The Trans Agenda #18

[27 March 2024]

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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.

UPDATE: Thanks to the generosity of those who have taken out paid subscriptions, I’ve been able to add The Times to the list of publications I will be monitoring for this newsletter. I explain in the ‘media’ section, in a story about Keir Starmer, why it is important that The Times is watched carefully. I will also be expanding the publications covered from Pressreader. Thank you everyone for the support so far, it has been amazing.

The Trans Agenda TL;DR

TOP STORY

  • Serious police violence towards trans rights protesters outside “Gender Critical” conference.

NEWS & POLITICS

  • Leaked emails reveal serious NHS gender service concerns.
  • Teacher’s trans row tribunal collapses over anti-Tory slurs.
  • MSP threatens legal action after police log tweet as ‘hate incident’.
  • Suella Braverman to share a platform with Viktor Orban at the next National Conservativism Conference.
  • Jonathan Gullis appointed Conservative Deputy Chairman.
  • Two ministers quit government.

MEDIA

  • openDemocracy article on anti-gender groups ignores trans people.
  • New York Times fails to quote trans people in 66% of their articles on trans people.
  • Keir Starmer courting The Times.
  • Julian Assange US extradition decision delayed.

TODAY’S PAPERS

  • The Times
    • Gender-critical lawyer case dropped.
    • Teacher’s trans row tribunal collapses amid panel ‘prejudice’.
  • Daily Mail
    • A risk to our children.
    • Teacher axed in trans row sees tribunal case collapse.

TODAY IN PARLIAMENT

  • House of Commons is in recess, but the Lords is sitting.

AROUND THE WORLD

  • Women to be stoned to death in Afghanistan.
  • California capital becomes transgender ‘sanctuary’ city.
  • Dutch darts association backs trans player after others quit.
  • Transgender rights rally to be held on National Mall, Washington.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

  • Anti-abortion activists had a rough day at the Supreme Court.
  • Vegan activist can sue employer over ‘protected beliefs’.
  • 1 in 3 female musicians suffer sexual harassment.

COMING UP

  • Environment Agency annual figures for sewage spills.
  • London Mayoral nominations deadline.

RECOMMENDED READING

  • Children have a right to go to school.
Transgender. How do you know? By Lee Hurley
Transgender. How do you know? By Lee Hurley

The Trans Agenda

NEWS & POLITICS

TOP STORY

Serious police violence towards trans rights protesters outside “Gender Critical” conference [Trans Writes]

  • Jess O’Thomson reports exclusively for Trans Writes on the police violence that took place towards trans protestors on Saturday outside the RCGP. All press coverage of the event has come from the right-wing press which has labelled the trans people present as ‘aggressive’ and printed the reports of attendees at the conversion therapy conference without question [Trans Agenda #15].O’Thomson speaks with one of the people pepper sprayed, and gets to the bottom of what really happened. I would strongly advise giving the article a read.
New I am not a debate cut out sticker with text in trans colours alternating words in blue and pick. £2.79
Leaked emails reveal gender service concerns [BBC]Get your ‘I am not a debate’ cut-out sticker, badges, t-shirts, hats and more here and directly support The Trans Agenda and Trans Writes

Leaked emails reveal gender service concerns [BBC]

  • Like all trans people, senior NHS bosses have serious concerns about the closure of the NHS gender identity clinic for young people and the lack of information being provided about the alternative system.The children’s gender identity service at the Tavistock and Portman is closing this weekend to be replaced by two new regional hubs but, in a policy dictated by politics not healthcare, no continuity of care can be assured. The emails show serious concerns, from professionals intimately involved in trans healthcare, that the switchover is happening in the dark and that patients won’t get the care they need, putting many at risk. Other concerns involve a serious lack of information for clinicians or patients about the new system. One family said they found out more from the news than from the NHS about their child’s future treatment. NHS England says that patients will get the care they need and that the new system will be better. Sure.

    Despite claiming for years that a wave of claims were coming from the families of teens (1,000 they said) who had been ‘forced’ to transition at the Tavistock, not one case has come forward. The actual harm being done to trans kids, however, is very real.

