding Laws in UK, US Framed As Anti-LGBTQ
From REDUXX (USA)
By REDUXX Team
Feb 10, 2022
New laws in the UK and US intended to stop children from accessing pornography and hold internet providers accountable for hosting child sexual abuse material are being framed as discriminatory by some LGBT news outlets and the ACLU.
On February 8, PinkNews published an article titled "Tory 'porn-block' ban could put LGBT+ users at risk," outlining details on a political push in the UK to limit the ability for children to access pornographic websites and media.
The Online Safety Bill was recently revised to include a proposal that any site which hosts pornographic content have a legal duty to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content. According to a public announcement on the bill, this "could include adults using secure age verification technology to verify that they possess a credit card and are over 18 or having a third-party service confirm their age against government data."
If the the sites don't implement proper verification, they may be fined up to 10 per cent of their total profits, or could even be fully blocked in the UK. Digital Minister Chris Philp said the bill was tweaked because it is "too easy for children to access pornography online."
But the day following the announcement, PinkNews slammed the bill as putting LGBT+ people "at risk." For comment, the outlet sourced Jason Domino, a "porn actor and sex worker rights activist." Domino equates the bill to censorship, and seems to suggest that it is better to allow children to access pornography while "contextualising for children the fact that there is sex, there is reality, there is fantasy."
Domino also states that the move to block children from accessing pornographic content lacks "pleasure-focused inclusivity.”
On Twitter, former barrister James Esses first alerted his following to the bizarre take from PinkNews, calling it "extraordinarily telling."
Esses' tweet quickly gained momentum, promoting discussion amongst those similarly confused by PinkNews' opposition. Replying, lesbian activist Eva Kurilova said "I understand privacy concerns online, but FFS this is to protect KIDS from PORN and it's being spun as anti-LGBT. Lord give me strength." … read full article (and please support REDUXX on Patreon!)
"I'm a Progressive, Please Don’t Hurt Me!"
From Hold That Thought (USA)
By Sarah Haider
Feb 10, 2022
Part 1: Against Throat-Clearing
I recorded a podcast recently.
The host was a long-time woman of the Left who has found herself at the wrong end of the party-line when it comes to women’s rights and gender ideology, as I had when it came to women’s rights and Islam. She too entered this topsy-turvy world where the very same propositions that once won her applause and commendations from her fellow leftists were now inexplicably received with suspicion, if not outright hostility.
Throughout the discussion, she displayed what I have come to understand as a verbal tic among dissident progressives - the peppering of reminders throughout the discussion of her left-wing identity, history and credentials.
I was proud of myself for resisting the instinct to do the same - one I engaged since I began speaking publicly, almost a decade ago.
Before touching on any perspective that I knew to not be kosher among other Leftists, I tended to precede with some version of throat-clearing: “I’m on the left” or “I’ve voted Democrat my whole life.”
I told myself that this was a distinction worth insisting on because 1) it was the truth and 2) because it helped frame the discussion properly - making clear that the argument is coming from someone who values what they value.
But there was another reason too. My political identity reminders were a plea to be considered fully and charitably, to not be villainized and presumed to be motivated by “hate”.
The precursor belief to this, of course, is that actual conservatives should not be taken charitably, are rightfully villainized, and really are motivated by “hate”.
But I’m done sputtering indignantly about being mischaracterized as “conservative”, or going out of my way to remind the audience that I really am a good little liberal.
Here is why.
It doesn’t work, you won’t be spared.
Worse - in all likelihood, as a dissident you will be treated worse than if you simply were an actual conservative.
My years of experience in being an apostate from the religion of peace have taught me that kaffir < apostate < reformer, in terms of capacity to generate vitriol from believers.
For those not familiar with Islamic parlance, I mean that the only thing worse than being born a disbeliever is to become one, and the only thing worse than becoming a disbeliever is to remain a believer but acknowledge that occasionally, the disbelievers have a point.
Those dynamics are in full display here too. … read full article (and please subscribe to Hold That Thought with Sarah Haider!)
Nurses 'sacked for speaking out about transgender patients on single-sex wards'
From MSN, reprinted from The Telegraph (UK)
By Hayley Dixon
Feb 10, 2022
Nurses have been sacked for speaking out about trans patients on single-sex wards, Parliament has heard.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, a Tory peer, warned that the dignity, privacy and safety of patients is being “diminished significantly” by NHS policies which allows male-born patients who self-identify as women to be placed on female-only wards.
Arguing for people to be allocated a bed based on their birth sex, she said that the controversial issue is now impacted on the ability of nurses to do their job.
One nurse said that her Trust’s policy makes it “impossible” because “she is obliged to advocate out for the vulnerable, but trans rights supersede all other rights and concerns”.
Medics are “inhibited” from speaking out for fear of being branded “bigots” or being sacked, Lady Nicholson told the upper chamber.
“I have met several nurses who have lost their jobs because of this”, she said. “A doctor says that he no longer feels able to make comments about sex and gender. He recently delivered a baby, he said it was a girl and he was accused of transphobia.”
