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

[2 February 2025]

Follow me on Bluesky – @HLeeHurley.substack.com

Transgender: How do you know by H Lee Hurley

UK & IRELAND NEWS

Wes Streeting under fire for meeting with pro-conversion therapy parents’ group [wearequeerAF]

  • Health Secretary Wes Streeting is facing another justified backlash after expressing sympathy for Bayswater Support Group, a parents’ organisation exposed for promoting conversion therapy and abusive practices against trans children.

    In a “newly surfaced” June 2024 interview, Streeting acknowledged meeting Bayswater parents, describing *their* experiences as “traumatic.” The following month, an investigation by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed the group encouraged parents to send trans children to non-affirming therapists, isolate them from support networks, and destroy gender-affirming items.

    Despite this, Bayswater was later invited to participate in a government consultation on banning puberty blockers for trans youth. Although 59% of respondents opposed making the ban permanent, Streeting sided with the 27% in favour.

    Trans Kids Deserve Better, the youth-led activist group, condemned Streeting’s actions, calling it “diabolical” that anti-trans organisations had more influence than those “the ban directly affects”. TKDB were not invited to take part in the consultation.

    The Department for Health and Social Care defended its approach, citing youth safety concerns but declined to address Streeting’s involvement with Bayswater.

Welsh government accused of breaking law over puberty blocker ban [BBC]

  • Former Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price and Children’s Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes claim the Welsh government acted unlawfully by banning puberty blockers for trans youth without assessing the impact on affected children. The ban follows the Cass Review.

    Price argues the government failed to follow its own 2011 law requiring ministers to consider children’s rights, while Cifuentes says without an impact assessment, it is “impossible” to prove compliance.

    The Welsh Conservatives back the ban, citing safety concerns, but the government, as standard, ignored trans youth while prioritising anti-trans narratives. The Welsh government says it remains committed to improving gender services. They say a lot of things.

Another study undermines Cass Review’s claims on trans healthcare [Health Nerd]

  • A BMJ-published study from York University has debunked key claims of the Cass Review, revealing that fewer than 10% of children diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the UK ever received medication. Just 4.7% were prescribed puberty blockers, while 8% received hormones—both numbers declining before the Cass Review began.

    Despite moral panic over rising diagnoses, the study found just 0.044% of children had ever been diagnosed. These findings challenge the Cass Review’s justification for restricting gender-affirming care, exposing, once again, its flawed evidence base.

Waiting list for trans healthcare in Ireland exceeds 13 years [The Beacon]

  • The waiting list for Ireland’s National Gender Service (NGS) has grown to nearly 13 years, with over 2,000 people awaiting care. Latest data shows 749 active patients, up from 626 in 2022, with 162 removed from the list in 2024—a record high. Referrals rose by just 4% in 2024, suggesting a potential decline in engagement due to systemic issues. Critics call for a new model where GPs provide trans healthcare directly, as the current system remains unsustainable.

Keira Bell launches legal action against Wes Streeting [Telegraph]

  • Keira Bell, a detransitioner, has launched a legal challenge against Health Secretary Wes Streeting for not extending the UK’s ban on puberty blockers to cross-sex hormones for trans youth. The Daily Telegraph presents Bell’s case as a continuation of her 2020 legal battle against the Tavistock Clinic, but fails to mention that her original ‘win’ was later overturned on appeal.

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AROUND THE WORLD

ICC prosecutor cites anti-trans abuse in groundbreaking international case [Assigned Media]

  • In a landmark move, an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has cited systemic anti-transgender abuse as part of a groundbreaking case, marking a significant step in recognising gender-based violence as a crime under international law. The case highlights widespread human rights violations against transgender people, including discrimination, violence, and state-sanctioned persecution.

    Advocates have hailed the move as a critical step toward justice for trans communities. The case could reshape international human rights law, emphasising the need for accountability in combating transphobia.

USA: School districts reject Trump’s anti-trans executive order [Erin Reed]

  • School districts across the US are refusing to comply with Donald Trump’s executive order mandating discrimination against transgender students, vowing to protect their rights despite threats of legal consequences. With legal challenges looming, many school districts are standing firm, rejecting the chilling effect of Trump’s order and refusing to abandon their transgender students.

USA: Trump’s order sparks crackdown on trans prisoners, violating protections [Guardian]

  • Donald Trump’s executive order banning gender recognition has led to trans women being placed in solitary confinement and threatened with transfers to men’s prisons. Reports from federal facilities, including FMC Carswell in Texas, describe prison staff removing trans women from their cells without notice, denying them gender-affirming healthcare, and mocking their identities. Civil rights groups argue this violates federal laws, including the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which mandates assessments to prevent sexual violence. The National Center for Lesbian Rights has filed lawsuits challenging these actions as unconstitutional, warning they will lead to increased abuse, assault, and deaths.

USA: EEOC chair pushes for transgender bathroom ban in workplaces [Erin Reed]

  • Andrea Lucas, acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has announced her intent to enforce a federally backed transgender bathroom ban in private businesses, to match Donald Trump’s recent executive orders targeting LGBTQ+ rights. Lucas, a Trump ally since 2020, stated her priority is to “defend the biological and binary reality of sex”, signalling efforts to roll back protections established under Bostock v. Clayton County, the Supreme Court ruling that affirmed workplace protections for LGBTQ+ employees.

USA: State department halts issuance of gender-neutral ‘X’ passports [Daily Tribune]

  • The US State Department has stopped issuing passports with a gender-neutral “X” option following President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating federal agencies to recognise only male or female genders. This policy reverses a Biden-era initiative that introduced the “X” marker in 2021.

Thailand: Transgender services receive 145-million-baht funding boost [Bangkok Post]

  • Thailand’s Public Health Ministry has allocated 145.63 million baht (approx. £3.4m) to provide hormone therapy and other health services for 200,000 transgender people. This initiative aligns with the government’s policy on addressing health disparities by ensuring access to supervised hormone therapy and comprehensive medical care for transgender people.

Transgender how do you know? by H Lee Hurley

SPORT

IOC Presidential candidates target trans people in bid to win position [Telegraph]

  • As the race to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC president intensifies, leading candidates are using trans exclusion in sport as a battleground issue to appeal to conservative factions within the Olympic movement. Sebastian Coe, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, and Kirsty Coventry have all taken anti-trans stances on gender eligibility, positioning themselves as defenders of “women’s sport” against so-called “gender ideology.”

    Coe, who has enforced World Athletics’ ban on trans women in female categories without evidence, presented himself as the only candidate with a proven record of restricting trans participation. During his campaign speech, he vowed to “protect and promote the integrity of women’s sport”, a clear reference to his opposition to trans athletes.

    Samaranch, too, emphasised the need for “unambiguous distinctions between men’s and women’s categories”, while Coventry—despite being Thomas Bach’s preferred candidate—faced backlash from the GC cult for her role on the IOC executive board, which allowed two cis athletes egregiously disqualified from world championships to compete in women’s boxing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

    The IOC election will take place on March 20. It is not clear how many female athletes will be abused by their coaches between now and then, but it will certainly be higher than the number of trans women trying to compete at the Olympics.

