This day in Herstory: Edna St. Vincent Millay, born February 22, 1892 (died October 19, 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. …
Millay was a prominent social figure of New York City's Greenwich Village just as it was becoming known as a bohemian writer's colony, and she was noted for her uninhibited lifestyle, forming many passing relationships with both men and women. She was also a social and political activist and those relationships included prominent anti-war activists including Floyd Dell, editor of the radical magazine The Masses, and perhaps John Reed. She became a prominent feminist of her time; her poetry and her example, both subversive, inspired a generation of American women. (more)
Government ‘has no interest’ in banning trans people from single-sex toilets, Liz Truss tells equalities tsar
From inews (UK)
By Chloe Chaplain (@ChaplainChloe)
Feb 22, 2022
Liz Truss has ruled out accepting guidance that would ban transgender people from being able to use a single-sex space of their choosing.
Ms Truss said the Government “has no interest” in stopping transgender people from using facilities – such as toilets or changing rooms – of their choosing.
The Foreign Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities made the comments in a letter to the chair independent Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which is in the process of producing guidance on the use of single-sex services.
In the letter, seen by i, Ms Truss wrote: “The Equality Act makes it clear that providers have the right to restrict use of spaces on the basis of sex as currently takes place.
“The Government has no interest in changing the current situation where transgender people are able to use facilities of their chosen gender. … read full article
Letter to Minister for Education concerning intimidation campaign against Cardiff academics
From The Free Speech Union (UK)
22nd February 2022
We’ve written to Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education, urging him to intervene in the situation at Cardiff University where several of our members and their colleagues, all academic staff, have been targeted by trans activists in a long-running campaign of intimidation. It began in June 2021 after the academics urged Cardiff to reconsider its continuing participation in the Stonewall Diversity Champion scheme. Following this, a leaflet was distributed on campus picturing a woman holding a gun, the names and pictures of the signatories, and the caption “ACT NOW”.
A student whistleblower then revealed violent threats being made on the Facebook page of the Cardiff LGBT+ Society. This evidence was all presented to the University and the police, but neither Cardiff University authorities nor the police responded robustly to protect these academics. The University failed to conduct a thorough investigation in a timely manner and misplaced evidence. It defended messages referring to academics as an ”ignorant fuckface” and a call to kneecap them as legitimate expressions of free speech, even after one of the signatories had his car window smashed. … read full letter
Morrison backs bill excluding female trans athletes from women’s sport
From The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
By Matthew Knott
Feb 22, 2022
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has thrown his support behind a bill that would make it easier for sporting organisations to exclude transgender women from competing in female sports.
Liberal Senator Claire Chandler introduced her “save women’s sports” bill to Parliament earlier this month during a heated debate about whether religious schools should retain the right to discriminate against transgender students on the basis of their faith.
Senator Chandler said the purpose of the bill was to clarify that offering sports for athletes born biologically female was legal under the Sex Discrimination Act.
“Women’s sport exists to provide separate competition for females, in acknowledgement that males have numerous physical advantages over females in the sporting arena,” she said while introducing the bill.
“When the bill comes to a vote, Parliamentarians will have a simple question to answer: Do you agree that women and girls have the right to play single-sex sport?”
While campaigning alongside Senator Chandler in Tasmania on Tuesday, Mr Morrison said: “I support it, I think it is a terrific bill and I’ve given her great encouragement.” … read full article (registration required)
Was Grace Lavery silenced by her own community?
She pulled out of an UnHerd event after pressure from fellow trans activists
From UnHerd (UK)
By Freddie Sayers
Feb 22, 2022
Grace Lavery is a prominent trans activist and professor of Gender Studies at UC Berkeley in California. As part of the promotion of her new book, Please Miss: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Penis, about living as a transwoman since 2018, she had been offering to debate a “gender critical feminist”. She specifically invited The Economist’s Helen Joyce, author of Trans, to do so. Joyce agreed in theory — but nobody would host the event. It was considered too fraught and too much of a risk that Grace would pull out.
At UnHerd we believe it is important to talk about difficult topics — amazingly, this would seem to have been the first in-person discussion between a gender-critical feminist and a trans activist. So we agreed to host the potentially difficult conversation. We managed to find a date, venue, format and title that both Helen and Grace were happy with. I would moderate, as someone who has no corner to fight in this discussion — Grace’s team found me to be “a great, steady moderating presence” in my YouTube interviews.
