The Trans Agenda #23
[11 April 2024]
Welcome to The Trans Agenda, a newsletter that will arrive in your inbox Monday and Thursday 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.
As always, if you have any suggestions, I’m open to feedback and you can contact me using the links on this page near the bottom.
The Trans Agenda
NEWS & POLITICS
17-year-old trans boy felt ‘worthless’ before his death, inquest hears [Pink News]
- I like to open the Trans Agenda with what I think is the most important story in the UK for trans people. While most people will think that is the Cass review, it is not. It is Charlie Millers and all the Charlie Millers who are now guaranteed to follow because of Cass.17-year-old Charlie Millers died at Prestwich Hospital, Manchester, in December 2020 amidst struggles with mental health, experiences of trauma including acid attacks, sexual abuse, bullying, and being misgendered by healthcare professionals. His mother described him as an amazing individual who loved Morris dancing and football, highlighting his deep struggles from an early age, which included severe self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Despite supposed strict observation, Charlie suffered a fatal hypoxic brain injury.
The Cass review: A government-sanctioned attack on trans lives
- I originally wrote a lengthy piece for this section but published it yesterday as a stand-alone piece that you can read here if you haven’t already seen it. In short, the Cass Review is a government-backed attack on trans rights. It deliberately silenced trans voices, ignored established medical evidence, and was shaped by individuals that have a history of promoting harmful conversion therapy. The review’s recommendations pose grave risks for trans youth by restricting crucial care. This calculated agenda, celebrated by hate groups and endorsed by politicians like the Tories and Labour’s Health Secretary, Weasel Streeting, reveals an orchestrated campaign to deny trans people basic rights and healthcare. However bad you thought it was going to be, it was worse. The fact that the reporting of the report resulted in #GlinnerWasRight trending should be all you need to know, really.
Stonewall backs the Cass review [Stonewall]
- They have basically backed conversion therapy for all trans people up to the age of 25 and have rightly received the appropriate backlash from the wider LGBTQ+ community.
The Cass fightback begins [Dr Rob Agnew]
- The Chair of Section of Psychology of Sexualities, British Psychological Society posted on LinkedIn, “Bad news for our trans youth this morning, but let’s be honest, we knew it was coming.“In 2021/22 I reviewed the WPATH guidelines for the General Medical Council for a fitness to practice lawsuit in trans youth healthcare provision. The conclusions and the consequences of Cass are out of step with better quality, more comprehensive reviews, and out of step with approaches in other countries.
“So over the coming days I, and many other clinicians, will be having a look at the final Cass Review in detail and trying to answer the question ‘Why was Cass unable to find the research needed to provide trans youth with vital medical approaches that other countries found?’.”
Cass report must not be ‘spun’ by opponents of trans healthcare, says Labour MP [Pink News]
- Labour MP Nadia Whittome warns against the misinterpretation of the Cass report by opponents of trans healthcare. Whittome, advocating for the trans community, emphasises the necessity of engaging with experts and the community to fully grasp the report’s implications without allowing it to fuel the ongoing cultural war against trans people.
Weasel Streeting says he regrets saying trans men are men and trans women are women [Wes Streeting]
- Good job he isn’t set to become the new health secretary when Labour win the election…oh wait…
UK government taking advice on trans people from lay people [source]
- Sex Matters are one of the organisations who have worked closely with the government on their anti-trans policies despite having absolutely no expertise in the area. This was highlighted this week when an Australian justice refused evidence from Sex Matter’s director, Helen Joyce, on the basis that she is nothing more than a layperson.
Man guilty of abusing Labour MP who supported a trans mum [Pink News]
- Paul Fogg, 40, received a suspended sentence for abusing Labour MP Clive Lewis on social media and voicemail, following Lewis’s support for a trans woman breastfeeding her child. Fogg was ordered to undergo rehabilitation and avoid contact with Lewis.
World netball ban trans women from netball [Natalie Washington]
- Meanwhile, Netball Australia rejects World Netball’s transgender ban [Daily Mail].
Leader of world’s largest paedophile ring says trans people threaten the ‘dignity’ of humans [Al Jazeera]
- Pope Francis, head of an organisation that is responsible for sexually abusing millions of children, and then actively covering it up, thinks trans people are an issue.
Keep an eye out for…
- It’s going to be all about Cass for the foreseeable future so expect a lot of truly awful takes and a lot of gaslighting, especially in the Sunday papers with the usual mouthpieces Stock, Bindel, Sodha et al at the forefront.
MEDIA & PAPERS
UK government is GB News’ largest advertiser [GB News Spin Room]
- The UK government spent an estimated £132k in March on advertising on GB News, making it the largest single advertiser on the channel by both number of ads and amount spent.
Open Democracy cuts fifth of staff, including head of news and political correspondent [Press Gazette]
- Open Democracy is reducing its workforce by about 20%, impacting roles including the head of news and a political correspondent, as it grapples with economic challenges and a decline in funding. This move, affecting around 10 employees from a team of 52, is part of efforts to reach a break-even point amidst rising inflation and an uncertain funding landscape. The organisation expressed gratitude towards the departing staff for their contributions.