MEDIA

MailOnline and Daily Mail teams to merge amid major job cuts [Guardian]

  • The Daily Mail and MailOnline will merge editorial and commercial teams into a seven-day operation, leading to significant job losses. Staff face a 30-day consultation period, with some roles at risk of redundancy.

    The move follows an October restructure, with Ted Verity as editor-in-chief and Danny Groom leading DMG Media. The publisher is expanding its digital subscription model, Mail+, which hit 100,000 subscribers and will launch in the US this year.

Doctor Who gets first trans writer [BBC Doctor Who]

  • Juno Dawson has been confirmed as one of the writers working on the new season of Doctor Who. She said, “I started watching Doctor Who with my grandma when I was 10-years-old in the 1990s. From writing fan-fiction for an audience of one, to scripting the best TV show of all time is truly a dream come true. I can’t wait for fans and newcomers to see the new season.”

S*n lie about Ed Sheeran attending JK Rowling party [comicsands]

  • Ed Sheeran denied claims he attended JK Rowling’s New Year’s Eve party, calling reports by The S*n “divisive and damaging.” The singer clarified on Instagram that he spent New Year’s Eve with family and friends, refuting allegations that he participated in events linked to the disgraced Harry Potter author.

    Sheeran also addressed a separate false claim suggesting he entertained Israeli soldiers, explaining it was a charity initiative during a public concert in Cyprus. He urged journalists to verify facts before publishing stories, warning against the harm caused by misinformation.

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ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Trump administration reverses PEPFAR HIV medication ban after backlash [LGBTQ Nation]

  • The Trump administration has walked back its abrupt ban on distributing HIV medication under the PEPFAR program following widespread condemnation. Last week, clinics receiving US aid were ordered to stop providing life-saving treatment, leaving vulnerable patients without access. Public health experts warned the decision could lead to a resurgence of the HIV/AIDS crisis, particularly in Africa, where PEPFAR has saved an estimated 25 million lives.

Argentina to remove femicide from penal code in attack on women’s rights [Guardian]

  • Javier Milei’s government plans to eliminate femicide from Argentina’s penal code, dismissing it as a feminist distortion. Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona argued “no life is worth more than another,” echoing Milei’s claim that femicide laws unfairly prioritise women.

    Recognised since 2012, femicide carries a life sentence in cases of gender-based violence. Amnesty Argentina’s Mariela Belski warned the move would endanger women, as 60% of female murder victims are killed by partners or family members, compared to 12% of men.

    Milei has already dismantled the Ministry of Women, cut victim support programmes, and attacked abortion rights.

WHAT’S ON IN PARLIAMENT

Select business. Full business can be viewed here.

Wednesday, 5 February

  • 9.00am private, 9.30am public, Committee, The surveillance of journalists and press freedoms in NI – Oral evidence. More here.

  • 11.30am, House of Commons, Oral questions including topical questions from 11.53am, Women and Equalities, inc. “What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle LGBT discrimination in care homes.” More here.

  • 12pm, House of Commons, Prime Minister’s Questions.

THIS WEEK

Monday, 3 February

  • 10am, Peggie vs NHS Fife & Dr Beth Upton tribunal begins.

  • Former Spanish football head Luis Rubiales goes on trial over World Cup assault.

Wednesday, 5 February

  • Journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney at committee session on press freedoms in Northern Ireland.

  • Report (UK): DWP figures on Cold Weather Payments.

Thursday, 6 February

  • Annual figures on homicides in England and Wales.

  • Hearing in US states’ request for injunction preventing enactment of Trump order on birthright citizenship.

  • Report (UK): Annual figures on social housing sales and demolitions.

Saturday, 8 February

  • Labour Party local government conference.

Sunday, 9 February

  • Elections in Liechtenstein, Kosovo and Ecuador.

THE PAPERS

This week, there was an increase in terms of numbers with the Telegraph publishing more than they managed in the previous two weeks combined (11 v 10).

The Guardian/Observer had nothing while the Mail had two articles and the Times three.

While you would expect the return of Donald Trump and all his anti-trans Executive Orders would account for the increase in numbers, the Telegraph has largely focussed on the UK.

Mostly, Trump’s vicious assault on trans people has been ignored by all the papers I monitor. They’ve given passing mention to him mandating that there are only two sexes, but have not drawn attention to the rest, given they agree with what he is doing.

Highlighting that to their readers might result in some of them asking the wrong sort of questions.

Quoted or mentioned this week:

  • JK Rowling, Rosie Duffield, Joanna Cherry and Sex Matters’ Susan Smith.

  • Sex Matters’ Fiona Mcanena on football.

  • SEEN in Health on the NHS ‘conflating sex and gender’.

  • Susan Smith of For Women Scotland on police using a gay man who has an OnlyFans account, in an ad (not included below).

  • Sex Matters’ Helen Joyce on public toilets.

  • LGB Alliance trustee Conrad Roeber complaining IPSO is biased towards trans people

  • Marguerite Stern on who a gynaecologist should treat.

How many GCs got a byline? Celia Walden, Amanda Platell, Daniel Sanderson (3), Andrew Pierce, Oliver Brown, Ben Rumsby, Jeremy Wilson.

How many trans people were quoted or got a byline? LOL

Spotted or know something you think I should include in the Trans Agenda?