    The Trans Agenda by Lee Hurley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Teacher’s trans row tribunal collapses over anti-Tory slurs [The Times]

  • A tribunal investigating a teacher’s dismissal over “gender policy concerns” collapsed due to a panel member’s anti-Conservative and reportedly anti-Christian social media comments, sparking bias fears. All members, including the judge, recused themselves in what even The Times admit was a ‘rare move’. The case, involving a primary school’s “trans affirming” policy, will be rescheduled. Of course, as we know, they are never sacked just for having ‘concerns’. There is always much more to it than that.

MSP threatens legal action after police log tweet as ‘hate incident’ [The Times]

  • Murdo Fraser, Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife, has threatened legal action, deeming Police Scotland‘s logging of his tweet criticising the Scottish government’s non-binary plan “disproportionate, discriminatory, intrusive, irrational and otherwise unlawful” after it was reported to the police. That’s all the police have done – logged the fact someone made a complaint.Fraser, in all seriousness, contends this logging breaches human rights, equality laws, and data protection. “Firstly, the European Convention on Human Rights protects free speech, specifically expressions of political view,” Fraser said, forgetting that trans and non-binary people are not a ‘political view’ and also have rights. “Secondly, there is a specific and additional protection under the Equality Act, established in case law for gender critical opinions, which this was. Thirdly, in recording this as a hate incident Police Scotland breached the Data Protection Act.” I can only assume he is referencing Maya Forstater’s tribunal with point two’s nonsense, in another case of them not understanding that ruling.

    In response, Police Scotland emphasised its victim-focused approach, a move The Times said was them refusing to back down. The police said: “Police Scotland have received a complaint relating to this matter which has been passed to the professional standards department for assessment.” The spokesperson added: “Recording is victim-focused and the process has been part of policing for many years. It helps us monitor tensions within communities enabling appropriate police responses and helps to build community confidence.”

    So, what did he say to start all this fuss? Well, he repeated the anti-trans brigade’s one joke in a tweet that is still available – “Choosing to identify as ‘non-binary’ is as valid as choosing to identify as a cat. I’m not sure Governments should be spending time on action plans for either.”

    Fraser is being assisted by the right-wing snowflake defenders, The Free Speech Union.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman to share a platform with Viktor Orban at the next National Conservativism Conference in April [Spectator]

Jonathan Gullis has been appointed Conservative Deputy Chairman [GB News]

  • If asking the question ‘how do you replace Lee Anderson with someone even stupider’ then I guess the Tories really were only left with one candidate. This is not a serious country and hasn’t been for some time. GB News, once again, were given the news first.

Ministers Robert Halfon and James Heappey quit government forcing mini-reshuffle [BBC]

  • Two ministers nobody has ever head of have quit Rishi Sunak’s cabinet forcing him to find two more people nobody has ever heard of to fill the increasing holes in his sinking Premiership. Both are also standing down as MPs at the next general election (along with 61 other Tory MPS). Leo Doherty will take over Heappey’s role in the armed services department while Luke Hall will replace Halfon as education minister. Three other people were also moved into positions, but I promise, you’ve never heard of any of them either. Kevin Hollinrake and Alan Mak must be particularly delighted, though, to be moving to Business and Trade to work for Kemi Badenoch. Who wouldn’t be?

MEDIA & TODAY’S PAPERS

openDemocracy article on anti-gender groups ignores trans people [openDemocracy]

  • openDemocracy have published an article by Sian Norris which dives into anti-gender groups that somehow fails to mention trans people once. Given the crossover between these anti-gender groups and the assault on trans rights, it seems almost negligent not to give trans people at least a passing mention. It’s not like this is an article solely about, say, abortion rights. Its subhead reads, “Leaked emails from the Agenda Europe network reveal how its members collaborated daily to roll back abortion and LGBTQ+ rights”. LGBTQ+ rights are mentioned frequently, but the targeted and more direct attacks on trans people are omitted.Norris has previously written for Byline Times. That article was headlined “The Far-Right Co-Option of the Transgender Rights Issue”. While I’m aware that journalists often don’t write their own headlines, that is almost word-for-word an exact quote of text from the article itself. She no longer works for them.

