[3 November 2024]
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Full paper review below.
NEWS
Wes Streeting pledges to ‘deal with’ trans people after meeting with far-right backed group [Times]
- As you will know from last week’s Trans Agenda, Wes Streeting had a lengthy meeting with some NHS nurses who are campaigning to discriminate against a trans colleague. Now, some details of what was said at that meeting have emerged. Streeting, during the meeting with the small group, who have dubbed themselves “the Darlington Five,” (as if they’ve been framed by the UK government for a terrorist attack rather than working hand-in-hand with the government to terrorise) expressed that “something has gone wrong in our society” regarding trans access to women’s spaces.
He confirmed his belief that “sex is biological” and agreed that the “importance of single-sex spaces” has not been “taken seriously enough.” The nurses are suing their NHS trust after a trans colleague, whom they name, was allowed to use a women’s changing room, as is her legal right. Streeting concluded the meeting by saying, “We’ve got to deal with this.”
See the Paper Review (Monday) for the Times coverage of the meeting that doesn’t mention that the nurses are supported by far-right Christian National groups CitizenGo and Christian Concern in this campaign.
NHS rewriting training guidance regarding trans people and toilets [Daily Mail]
- As the Daily Mail raged about NHS guidance for staff that said they can’t discriminate against trans people using the toilet, a paragraph at the end of the article read, “Last night an NHS spokesman said: ‘This guidance is out of date and has already been removed as new training is being developed.’” Given the direction of travel for the NHS, this is unlikely to result in more inclusive guidance. See the Paper Review (Monday) for the Mail article.
Rape centre breaks away from charity in row over trans-inclusive policy [Pink News]
- A rape crisis centre in Glasgow, Scotland, has split from the umbrella charity Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) due to a ‘disagreement’ over single-sex spaces.
Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis (GCRC) announced its departure, stating its commitment to providing “single-sex services delivered by an all-female workforce,” which it acknowledged was “at odds with RCS” [and the Equality Act]. The decision follows a confected controversy involving Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, where a tribunal ruled in favour of gender critical Roz Adams. Mridul Wadhwa, the centre’s chief executive, resigned after the ruling amid relentless harassment and abuse that has lasted years.
JK Rowling, of course, praised GCRC’s move.
Tavistock and Portman Trust forced to seek merger [Times]
- The Tavistock and Portman Trust, which managed the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) in London, announced it is seeking a merger to stay financially viable after years of losses. The trust recorded a deficit of almost £2.5 million last year, with an underlying deficit of £6.2 million.
Gids, the largest gender clinic for children and adolescents, closed in March after a sustained attack from the GC cult and their propagandists in the media. While some have linked the financial troubles to the fallout from Gids, trust executives deny this, pointing instead to broader financial difficulties. The trust is exploring a merger with the Central and North West London Foundation Trust to address these issues. See the full report from The Times in the Paper review (Thursday)
Lords debate trans people in sport because they can’t always tell [Hansard]
- The debate, which I flagged in last week’s Trans Agenda, on “Gender in Olympic and Paralympic competition” delivered exactly what you would expect from peers you could name without looking as the usual propagandists voiced “concerns” about the inclusion of trans women.
Notable figures opposing the participation of trans individuals included JK Rowling’s bestie, Baroness Nicholson, Baroness Fox, and Lord Moylan.
They argued that allowing trans women into female categories undermines fair competition and women’s sports but, of course, have nothing to back this up beyond their icky feels. The conversation centred on ‘concerns’ about physiological differences and the potential for perceived unfair advantages. Perceived.
This debate enraged sports journalist Laura Woods because it didn’t highlight ‘data’, collected by an anti-trans group, that was submitted by members of the public [see Paper Review Thursday].
Queen Mum ‘didn’t bat eyelid’ over trans doctor [Mail on Sunday]
- The Queen Mother reacted supportively when her hip surgeon, Sarah Muirhead-Allwood, transitioned. The Mail on Sunday [see Paper Review below] details how Ms Muirhead-Allwood operated on the Queen Mother in 1995, and again in 1998 after beginning her transition.