THE PAPERS Monday 27 January – Sunday 2 January

Monday Total: 3

The Guardian [0]
The Times [0]
Daily Mail [1]
Will Trump plan save UK gender neutral loo ban? Daily Mail27 Jan 2025Andrew Pierce PRESIDENT Trump may already be having a positive impact on our Government. In his inauguration speech Trump outraged the liberal intelligentsia when he scrapped Diversity, Equity and Inclusion funding in all government departments; he also declared his administration would recognise only two sexes, male and female. Will Whitehall follow suit? It’s certainly on the cards. Last May, then-equalities minister Kemi Badenoch announced the government would pass a new law to halt the growing prevalence of gender-neutral lavatories in public buildings. The proposal seems to have disappeared because of the General Election. Last week, though, Tory shadow paymaster general Richard Holden challenged Labour to press ahead with the plan. Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould replied in a written answer: ‘This policy is currently being reviewed... including close consultation with the ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.’ ‘Is it a shift in the right direction,’ Holden asks, ‘or a slip-up by Gould?’ Article Name:Will Trump plan save UK gender neutral loo ban? Publication:Daily Mail Author:Andrew Pierce Start Page:18 End Page:18
Telegraph [2]
Anti-rowling drag queen welcomed to Downing Street Controversial figure said to have trolled female MPS and Potter author was invited to Burns Night party The Daily Telegraph27 Jan 2025By Daniel Sanderson scottish correspondent Sir Keir Starmer with drag queen Lawrence Chaney at No 10 as part of a Burns Night event A DRAG queen who criticised JK Rowling over her views on trans people was invited to celebrate Burns Night at No 10. Sir Keir Starmer was pictured alongside Lawrence Chaney, a former winner of Rupaul’s Drag Race UK, in an event Downing Street said was intended to “honour the life and legacy” of Scotland’s national bard. The move provoked a backlash over controversial remarks previously made by Chaney, who was heavily made up and in Scottish dress for the event, including accusing the Harry Potter author of stoking up “hate” towards transgender people. Chaney also recently shared a post on X, which appeared to compare women concerned at the loss of single-sex spaces to racist segregationists in 1960s America. Rosie Duffield, an ex-labour MP who now sits as an Independent, said: “I’d be interested to know whether the Prime Minister’s staff briefed him on this drag performer’s historic online trolling of women MPS and JK Rowling before he posed for photographs with him.” In the post shared by Chaney in November, an image of US Congresswoman Nancy Mace, in front of a sign which says “biological” in front of women on a bathroom door, is set alongside a woman smiling in front of a “white women only” bathroom door in 1962 Mississippi. The author of the original post, which Chaney shared with more than 160,000 followers, stated “it’s always about the bathrooms” in an apparent attempt to conflate gender-critical women with racists. Chaney, a biological male, has described their own gender as “ever-evolving” and “fluid”, writing in a 2021 book that “I still don’t know if I am male, female, or somewhere in between”. The drag queen has an upcoming nationwide tour titled Memoirs From My Sh-gpipes. A picture of Chaney alongside the Prime Minister was the first in a collection posted by No 10 on social media to mark its Burns Night celebration, which was held last week. In comments made last year on a Rupaul’s Drag Race spin-off show, Chaney complained that drag and trans people were being “demonised” and questioned whether this was because “the author of Harry Potter tells you to hate trans people”. Rowling, who lives in Edinburgh, has repeatedly stressed that she is not transphobic, but does not believe that self-proclaimed gender identity is more important than biological sex. Chaney, in social media posts last June, urged the author to “stop vilifying trans people” and mocked her claims that she had repeatedly been subjected to death threats as a result of speaking out. The drag queen claimed the “richest author in the world” was trying to “act like she’s at any risk around trans people”. Chaney added: “JK ur [sic] so rich you don’t grocery shop, you don’t go out, if you do I’m sure security are on the pay roll”. Chaney also mocked Joanna Cherry KC, the gender-critical former SNP MP, after she lost her seat at July’s election. She shared one post which labelled Ms Cherry a “terf”, an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, which is used as a slur for women who oppose trans rights. Susan Smith, of the For Women Scotland campaign group, accused the Prime Minister of insulting Scottish women by inviting Chaney to the event. Ms Smith said: “It seems there is no event these days that doesn’t feature a drag queen. Drag is traditionally highly sexualised and often offensive. Many women also believe it to be sexist, relying on stereotypes and crude characterisations of women.” No 10 declined to comment. A representative for Chaney has been approached for comment. Article Name:Anti-rowling drag queen welcomed to Downing Street Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Daniel Sanderson scottish correspondent Start Page:4 End Page:4
Nurse allowed to refer to transgender doctor as a man, says judge The Daily Telegraph27 Jan 2025By Daniel Sanderson scottish correspondent A NURSE can refer to a transgender doctor she claims she was forced to get changed in front of at work as a man, a tribunal has ruled. Employment judge Sandy Kemp rejected an NHS request to impose an order on Sandie Peggie, which would have prevented her from using male pronouns or terms to refer to Beth Upton, a biologically male doctor who identifies as a woman. Despite NHS Fife insisting that both the “sex and gender” of Dr Upton is female and that allowing “misgendering” would amount to unlawful harassment, the judge said forcing Ms Peggie and her lawyers to use terms they consider “inaccurate” would be unfair. Ms Peggie believes that Dr Upton is male and therefore should not have been in female changing rooms in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, where she says she encountered them on three occasions. She is taking action against both NHS Fife and Dr Upton personally in a case that could have wider implications for how easily transgender women can access female single-sex spaces. Mr Kemp also said the tribunal itself should use “neutral” terms for Dr Upton as “standard practice”, following claims that panel members referring to the medic as a female could imply bias. However, the direction is not binding and pronouns may be used where “considered appropriate”. The victory for Ms Peggie, in advance of hearings getting underway, follows failed attempts by NHS Fife to hold proceedings in secret and to prevent Dr Upton’s identity being disclosed. “NHS Fife has tried hard to keep the case out of the news,” Fiona Mcanena, the director of campaigns at Sex Matters, a group backing Ms Peggie, said. “They also tried to prevent Sandie giving her evidence clearly and truthfully. But this whole case is centred on the fact that he [Dr Upton] is a male who uses a female changing room. The use of a female name does not make him female.” Mr Kemp acknowledged that “misgendering” of Dr Upton is likely to prove “painful and distressing” but said he was not convinced by claims that, in the context of an employment tribunal, it would in itself amount to unlawful harassment. Mr Kemp also rejected a bid by NHS Fife to ban Tribunal Tweets, a social media account with a particular interest in gender cases, from posting live updates of the hearings. Jane Russell, the lawyer representing NHS Fife and Dr Upton, had claimed she had “serious concerns” about the “citizen journalist” platform, which she argued would present a warped version of events. However, Mr Kemp said Tribunal Tweets would be permitted to report live updates so long as they were “fair and accurate”. A 10-day hearing is due to begin on Feb 3. Article Name:Nurse allowed to refer to transgender doctor as a man, says judge Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Daniel Sanderson scottish correspondent Start Page:6 End Page:6

