The Trans Agenda #13 Football ban urged, Truss, Badenoch, blue plaque, artist selection & more
News you need, the perspective you won't find anywhere else. The trans community's guide to UK news, media and politics and our place in it.
The Trans Agenda #13
[20 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.
TL;DR
Liz Truss brings her nonsense to Poland with the Heritage Foundation.
Anti-trans UK Government urge FA to ban trans women from women’s football.
Anti-trans question set for Women and Equalities oral questions today.
Blue plaque commemorates first trans conference.
Trans street artist named as Upfest's lead artist for 2024.
First person convicted of cyber-flashing in England and Wales jailed.
‘Diversity still not a priority in practice’ in news industry.
Dylan Mulvaney speaks out after backlash to ‘Days of Girlhood’ song.
Transgender people bear brunt of misinformation about gender identity.
Rainbow Refugees NI hosting information drop-in.
BBC apologises for calling Reform UK ‘far right’.
UK university partners with media regulator Impress on ethical journalism training.
RBG award ceremony cancelled amid controversy over recipients.
India court allows transgender woman to participate in Armed Forces’ youth wing.
Today’s papers.
Any other business.
Recommended reading.
plus more…
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NEWS & POLITICS
Liz Truss brings her nonsense to Poland with the Heritage Foundation [Liz Truss]
Taking to Twitter, Liz Truss revealed that she spoke in Warsaw on Tuesday at The Future of Europe conference. She delivered the keynote speech. To promote this event, she included a link to Breitbart, Steve Bannon’s website. Of course, on her recent trip to the States, Truss was palling around with Bannon and looked on vacantly as he called Tommy Robinson a ‘hero’ [Trans Agenda 6]. Bannon also served as vice president of Cambridge Analytica and, of course, his Donald Trump links are well known.
Truss will see her Tufton Street anti-trans bill have another go at getting a reading this Friday after being defeated by Ferrets last week [Trans Agenda 11].
I read the Breitbart piece, so you don’t have to, and, after clicking the link, this pop-up was the first thing to greet me:
The strapline on the website reads, “She delivered, now it’s our turn”. There are 31 confirmed speakers, none of whom you’d pay money to hear talk.
Lettuce get back to Liz Truss. On the list of the former Prime Minister’s targets in her speech were “environmental extremists”, “trans activism [that] undermines the basics of human biologics”, “mass migration” and other, unnamed forces these tinfoil botherers imagine all around them.
“It is not a traditional political battle. What we’re seeing is an undermining of our values from within,” she said, without a hint of awareness that that is exactly what she is being used to do by Bannon and co. “We cannot continue to appease these people who want to undermine our way of life.”
Finally, something we agree on.
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative ‘think tank’ known for its fierce opposition to trans rights, misinformation campaigns, legal actions, and the huge amount of money it spends trying to take rights away from people who aren’t cis, het, white and obedient to their view of how the world should work.
Blue plaque commemorates first trans conference [University of Leeds]
A blue plaque has been installed on Leeds University campus to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first ever trans conference.
Trans street artist named as Upfest's lead artist for 2024 [Bristol Post]
Trans artist Mister Samo, acclaimed for his vibrant and meaningful street art, has been named the lead artist for Upfest 2024 in Bristol. Highlighting messages of love and inclusion, his selection represents a significant move by the organisers to support the trans community.
Green Party reject anti-trans activist Shahrar Ali [Adi Aliza]
He was bidding, laughably, to be elected London Federation of Green Parties Equality and Inclusion Officer. He lost to ‘re-open nominations’ by 67% to 32% with 1% abstaining.
Actual feminist, Antoinette Fernandez, was voted Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer with 96% of the vote.
Conservatives fined for failure to declare donation [Politico]
The Tories have been fined £10,750 by the Electoral Commission for failing to accurately declare the secondment of a staff member, worth more than £200,000 as a donation from Richard Halpin. The Checkatrade owner has donated around £3m to the Conservative Party since 2008.