Former ballet dancer Wayne Sleep revealed that the Queen Mother simply asked, “What do I call you now, dear?” and accepted the response with grace, showing no surprise. Sleep praised the Queen Mother for her warm, flamboyant personality, describing her love for “feathers and bling” in his memoir launch.
Alison Moyet follows a lot of anti-trans activists for someone who says she isn’t anti-trans [source]
- Bev Jackson, FairPlayForWomen, Sarah Phillimore, Reem Alsalem, Frances Barber, Dr. Jane Cassandra Jones, Hadley Freeman, Victoria Smith, Jean Hatchet, Helen Staniland, TheFamousArtistBirdyRose, Rachel Rooney, James Dreyfus, Julie Bindel, Suzanne Moore, Maya Forstater, and Kathleen Stock all appear on the first three pages alone. I stopped looking after that.
I’ve been a massive Moyet fan for as long as I can remember, even defending her a number of years ago when it looked like she was being misrepresented. I can no longer do that. Moyet can continue to attempt to walk a fine line without revealing her true opinion for fear of the damage it would undoubtedly do to what’s left of her career, but it’s hard to deny there’s a serious problem here.
German self-id comes in to effect [Human Rights Watch]
- Germany‘s parliament passed the landmark law on 12 April 2024 allowing transgender and non-binary people to modify their legal documents through a simple administrative procedure based on self-identification, without requiring medical certificates or expert opinions. It came into effect on Friday.
This reform replaces the outdated 1980 Transsexuals Law, which imposed invasive requirements on trans people.
Anti-trans activists, including Helen Joyce, protested in Berlin. Nobody cared.
World loses a huge trans right’s ally
- The news came early on Saturday morning as cancer finally took Janey Godley.

This statement from Mammies for Trans Rights summed up how many of us felt: “We find it difficult to put into words the impact of the passing of Janey Godley. We are thinking of her family and friends and also of the individual sadness of each person who found joy, support and love in her comedy and constant solidarity with trans people.
“We didn’t know her. Some of us attended her gigs, some read her posts but all loved her from afar. We can’t say what she was really like; but we can say how she made us feel. In a society full of misdirected hate and prejudice towards trans people, Janey made it all make sense. She made us feel represented. She made us feel strong. She made our allyship feel impactful.
“We will never know how many people she helped with her words of wisdom and joy. We will never know how many trans people’s journeys were made easier because a famous comedian cared, fearlessly, for trans people. We will remember her as an inspirational tower of strength.
“Although we didn’t know Janey, there was never any doubt that she was an incredible Mammy for Trans Rights.
“Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine”
(“People live in each other’s shadows.”)
Metro – How Janey Godley became one of the most iconic transphobe-fighters of a generation
MEDIA
‘Cult’ members jailed over coroner kidnap plot as BBC hides anti-trans motives [BBC]
- The BBC has reported on the sentencing of four members of an anti-establishment cult who were convicted for trying to kidnap a coroner but failed to mention the group’s key anti-trans motivation. The article details how the group, led by Mark Christopher, stormed the Essex Coroner’s Court, accusing the senior coroner, Lincoln Brookes, of “interfering with the dead.”
Christopher was jailed for seven years, while accomplices Sean and Shiza Harper, along with Matthew Martin, received 30-month sentences.
The group, known as the “Federal Postal Court,” believed they could override the judicial system, relying on pseudo-legal concepts and claiming to possess self-conferred legal powers. The court heard that Christopher, acting as the group’s leader, manipulated vulnerable individuals, including Sean and Shiza Harper, whom he coerced into paying tens of thousands for dubious online courses.
Notably, the BBC omits a key aspect of the case. The group’s motivations included allegations against Mr Brookes for his handling of cases involving people who had undergone gender reassignment, which they viewed as “crimes.”
This significant detail is missing from the report rather than highlighted prominently, which obscures the ideological motivations of the group. I suspect that is the point. The focus instead remains on their broader anti-establishment stance and use of pseudo-legal practices.