Tuesday Total: 2

The Guardian [0]
The Times [0]
Daily Mail [0]
Telegraph [2]
Trans women face threat of blanket ban at Olympics The Daily Telegraph28 Jan 2025By Jeremy Wilson CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER Transgender women are increasingly likely to be banned from the female category across Olympic sport after another leading candidate to become International Olympic Committee president backed a new blanket policy. Individual sports were able to set their own rules at last year’s Paris Games, prompting a patchwork of policies that prevented anyone who had gone through male puberty competing in sports such as athletics and swimming, but potentially leaving them eligible for women’s football. There are also sport-by-sport Olympic rules regarding athletes with differences in sexual development, with athletics, led by Lord Coe, ruling that athletes must reduce their testosterone level to below 2.5 nanomoles per litre. That has meant that Caster Semenya, who won the Olympic 800metres title in 2012 and 2016, is ineligible. Coe, the president of World Athletics and a leading candidate to succeed Thomas Bach as IOC president, has long made it clear that he would bring similar clarity to gender policy across all Olympic sports. Among the other leading candidates is Kirsty Coventry, a member of the IOC executive board since 2018, who now also supports an Olympic-wide policy similar to athletics or swimming. “Protecting the female category and female sports is paramount – it’s a priority that we collectively come together,” said Coventry, who won seven Olympic medals, including two golds, in swimming. “There is more and more scientific research. We are not having a conversation about how it is detrimental to men’s sport. That, in itself, says we need to protect women’s sport. It is very clear that transgender women are more able in the female category, and can take away opportunities that should be equal for women.” Coventry was also part of the executive board that handled the huge Olympic controversy in Paris when Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif won gold after they were previously deemed ineligible for the female category by the International Boxing Association; a governing body subsequently stripped of the right to run the sport. Coventry said “lessons are always going to be learnt – Paris is one of those times”, but claimed they could not have foreseen the specific controversy. The IOC, which stopped gender testing at the turn of the century, had defended the participation of Khelif and Yu-ting in Paris by pointing to their passports and saying that they were born and raised as women. Article Name:Trans women face threat of blanket ban at Olympics Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Jeremy Wilson CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER Start Page:11 End Page:11
Trump’s example will help Britain finally crush the woke brigade The Daily Telegraph28 Jan 2025Celia Walden Ripple effect: President Trump signs a raft of executive orders in the Oval Office just hours after his inauguration Is President Trump already having a positive impact on our Government, our thinking and our lives? The man’s only been in power eight days, but the second honeymoon effect is in full swing, with optimistic commentators already predicting that “ripples will become waves” – and yesterday brought perhaps the most surprising headline so far from MailOnline: “Will Trump plan save UK gender-neutral loo ban?” Connecting the dots between the neon-skinned, bloviating leader of the free world and the incomprehensible (semi-skirted, semi-trousered) stick-people that began to appear on our public loo doors around a decade ago is, admittedly, a challenge. But there’s solid logic within the piece. You’ll remember that last year, our then-equalities minister, Kemi Badenoch, proposed a law that would halt the growing prevalence of gender-neutral lavatories in public buildings. That law has conveniently been forgotten about by Starmer’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion-loving administration. But now that Trump has so publicly broken away from DEI thinking – declaring in his inauguration speech that he will be scrapping funding in all government departments, and that his administration will henceforth only be recognising two sexes (that’s “male” and “female”, since you ask, not “astrogender” and “maverique”) – might we be about to enjoy a positive ripple effect? Maybe even catch a glimpse of Whitehall backbone? Don’t hold your breath. Plenty of good has come of DEI drives and I’d hope everyone could subscribe to a set of principles that promote equal access and fair treatment for all, but when it comes to the moronic and damaging aspects of what quickly became an ideology – such as gender-neutral loos – we have been more cowardly than most countries. We have toed the line in the most pedestrian way, we have persevered with the most ludicrous concepts, and we have dug our heels in – to the point of national embarrassment. So it follows that, when challenged about the gender-neutral loo law last week, Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould gave the written answer: “This policy is currently being reviewed… including close consultation with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.” You don’t have to speak cowardice to know what that means. They could have done a Trump, stated that they didn’t believe in recklessly endangering individuals for the sake of virtuesignalling and implemented the ban – but no. Other government-funded bodies are proving to be just as oblivious to the “woke is dead” memo. (Although on that point, I’d say celebrations are definitely premature). Take the police, who made our front page yesterday, thanks to the distribution of yet another DEI reference guide to their officers and staff. I’ve written about so many of these cretinous handbooks over the years that I’m quite tempted to compile my own spoof version, with the help of Telegraph readers. Think of how much fun we’d have. Only you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the spoof and the genuine article. And however much we allowed our imaginations to run riot, I’m willing to bet it would be near identical to the one created by Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire constabularies. In the nine-page reference document, police have been urged not to use terms such as “black sheep”, “blacklisted” and “black mark” – all together now – in case it causes offence. It goes without saying that gender is “a social construct” and that any kind of “Christian-centric” language should be avoided, despite us being a Christian country. DEI manuals never miss a chance to instil a sense of national shame. Oh, and “pregnant person” should be inserted into as many professional daily interactions as possible (I may be paraphrasing here). “There’s a pregnant person shoplifting in Aisle 3.” “Can you describe the pregnant person holding the knife – without mentioning their gender?” You’ll get the hang of it. The guide also covers concepts such as “white fragility”, which, given its definition as “a state in which some white people are unable to cope with or process the information they receive about racism”, is something I suffer from. I cannot and indeed refuse to process information like “the word ‘blacklisted’ is racist and must not be used”. Because, as any linguist will tell you, this is etymologically incorrect. Because employment tribunals have even ruled that the word is not racist. Because there are so many disgusting examples of racism out there that should be being addressed, and to pick something that isn’t, is – ironically – offensive. Worst of all, because this kind of stupidity actively encourages racism by reinforcing existing divisions and stoking the anger of the lunatic far-Right. There will be plenty of unwelcome ripple effects from across the pond over the next four years. Days after Trump’s executive order resumed executions in earnest, for example, I’ve noticed an uptick in procapital punishment, “string ’em up” rhetoric here. But if there’s one ripple we should allow to become a wave, it’s in the showing of a little backbone when it comes to values. The values we, as a country, believe in. That’s if anyone can remember what they are. Article Name:Trump’s example will help Britain finally crush the woke brigade Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:Celia Walden Start Page:7 End Page:7

