Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, dies at 84
This day in Herstory:
Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, dies at 84
She was chosen as the top US diplomat in 1996, serving in that capacity for the last four years of the Clinton administration
From The Mercury News (USA)
By Matthew Lee | Associated Press
March 23, 2022
WASHINGTON — Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. secretary of state, has died of cancer, her family said Wednesday. She was 84.
President Bill Clinton chose Albright as America’s top diplomat in 1996, and she served in that capacity for the last four years of the Clinton administration. She had previously been Clinton’s ambassador to the United Nations.
At the time, she was the highest-ranking woman in the history of U.S. government. She was not in the line of succession for the presidency, however, because she was a native of Prague.
“She was surrounded by family and friends,” her family announced on Twitter. “We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.” It said the cause was cancer. … read full article
Judge Jackson Refuses to Define ‘Woman’ during Confirmation Hearing: ‘I’m Not a Biologist’
From The National Review (USA)
By Caroline Downey
March 23, 2022
During the second day of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings Tuesday, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson refused to define what a “woman” is, deferring instead to scientific experts.
When asked to define “woman” by Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, she replied, “I can’t…I’m not a biologist.” Blackburn shot back, “The meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you can’t give me a definition?”
“Senator, in my work as a judge, what I do is I address disputes. If there’s a dispute about a definition, people make arguments and I look at the law and I decide,” Jackson added, reiterating the methodical judicial approach she has historically applied. … read full article
German Trans "Sex Work" Org Targets Ukrainian Refugee Women
From REDUXX (USA)
By Genevieve Gluck
March 23, 2022
A "sex work" advocacy organization is utilizing social media to solicit Ukrainian refugee women for information on entering the legal German sex trade.
Berlin-based Trans*Sexworks, which describes itself as “a peer-to-peer support structure and network for and made up of trans and non-binary sexworkers," has posted advertisements for counselling services targeting Ukrainian women who "need support/info on how to begin sex work in Germany."
“We are now offering peer-counceling (sic) and support in Ukrainian, Russian and English for all sex-workers fleeing the war in Ukraine,” reads one post shared to their Instagram. “This offer is open to all sex workers regardless [of] gender identity (since we do not see any other offer for cisgender sex-workers) arriving in Berlin.”
The Instagram account refers readers to a trans-identified male who calls himself Gara Teaser, who shares photos of himself pole-dancing and posing in fetish gear.
Teaser’s bio reads, “A proud porn actor and sex worker studying psychology,” and links to his OnlyFans account, which is listed under the name Olek O’Neight. Until a month ago, “Gara Teaser” was creating sadomasochistic gay pornography content under a male name. His last post to Twitter, a nude photo, is dated February 19. … read full article (and SUPPORT REDUXX!)
One Stroke Forward, Two Strokes Back
The Lia Thomas Saga
From TRANSparency (UK)
By James Esses
March 23, 2022
Proponents of gender ideology constantly tell us that all they seek within society is to ensure that there is fairness and equality. These sound like laudable ambitions. That is, however, until you discover that they apply in one direction only. ‘Fairness for me, but not for thee’.
We have witnessed this in a great deal of debates recently regarding same-sex rights, in which trans activists have made it clear that they do not seek a balancing of everyone’s rights but rather a complete capitulation to their demands.
This has been demonstrated more clearly than anywhere else in the ongoing scandal regarding Lia Thomas, which flies completely in the face of the notions of fairness and equality for women in a sporting context. It has shown us the very real risks that exist when ideology comes up against biological reality.
Win or Lose
In my humble opinion, whether Lia Thomas (or indeed any other trans competitor in sex-segregated sport) wins or loses is of secondary significance. Their mere participation in the competition itself means that we as a society have already collectively, morally lost. … read full article (and SUBSCRIBE to TRANSparency!)
ECU Women and Gender Studies director talks about growing population of incel beliefs
From 10WAVY.com (USA)
by Adrianna Hargrove
March 22, 2022
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — A Secret Service report was recently released detailing the growing threat of men who describe themselves as incels and anti-feminists.