You can see the “fake death warrant the group issued regarding the Essex coroner, directly claiming linking the coroner to supposed child mutilation relating to gender reassignment, authorising a “death sentence” for the targeted victim,” here thanks to Mallory Moore.
In their coverage, the Telegraph gave the story three pages yet never mentioned the word ‘trans ‘ or ‘gender’ once.
![The middle-class cult that tried to topple the legal system Convinced ‘Nazis’ were out to ‘mutilate’ children, a self-styled judge and his accolytes tried to take the law into their own hands in Essex. The Daily Telegraph30 Oct 2024Adam Luck reports Nestled in a quiet street lies an imposing double-fronted Victorian house that seems an unlikely nexus for a resolutely middle-class cult convinced the “country is going to be taken over by Nazis”. But this is the London home of self-styled “chief judge” Mark Christopher, who this week was jailed for seven years after storming a court to kidnap a senior coroner for “interfering with the dead”. Christopher, 59, alongside former police officer Shiza Harper, her husband Sean Harper, and Matthew Martin, marched into Essex coroner’s court in Chelmsford, threatening to mete out “corporal punishment”. Their target was Lincoln Brookes and when they realised he was not present, they then threatened coroner Michelle Brown, before the police were alerted. The incident and fast unfolding investigation initially sparked additional concerns for the police because of the pending coronation of King Charles. Martin, 47, from Plaistow, east London, was arrested at the scene in April 2023, but Christopher, along with Shiza Harper, 45, and Sean Harper, 38, both from South Benfleet, Essex, were later arrested in Southend. All four, who were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, were part of a bizarre “anti-establishment cult” that claimed “non-existent powers” to usurp the legal system, said Mr Justice Goss. The judge said that Christopher, a convicted fraudster, was “intelligent, persuasive, manipulative and dishonest” and “preyed on the vulnerabilities of others”. Christopher is believed to have gained hundreds of followers across the world since he created his “Federal Postal Court” or “Court of the People”, which, he admits, is modelled on American cult leader David Wynn Miller. As well as claiming that he had died during surgery before a miracle recovery, Miller developed “Quantum Grammar”, which he said was the only true legal language. Miller, who died in 2018, was part of the “sovereign citizen movement”, which includes anti-government activists and conspiracy theorists. It has a long record of financial scams. Christopher’s website, which went live during the pandemic, offers followers the chance to “eliminate your mortgages and debts” – for a price. His online university enables students “to overcome the tricks and traps of courts, governments and corporations” and “the investment of this life-changing training is £7,449”. Christopher states that he has jurisdiction over “any governments, courts and corporations”. His rambling videos can be found on YouTube and the darker recesses of the web, not least Rumble, the platform that hosts Russell Brand and is popular among the American far-Right. In one video, Christopher claimed to have been the template for Dwayne Johnson’s portrayal of an ancient superhuman in the Hollywood blockbuster Black Adam. Christopher also boasts that he “reversed” a fatal disease and that for £7.44 you can download his Kindle book on how to reverse diabetes, cancer, heart disease and auto-immune dysfunction. Although Christopher styles himself as “Global Chief Federal Post Court Judge & Plenipotentiary Judge” his origins are murky, although a purported passport states that he was born in Singapore in 1965. A neighbour of his in London, who did not want to be named, said that Christopher had been living in the ground floor flat with his partner for a “long time” but was aware that he had been in jail on remand. She said: “We used to see him riding around on his bike. He was a nice neighbour, and we were fond of him. He used to do my garden, and we never had any problems with him. He did not have many visitors and kept a quiet profile. He never went into detail about what he did for a living but it was law-related stuff. Going after bad guys. He had conspiracy theories about companies doing illegal stuff.” But the court heard a different story, with Allister Walker, for the prosecution, stating that Christopher was “motivated by power and greed” and had “cult-like influence and control” over his followers. He had appointed Martin as “sheriff and coroner” and Sean Harper was also a sheriff, with his wife Shiza “a postal inspector”. The Martin said he had been acting to tackle ‘child trafficking’ with the King’s approval group believed they were “entitled to enter any