Wednesday Total: 4

The Guardian [0]
The Times [0]
Daily Mail [1]
A judge’s decision NOT to deport a violent Jamaican drug dealer because his daughter ‘may be trans’ is why we must quit the ECHR Daily Mail29 Jan 2025By Amanda Platell OF all of the decisions made by our cringeingly woke judges, that of allowing a 48-year-old Jamaican drug dealer to stay in this country because his daughter ‘may be trans’ is one of the most outrageous. This is a man who’s been convicted of dealing crack cocaine and heroin, who attacked his partner in front of his children and who was jailed for more than three years in 2021 – his fifth spell in prison since arriving in the UK in 1991. Quite the role model, isn’t he? Yet Dad, who cannot be named and is known only as ‘GH’, convinced Judge Sarah Pinder that his ‘gender questioning’ daughter would ‘unduly suffer’ if he was deported – denying him his right to a family life under the European Convention of Human Rights. He had to remain in the UK, you see, as he is the only one his daughter could discuss her gender issues with. She can’t with her Mum, from whom GH is separated, even though she lives with her. Criminals How very convenient for GH that the word of his child should save him from being deported. Is a ‘may-be-trans’ son or daughter the new getout-of-jail card hardened criminals can now play? Is she on puberty blocker drugs? Is she suffering from a genuine belief she was born in the wrong body? Or is she just having a teenage wobble and cry for attention as so many kids do today? We’re entitled to ask these questions. But the point is, we simply don’t know what’s going on. We have only an unnamed daughter and an anonymous convicted felon’s word for it – both of whose identities are protected under law. Given the complete absence of information – as well as this dangerous criminal’s appalling record – I can’t help wondering whether his daughter’s gender-questioning started before or after the threat of deportation? And what makes the whole thing even more astonishing is that Judge Pinder is not the first judge to have insisted GH should be allowed to stay. He arrived in Britain aged 15 in October 1991 and in April 1993 was granted indefinite leave to remain. Between 2007 and 2015, he was jailed for numerous offences. It was after he was convicted of supplying crack cocaine and heroin and sentenced to 40 months in prison that his deportation was ordered by the Home Office. But he appealed against it and Judge C L Taylor found that GH had ‘a genuine and subsisting parental relationship’ with his children, although it was ‘limited’. The judge went on: ‘One of the Appellant’s children became withdrawn when the Appellant went to prison and she continued to struggle even after his release. ‘The same child was experiencing issues with her gender identity, which she had only been able to discuss with her father.’ Jolly good. But surely if he really cared about his family, he’d have made sure he didn’t go to prison and cause his daughter to become withdrawn in the first place? Not that the judge, who refused the deportation order, saw it that way. And then Judge Pinder seconded that decision. Worse, she enabled the career criminal to play on his racial identity, saying that, if he was deported, his mixed-race children would have ‘unmet emotional needs linked not just to the loss of a parent but the loss of the parent that represented half of their cultural identity’. She added that this identity was ‘an element of the parental relationship which the child’s mother could not replicate because she is white British’. Crikey, so if the mum had been of Jamaican descent, the argument would fly out of the window – and he’d have been flying back to Jamaica. A social worker for GH, meanwhile, argued his deportation ‘would cause the children emotional harm and potentially negatively impact upon all areas off the children’s development, including key areas of identity, family and social relationships’. Which makes one wonder if these do-gooders – who, let’s be honest, have a pretty poor record of protecting children as horrific cases like the murder of Sara Sharif prove – ever considered the emotional damage done by GH to his children already. What kind of a family life can they have when he’s a domestic abuser? How long before Dad beats the hell out of Mum again? Don’t they even consider the stark-staring obvious? That these poor kids would be far better off without a drug-dealing abuser as a part-time dad? Home Office lawyers understandably asked how GH could ever be a ‘positive influence’ in his children’s lives. And what about the influence he has on other kids – the ones he’s sold crack and heroin to? Don’t they have just as much of a right to a family life which isn’t dominated by addiction and crime? Woke GH should have been deported straight after his first, serious drug-dealing conviction. He should never have been allowed to remain in this country and work the system, using his poor daughter to do so. The fact that he wasn’t once again raises the question of why on Earth we still allow the European Convention of Human Rights – overseen by unelected judges in the court of the same name – to effectively dictate who we can deport and who has a ‘human right’ to remain in this country. The convention was drawn up in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Holocaust (so poignantly remembered this week on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz) to try to ensure such abominations could never be repeated. It is beyond belief that the ECHR, with its laudable original aims, should now be helping woke judges to argue that a hardened, violent, drug-dealing Jamaican gangster must stay in Britain on the basis that he has a ‘may be trans’ daughter who he sometimes sees when he is not in prison. We should have left the ECHR years ago, however much sanctimonious Lefties and the legal Establishment howled that it would be a dereliction of our moral duty as a country. The real dereliction of duty is on the part of judges – aided and abetted by human rights lawyers such as Keir Starmer – who give succour to illegal migrants and criminals. Trump Did I mention that Starmer’s friend and fellow human rights lawyer Lord Hermer, who he made Attorney General, has faced mounting criticism over his legal links to former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams and his refusal to say whether he is involved in plans for taxpayers to pay thousands in compensation for the time Adams spent in jail in Northern Ireland? You can be sure the new Leader of the Free World, Donald Trump, wouldn’t have any truck with judges trying to block deportations of illegal migrants or poisonous thugs like GH. Just days after taking over, he’s already rounded up planeloads of migrants and sent them back to their home country. The clemency shown by Britain to GH is bewildering, abhorrent – and it flies in the face of justice. Moreover, it fundamentally erodes faith in our courts and their ability to protect British citizens. Our judicial system clearly needs a radical overhaul – beginning with the removal of woke judges who can’t see beyond their own blind, bleeding-heart prejudices. Article Name:A judge’s decision NOT to deport a violent Jamaican drug dealer because his daughter ‘may be trans’ is why we must quit the ECHR Publication:Daily Mail Author:By Amanda Platell Start Page:14 End Page:14
Telegraph [3]