Ashley Harzog, the director of the Women and Gender Department at East Carolina University said the age groups that are at a higher risk to being exposed to the incel ideologies online are between 15 to the mid-20s. She says this age group can be more vulnerable to these views, which can then manifest into harmful things like mass shootings, domestic violence and stalking. … read full article
'Sterilisation risk' from gender medicine
A French medical organisation has sounded the alarm about an epidemic-like surge in young people seeking hormone drugs and surgery
From Gender Clinic News (Australia)
By Bernard Lane
March 23, 2022
The gist
The French National Academy of Medicine has joined the international shift to caution on medicalised gender change for young people.
The academy, which advises France’s government on health, warns physicians of the epidemic-like rise in minors seeking hormonal drug treatments, the risk of over-diagnosis and the possible role of social media immersion.
“Great medical caution must be taken in children and adolescents, given the vulnerability, particularly psychological, of this population,” the academy says in a statement supported by a majority vote of its members last month.
The academy says the hormonal and surgical treatments known as “gender affirming care” — with results supposed to mimic the opposite-sex body desired by young people who identify as transgender — can cause “many undesirable effects and even serious complications [including] risk of sterility”. … read full article (and SUBSCRIBE to Gender Clinic News!)
‘Cis’ is an offensive term for women, feminists tell MSPs
From The Times (UK)
By Mary Wright
March 24, 2022
Feminist campaigners have complained to Holyrood over MSPs using the term “cis” to describe biological women during parliamentary debates.
The campaign group For Women Scotland (FWS) has written to the presiding officer, the Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone, following last week’s debate on conversion practices, complaining about controversial terminology being used.
Trina Budge, co-director of FWS, wrote: “During the debate, two MSPs, Karen Adam and Gillian Mackay, used the term ‘cis’ which is an offensive term for many people, including all of us at For Women Scotland.”
The group raised its complaint under the code of conduct for MSPs, which states that “members shall at all times conduct themselves in a courteous and respectful manner. Members shall at all times ensure that their choice of language in the chamber is appropriate and meets the high standards expected by the general public”.
Budge said that “cis” was a “confusing, divisive and contested term”.
She added: “Stonewall defines the term cis as ‘someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth’ and says gender is ‘often expressed in terms of masculinity and femininity, gender is largely culturally determined and is assumed from the sex assigned at birth’. When applied to a woman, cis therefore means she is someone who was assigned female as birth and who identifies with socially determined feminine stereotypes.” … read full article (web page archive)
UK: Women Recount Staff Denying there were Men in Single-Sex Hospital Spaces
Despite doubts, these women believed health professionals had no reason to lie to them about other patients' sex.
From 4W (USA)
By Andreia Nobre
March 23, 2022
On the morning of January 27, 2022, a British woman named Gilly (not her real name) took to Twitter to complain that there was a male individual who she “strongly believed” to be trans with her in a female-only ward.
Besides noticing the physique and male pattern of violent behavior of the patient called “Brenda,” she was also alarmed by a visitor who called the patient “Alfred.” Distraught, Gilly sought support on Twitter; she had complained about the presence of this person in the ward to the hospital staff, but the nurses asked her why she thought that “she” was a “he.”
Gilly’s story went viral, with thousands of likes and retweets, and some people tagged the House of Lords peer Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, who retweeted her story and wrote that she was now “on the case.” … read full article (and SUPPORT 4W!)
Victory for For Women Scotland
The definition of a “woman” is common sense — so why has it taken so many court cases to prove so?
From The Critic (UK)
By Susan Smith
March 23, 2022
In 2017, the Scottish Government introduced a Bill with the worthy aim of ensuring a “gender” (or sex) balance on Public Boards. Positive action measures are allowable under the UK Equality Act 2010 (EA2010). In this case, governed by the protected characteristic of sex, and the original Bill simply referred to “women”, the definition of which is given in the EA2010 as “a female of any age”. But during committee stages, this definition was challenged by lobby groups almost wholly funded by the Scottish Government.