building… and to perform audits”. The court was told that Lincoln Brookes began receiving a series of threatening letters couched in legal language from the group in 2022, but in 2023 they took a more “personal and direct” tone. Christopher told the group that they were doing this because “their country is going to be taken over by Nazis [who] think they can … mutilate your children for surgery” and they must “whack them to death”. The quartet, the court heard, then drove in two separate cars, both displaying the quasi-legal emblem of their organisation, armed with handcuffs and a photo of Mr Brookes, with the intention to shut the court down and detain the coroner. Only a last-minute family matter had prevented Brookes from being confronted by the group and in a statement to the court, he said that he felt “haunted” by the incident and was in trauma therapy. When his colleague Michelle Brown called him to warn him, Brookes had to pull over and now frequently has “nightmares about the incident”, which meant he “can never feel fully safe”. Brown said her life had “changed forever” and that she “was extremely scared and feared for my safety”. Narita Bahra KC, representing the Harpers, said that they were in Christopher’s “thrall” and were now on a “trajectory of awakening”. They had been “pressured” to pay more than £30,000 in fees for online courses run by Christopher, including his mortgage elimination scheme. But Justice Goss said that they “remain committed to him and his status”. Martin said that he had been acting to tackle “state child trafficking” with the King’s approval and apologised for the effect he had on the two coroners. All four were convicted of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment. Christopher was also found guilty of sending a letter or email with intent to cause distress or anxiety. Det Chief Insp Nathan Hutchinson said that Christopher was “very good at manipulating people – people with debts, people with problems have come to him; they’ve signed up to his online courses and believed that everything he was doing was legal”. He added that investigators “had the challenge of cutting through this group’s ludicrous beliefs in order to identify the motive… and identify any wider threats, especially given concern about the King’s approaching coronation”. Graham Baldwin, an expert in cults and psychological manipulation, said: “These seem intelligent, middle-class people. What marks people out with these groups is that they are often desperate, vulnerable or have problems in their lives and these groups give them a sense of belonging and purpose. They are not marked by low intelligence but often people who are well educated, very often middle-class, and looking for some significance in their lives. This makes them vulnerable to exploitation.” But Christopher is likely to hail his sentence as proof positive of his plenipotentiary powers. Remarkably, on his website, he notes: “Any persons wanting to hide their criminality… will be prosecuted and sentenced to a minimum of seven years.” It would appear his prediction has come to pass. Article Name:The middle-class cult that tried to topple the legal system Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:Adam Luck reports Start Page:2 End Page:2 The middle-class cult that tried to topple the legal system Convinced ‘Nazis’ were out to ‘mutilate’ children, a self-styled judge and his accolytes tried to take the law into their own hands in Essex. The Daily Telegraph30 Oct 2024Adam Luck reports Nestled in a quiet street lies an imposing double-fronted Victorian house that seems an unlikely nexus for a resolutely middle-class cult convinced the “country is going to be taken over by Nazis”. But this is the London home of self-styled “chief judge” Mark Christopher, who this week was jailed for seven years after storming a court to kidnap a senior coroner for “interfering with the dead”. Christopher, 59, alongside former police officer Shiza Harper, her husband Sean Harper, and Matthew Martin, marched into Essex coroner’s court in Chelmsford, threatening to mete out “corporal punishment”. Their target was Lincoln Brookes and when they realised he was not present, they then threatened coroner Michelle Brown, before the police were alerted. The incident and fast unfolding investigation initially sparked additional concerns for the police because of the pending coronation of King Charles. Martin, 47, from Plaistow, east London, was arrested at the scene in April 2023, but Christopher, along with Shiza Harper, 45, and Sean Harper, 38, both from South Benfleet, Essex, were later arrested in Southend. All four, who were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, were part of a bizarre “anti-establishment cult” that claimed “non-existent powers” to usurp the legal system, said Mr Justice Goss. The judge said that Christopher, a convicted