Behind the scenes, the emails remained extremely civil, and Grace was at pains to emphasise how she was “utterly committed” to the event going ahead. But things soon started getting a little odd on her Twitter feed. … read full article
The Monsters in the Library: A Rant on Priorities
From REDUXX (USA)
By Anna Slatz
Feb 22, 2022
Like many, I was both entertained and somewhat confused by the New York Times' decision to run advertisements in the D.C. Metro featuring an individual named Lianna "imagining Harry Potter without its creator."
While it drew ample criticism for its condescending absurdity, Lianna is hardly the first slack-jawed ghoul to be so emotionally dependent on a children's fantasy franchise that she is desperate to rebel against JK Rowling.
There have been countless think-pieces dedicated to Harry Potter "moving on" from JK Rowling. A Vox writer suggested that fans simply steal the intellectual property rights to the series and reimagine it as a shitty queer fanfiction. One site wrote a whole guide on how to be a Harry Potter fan without supporting JK Rowling.
And, of course, all of this is because Rowling dared to suggest women don't have penises. L'horreur! … read full article (and SUPPORT REDUXX!)
Appeals court weighs transgender bathroom case
From WJCT News (USA)
By Dara Kam
Feb 22, 2022
In a closely watched case that could have national repercussions, a federal appeals court on Tuesday peppered attorneys with questions in a lawsuit over whether a St. Johns County high school should have prevented a transgender male student from using boys’ bathrooms.
The lawsuit has drawn attention from dozens of the nation’s largest corporations, 70 anti-sexual assault and domestic violence organizations, myriad LGBT advocacy groups and the U.S. Department of Justice.
The case has also become a battleground for 40 states and the District of Columbia that signed onto briefs in the case, which stemmed from a St. Johns County School Board policy that prevented Drew Adams from using boys’ restrooms.
Adams and his mother filed the lawsuit in 2017 after Nease High School required him to use a gender-neutral, single-stall bathroom or girls’ bathrooms. A U.S. district judge sided with Adams, leading to the St. Johns County School Board taking the case to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The full federal appeals court heard arguments Tuesday after a three-judge panel of the court ruled in favor of Adams in July. The Atlanta-based court subsequently vacated the panel’s ruling and ordered what is known as an “en banc,” or full court, hearing. … read full article
Indiana transgender athlete ban on fast track to governor
From Plainsmen Post (USA)
By George Holan
Feb 22, 2022
The Indiana Senate on Tuesday refused to amend a Republican-backed bill that would ban transgender women and girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identity, putting it on the fast track to passing.
If the full Senate approves the bill, which could happen as soon as Thursday, it would head to the governor for consideration. The Indiana House already passed it.
The governor has not publicly stated a position on the proposal. A spokesperson for the governor’s office did not provide additional comment on Tuesday.
Lawmakers in the Senate are moving forward with the ban — making no changes to its language — after the House advanced the bill last month, largely along party lines. … read full article
Texas Gov. Abbott: Agencies must investigate gender-affirming care for trans kids as ‘child abuse’
Confusion, defiance mark reactions to new interpretation of state law targeting certain medical treatments for transgender children.
From The Dallas Morning News (USA)
By Lauren McGaughy
Feb 22, 2022
AUSTIN — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to investigate reports of transgender kids receiving gender-affirming care as “child abuse,” but it’s unclear what immediate effect the directive will have on kids, teachers, doctors and parents.
In a letter to the Department of Family and Protective Services sent Tuesday, Abbott said the agency “is responsible for protecting children from abuse.” He warned that educators, medical professionals and others who don’t report alleged abuse could face consequences.
“Texas law imposes reporting requirements upon all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, and provides criminal penalties for failure to report such child abuse,” Abbott said.
His letter was CC’d to several other agencies, including the Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Medical Board and Texas Education Agency.
Abbott’s order came the day after Attorney General Ken Paxton released an opinion that said certain types of medical care for trans youth — including treatments like hormone therapy and puberty blockers — is a form of child abuse. Attorney general opinions do not have the force of law, but former officials said agency heads are mostly expected to follow them. … read full article