Sun halves losses, Times titles grow revenue, TalkTV losses rise to £88m [Press Gazette]
- The Sun halved its annual losses, benefiting from lower phone-hacking costs, while The Times saw revenue growth but a 17% profit drop due to increased expenses. TalkTV‘s losses widened to £88m after its first year. The Sun’s revenue fell 5%, impacted by the print market decline and changes in social media. Nonetheless, The Sun’s US website and UK betting and gaming sectors experienced growth.
GB News hires first US correspondent in expansion of GBN America [Press Gazette]
- GB News has appointed Steven Edginton as its first US correspondent, expanding its American presence with the launch of GBN America, aimed at both British expats and Americans interested in a ‘British’ perspective on US events.
THE PAPERS
The Guardian
Tuesday 9 April
Wednesday 10 April
Thursday 11 April
The Times
Tuesday 9 April
Wednesday 10 April
Thursday 11 April
Daily Mail
Tuesday 9 April
Wednesday 10 April
In reference to that Julie Bindel article, if you do a search you will find Julie Bindel talking about how trans women absolutely can be and are lesbians in a video that was definitely filmed within the last two decades despite what she says in that piece.
Thursday 11 April
Telegraph
Tuesday 9 April
Wednesday 10 April
Thursday 11 April
THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT
- Parliament is in recess until April 15.
AROUND THE WORLD
Trans activists outraged over Hong Kong’s new policies for changing gender on IDs [LGBTQ Nation]
- Hong Kong‘s trans activists are outraged by new, supposedly eased policies for changing gender markers on IDs that remain discriminatory and stringent. Despite a 2023 court ruling against mandatory gender-affirming surgery, trans individuals still face invasive requirements like surgery, legal declarations of gender dysphoria, hormone treatments for two years, and random blood tests.
Planet Fitness gyms receive bomb threats after Libs of TikTok’s anti-trans campaign [LGBTQ Nation]
Angry parent ruthlessly defends trans teen who was denied entry to prom for wearing a dress [LGBTQ nation]
- In Alabama, a transgender teen was barred from her prom for wearing a dress, sparking outrage from Lesa Drake, a fiercely supportive parent. Despite no school policy violations, the principal enforced a discriminatory dress code.
Bar owner vows to “fight back” after drag story hour interrupted by bomb threat [LGBTQ Nation]
- After a bomb threat disrupted a Drag Story Hour at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Virginia, owner Freddie Lutz vows to ‘fight back’, hoping for a larger turnout next time. The event, aimed at promoting inclusivity through drag performers reading to children, was temporarily evacuated but continued after police found no threat.
The North Face faces conservative boycott for sponsoring a queer summer camp [Advocate]
- Another day, another company added to their ever-increasing list of brands they say they are boycotting but never do.
Joe Biden launches ‘Out for Biden-Harris’ campaign initiative to engage & woo LGBTQ+ voters [Advocate]
- The Biden-Harris campaign has launched “Out for Biden-Harris,” a strategic effort to engage the LGBTQ+ community for their re-election in 2024, emphasising the significant impact and mobilisation of LGBTQ+ voters in their previous electoral success. Campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez highlighted the crucial support from nearly 11,000 LGBTQ+ volunteers in the 2020 election, aiming to further harness this community’s organising power to secure re-election.
Elon Musk will sue Australia for ordering Twitter to remove a hateful post by an anti-trans activist [LGBTQ Nation]
- Elon Musk is suing Australia for ordering his social media platform, Twitter [yes, I will continue to call it that until he respects trans people], to remove a hateful post by anti-trans activist Chris Elston, defending the move as a stance for “free speech.” This, from the man who has the word ‘cis’ banned on Twitter as hateful speech. Australia’s eSafety commissioner demanded the post’s removal, deeming it offensive and harmful towards trans individuals, specifically targeting Australian trans activist Teddy Cook with derogatory language.
NAIA issues “unacceptable” blanket ban on trans women competing in women’s sports [LGBTQ Nation]
- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has approved a ban on transgender women participating in women’s sports
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Lesbian News publisher Ella Matthes has died at 81 [Advocate]
- Ella Matthes, publisher and editor of North America’s longest-running lesbian publication, Lesbian News Magazine, passed away at 81 from a heart attack. Under her leadership since 1994, the magazine became a key voice for lesbians, featuring notable personalities and advocating for lesbian visibility and rights.
RECOMMENDED READING
- What the Cass Review fails to tell us about growing up trans, by Robin Moira White.
- Gender-Affirming care for trans youth is neither new nor experimental: A timeline and compilation of studies, by Julia Serano.
TRANSWRITES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
- NHS & puberty blockers: Former GIDS patients reflect on long wait times, invasive assessments, by Sasha Baker.
- The Cass Review: A government-sanctioned attack on trans lives, by Lee Hurley.
- Fanfiction was my gay-girl-to-gay-guy pipeline, and I’m proud of it, by Jesse Smith.
- What does Liz Truss’s anti-trans bill actually say? By Lee Hurley.
- Andrew Joseph White’s writing is exactly what autistic transgender people like me needed when we were younger, by Ayman Eckford.
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CALL FOR STORIES
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