New York Times fails to quote trans people in 66% of their articles on trans people [Media Matters]

  • A new report by Media Matters and GLAAD says The New York Times failed to include the voices of trans people in most of its articles about anti-trans legislation over the past year. The Times also quoted misinformation from anti-trans activists without fact-checking it in 18% of their articles over the same period. Six articles “obscured the anti-trans background of sources, erasing histories of extremist rhetoric or actions.” If we were to look at most of the UK press, I’d be staggered if it was as low as 66%.

Keir Starmer courting The Times

  • After it was reported that Keir Starmer was spotted having secret meetings with the Murdoch press, just as they were the subject of even more allegations of criminality [Trans Agenda #15, #17], it has been claimed that it is The Times that Starmer is really interested in landing the support of. Speaking on the Oh God What Now? podcast, the New Statesman’s Rachel Cunliffe was very certain that Starmer is courting The Times. That should, of course, concern trans people because The Times is second only to The Telegraph when it comes to spreading anti-trans propaganda in the UK media landscape.

Julian Assange US extradition decision delayed to await death penalty assurance [Press Gazette]

  • Judges at the High Court ruled that the US must ensure Julian Assange will not face the death penalty before they consider his appeal against extradition. This comes after a series of legal challenges and concerns about Assange’s treatment and the implications for press freedom and journalistic activities. The High Court also refused to admit fresh evidence of CIA plots to kidnap or kill Assange. Declassified summarised their reasoning, and you may need to read this twice, as “The judges say the rationale for kidnapping or killing Assange would be removed if he is extradited, and the evidence is thus not worth consideration.”

The Trans Agenda by Lee Hurley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

TODAY’S PAPERS

The Times

Gender-critical lawyer case dropped Katie Gibbons A government lawyer who faced legal action after expressing gender-critical views at work, including commenting that only women menstruate, has had the case against her dropped. Elspeth Duemmer Wrigley works for an arm’s-length body affiliated to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and was due to appear at a tribunal this week accused of harassment. The claimant has now withdrawn all accusations against Duemmer Wrigley, who is chairwoman of a civil service network that represents staff with gender-critical views. The anonymous claimant works for another organisation linked to Defra and is still suing the department for allowing the network to exist. Duemmer Wrigley believes she was targeted as a figurehead of the Sex Equality and Equity Network (Seen), which has more than 700 members in 50 government departments who support the belief that biological sex is binary. The claimant has accused Defra of creating an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and/or offensive environment” and is calling for its Seen network to be disbanded. Duemmer Wrigley is seeking to remain an interested party to defend Seen’s existence across the public sector. “It has always been my position that this claim was vexatious and without merit,” she said, adding: “The claimant is still seeking remedies which would directly impact me, those who are gender critical within the civil service and the Seen network.” Duemmer Wrigley raised more than £40,000 in donations after being left to defend her case without financial support from Defra. The funds will be put towards other gender-critical litigation in the public sector. Along with other Seen leaders, Duemmer Wrigley wrote to the cabinet secretary in October to say that civil servants with gender-critical views were being harassed and silenced, which was threatening the impartiality of the civil service. She was accused of harassment over comments made in the workplace such as that “only women menstruate”. Duemmer Wrigley said on Monday: “I have been overwhelmed by the swell of support for my case and touched by the kindness of all your messages.” A government spokesman said: “We are unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
Teacher’s trans row tribunal collapses amid panel ‘prejudice’ Jonathan Ames - Legal Editor A tribunal that was hearing claims that a teacher was sacked for challenging her school’s transgender policy has collapsed after a member made anti- Conservative slurs and showed “significant prejudice against Christians”. All three members of the tribunal in Nottingham, including the judge, have recused themselves in an effort to avoid a “perception of bias” against the teacher, who is said to have raised concerns about a socially transitioning eight-year-old. The rare move by the tribunal’s judge, Victoria Butler, and members Javed Akhtar and Jed Purkis, came after the discovery of social media comments alleged “to advocate religious discrimination”. The hearing will now have to be rescheduled for later in the year. It is the latest controversy involving the use of social media to afflict courts and tribunals. This month, it emerged that complaints had been logged with the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office about Tan Ikram, the deputy chief magistrate, over his behaviour on social media. And this week, the office published a reprimand for Simon Myerson KC, who sits as a recorder, again over social media activity. Purkis, a non-legal member of the Nottingham tribunal hearing, had described himself online as a socialist and trade unionist. On his social media accounts, which have now been made private, Purkis responded to the question, “What’s a good collective noun for Tories?” by saying “a tumour of Tories” and then as a “cess pit of Tories”. In another comment on Twitter/X, Purkis complained that his social media timelines were “clogged up with right-wing nutjobs”. And responding to a comment that only atheists should be in public office, Purkis said: “Damn right, you won’t catch us killing in the name of our non-god.” Referring to another commentator on the social media site who had said that Christians were “worse than woke”, Purkis responded: “If they are so f***ing super how comes there is so much shit going on in the world”. After Purkis’s comments came to light, Pavel Stroilov, the lawyer for the teacher, made an application for a recusal. He called on the panel to assess the posts “from an assumed standpoint of a fair-minded and informed observer. That observer needs to consider whether there is a possibility of bias, including subconscious bias”. Stroilov argued that it would not be sufficient only for Purkis to step down, since the other two judges had presided over the trial together for more than six days and would be perceived as influenced by his view of the case. In agreeing with that argument, the tribunal acknowledged that ‘“doubt would arise in the mind of a fair-minded and informed observer” as to their impartiality in the case. The teacher — who has been anonymised to protect the identity of one of the pupils at the school — is suing Nottinghamshire county council and one of its primary schools for victimisation for whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and discrimination on the grounds of her Christian beliefs. The council is defending the claim but has not commented on it. The teacher said the panel’s recusal “means a further delay to me receiving justice, but I have to have a fair trial”. The judicial office said that Sir Keith Lindblom, the Court of Appeal judge who is the senior president of tribunals, would not comment on the case. It declined to comment on the cost of the collapsed hearing and its relisting.

