The Trans Agenda #17
[26 March 2024]
Welcome to The Trans Agenda, a newsletter that will arrive in your inbox Monday to Friday if you are subscribed. You can also read it on Substack and on Trans Writes.
Publications known for taking an anti-trans stance are and will be referenced and linked. Often, these are the most comprehensive sources for these stories because of their obsession with trans people. I give a summary for those stories so you can make the choice if you want to click the link or seek out more information elsewhere.
The Trans Agenda TL;DR
TOP STORY
- Trans woman beats men and women, anti-trans activists can’t handle it.
NEWS & POLITICS
- Judge disciplined for calling trans campaigner a “stupid, condescending fool” while questioning if he would “be shot when the trans revolution happens”.
- Eight million voters may be disenfranchised in General Election, MPs find.
- Rector of Liverpool leaves church citing discrimination against sections of society and safeguarding failures.
- Scott Benton resigns triggering by-election Tories will lose.
MEDIA
- Claim 70% of UK sportswomen oppose competing against trans women based on 104 replies.
- The Times outdo themselves: Joe Rogan, Elon Musk and JK Rowling: How Scotland’s culture war infected the West.
- Fans urged to speak in support of trans people as Football v Transphobia campaign launched.
- Elliot Page calls out ‘devastating’ attacks on LGBTQ+ rights at Juno Awards.
- Keir Starmer cosied up to the Murdoch press in the same week it faced new allegations of criminality.
TODAY’S PAPERS
TODAY IN PARLIAMENT
- Last day before Easter recess.
- Ministry of Justice oral questions.
- Debate personal independence payment (PIP) and other disability benefits.
AROUND THE WORLD
- No charges over Nex Benedict fight as district attorney claims it was ‘mutual combat’.
- New Hampshire passes bill to ban trans girls from girls’ sports in public middle and high schools.
- Jeff Bezos’ ex MacKenzie Scott donates millions to ‘vital’ LGBTQ+ non-profits, infuriating bigots.
- Ken Paxton blocked in Texas from investigating transgender group.
- Activists celebrate new Washington state law requiring LGBTQ+ history in schools.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
- UN Security Council for first time demands ‘immediate’ Gaza ceasefire, US abstains.
- Shamima Begum has lost an initial bid to challenge the removal of her British citizenship at the Supreme Court.
- Met officer charged with non-fatal strangulation and assault.
- Judge dismisses ‘vapid’ Elon Musk lawsuit against group that catalogued racist content on Twitter.
- Donald Trump to face trial on 15 April.
- Ron DeSantis signed legislation prohibiting under-14s from having social media accounts.
COMING UP
- London High Court Julian Assange decision.
- US Supreme Court abortion pill oral arguments.
RECOMMENDED READING
- Judith Butler thinks you’re overreacting
- How did gender become a scary word? The theorist who got us talking about the subject has answers.
The Trans Agenda
NEWS & POLITICS
Trans woman beats men and women, anti-trans activists can’t handle it
- Noa-Lynn Van Leuven made history as the first trans woman to win a darts tournament against both men and women in the same week. Instead of taking this as evidence that women can indeed beat men (and they can), the cult decided to lose their shit over this clear ‘evidence’ that women are worse than men at everything.
And that’s really all there is to this story that has the right-wing media crying foul and Wimbledon-winning tennis terfs calling for trans women to be banned from every sport. The message is clear – women have their own categories because they’re shitter than men and we MUST keep it that way.
As you can see in the image below, it’s all the worst anti-trans media offenders who are covering this story, having suddenly found an interest in yet another women’s sport they didn’t even notice before a trans person decided to play.
Try to find coverage of any other story in women’s darts as extensive as this one. Unless a competitors’ tits fell out during a tournament, it can’t be done.
What this does do, and that they fail to realise, is demonstrate, again, that banning trans people from women’s sports is nothing to do with fairness or ‘safety’. Why should men be naturally better at throwing darts at numbers on a circle? Are they born with a pack of flights encoded in their DNA? The anti-trans crew want you to believe that women can’t compete with men when it comes to throwing darts. Sean Ingle, Guardian chief sports writer, once claimed that trans women were naturally better at rugby than cis women because cave men could throw spears better than cave women. Not long after he made that claim in a private Guardian anti-trans group, new research came out that claimed pre-historic women were actually better hunters than men. Not to Seany and the Cult’s worm-addled brains, though. They’ll not be having any of that.