fraudster, was “intelligent, persuasive, manipulative and dishonest” and “preyed on the vulnerabilities of others”. Christopher is believed to have gained hundreds of followers across the world since he created his “Federal Postal Court” or “Court of the People”, which, he admits, is modelled on American cult leader David Wynn Miller. As well as claiming that he had died during surgery before a miracle recovery, Miller developed “Quantum Grammar”, which he said was the only true legal language. Miller, who died in 2018, was part of the “sovereign citizen movement”, which includes anti-government activists and conspiracy theorists. It has a long record of financial scams. Christopher’s website, which went live during the pandemic, offers followers the chance to “eliminate your mortgages and debts” – for a price. His online university enables students “to overcome the tricks and traps of courts, governments and corporations” and “the investment of this life-changing training is £7,449”. Christopher states that he has jurisdiction over “any governments, courts and corporations”. His rambling videos can be found on YouTube and the darker recesses of the web, not least Rumble, the platform that hosts Russell Brand and is popular among the American far-Right. In one video, Christopher claimed to have been the template for Dwayne Johnson’s portrayal of an ancient superhuman in the Hollywood blockbuster Black Adam. Christopher also boasts that he “reversed” a fatal disease and that for £7.44 you can download his Kindle book on how to reverse diabetes, cancer, heart disease and auto-immune dysfunction. Although Christopher styles himself as “Global Chief Federal Post Court Judge & Plenipotentiary Judge” his origins are murky, although a purported passport states that he was born in Singapore in 1965. A neighbour of his in London, who did not want to be named, said that Christopher had been living in the ground floor flat with his partner for a “long time” but was aware that he had been in jail on remand. She said: “We used to see him riding around on his bike. He was a nice neighbour, and we were fond of him. He used to do my garden, and we never had any problems with him. He did not have many visitors and kept a quiet profile. He never went into detail about what he did for a living but it was law-related stuff. Going after bad guys. He had conspiracy theories about companies doing illegal stuff.” But the court heard a different story, with Allister Walker, for the prosecution, stating that Christopher was “motivated by power and greed” and had “cult-like influence and control” over his followers. He had appointed Martin as “sheriff and coroner” and Sean Harper was also a sheriff, with his wife Shiza “a postal inspector”. The Martin said he had been acting to tackle ‘child trafficking’ with the King’s approval group believed they were “entitled to enter any building… and to perform audits”. The court was told that Lincoln Brookes began receiving a series of threatening letters couched in legal language from the group in 2022, but in 2023 they took a more “personal and direct” tone. Christopher told the group that they were doing this because “their country is going to be taken over by Nazis [who] think they can … mutilate your children for surgery” and they must “whack them to death”. The quartet, the court heard, then drove in two separate cars, both displaying the quasi-legal emblem of their organisation, armed with handcuffs and a photo of Mr Brookes, with the intention to shut the court down and detain the coroner. Only a last-minute family matter had prevented Brookes from being confronted by the group and in a statement to the court, he said that he felt “haunted” by the incident and was in trauma therapy. When his colleague Michelle Brown called him to warn him, Brookes had to pull over and now frequently has “nightmares about the incident”, which meant he “can never feel fully safe”. Brown said her life had “changed forever” and that she “was extremely scared and feared for my safety”. Narita Bahra KC, representing the Harpers, said that they were in Christopher’s “thrall” and were now on a “trajectory of awakening”. They had been “pressured” to pay more than £30,000 in fees for online courses run by Christopher, including his mortgage elimination scheme. But Justice Goss said that they “remain committed to him and his status”. Martin said that he had been acting to tackle “state child trafficking” with the King’s approval and apologised for the effect he had on the two coroners. All four were convicted of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment. Christopher was also found guilty of sending a letter or email with intent to cause distress or anxiety. Det Chief Insp Nathan Hutchinson said that Christopher was “very good at manipulating people – people with debts, people with problems have come to him; they’ve