This day in Herstory: Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈjouːhana ˈsɪːɣʏrðarˌtouʰtɪr̥]) became Prime Minister on February 1, 2009, Iceland's first female Prime Minister and the world's first openly lesbian or gay head of government. Forbes listed her among the 100 most powerful women in the world.
She has been a member of the Althing (Iceland's parliament) for Reykjavík constituencies since 1978, winning re-election on eight successive occasions. In September 2012, Jóhanna announced she would not seek re-election and retired from politics as Iceland's longest serving member of Parliament. (more)
Mother of 'trans' child poses as teen to find out how Trevor Project grooms kids into transitioning
What emerged in the online chat with the Trevor Project was advocacy for transitioning, no information about detransitioning, and apparent certainty on the benefits of gender transition.
From The PostMillennial (USA)
By Libby Emmons
February 1, 2022
A mother who is dealing with her own child's gender dysphoria posed as a 15-year-old gender dysphoric biological female to access services online with the Trevor Project on Sunday. She found that every step of the way, she was guided further and further into affirmation of being trans, with no stop gaps along the way where a kid could be told that maybe they weren't trans and should take a moment to think about it.
The mother, referred to here as Gloria though that's not her real name, presented herself as confused about many things, but sure of being "not cishet," and interested in knowing more about detransitioning.
What emerged in the online chat with a representative from the Trevor Project was advocacy for transitioning, no information about detransitioning, and apparent certainty in the face of an uncertain teen who didn't know where to go for help. The Trevor Project guided Gloria to resources on hormones, including how to get them without parental awareness, chest binding, and an introduction into a community of teen transitioners. … read full article
Customer claims gender discrimination at Plattsburgh nail salon
From WCAX (USA)
By Kelly O'Brien
February 1, 2022
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) - A nail salon in Plattsburgh is under fire after allegedly denying a customer service because of their gender.
“I wanted to make a resolution to spend more time and money. Instead of going out to the bar and spending that money there, just treating myself,” said Garry Guay.
The 23-year-old from Champlain is non-binary and does not identify as male or female. Guay just loves to go to the nail salon. “You feel pretty. You feel confident. You are just happy because you took care of yourself.”
And to kick off a new year’s resolution, Guay wanted to get a fresh set of Valentines Day inspired acrylic nails. A friend recommended JoLi Nails & Spa in Plattsburgh. “She responded by asking me if I was a male and I don’t really... I could tell she was trying to put me in a box that I didn’t want to be in,” Guay said. “So, I told her that, yes, I was born a male. And she responded by telling me that she does not do fake nails on guys at her shop.” … read full article
Our ‘inclusive’ world is anything but – it excludes women, renames us and disappears us
From The Telegraph (UK)
By Suzanne Moore
February 1, 2022
was out with a gestational carrier the other day who had just had a 20-week scan. The sex of the baby this birther was carrying was observed and all was well. Who knows what sex the baby will be “assigned at birth”? The same one the radiologist observed I imagine, but what do I know? We talked about where this birthing parent will chest-feed with human milk and the quality of the perinatal services they were receiving.
Well, of course, we didn’t because I am not entirely mad. I see nothing wrong with the words “mother”, “breast” and “maternity” when talking to a pregnant woman. I am not trying to deliberately exclude anyone here and would respect the language that a pregnant trans man wanted to use while knowing they were pregnant because they have female biology. In this tiny number of instances, I would hope that the medical professionals around them would do the same and are certainly being trained to be sensitive to this unusual situation.
So why are we now in the ridiculous position where in order to be “inclusive” we end up actually excluding half the population? The use of gender-neutral language has profound implications for women’s health and they are not good. A new report in the journal Frontiers in Global Women’s Health concludes that “desexing” language, something which of course the charity Stonewall has promoted heavily, is riskier for women’s health and may lead to discrimination against us. … read full article
Equality Watchdog issues updated advice on the collection of data on sex and gender
From Fair Play for Women (USA)
By FPFW
February 1, 2022
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)’s new advice on the collection of data on sex and gender by public bodies presents a direct challenge to the Scottish Government.
In a letter to the Chief Statistician in Scotland, the Commission makes clear that it is perfectly lawful for the public sector to ask for someone’s sex when needed. It also reminds public bodies to collect data in line with the Census if they want to make comparisons.
This move represents a significant change to the advice given two years ago. In 2019 the Equality Watchdog was involved in the Scottish Government’s sex and data working group and provided a written submission setting out its position on the equality and human rights considerations of data collection on sex and gender.
The old advice was used by the Scottish Government to inform new guidance issued to all public bodies in September 2021. Instead of treating the protected characteristics of sex and gender reassignment equally, the Scottish Government guidance elevates concerns about privacy in relation to gender identity over the need to collect accurate data on sex. The guidance tells public bodies in Scotland that collecting data on sex would only be appropriate in a “small number of instances” and would be “on an individual basis for a very specific purpose”.
Fair Play For Women complained to the EHRC that the advice it had given to the Scotland Government in 2019 was misleading and needed updating following the judicial review ruling on the collection of data on sex in the 2021 Census in England and Wales.
The EHRC has now confirmed its Chief Executive wrote to the Chief Statistician for Scotland in November 2021 with updated advice to “reflect developments in the law in England and Wales”. … read full article
Child rape victims called ‘promiscuous’ and criminalised, scathing report finds
From Metro (UK)
By Joe Roberts
February 1, 2022
Child victims of rape and serious sexual abuse were often blamed by the authorities for the ordeals they suffered, a scathing report has found.
In one sickening case, a child was dismissed after reporting they had been forced to perform sex acts on a group of 23 men at gunpoint.
Some children were even given criminal records for offences closely linked to their sexual exploitation.
A girl abused from the age of 12 was convicted of possession of a weapon after chasing her abuser with a bread knife when he assaulted her.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said there were ‘extensive failures’ in how child exploitation was tackled. … read full article
Metropolitan Police officers 'joked about rape and killing African children', watchdog finds
Shared messages reveal evidence of violent misogyny, racism and bullying within the ranks, as Met reels from Sarah Everard case
From The Telegraph (UK)
By Martin Evans
February 1, 2022
A Metropolitan Police officer who joked about raping women at knifepoint was allowed to keep his job - while two others sacked for sharing misogynistic, homophobic and racist messages were granted anonymity by the force, it can be revealed.
Dame Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, is understood to have been hauled in for a meeting with Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, over the findings - which are the latest embarrassment for the force.
Sources close to the mayor said he was "furious" at the report, which found that a group of 14 officers based at Charing Cross police station shared dozens of vile exchanges on social media.
They were uncovered when investigators from the police watchdog carried out a trawl of their mobile phones. … read full article
USA Swimming Publishes Athlete Transgender Policy
From SwimSwam (USA)
By James Sutherland
February 1, 2022
SA Swimming released its new Athlete Inclusion, Competitive Equity and Eligibility Policy (AICEEP) on Tuesday, which will come into effect immediately.
The policy was sent out to National and Junior National Team coaches on Tuesday, and has also been published in USA Swimming’s Operating Policy on its website. The organization issued a press release on the matter shortly thereafter.
The need for an updated policy has come to light amidst the ongoing transgender discussion in the sport, sparked by the performances of Lia Thomas, a trans woman, who competes for the University of Pennsylvania in the NCAA.
The policy has identified specific guidelines for both non-elite and elite athletes, with the elite section “created for transgender athlete participation in the U.S. that relies on science and medical evidence-based methods to provide a level-playing field for elite cisgender women, and to mitigate the advantages associated with male puberty and physiology.” … read full article