Other ‘sports’ that women are naturally worse than men at include pool and chess.
Van Leuven has released a statement. “I don’t really feel the need to go into it any further,” she said in relation to the two anti-trans Dutch darts players who quit in protest. “This was their choice and not mine. The only sad thing about this issue is that a lot of people forget that I am also a human being.”
It’s also worth noting that in 2019, Fallon Sherrock, a cis woman, beat cis men and, upon winning, said “Hopefully we get to a point where it’s not massive news anymore”. Nobody cared, and I’m willing to bet that nobody complaining today about van Leuven even knows Sherrock’s name.
Judge disciplined for calling trans campaigner a “stupid, condescending fool” while questioning if he would “be shot when the trans revolution happens” [Telegraph]
- Simon Myerson KC has been found guilty of failing to “maintain the standards of his judicial office” and “acting in an offensive manner”, something the Telegraph blame on ‘trans activists’ complaining. Myerson has been disciplined by the Lord Chancellor and Lady Chief Justice for calling someone the Telegraph also refer to as a ‘trans rights campaigner’ (we know this is a label they apply to all trans people), a “stupid, condescending fool” on twitter.
He also mocked the ‘transgender activists’’ “tiny intellect” and asked if he would be “shot when the trans revolution happens”. He wasn’t finished there. He accused them of “idiotic statements”, saying that “trying to patronise me as well doesn’t make the nonsense true. You lack the intellect to see the point.”
“Part of the problem is that the people who conduct the debate on the ‘side’ of trans people are the same people who cheered on Corbyn. It means the politics are poisonously personal and the intellect is tiny. You stupid, condescending, fool,” said Mr Myerson. “I think the reason so many of the stupid Left are invested in Chomsky’s brilliance … is that they feel a need for intellect. They can’t get it from Corbyn who even they realise lacks the requisite quality. They batten onto Noam.
”So [twitter handle redacted] – what’s the deal? I’m blocked but I’m not on your list of people to be shot when the trans revolution happens. Can I appeal?”
Rector of Liverpool leaves church citing discrimination against sections of society and safeguarding failures [Dr Crispin Pailing]
- Revd Canon Dr Crispin Pailing MBE of Liverpool Parish Church is leaving for a charity sector role after 10 years. He’s stepping down due to disagreements with the Church of England‘s biases and discrimination issues on sexuality, race, and gender, plus safeguarding failures. “I cannot, in good conscience, continue to have a representative role in an organization which perpetuates bias and discrimination against sections of society on the grounds of sexuality, race, and gender,” he wrote in his statement. “In the last few years I have seen the institutional validation of homophobic and misogynistic views in the Church, and I cannot endorse this. The obvious and lamentable failure of safeguarding across the church is itself an abuse, and a further assault on the image of God. In contrast to the institutional actions which show such disregard for so many human beings, it seems to me that the majority of individuals and communities across the Church of England speak with the voice of inclusion. I am proud that Liverpool Parish Church continues to make a public declaration of the dignity of all people, in the knowledge that we are all made in God’s image.”
Eight million voters may be disenfranchised in General Election, MPs find [Byline Times]
- A UK parliamentary report warns that electoral registration issues could disenfranchise eight million voters in the upcoming general election. Criticisms include the inefficient system with the new voter ID requirement likely to make the situation worse. Young people, renters, and ethnic minorities are expected to be hit hardest. The report calls for more voter ID forms to be accepted.
Scott Benton resigns triggering by-election Tories will lose [Politics]
- Tory Scott Benton has resigned as MP for Blackpool South, triggering a by-election. He was facing a recall petition after being found to have been offering to act on the behalf of gambling investors. The Standards Committee suspended him for 35 days, automatically triggering the recall petition. Rather than wait to find out if 10% or more of Blackpool South’s constituents would like a by-election, Benton opted to jump ship. Labour have a 97% projected chance of taking the seat in the by-election, with the Conservatives given a 3% chance. GB News were given the news first.