signed up to his online courses and believed that everything he was doing was legal”. He added that investigators “had the challenge of cutting through this group’s ludicrous beliefs in order to identify the motive… and identify any wider threats, especially given concern about the King’s approaching coronation”. Graham Baldwin, an expert in cults and psychological manipulation, said: “These seem intelligent, middle-class people. What marks people out with these groups is that they are often desperate, vulnerable or have problems in their lives and these groups give them a sense of belonging and purpose. They are not marked by low intelligence but often people who are well educated, very often middle-class, and looking for some significance in their lives. This makes them vulnerable to exploitation.” But Christopher is likely to hail his sentence as proof positive of his plenipotentiary powers. Remarkably, on his website, he notes: “Any persons wanting to hide their criminality… will be prosecuted and sentenced to a minimum of seven years.” It would appear his prediction has come to pass. Article Name:The middle-class cult that tried to topple the legal system Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:Adam Luck reports Start Page:2 End Page:2](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36b05f1f-7769-4c65-8f8b-c0a8e2724895_1801x743.png)
Times don’t care about cis children’s genitals
- The papers I monitor like to spend a lot of time talking about the genitals of trans kids, despite there being no evidence for what they claim is happening to them. When doctors *actually* mutilate children’s genitals, this is all the space they get in papers like the Times:

Badenoch attacks Labour on trans issues [Daily Mail]
- The Daily Mail gave Kemi Badenoch a page in their Monday edition to play a game of “every accusation a confession” and she used it to attack Labour for being ‘driven only by ideological fervour’ which is quite the charge coming from an MP who could be described as one of the most ideologically driven in Parliament.
Badenoch writes about transgender issues, criticising “activist campaign groups” pushing “radical information” in schools (no, she doesn’t mean the likes of Sex Matters), specifically mentioning instances where girls were told they “had to let boys into the girls’ changing rooms” and that children questioning their gender were taught that they could change. She also discusses how the Conservatives, under her role as Minister for Equalities, published new guidance on relationship and sex education, ensuring transparency for parents and curtailing politicised content related to gender identity, when what she is actually talking about is simply acknowledging that trans people exist.
The BBC has updated its style guide to instruct its journalists to refer to Elon Musk’s social media platform simply as X, whereas previously the advice was to use a construction such as “X, formerly known as Twitter”. [BBC]
Ofcom fines GB News £100,000 after ‘serious and repeated’ impartiality breaches [Press Gazette]
- Ofcom have fined GB News £100,000 for “serious and repeated” breaches of impartiality rules, citing an episode where Rishi Sunak was given a “mostly uncontested platform.” GB News is challenging the ruling in court, arguing the sanction is “unnecessary, unfair, and unlawful.” Ofcom will not enforce the fine pending the judicial review’s outcome. GB News was ordered to broadcast Ofcom’s findings.
This is the 12th breach Ofcom has found against GB News since March 2023.

WHAT’S ON IN PARLIAMENT
Select business. Full House business can be viewed here.
Tuesday 5 November
- 🚨 House of Lords, 2.30pm, oral questions, anti-trans Baroness Fox, “Ensuring accurate and consistent data on sex and gender are collected from future Census questions to ensure robust official data” 🚨 More here.
- House of Lords, short debate, “Assessment made of the threat from Hezbollah to the UK”. More here.
Wednesday 6 November
- House of Commons, 12pm: Prime Minister’s Question Time. First one for Kemi Badenoch as the new Tory leader
- Committees, 2pm private, 2.20pm public, “ Tackling non-consensual intimate image abuse – Oral evidence”. More here.
Parliament is in recess from 7 November until 11 November.
THIS WEEK
November is Trans Awareness Month
Tuesday, 5 November
- US Presidential Election
- Guy Fawkes Day (UK)
Wednesday, 6 November
- US Supreme Court hears Facebook case over Cambridge Analytica scandal
Friday, 8 November
- Reform UK conference in Wales
Saturday, 9 November
- Reform UK conference in Exeter
Sunday, 10 November
- Remembrance Sunday
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Tory leadership contest finally ends
- Kemi Badenoch defeated Robert Jenrick in the Tory leadership campaign with a record low number of votes. There is zero chance she lasts five years until the next general election.