Second teenager banned for asking if opponent is a man Player concerned over trans rivals’ ‘aggressive style of play’ FA defends decision to hand out six-match suspension The Daily Telegraph29 Jan 2025By Ben Rumsby SPORT INVESTIGATIONS REPORTER A second teenage footballer has been handed a six-match ban for asking whether an adult transgender opponent was a man. An 18-year-old, whom Telegraph Sport has been told has both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning difficulties, was sanctioned by a Football Association National Serious Case Panel in echoes of the ruling meted out last year to a 17-year-old girl with suspected autism. The second teenager was charged by her county FA over comments to a referee during a match in September, the month she turned 18. It was alleged she said: “Ref, have you checked if all of their players are eligible to play? Look at their ’keeper and, for example, their number 10 is obviously a man,” or something similar. She was banned for six matches, two of which were suspended, after accepting the charge brought under FA rules that allow those born male to play in women’s matches. She was also forced to undergo an “online education course”, while her club were handed seven disciplinary points. An investigation into her comments required her to provide a written statement, which Telegraph Sport has been told she needed assistance in composing. In it, she said she had sought guidance from the referee due to her trans opponents’ “extremely aggressive” style of play. She also said she had not taken her ADHD medication because “another medical condition” had prevented her doing so. The disciplinary proceedings were triggered by a complaint by the opposition club, which included the claim that she had said to their non-trans players: “This is a man.” She has admitted trying to ask those players if their team-mates were biologically male after failing to get clarity from the referee, who, she wrote in her statement, had threatened to send her off if she continued to quiz him on the matter. Speaking to Telegraph Sport on condition of anonymity, the teenager said of her ban: “It kind of made me hate football.” She also said she feared she had been gagged from asking questions or raising concerns about playing against those born male. “If I say anything else, I get another sixgame ban,” she said. “So, I can’t even stand up for myself at this point.” Her case has come to light three months after Telegraph Sport revealed that a 17-year-old was facing a ban of up to 12 matches for asking an adult transgender opponent: “Are you a man?” She denied a discrimination charge but was banned for six games, four of them suspended. The outcome was condemned in the House of Lords by former FA chairman Lord Triesman, who wrote to the FA about it and was invited to meet its leaders to discuss his concerns. It also sparked protests by campaigners outside England men’s and women’s matches at Wembley and Bramall Lane. The written reasons for the punishment in both cases have not been made public, even in a redacted form. Fiona Mcanena, director of campaigns at Sex Matters, said: “It’s disgraceful that another teenage girl has been suspended for daring to challenge the presence of a male player in a women’s game. The FA has punished her for asking a question that matters for her own safety, and for fairness for all girls. Sending her for mandatory ‘re-education’ won’t solve this. “How many other cases are there like this? How long can the FA continue to claim that there is no problem? How can the FA say it supports the women’s game when girls are being suspended for pointing out there is a man on the pitch? “Many sports have waited until a man is about to hit the big time in the women’s game before acting to protect the female category. A cynic might speculate that we won’t see fairness in football until a male player demands his place in the Lionesses.” An FA spokesperson said: “This case was heard by an independent National Serious Case Panel in November 2024, and they issued a sanction for a breach of FA rules. The charges were immediately accepted by the player and the outcome was the minimum sanction that could be issued for a case of this nature. The player did not appeal the sanction. “In order to protect the players involved, and to respect the confidential details included, we are not in a position to publish the written reasons of this case. We have previously said that cases of this nature are complex and that the information in the public domain is very limited, often to protect the individuals involved. “We regularly review our processes in this area and we will always look to take the appropriate steps to challenge improper conduct in our game.” Just over a year ago, 48 MPS and 27 peers signed a letter urging the FA to change its trans rules to “protect women and girls” in football. Its trans policy has long been under review but it has been waiting for Fifa and Uefa to complete reviews of their own policies before amending its own. Article Name:Second teenager banned for asking if opponent is a man Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Ben Rumsby SPORT INVESTIGATIONS REPORTER Start Page:7 End Page:7
Rape charity drops pledge to define what a ‘woman’ is Edinburgh crisis centre embroiled in trans row accused of ‘failing to show any common sense’ The Daily Telegraph29 Jan 2025By Daniel Sanderson Scottish correspondent A RAPE crisis charity embroiled in a transgender row has dropped a pledge to issue a definition of women, The Telegraph can reveal. Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) admitted it is no longer planning to publish a definition despite previously promising to do so, following the recommendations an independent expert review. Vicky Ling was commissioned to investigate Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) after a damning tribunal ruling found it was operating an “extreme” version of gender identity theory under the leadership of Mridul Wadhwa, a biological male who identifies as female. Her report found that the centre had failed to properly protect women-only spaces and had “caused damage to some survivors”. Ms Ling called on RCS to devise and publish a “shared definition of woman/female” to be adopted across its network. The charity, which receives more than £3 million a year from the SNP Government, had previously accepted Ms Ling’s recommendations in full. Sandy Brindley, its chief executive, claimed last September that work on a definition had been going on for nearly a year. However, the charity is now understood to be focusing on ensuring “dedicated spaces” in rape crisis centres are provided for “women born as women”, rather than drawing up a definition. It said that because the Supreme Court is considering a case that concerns the legal definition of women, it would not be “helpful or appropriate” to issue its own wording. However, Tess White, the Scottish Tory shadow equalities minister, claimed the “shocking U-turn” showed RCS “haven’t learned any lessons” from a series of scandals. “Once again women have been badly let down by an organisation that is supposed to support them, but which is failing to show any common sense,” she said. “It is unacceptable that RCS still cannot give women reassurance that they will be able to access single-sex spaces at these centres. “Ultimately, the SNP’S reckless self-id policies are to blame for this betrayal of women and girls.” Activists such as Ms Wadhwa, who left ERCC last year in the wake of Ms Ling’s report, insist any biological male who identifies as female is a woman. Opponents of this view insist sex is immutable and that biological men have no place accessing services such as rape crisis centres intended for women. A clear definition of women was meant to ensure survivors would know whether they could expect to encounter biological men when accessing services badged as female only. Senior insiders at RCS said that while new rules were being consulted upon, it would be made explicitly clear to survivors which “spaces” might include trans women. An RCS spokesman said it was in discussions with survivors to ensure “any terminology used to describe different spaces within rape crisis services is accessible and easily understandable”. They added: “The independent review of ERCC published last September identified that although the national service standards for rape crisis centres require centres to provide women-only spaces, they do not define what this means. “The Supreme Court is considering the legal definition of women, and we don’t feel it would be helpful or appropriate to pre-empt this by issuing a definition of women. “Irrespective of the outcome of this case, however, it is clear that rape crisis centres can ensure survivors of sexual violence are able to access dedicated spaces for women born women if this is what they need.” ‘The SNP’S reckless self-id policies are to blame for this betrayal of women and girls’ Article Name:Rape charity drops pledge to define what a ‘woman’ is Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Daniel Sanderson Scottish correspondent Start Page:10 End Page:10

