Rox Middleton, Liam Shaw and Joel Hellewell were right to identify “human sexual biology” as an “important feature of our species” in their contribution to the sex and gender debate (Morning Star October 27, 2021). But they failed to persuade me that gender theory was the route to liberation.
Transgender high days and holy days are coming thick and fast. Today* marks ‘International Pronouns Day 2021’. The organisers tell us that the third Wednesday of October is the day to, ‘make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace.’
What is a witch? How do we spot witches? And how might we drum up the courage to talk to a witch? Cambridge Students’ Union Women’s Campaign has the answers.
Transphobia is defined as the fear or hatred of trans people. But all too often, it is applied much more widely than that. Disagree with a trans person, and you could well be labelled as transphobic; look at us a ‘bit funny’ and we may report you for hate crime. Poke fun at us, and heaven help you.
This weekend, The Lancet dehumanised the bodies of half the population.
The single quote on the front cover was stark, “Historically, the anatomy and physiology of bodies with vaginas have been neglected.”
The shameful treatment of Alexander Bramham at a Pride event in Manchester on Saturday ought to have been a wake-up call to everyone. Bramham – a gay man – had to be escorted by police away from a baying mob.
But their robotic chanting should ring alarm bells among transsexuals. “Trans rights matter”, or “trans lives matter”? It was not easy to tell behind the venom and contempt being hurled at Bramham. Either way, intolerant, mindless activists are using us as a shield to unleash homophobia with impunity.
Stonewall was established in 1989 to oppose the now-infamous Section 28 – which prohibited local councils from intentionally promoting homosexuality. It then spent 25 years campaigning for lesbian and gay equality.
But, speaking to The Times, actor and gay rights campaigner Simon Callow said that the charity has taken a ‘a strange turn to the tyrannical’. Callow was talking about Stonewall’s push for self-identification for transgender people . He added that an ‘extraordinarily unproductive militancy’ now surrounded its position.
Ofcom has joined the exodus from the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme. The explanation came in a carefully worded statement yesterday in which the communications regulator explained that their, ‘commitment to supporting the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ people is as strong as ever.’
Transsexuals like me never asked to be at the centre of one of the most toxic debates in society; we just wanted to transition and get on with our lives. But what was once a niche medical condition has become a civil rights issue so big that it now challenges our understanding of what it means to be a man or woman.
Debbie Hayton