Cambridge University agrees to rejoins Stonewall diversity scheme, apology requested [source]
- In the document linked above, the Cambridge University Pro-Vice-Chancellor highlighted that the university’s withdrawal in 2020 was partly due to a need for financial savings, but was also based on criticisms of Stonewall, most of which were unfounded and whipped up by anti-trans activists and their propagandists in the media. Unsurprisingly, the majority of those consulted within the LGBTQ+ community on campus supported re-joining. The Council agreed that re-joining could help implement actions from the “Being LGBTQ+ in Cambridge” review. Members also requested an apology be issued to the LGBTQ+ community for how the previous withdrawal was handled.
The vote to rejoin was approved by a majority vote.
“We can always tell” [Telegraph]
- A cis woman was mistakenly sent to HMP Perth, a male maximum-security prison, because she had “masculine features,” rather than being transferred to Cornton Vale, Scotland’s only women’s facility. The error came to light only after a thorough search at the male prison, resulting in the woman spending a night in segregation away from the male population before being transferred the next day. Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service have initiated reviews of their procedures after the incident. No such fucks are given for the trans women currently enduring the same for much longer than a single night.

Claire Reynolds, the director of Labour Women’s Network, has been appointed by Starmer as his new political director in Downing Street.
- The Labour Women’s Network rules state “we welcome all those who “self-define as women” into our membership and our women-only training and events, and this has always been our proud practice. LWN rejects all forms of transphobia, including intimidation, threats of violence and denial of trans identities. LWN believes women only spaces are an important part of women’s self-organisation, and we continue to organise events and conferences open to all women. We believe these discussions should be conducted in a sisterly and respectful way, and we call out abuse against women in public life wherever we see it as part of our #diffuseabuse campaign.”
THE PAPERS
October stats round up
- October saw a total of 69 articles about trans people, which was a slight increase on the 66 we saw in September. That rise in numbers can be attributed solely to the Times, which published 20 articles compared to 13 in September.
Both the Mail and the Telegraph, oddly, published the same number in both months – 13 and 32 respectively.
The Guardian/Observer, which published eight in September only published four in October, with Sonia Sodha not writing any of them.
While most were negative, not all were. I can also report that the vitriol we saw under the Tories is still largely missing. The bullshit is still free-flowing, but there has certainly been a massive drop in the number of vicious opinion columns.
Anti-trans activists – like Maya Forstater, Helen, Joyce, Kathleen Stock, Malcolm Clarke, Fair Play for Women and, of course, their queen, JK Rowling, were all quoted regularly, but their column inches have certainly shrivelled.
I can’t remember a trans person being quoted, let alone in charge of putting forth an article of their own, lest readers start to think trans people are also human beings.
This week, we had exactly the same number of articles about trans people as we did two weeks ago (17) which represents something of a drop on last week’s 26.
We can probably thank the budget for that.
Breaking with Telegraph tradition, the Mail had the most articles this week with seven to the Telegraph’s six, although one of those in the Mail could be said to be positive [see Mail on Sunday in Paper Review below].
The Guardian/Observer went back to having nothing after three last week, while the Times had four.
One day had no articles (Wednesday, Budget day), two days had four (Monday and Sunday) while three days had two (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) and Saturday had three.
Quoted this week:
- Stephanie Davies-Arai, the founder of Transgender Trend and non-expert on trans issues on puberty blockers.
- For Women Scotland on how dangerous it is to put women in men’s prisons, despite campaigning to put trans women in men’s prison being one of the reasons they exist.
- Maya Forstater (twice) on the Scouts being inclusive.
- Caroline Ffiske of Conservatives for Women, also on the scouts.
- JK Rowling on supporting one of the most right-wing leaders the Tories have ever elected because this anti-abortion, anti-maternity pay, anti-LGBTQ Kemi Badenoch is apparently a women’s rights’ champion.