Thursday Total: 0

Friday Total: 5

The Guardian [0]
The Times [2]
Streeting urged to include cross-sex hormones in ban Jonathan Ames - Legal Editor The health secretary is facing legal action from Keira Bell, who was put on puberty blockers aged 16 and prescribed cross-sex hormones at the age of 17 “whilst in a vulnerable state”. Bell, 28, and two unnamed parents are suing over a loophole in which it is legal for children to take cross-sex hormones but supplying puberty blockers to children is banned. Lawyers for Bell, who sued the Tavistock NHS gender identity clinic five years ago over what she claimed was “destructive” treatment, have written to Wes Streeting to confirm that he will ban them. Streeting has 14 days to reply to what the lawyers have described as a matter of “urgency”. If he fails to do so, the legal team could issue an application for a judicial review of the government’s policy. The lawyers for Bell and the two parents say in their letter to Streeting: “The health risks of cross-sex hormones in children on their developing brain, bones and reproductive system is in many respects unknown and potentially profound, in particular, in relation to fertility in girls.” They highlighted concerns over one provider, GenderGP, an online clinic registered in Singapore. Gender GP was unable to comment on the case. The Department of Health and GenderGP were contacted for comment.
Press regulator ‘in grip’ of transgender lobby Tom Ball The author of a report commissioned by the press standards body to examine media coverage of transgender topics has claimed the regulator has been “captured by the trans lobby”. Conrad Roeber was hired by Ipso to write an independent assessment on “trends in editorial standards in coverage of transgender issues”, which was published in November 2020. While researching and writing the report Roeber claims the regulator, under the influence of trans lobby groups such as Mermaids and Stonewall, “instructed” him to make edits. Roeber, who was conducting the report on behalf of Mediatique, a consultancy firm, said Ipso insisted he use the pronoun “she” in reference to Karen White, a convicted child sex offender who identified as a woman but had not had surgery or hormone treatment. White was placed in a female prison while on remand where the offender sexually assaulted two prisoners. “Even though most editors I spoke to found it absurd to refer to White as ‘she’, some news reports included the surreal and scientifically inaccurate phrase ‘her penis’,” Roeber said, writing in The Spectator. He questioned how it aligned with the accuracy Ipso claimed to prioritise, stating: “It became clear that Ipso wasn’t making these decisions in a vacuum and had been influenced by trans lobby groups, which were pushing to have ‘gender identity’ normalised in the media.” In December, Ipso upheld a complaint against The Spectator for referring to Juno Dawson, a transgender author, as “a man who claims to be a woman”. Dawson argued that the magazine’s description was discriminatory, although the regulator did not deem it to be inaccurate. A spokesman for Ipso said: “These claims relate to research commissioned by Ipso six years ago, which presents a range of views on reporting of gender and sex. Ipso has always been clear that the editors’ code of practice does not specify appropriate or acceptable terminology in this area. “This is underlined in the refreshed guidance issued last year on this subject, which states expressly that journalists and editors should take a view of how to meet the obligations under the editors’ code of practice.”
Conrad Roeber is an LGB Alliance trustee
Daily Mail [0]
Telegraph [3]
Coe’s high-wire act to land top job Run to become IOC president has always been a gamble, but straight-talking Briton has thrived by taking risks The Daily Telegraph31 Jan 2025By Oliver Brown CHIEF SPORTS WRITER in Lausanne Ever the diplomat, Lord Coe conceded it was seldom wise to pick a fight with the returning officer on the eve of an election. This time, though, he could hardly help himself. Worn down by the cloakand-dagger audition ritual to succeed Thomas Bach as president of the International Olympic Committee, he bristled at being asked to distil his 20 years’ running global sport into a 15-minute speech in Lausanne. “I’ve got to be open about this,” he said. “I don’t think this is the way to go about choosing somebody to take that leadership role. It’s a sub-optimal process.” Criticising the IOC on its own turf represents a high-risk strategy for somebody chasing the job he regards as potentially the crowning glory of his career. Then again, everything about Coe’s pitch for the most powerful sports role on the planet is a gamble. He has spent a lifetime carving a reputation as a serial winner, whether through his gold medals in Moscow and Los Angeles, his orchestration of a home Games, or his decade leading the No1 Olympic sport, athletics. So, why, at the age of 68, would he jeopardise that unblemished record by bidding to run an organisation whose clandestine politics could yet leave him with a bloody nose? “You’ve got to understand my character,” he smiled. “If I had decided to do all the things that I’ve ultimately done predicated on risk, I probably wouldn’t have done any of them. When I was 11, I was told I was never going to be fast enough to be an 800metres runner, and never tall enough for the 1500. I was told, as I came up through a secondary modern in Sheffield, that people like me didn’t become Conservative MPS. But I go where I feel I can genuinely make a difference, where I’ve had passion for what I wanted to do. If I’m successful here, it will be the privilege of my life.” At this stage, Coe is one of the two front-runners to replace Bach, alongside Spain’s Juan Antonio Samaranch jnr. While Kirsty Coventry, the Olympic champion swimmer from Zimbabwe and the sole woman in the seven-strong field, is considered Bach’s personal preference, she has sullied her credentials as a protector of the female category. After all, she served on the IOC executive board that allowed two biologically male athletes to win golds at last summer’s Paris Olympics in women’s boxing. That debacle, she claimed, had been “difficult to prevent”. But how so, when the IOC knew that the boxers – Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan – had already been disqualified from world championships for failing sex tests? Samaranch, for all his urbanity and persuasiveness, was on that board, too. All of which has left Coe with an open goal, given his proven record of ring-fencing women’s athletics exclusively for those born female. He underlined those achievements emphatically in his allotted quarter of an hour in front of IOC delegates, declaring: “We will maintain a laser-like focus on sporting excellence, we will protect and promote the integrity of women’s sport, and we will strengthen anti-doping systems – all of which I have done, together with my council at World Athletics.” And, yet, despite Coe’s qualifications to reform the IOC, to steer it away from gender ideology in favour of biological reality, this election is heavy with uncertainty. There are still seven weeks to go until votes are cast at the next congress in Greece, on March 20. So much of the rigmarole here is absurd. How can the IOC highlight its work fighting climate change while arranging for 110 delegates to fly into Switzerland from all corners of the world, only then to fly out again 24 hours later? How can it trumpet a commitment to transparency when members have no forum in which to cross-examine any of the candidates? No wonder Coe talked about “empowering” the membership and “opening the windows”. Under Bach’s 12-year rule, the IOC has resembled a hermetically sealed bubble for too long. Samaranch looks a formidable adversary. In a less complex institution, he could be accused of riding on the coattails of his father, who turned the IOC into a multi-billion-pound body during his 20 years in charge, but also presided over a scandal in which members were bribed to vote for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. For Coventry, these official hustings were a more bruising experience. She struggled to justify her comment that the Paris boxing travesty could not have been avoided and seemed uneasy when asked how ‘The IOC has a fundamental duty to safeguard women’s sport by adopting a policy to maintain unambiguous distinctions between men’s and women’s categories’ Juan Antonio Samaranch ‘I am dedicated to the equality of all athletes from all countries, which means strengthening women’s sports by protecting female athletes and promoting equal opportunities for women at all levels of our movement’ Kirsty Coventry she would have felt as a young girl if watching a boxer beaten in 46 seconds by an opponent reported by the International Boxing Association as having XY chromosomes. “As a female athlete, you want a level playing field,” she said. “We’re going to create an environment where every athlete feels safe – that’s our job. We need to create better rules and regulations.” Coe, much stronger in his own bid document, did not dispute the notion that his rivals were trying to encroach on his patch. “I’ve always defined an election as a place where the worst ideas get derided and the best get nicked,” he said. “I’m rather flattered that there are people moving on to territory that I’ve not just been talking about, but doing something about, for the last 10 years.” It is this background of staying true to his word that he hopes can propel him to power in the frantic scramble ahead. Article Name:Coe’s high-wire act to land top job Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Oliver Brown CHIEF SPORTS WRITER in Lausanne Start Page:10 End Page:10
Streeting faces court for refusal to ban children’s sex-change drug The Daily Telegraph31 Jan 2025By Patrick Sawer SENIOR NEWS REPORTER THE Health Secretary is facing a court action to make him prohibit sex-change drugs for children, in line with an existing ban on puberty blockers. Lawyers acting for victims of sexchange drugs and their families are applying for a judicial review against Wes Streeting’s decision not to ban cross-sex hormones immediately. The legal fight is led by Keira Bell, a de-transitioner who regretted trans surgery. She won a landmark case in 2020 against the Tavistock Clinic, where she was prescribed puberty blockers as a young teenager. Last year, Dr Hilary Cass warned that cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers put children on a pathway that might “change the trajectory of psychosexual and gender identity development” and that there was “remarkably weak” evidence to support their use in children with gender dysphoria. Following publication of the Cass Review, an emergency ban on puberty blockers was introduced by Victoria Atkins, the Conservative health secretary ‘These drugs cause irreversible effects, changing your physical and social state forever’ at the time, restricting their sale or supply to under-18s. In December last year, Mr Streeting made the ban permanent, but did not extend it to cross-sex hormones. The court action argues that sexchange drugs issued to 16 to 18-year olds pose an “irreversible” and “unacceptable” risk to the health of thousands of vulnerable children suffering from gender dysphoria. Cross-sex hormones change the physical sexual characteristics of a person, while puberty blockers delay the onset of puberty by suppressing the release of hormones. The NHS has warned providers to be “extremely cautious” when considering whether to issue cross-sex hormones to children, because of side effects. Ms Bell said: “I was prescribed crosssex hormones at the age of 17 whilst in a vulnerable state, struggling with a multitude of issues including my sexuality and repressed trauma. These drugs warp your being and, particularly for women, cause irreversible effects, changing your physical and social state forever.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We welcome the additional safeguards that NHS England is putting in place, as recommended by Dr Cass, NHS England said it had amended its clinical commissioning policy. A national multi-disciplinary team will review all referrals of young people for cross-sex hormones. Article Name:Streeting faces court for refusal to ban children’s sex-change drug Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Patrick Sawer SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Start Page:8 End Page:8
Press regulator ‘not impartial on trans issues’ Ipso has a cosy relationship with the controversial charity Mermaids, claims independent consultant The Daily Telegraph31 Jan 2025By Albert Tait THE Press watchdog has been accused of having a “cosy” relationship with a transgender charity by a former adviser. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) hired Conrad Roeber, a management consultant, in 2019 to write an independent report on how the press treated trans-related issues. Mr Roeber has now accused Ipso of editing his report because of influence from the pro-trans lobby, including the controversial charity Mermaids, to make it more favourable to their views. He claimed the watchdog holds an “apparent bias” towards pro-transgender beliefs. Ipso has previously drawn criticism for its rulings on trans-related issues, such as its judgment in a trans writer case against The Spectator last year. The report looked at 12,000 articles about transgender issues from May 2009 to May 2019 and examined 11 key events from this period. Mr Roeber found that Ipso’s guidance on pronouns was “problematic for certain types of coverage” and pointed to reports about Karen White, a rapist who now identifies as female, that included the phrase “her penis”. He said Ipso gave him feedback on “draft after draft of the report” asking him to take what they described as a more balanced approach towards transgender beliefs. One of these requested changes, he claimed, was that he referred to White as “she” in the report. “I had no choice but to comply,” he told The Spectator. The reasons for the changes, Mr Roeber claimed, is because pro-transgender charities “were lobbying hard to promote their narrative” in the media. While Mr Roeber was writing his report, he was copied into an email from Charlotte Urwin, the watchdog’s former head of standards, to Susie Green, Mermaids’ chief executive officer at the time. In the email, seen by The Telegraph, Ms Urwin referred to “an enjoyable evening speaking to members of Mermaids and… setting the world to rights”. Mr Roeber claimed there was “a warm, almost cosy tone to their exchanges. It felt less like neutral arbitration and more like an ideological alignment”. Both Mermaids and Gendered Intelligence, another charity, raised concerns about his interview afterwards. Ipso allowed the charities to be interviewed again by someone else. Mr Roeber was told charities found his tone “confrontational and challenging” and complained his views were “gender critical”. Mr Roeber holds the belief that it is not possible for a person to change sex. An Ipso spokesman said: “These claims relate to research commissioned by Ipso six years ago, [presenting] a range of views on reporting of gender and sex. Ipso has always been clear that the Editors’ Code does not specify appropriate or acceptable terminology in this area. This is underlined in refreshed guidance issued last year on this subject, which states expressly that journalists and editors should take a view of how to meet the obligations under the Editors’ Code of Practice.” Article Name:Press regulator ‘not impartial on trans issues’ Publication:The Daily Telegraph Author:By Albert Tait Start Page:10 End Page:10