MEDIA & TODAY’S PAPERS
Media
BBC apologises for calling Reform UK ‘far right’
Richard Tice, Reform’s leader, said it was “defamatory and libellous” to say that Reform is a far-right party. Aurelion Mondon, Senior Lecturer, Politics, Languages & International Studies at the University of Bath and researcher of the ‘mainstreaming of far right discourse’, said “As an expert on the issue, it is safe to say Reform is far right.”
GB News?
Despite getting away with shameless bias and the spreading of misinformation on a regular basis because Ofcom says they are not a news channel, GB News’s Political Editor and Head of Politics Christopher Hope has been bragging about being just that. Taking to Twitter he said that when he hosted Jacob Rees-Mogg’s 'not-a-news-show’ its ratings beat out both Sky News and BBC News. If you are not a news channel, why would you compare yourself to other news channels? The Antiques Roadshow does not compare itself to Sky Sports Premier League coverage, after all.
In a recent ruling, Ofcom finally found something that GB News had done wrong. See Trans Agenda 12 for more on that.
‘Diversity still not a priority in practice’ in news industry, survey finds [Press Gazette]
A survey by FT Strategies reveals diversity and inclusion are not practiced priorities in the news industry, despite being stated as strategic goals. Only 18% from large news organisations see it as a top priority, highlighting a significant gap between management and junior staff perceptions.
Dylan Mulvaney speaks out after backlash to ‘Days of Girlhood’ song [Pink News]
Dylan Mulvaney faced ‘mixed’ reactions to her new single, "Days of Girlhood," that features themes like retail therapy and personal challenges. The anti-trans cult accused her of perpetuating stereotypes, a common insult thrown by them that ignores cis women who do the same thing on a daily basis but get lauded for it. Mulvaney responds.
Transgender people bear brunt of misinformation about gender identity, experts say [Toronto Star]
Misinformation about gender identity heavily impacts transgender and non-binary people's mental health. Advocates highlight the detrimental effects of widespread myths, especially in educational settings. The importance of accurate information and inclusive healthcare practices is stressed for improving trans youth's well-being.
UK university partners with media regulator Impress on ethical journalism training [University of Huddersfield]
The University of Huddersfield is collaborating with media regulator Impress to develop ethical journalism training aimed at addressing current industry gaps. This initiative, part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, focuses on equipping professionals with the necessary skills to tackle ethical challenges, particularly in online media.
Today’s papers
Daily Mail
There are no articles about trans people in Wednesday’s Daily Mail.
Daily Telegraph
On the back of the news that the government are urging the FA to ban trans women from women’s football [see below for more on this], I headed straight to the sports section of today’s Telegraph and there it was:
In the main paper, the front page is taken over by Kemi Badenoch feeling sorry for cis het white men:
It continues on the second page:
TODAY IN…
HOUSE OF COMMONS
11.30am - With just 23 minutes to answer oral questions before the main clown show of the day gets underway, someone from the Women and Equalities department will take the floor. It should be Kemi Badenoch but it is not clear at the time of writing if it will be. Among submitted questions are: “What recent steps the Government has taken to implement the HIV Action Plan?” (Peter Gibson, Con.), “If she will make an estimate of when the gender pay gap will be closed?“ (Gregory Campbell, DUP), “What steps the Government is taking to help support women experiencing menopause at work?” (Gerald Jones, Lab.), and “What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on Government support for the health of gay, lesbian and bisexual young people?” (Neal Hanvey, Alba, bringing the anti-trans hate to the floor). Anti-trans activist and Labour MP Rosie Duffield has somehow managed to submit a question about something useful, asking “What steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to help reduce maternal mortality?”
Prime Minister’s Non-Answers takes place at 12pm with bets being taken on how often Rishi Sunak says the word ‘plan’ and how quickly he brings up Jeremy Corbyn.
WESTMINSTER HALL
11am Conduct of elections debate.
2.30pm Human rights in Sri Lanka debate.
HOUSE OF LORDS
After seeing their amendments to the Rwanda Bill rejected by the House of Commons [Trans Agenda 12], the bill is back in the Lords. They will have another go at making the government realise it can’t use legislation to change reality.