She also highlighted the case of a 14-year-old girl who refused a cervical smear as her mother had requested a female nurse and the person who was due to carry it out was “very clearly a natal male”. … read full article
Help therapists fight back against gender identity ideology
Anyone can sign this important letter
From The Glinner Update (UK)
By Graham Linehan
Feb 10, 2022
A group called Thoughtful Therapists have published an online open letter, challenging the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. With its 50,000 members, this is the UK’s biggest counselling and psychotherapy organization.
The open letter claims that:
the BACP is now pursuing a highly political agenda on gender issues.
it is failing to engage its members in open dialogue and debate.
as an example, the letter focuses on the highly partisan training event "Queering Therapy Spaces and Working with Gender Diverse Clients".
this training uses the highly offensive term ‘Terfism’ as part of its advance publicity.
the letter respectfully asks that BACP engage in meaningful dialogue with its members on these crucial issues.
The open letter was published a little over a week ago and has clearly hit a nerve, judging by supportive comments added from therapists and concerned members of the public. The letter remains online and is open to anyone who shares these concerns to sign and add comments.
Open Letter - Meaningful Dialogue with BACP
BACP are signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding, the precursor to the Conversion Therapy Bill, which many believe will restrict therapy for young gender-questioning people to ‘affirmation’ only. … read full article (and please subscribe to The Glinner Update!)
Ceramicist de-platformed for being a ‘SWERF’
Claudia Clare was disinvited from the Craft Potters Association due to her views on sex work
From The Post By UnHerd
By Julie Bindel
Feb 10, 2022
Getting cancelled by the Craft Potters Association (CPA) is quite a feat. You would think that to earn such an honour it would be necessary to re-enact a Greek wedding at one of its exhibitions. But ceramicist and author Claudia Clare has been told she’s been stood down, despite being booked some time ago to deliver a lecture at the Ceramic Art London event.
The letter Clare received from the CPA reads:
In the time since the talk was originally scheduled in 2020 we have been made aware that its inclusion in the programme may cause the event to be disrupted, leading to possible delay or even closure.
- CPA
I know what you are thinking — that Clare had planned to talk about something to do with the gender wars, and the organisers, as per usual, have caved into threats from trans activists. However, it would appear that Clare has been cancelled for being a SWERF as opposed to a TERF. A SWERF is, according to the cool kids, is a ‘sex worker exclusionary radical feminist’. In real terms, it actually means any feminist that considers prostitution to be abusive and harmful to women. But the blue fringe mob twists this critique of commercial sexual exploitation to mean ‘whorephobia’, as though we despise and exclude prostituted women rather than pimps and punters.
… read full article
New Genderfluid Dept. of Energy Hire is Public Kink Enthusiast
From REDUXX (USA)
By REDUXX Team
Feb 10, 2022
The newest Department of Energy hire is a genderfluid kink enthusiast with a penchant for leather puppy play and public displays of BDSM.
In January, Sam Brinton was quietly shuffled in as the deputy assistant secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Energy Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy. Brinton holds a degree in nuclear engineering from MIT, but what should have been a relatively benign bureaucratic selection has the internet abuzz with confusion.
Brinton, who identifies as genderfluid and uses they/them pronouns, seems to have a rather public history related to his pro-kink lifestyle.
In 2016, Brinton was profiled by Metro Weekly in a piece called Puppy Love. Brinton was photographed with his leather "pup," another adult male who was photographed with what appeared to be an anal plug "tail."
Brinton and "Nubi" Credit: Metro Weekly
In the article, Brinton is one of many fetishists interviewed on his experience in the leather pup lifestyle. He is quoted as describing his relationship with "Nubi," his human dog.
“I tell people that if you’re going to be a good handler, you have to listen well,” Sam says. “I can hear when Pup needs something faster, because of the difference in the grunts or the moans," Brinton says, also noting: "I actually have trouble when we transition from pup play to having sex. Like, ‘No, I can’t have you whimper like that when we’re having sex,’ because I don’t want to mix that world. It’s interesting, because he doesn’t have to come out of pup mode to have me fuck him. I personally have to bring him out of pup perception for me. But then I’m still treating him as a submissive to me.” … … read full article (and please support REDUXX on Patreon!)
Adele Criticized for Saying She 'Loves Being a Woman' at a Gender-Neutral Awards Show
From Newsmax (USA)
By Zoe Papadakis
Feb 10, 2022
Adele has been labeled a "transphobe" after stating that she "loves being a woman" at the gender-neutral Brit Awards show.
The singer made the remark on Tuesday when she took to the stage to collect her award for Artist of the Year, which is a new category. The awards show has done away with four awards, namely male solo artist, female solo artist, international male solo artist, and international female solo artist, in favor of two gender-neutral categories — Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year.
"I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I love being a woman and being a female artist — I do! I'm really proud of us, I really, really am," Adele said, according to Newsweek.
What came next was a heated debate about transphobia.
Critics slammed Adele on social media, with one Twitter user describing her as a "transphobe" who used her platform "to call for the destruction of the trans community. Especially the confused teenagers," and another calling her a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist). … read full article