Saturday Total: 2

The Guardian [0]
The Times [1]
Gynaecologist barred over trans patient France David Chazan - Paris A gynaecologist has been barred from practising for a month because he refused to examine a transgender patient on the grounds that he was only qualified to treat “real women”. Dr Victor Acharian was accused of transphobia and LGBT groups lodged complaints after he turned the patient away in August 2023. The patient described his refusal as “hyper-violent”. He appeared before a disciplinary board of the French Medical Council in December and has now been suspended for a month from March 1, with an additional five months’ probation. Édouard Martial, the patient’s lawyer, said: “We have the satisfaction of having confirmation that what happened that day was totally abnormal.” Acharian, who practises in Pau, southwest France, said he had offered to refer the patient to a specialist. But the patient shouted “you’re transphobic” and insulted his secretary. Acharian said: “I was only trying to be honest when I said it wasn’t my speciality ... I offered to refer her to services that could take better care of her.” The patient’s partner left a Google review complaining about the refusal. Acharian responded with a message addressed to a “gentleman”, saying that he only treated “real women”. He wrote: “I have no skills to take care of men, even if they have shaved their beards and tell my secretary they have become women. My examination table is not suitable for examining men.” He later apologised for his “clumsy” words and denied being transphobic. Marguerite Stern, a women’s rights activist, said: “Gynaecologists are only qualified to treat women … We are living in a world of lunatics.”
Daily Mail [1]
Why gender-neutral toilets are now falling out of favour with the public Daily Mail1 Feb 2025By Martin Beckford Policy Editor PUBLIC support for gender-neutral toilets is dwindling, research suggests. A poll has found that only one in three people (32 per cent) think public buildings should have shared bathrooms that can be used by anyone, as well as separate facilities for men and woman. And barely one in 20 (5 per cent) think only gender-neutral toilets should be on offer, down from 9 per cent five years ago. By contrast, the survey by YouGov found record support (59 per cent) for buildings having only separate single-sex toilets – up from 50 per cent two years ago. The tracker poll also found fewer people feel comfortable using gender-neutral toilets in public places such as shopping centres, restaurants or theatres. Only four in ten (41 per cent) said they were happy to use them, while 50 per cent were not. Less than six years ago the opposite was true, with 49 per cent in favour and 42 per cent against. It comes after a fightback by campaigners against gender ideology which led to the previous Tory government ruling that all new public buildings must have single-sex toilets. Helen Joyce, ‘Emotional blackmail’ of women’s rights charity Sex Matters, said: ‘Women and girls have never been comfortable sharing toilets with men, and most have felt distinctly unsafe doing so. ‘But in recent years pressure has built for women to ignore their own needs and preferences and accept gender-neutral facilities in order to demonstrate “inclusivity”. ‘Women first fought for single-sex toilets in the Victorian era to protect themselves from violence, assault and harassment at the hands of men in mixed facilities. ‘The same risks still exist today. The shift in public opinion reflects greater awareness of the issue and a growing willingness among women – and men – to reject emotional blackmail and voice their sincere concerns about the loss of single-sex spaces.’ Article Name:Why gender-neutral toilets are now falling out of favour with the public Publication:Daily Mail Author:By Martin Beckford Policy Editor Start Page:11 End Page:11
Telegraph [0]

Sunday Total: 1

The Observer [0]
The Sunday Times [0]
Mail on Sunday [0]
Sunday Telegraph [1]
Khan appears to remove his pronouns from social media The Sunday Telegraph2 Feb 2025By Mark Ludlow SIR SADIQ KHAN, the Mayor of London, appears to have removed his “he/ him” personal pronouns from his profile on X. Sir Sadiq, who has been a vocal critic of the social media platform’s owner Elon Musk and Donald Trump, the US president, and their “war on woke”, had previously used the “he/him” pronouns on his X account where he has 3.1 million followers, but they have now disappeared. “Looks like the tide is turning and this type of virtue signalling is no longer trendy,” Conservative contributor Chris Rose said on X yesterday after spotting the change. Sir Sadiq is still using personal pronouns on his Bluesky account. Many Left-wing users of X have moved to Bluesky in protest at Mr Musk’s changes to the site since he bought it in 2023. Mr Trump has told employees at many of his government agencies to remove pronouns from the bottom of their email signatures. He has also sought to curb the use of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies by the US government since he returned as president last month, and has described them as “radical and wasteful”. Sir Sadiq is a critic of Mr Trump and warned of “resurgent fascism” on the eve of his return to the White House. A spokesman for the Mayor of London denied the removal of pronouns from his X account was permanent. They said: “This seems to be a technical error, which we’ll put right as soon as possible.” Article Name:Khan appears to remove his pronouns from social media Publication:The Sunday Telegraph Author:By Mark Ludlow Start Page:8 End Page:8

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