The Guardian

  • No articles about trans people in Wednesday’s Guardian.

Daily Mail

  • Daily Mail comment –
School rules ‘pose risk’ Daily Mail27 Mar 2024 A LEADING medical body has sparked fury by telling the Government its new gender guidance for schools ‘poses a risk to children’. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says proposed rules advising teachers against letting pupils identify as the opposite sex will ‘cause distress’. It’s ‘particularly concerned’ about primary school pupils being banned from changing their pronouns, and says parents should not always be told if their child is questioning their gender. A government source said the college’s submission to the consultation was ‘astonishing’. Tory MP Nick Fletcher said the college must ‘look again at its relationship with science, truth and child safeguarding’. IT IS hugely concerning that the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is opposing new trans guidelines for schools. The organisation says refusing to let children as young as four identify as the opposite sex will ‘distress’ them. Nor should parents be told if their son or daughter questions their gender, it adds. But this risks setting youngsters on a pathway to irreversible procedures. The college should have children’s best interests at heart. Captured by pernicious trans ideology, it instead endangers them. Article Name:School rules ‘pose risk’ Publication:Daily Mail Start Page:14 End Page:14

For more on that story, see Trans Agenda #16.

Teacher axed in trans row sees tribunal case collapse Daily Mail27 Mar 2024By Claire Duffin AN EMPLOYMENT tribunal hearing claims from a Christian teacher that she was sacked over her opposition to a school’s transgender policy has collapsed following comments made online by a panel member. The messages posted on social media by Jed Purkis were said to demonstrate a ‘significant prejudice against Christians’. Mr Purkis, a former GMB union officer, also expressed anti-Tory views, referring collectively to the party’s supporters as a ‘tumour’. The teacher, who cannot be named, was bringing a case against a primary school and Nottinghamshire County Council after she was suspended for refusing to ‘affirm’ an eight-year-old girl who wanted ‘Significant prejudice against Christians’ to be treated as a boy. She was then sacked for gross misconduct after looking up the child on the school’s safeguarding database and sharing the information with her lawyers. The teacher, who describes herself as a ‘Bible-believing Christian’, said her religion informed her belief that being male or female was an ‘immutable biological fact’. She was concerned the ‘social transition’ would result in ‘irreversible harm’ being caused to the youngster. The case had been hearing evidence for six days but, late on Monday, all three members of the tribunal in Nottingham, including judge Victoria Butler, recused themselves after the discovery of Mr Purkis’s comments. The hearing will be rescheduled for later in the year. Responding to a comment that only atheists should be in public office, Mr Purkis posted: ‘Damn right, you won’t catch us killing in the name of our non-god.’ In other posts, he responded to the question, ‘What’s a good collective noun for Tories?’ by saying ‘a tumour of Tories’ and a ‘cess pit of Tories’. Pavel Stroilov, for the teacher, said Mr Purkis ‘appears to agree with a view which expressly advocates for religious discrimination in public life’. The teacher said it was a delay in receiving justice, ‘but I have to have a fair trial’. The Judicial Office declined to comment. Article Name:Teacher axed in trans row sees tribunal case collapse Publication:Daily Mail Author:By Claire Duffin Start Page:17 End Page:17