The by-election will take place on 2 May, the same day as the local elections.
MEDIA & TODAY’S PAPERS
Joe Rogan, Elon Musk and JK Rowling: How Scotland’s culture war infected the West [The Times]
- I debated the idea of including this piece today but it was just so stupid I had to. How do they write these things and not see who they are?
Claim 70% of UK sportswomen oppose competing against trans women based on 104 replies [The Times]
- The BBC ran a survey of sportswomen and found that 104 had a problem with trans women. To The Times, that means 70% of all sportswomen feel that way which is patently nonsense. Despite constantly crying that women are being silenced, the likes of The Times refuse to listen to the overwhelming number of female athletes who have no problem with trans women in women’s sports.
The survey was sent to “615 athletes, including any applicable transgender athletes, in 28 sports”, which means they don’t actually know how many trans women are in those sports, or the number is so low it would be embarrassing to print it.
Only 143 people bothered to even reply to the survey which, of course, Gender Critical Realists are incentivised to do. This is how The Times are able to claim their 70% figure.
They could have also said four and a half times as many women don’t care about trans people in sport than disagree. But they didn’t, because that doesn’t fit with what they are trying to do to trans people.
Fans urged to speak in support of trans people as Football v Transphobia campaign launched [Mirror]
- After the launch of Football v Transphobia’s annual week of action [Trans Agenda #16], the Mirror has given the campaign some much-needed coverage with an exclusive in which they speak with Natalie Washington.
Elliot Page calls out ‘devastating’ attacks on LGBTQ+ rights at Juno Awards [Pink News]
- At the 2024 Juno Awards, Elliot Page highlighted the global rollback of LGBTQ+ rights as “devastating” while presenting the Humanitarian Award to Tegan and Sara, who are known for their LGBTQ+ advocacy through their foundation.
Keir Starmer cosied up to the Murdoch press in the same week it faced new allegations of criminality [Byline Times]
- Keir Starmer‘s meetings with the Murdoch press, notably at Sun HQ, has drawn criticism amid new allegations of criminality within Murdoch’s tabloids [Trans Agenda #14].
Today’s papers
- I use Pressreader to access the papers every morning but today the site was not working and wouldn’t let me access any of the papers. I was able to get a screenshot of the articles in the UK papers today, but this was the best I could do this morning after trying for a few hours.
TODAY IN PARLIAMENT
- Today is the final sitting before they all rise for Easter recess.
- Today is also the final day to dissolve parliament if a general election was to be called on 2 May. As Rishi Sunak ruled that out, and, perhaps more importantly, there have been no whispers that civil servants have been told to prepare for a dissolution, it seems the date no longer matters and we trudge on.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
- 11.30 – Ministry of Justice taking oral questions, including one on ‘What assessment he has made of the potential impact of accommodating young female offenders in all-male young offender institutions on the wellbeing of those female offenders’ and multiple MPs asking ‘What steps his Department is taking to reform the criminal justice system to help tackle violence against women and girls’. You can read all the questions here.
You can read the full House of Commons agenda for the day here.
WESTMINSTER HALL
- 4.30pm – 5.30pm – Debate on personal independence payment (PIP) and other disability benefits.
You can read the full Westminster Hall agenda for the day here.
HOUSE OF LORDS
- Nothing that involves the interest of this newsletter.
You read the full House of Lords agenda for the day here.
COMMITTEES
- 1pm (private) – The future of news: impartiality, trust and technology – Oral evidence.
- Sky News and GB News discuss impartiality, finances and the future of news. David Rhodes, executive chairman EMEA of Sky News, Jonathan Levy, managing editor and executive director at Sky News and Angelos Frangopouloos, chief executive officer at GB News to appear. Further details here.
- 4pm (private) – Human Rights (Joint Committee). No details of the meeting are provided.