COMMITTEES
9.30am (private) Culture Media and Sport Committee will hear oral evidence on the work of the BBC. More here.
2pm (private) Women and Equalities Committee will hear oral evidence on the escalation of violence against women and girls. More here.
2pm (private) Human Rights (Joint Committee) will hear oral evidence on government proposals on extremism. More here.
SPORT
Anti-trans UK Government urge FA to ban trans women from women’s football [Sky News]
The government have urged the FA to consider banning trans women from women’s football in a move that is likely to see the biggest backlash from any single sport. While there might be a few open to the idea, the players are mostly vocal LGBTQ+ allies, in no small part due to the large number of queer women playing the game. Those who like to attack Gary Lineker when he makes a point about the current government and their cruelty, telling him to keep politics out of sport, will no doubt love this idea. Football, however, (I sincerely hope), will have nothing to do with it.
Appeals court sides with USA Powerlifting in defeat for transgender athlete JayCee Cooper [The Washington Times]
The Minnesota appeals court ruled in favour of USA Powerlifting and against science, setting back trans athlete JayCee Cooper's fight to compete in the women's category. The decision will be reviewed again by the lower court.
AROUND THE WORLD
India court allows transgender woman to participate in Armed Forces’ youth wing [Washington Blade]
The Kerala High Court has ruled in favour of a transgender woman's right to enrol in the National Cadet Corps (NCC) as female, setting a positive precedent for transgender rights in India. This decision aligns with the Transgender Persons Act of 2019, enhancing inclusivity and challenging binary norms.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Inflation drops but cost of living still rising
Rishi Sunak will try to claim credit for inflation dropping to a two-year low of 3.4%, but it has nothing to do with him or this government. They make that perfectly clear when it is rising.
Success in disrupting Israel's war machine [Declassified UK]
Palestine Action has forced four UK companies to cut ties with Israeli arms firm Elbit Systems in the past three months.
First person convicted of cyber-flashing in England and Wales jailed [Irish News]
Nicholas Hawkes has been sentenced to 66 weeks in jail after he became the first person in England and Wales to be convicted of cyber-flashing under the Online Safety Act, which became an offence in January. A convicted sex offender, Hawkes sent unsolicited explicit images to a teenager and a woman in her sixties using his father's phone. The offence now carries a maximum two-year sentence.
RBG award ceremony cancelled amid controversy over recipients [npr]
The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation has cancelled its ceremony for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award after selecting recipients that contrast with the justice's values, notably including men like Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk. RBG's family criticised these choices, leading to a re-evaluation of the award's mission.
Judge Merchan says Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal and Michael Cohen can testify, with restrictions, in Donald Trump's New York hush money trial [MSNBC]
Joe Biden’s re-election effort is expected to reach $1 billion this year in spending from outside groups [NY Times]
Obscene.
24 years ago, MI6 sent Tony Blair to Russia to help Vladimir Putin get elected [Declassified UK]
COMING UP
Rainbow Refugees NI hosting information drop-in
Rainbow Refugees NI, HEReNI, and The Rainbow Project, are hosting a no-obligation drop-in session designed for people interested in hosting a refugee, offering a chance to talk with LGBTQIA+ refugee campaigners and experienced hosts. The event is scheduled for Wednesday 20th March 2024, from 6pm to 8pm, at The Rainbow Project (Union St. Office) and all the information you need can be found here.
Join the Trans Rights Readathon March 22-29 [Book Riot].
Thursday is World Down Syndrome Day.
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.
RECOMMENDED READING
Far right figure who targeted Elgin registers political party, by Jamie Mann [The Ferret]
“A new far right political party led by a man who styles himself on Adolf Hitler and spoke at an anti-asylum seeker rally in Elgin, has been approved to stand in elections by the Electoral Commission.”
RECOMMENDED WATCHING
Transgender flag creator calls for more visibility on the 25th anniversary of her iconic design [CBC]
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