THE PAPERS Monday 21st October – Sunday 27th October
Monday Total: 4
The Guardian [0]
The Times [2]


Daily Mail [1]

Telegraph [1]

Tuesday Total: 2
The Guardian [0]
The Times [0]
Daily Mail [1]

Telegraph [1]

Wednesday Total: 0
Thursday Total: 2
The Guardian [0]
The Times [1]
![NHS trust that led gender clinic forced to seek merger Charlotte Alt, James Beal The NHS trust that led a controversial gender clinic that prescribed puberty blockers to children will be merged to remain financially sustainable. The Tavistock and Portman Trust, in London, has announced it is in the process of identifying a merger partner after years of substantial losses. The trust made the announcement months after the closure of its Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), the largest clinic treating children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. The clinic closed in March after several controversies. Michael Holland, the chief executive, said at the trust’s annual meeting on Tuesday: “We are very, very at risk because of our financial situation.” In the latest financial year the trust recorded a deficit of almost £2.5 million with an underlying deficit of £6.2 million, according to Peter O’Neill, the interim chief financial officer. O’Neill said: “We have a cash deficit and we need cash support from the system to pay for bills for the staff, etc. In its current form the trust will not be financially sustainable.” The trust is working with Central and North West London Foundation Trust, in partnership with University College London and the London borough of Camden, on a merger proposal. However, governors and members have raised concerns that a merger could harm the institution’s legacy. Michael Rustin, a social care professor and elected governor of the trust, questioned whether its problems were also a result of the “difficulties” and “negative publicity” around Gids. He told the meeting: “The idea that the trust is no longer sustainable, that it is too small, that it has a financial deficit — is that really credible? There has been a picture in the trust that the real reason [for] the merger is that the NHS got absolutely fed up with us because we attracted torrents of horrible publicity because of the way Gids worked. We got caught up in a huge culture war.” Holland and John Lawlor, the trust chairman, denied that Gids played any significant part in the discussion leading to the merger plans. Holland said: “[NHS England] have been very supportive. They talk about protecting the organisation, not about punishment.” A spokesman for the trust said that although the loss of Gids was a contributing factor to its financial situation, the organisation had been reporting deficits before its closure. NHS trust that led gender clinic forced to seek merger Charlotte Alt, James Beal The NHS trust that led a controversial gender clinic that prescribed puberty blockers to children will be merged to remain financially sustainable. The Tavistock and Portman Trust, in London, has announced it is in the process of identifying a merger partner after years of substantial losses. The trust made the announcement months after the closure of its Gender Identity Development Service (Gids), the largest clinic treating children and adolescents with gender dysphoria. The clinic closed in March after several controversies. Michael Holland, the chief executive, said at the trust’s annual meeting on Tuesday: “We are very, very at risk because of our financial situation.” In the latest financial year the trust recorded a deficit of almost £2.5 million with an underlying deficit of £6.2 million, according to Peter O’Neill, the interim chief financial officer. O’Neill said: “We have a cash deficit and we need cash support from the system to pay for bills for the staff, etc. In its current form the trust will not be financially sustainable.” The trust is working with Central and North West London Foundation Trust, in partnership with University College London and the London borough of Camden, on a merger proposal. However, governors and members have raised concerns that a merger could harm the institution’s legacy. Michael Rustin, a social care professor and elected governor of the trust, questioned whether its problems were also a result of the “difficulties” and “negative publicity” around Gids. He told the meeting: “The idea that the trust is no longer sustainable, that it is too small, that it has a financial deficit — is that really credible? There has been a picture in the trust that the real reason [for] the merger is that the NHS got absolutely fed up with us because we attracted torrents of horrible publicity because of the way Gids worked. We got caught up in a huge culture war.” Holland and John Lawlor, the trust chairman, denied that Gids played any significant part in the discussion leading to the merger plans. Holland said: “[NHS England] have been very supportive. They talk about protecting the organisation, not about punishment.” A spokesman for the trust said that although the loss of Gids was a contributing factor to its financial situation, the organisation had been reporting deficits before its closure.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9814c990-b86e-4972-a9a2-35b168cfaf4e_704x856.png)
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