AROUND THE WORLD
No charges over Nex Benedict fight as district attorney claims it was ‘mutual combat’ [Pink News]
New Hampshire passes bill to ban trans girls from girls’ sports in public middle and high schools [Sentinel Source]
- The vote, which was very narrow (189 v 182) was passed along party lines, although one Republican did vote against it. HB1205 will now move to the Senate.
Jeff Bezos’ ex MacKenzie Scott donates millions to ‘vital’ LGBTQ+ non-profits and others, infuriating bigots [AP] [Pink News]
- The money was spread between 361 organisations and is more than double the amount she initially planned to pledge.
Ken Paxton blocked in Texas from investigating transgender group [Bloomberg]
- A Texas judge issued a temporary restraining order against state investigations into parents providing gender-affirming care to trans children, after a lawsuit was filed by three families and PFLAG members. The lawsuit aims to halt all investigations against PFLAG-associated families.
The state, under Attorney General Ken Paxton has been investigating whether parents who provide access to gender-affirming health care are committing child abuse. Eight cases currently remain open with only one being closed because they found no abuse.
Activists celebrate new Washington state law requiring LGBTQ+ history in schools [LGBTQ Nation]
- Washington State has passed a new law requiring schools to include LGBTQ+ history in their curriculum by the 2025-2026 school year.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
UN Security Council for first time demands ‘immediate’ Gaza ceasefire, US abstains
- The UN Security Council, for the first time, demanded an immediate Gaza ceasefire, with the US abstaining. After four failed attempts due to vetoes, this resolution, crafted by non-permanent members, passed with 14 votes. It seeks a Ramadan ceasefire leading to a sustainable peace, the unconditional release of hostages, and improved humanitarian access in Gaza. Israel’s PM Netanyahu cancelled a planned Washington visit in response, criticising the US’s abstention.
Shamima Begum has lost an initial bid to challenge the removal of her British citizenship at the Supreme Court [BBC]
- Shamima Begum lost her initial Supreme Court bid to challenge the UK citizenship removal on national security grounds after leaving London at 15 for Syria to join IS. The Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal, noting the decision wasn’t unlawful. Begum can directly request the Supreme Court to hear her case, with her lawyers arguing the removal was illegal, failing to consider if she was trafficked. She remains in a Syrian camp, regretting joining IS and living in inhumane conditions.
Met officer charged with non-fatal strangulation and assault [Met Police]
- This article appears on the Met’s site with the headline “Serving police officer to appear in court”.
Judge dismisses ‘vapid’ Musk lawsuit against group that catalogued racist content on X [Guardian]
- A California judge dismissed Elon Musk‘s lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which reported on increased racist and extremist content on Twitter since Musk’s takeover. The dismissal, grounded in anti-SLAPP legislation protecting free speech (something the UK is in desperate need of), highlighted the case’s main aim which was to penalise critical speech. Musk, who self-identifies as a “free speech absolutist,” had sued, claiming unlawful data access by CCDH. This case is one among several Musk initiated against entities monitoring hate speech on the platform.
Donald Trump to face trial on 15 April [Politico]
- Justice Juan Merchan has ruled that Donald Trump will face trial in New York on 15 April on charges that he falsified business records to cover up the money paid to Stormy Daniels in 2016. There are a total of 34 felonies in this case but this is seen as the least dangerous in terms of legal peril for Trump of the four separate cases he is facing.
15 April will also become the date the first American president stands trial and will become a pub quiz question in the future.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Monday that would prohibit under-14s from having social media accounts [Politico]
COMING UP
- London’s High Court will deliver its verdict on whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal against extradition from Britain to the United States [Reuters]
- The US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in the case that could limit access to the abortion pill [Politico]
RECOMMENDED READING
Judith Butler thinks you’re overreacting [NY Times archive link]
- How did gender became a scary word? The theorist who got us talking about the subject has answers.
TRANSWRITES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
- Sex Matters Director Helen Joyce reads porn of teenagers for “research”, by Gemma Stone.
- Understanding the “WPATH Files” debate, by Lee Hurley.
- Why are people accusing JK Rowling of Holocaust denial? By Gemma Stone.
- What does Liz Truss’s anti-trans bill actually say? By Lee Hurley.
- JK Rowling will be arrested, finally, by Gemma Stone.
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