Daily Telegraph

  • There are no articles about trans people in Wednesday’s Daily Telegraph. Seriously.

TODAY IN PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  • Is in recess until 15 April.

HOUSE OF LORDS

  • Nothing that involves the interest of this newsletter. You can view the full agenda for the day here. This is the final sitting of the Lords until 15 April.

COMMITTEES

  • Nothing that involves the interest of this newsletter. You can view the full agenda for the day here.

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AROUND THE WORLD

Women to be stoned to death in Afghanistan [John Simpson]

  • Veteran journalist, John Simpson, reports, “Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s Supreme Leader in Afghanistan, says women will soon be stoned to death for adultery. ‘We will flog women in public, we will stone them to death in public,’ he said in an audio message broadcast on Afghan state television.”

California capital becomes transgender ‘sanctuary’ city [News4SA][CBS News]

  • Sacramento city council member Katie Valenzuela proposed the measure to protect transgender rights and access to gender-affirming care in a vote that was carried on Tuesday night. The decision prohibits using city resources to criminalise or prevent access to such care and goes into effect immediately. The vote came after the meeting was opened with a presentation to mark Transgender Week of Visibility.This follows a similar California law protecting transgender children seeking gender-affirming care in the state.

Dutch darts association backs trans player after others quit [Express]

  • The Dutch darts association [NDB] has reiterated that darts is a sport for ‘everyone’ after two cis female players quit in a tantrum because a trans woman won something [Trans Agenda #17]. In a statement, they said, “’The NDB understands that people can have different opinions about this, but we follow the rules and guidelines that have been drawn up. In addition, we stand for a sport of darts where everyone feels at home and everyone can participate. We believe it is important that 100 percent of people feel welcome at the NDB in a socially safe, healthy and inclusive sporting environment. In this, it does not matter what your origin, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, race or religion is.”In addition, the guideline is in line with the World Darts Federation’s (WDF) Transgender Athlete Policy,” they added. “We are aware that Noa-Lynn van Leuven has gone through a transition from male to female and her gender identity is female. In addition, she meets all other requirements set and thus she is eligible to play in the women’s category.”

Transgender rights rally to be held on National Mall, Washington, on Trans Day of Visibility [Metro Weekly]

  • The Queer Equity Institute and the National Center for Transgender Equality will host a national rally on the National Mall advocating for increased transgender visibility and encouraging transgender people to stay politically engaged amid rising anti-LGBTQ hate.

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ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Anti-abortion activists had a rough day: Key moments from the Supreme Court abortion pill arguments [Politico]

  • During the Supreme Court‘s hearing on FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine regarding the abortion pill mifepristone, conservative justices expressed scepticism towards the anti-abortion groups’ legal standing and questioned the universal application of their challenge.

Vegan activist can sue employer over ‘protected beliefs’ [The Times]

  • A vegan activist who left messages for the public reading “be kind to animals or I’ll kill you” has been given the go-ahead to sue his former employer for discrimination over his “protected” beliefs.

1 in 3 female musicians suffer sexual harassment [The Times]

  • A third of female musicians have experienced sexual harassment at work, a report has found, prompting calls for urgent action across the industry.

COMING UP

  • This morning – The Environment Agency will publish its annual figures for sewage being spilled onto England’s rivers and coastline.
  • 4pm – The deadline for nominations for the London Mayoral race which will take place on May 2 alongside the local elections.

RECOMMENDED READING

Get your Ferrets for trans rights stuff here

TRANSWRITES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

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Yesterday’s edition can be found here.

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