Ultimately, the committee decided that sex difference — which still routinely sees girls denied rights or education — was irrelevant beside such weighty considerations as which name a person used on their electricity bills or which pronouns they put in their email signature, and a convoluted definition was introduced in the late stages of the Bill which meant that any man who claimed a gender identity of “woman” was included and any women who rejected their sex were excluded.
There was a moment of crisis last year, when we lost our judicial review
The Gender Recognition on Public Boards Act (GRPBA) passed without much opposition. Funded women’s groups, who should have been alert to any attempt to water-down protection for the demographic they supposedly represented, had a cosy relationship with groups like Scottish Trans Alliance, who had pushed for the change, and funding streams to protect. Only women’s groups fighting on the fringes and worried about the challenges posed by proposed reform of the Gender Representation Act noticed, but without influence or access they could do little. … read full article (and SUBSCRIBE to The Critic!)
Commonwealth Games 2022 'changing rules to allow trans women cyclists to compete for female medals'
The new gender rules were passed by Commonwealth Games' chiefs and are waiting approval from authorities
From GBN (UK)
By Georgiana Scott
March 23, 2022
Commonwealth Games are to allow trans women cyclists to compete for female medals, it has been reported.
Following the approval of new gender rules by authorities, it is thought the door will be open for a trans woman cyclist to compete this summer in Birmingham 2022.
She can compete on the same terms as she would be allowed by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body.
Talks over her inclusion have been carried out for over a year after rules around transgender policy have proved fiercely divisive.
A spokesman said the new policy "will be in keeping with principles established in the IOC framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations. … read full article
Boris Johnson says ‘facts of biology’ are ‘overwhelmingly important’ after asked about trans rights
While Keir Starmer states ‘trans women are women’
From Independent (UK)
By Maya Oppenheim
March 23, 2022
Boris Johnson has stated the “basic facts of biology” are “overwhelmingly important” after being asked about trans rights in parliament.
It comes after Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition, recently argued “trans women are women” and noted this is expressly defined in UK law.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said: “When it comes to distinguishing between a man and a woman, the basic facts of biology remain overwhelmingly important.”
The PM did also state that when people are keen to “make a transition in their lives” they must be “treated with the maximum possible generosity and respect”.
The Conservative Party leader added, “we have systems in this country that allow that and have done for a long time, and we should be very proud of it”. … read full article
Top pediatrician: Teenage transgender medicine a deadly path
From Washington Examiner (USA)
By Tori Richards
March 23, 2022
The number of teenagers identifying as transgender has exploded. Advocates say it protects young people from marginalization. Some experts, however, many of whom consider themselves survivors, warn against treating adolescent confusion with drugs and surgeries that have irreversible physical and psychological effects. In the third part of this series, the Washington Examiner examines the cottage industry that has risen up in its wake.
As the number of transgender teenagers has exploded across the country, with it comes a wealth of readily available medical procedures unthinkable a decade ago.
Hormone treatments are accessible online and through Planned Parenthood , and major surgical intervention is promoted to children on apps such as TikTok.
“Just realized I only yeet for teets next week,” declared Miami plastic surgeon Sidhbh Gallagher, describing her frequently used phrase for breast removal. She posts a steady stream of catchy videos that downplay the risks of surgery to her 191,000 followers on TikTok .
Turns out my surgeon is on tiktok advertising her services (username: gendersurgeon). She loves talking about "yeeting the teets", which I guess is the, uh... professional term for double mastectomy these days? pic.twitter.com/tJ4ihhrdaa
— Grace 💙🦎 (@HormoneHangover) February 13, 2021
In one post, Gallagher, who lists herself as a gender-affirmation surgeon, said getting a mastectomy is “easier than wisdom teeth removal” for most people. Gallagher did not respond to multiple requests for comment. … read full article