In rejecting the doctor’s application for anonymity as a witness and victim of harassment in an employment tribunal Judge Tinnon writes; “althought this ET [Employment Tribunal] litigation has been mentioned in the press, no-one outside of a relatively small circle of people professionally involved in this case will know of <the doctor’s> involvement. She is not a public figure and has no public profile”. So why have I seen photos of her wedding being spread around by bigots on social media? Why have the press published her deadname? Why do I even know who she is?
I know all of this and more because the Judiciary were either ill-prepared or incompetent enough to have allowed themselves to become just another cog in the machine that spins the bigot merry-go-round that is our politics, press and media here in the UK now. Judge Tinnion in particular should be ashamed and this event should be considered a huge stain on the Judiciary that forces them to wake up and take the threat of bigotry in the UK seriously when making their decisions about our lives.
Bigots in the UK have succesfully turned part of our justice system, employment tribunals in particular, into a weapon to further the harassment and targeting of transgender people. This doctor lived a relatively quiet life, accepted and supported by most people in it, until this tribunal and the Judges involved forced bigotry into it now and forever.
There is no putting the cat back in the bag; she will never have a fully private life ever again. She has been robbed of that human right by the Judges in this case and I believe they should have to face the consequences for that, just as she will bear the consequences of their decisions too.
The Scottish Labour leader just wrote a transphobic piece in the Murdoch press (The Scottish Sun) then U-turned on self-ID (which he previously voted for) and threw trans people under a bus.
There are open fascists in full cry hunting trans people - scapegoating a tiny minority of harmless people. The most famous authoritarian anti-democratic leader in the world is leading the charge and Scottish Labour can't tell right from wrong. Donald Dewar who fought Section 28/2a must be turning in his grave.
Update - the SNP initially did well with John Swinney standing by his vote for the GRR but now Deputy Leader Kate Forbes has predictably backed the anti-trans bandwagon.
Update - the SNP initially did well with John Swinney standing by his vote for the GRR but now Deputy Leader Kate Forbes has predictably backed the anti-trans bandwagon.
Forbes is one of those driving the wagon, never mind backing it.
What’s truly depressing is that some UK feminists are proclaiming Trump a feminist hero due to his treatment of the trans community. And believe that as a result of his actions more people will listen to / support them. Which is just 🤬🤯🤮
What’s truly depressing is that some UK feminists are proclaiming Trump a feminist hero due to his treatment of the trans community. And believe that as a result of his actions more people will listen to / support them. Which is just 🤬🤯🤮
It's like an event horizon. When some people pass the TERF point all other concerns go out the window and they start lauding anyone who supports them on that issue.
The writer Musa Okwonga was talking about Germany's current problem dealing with Nazis
In Germany’s case, I really think, that, in many cases, it’s as simple as: it’s hard to believe people want to burn the world to the ground when they look and sound exactly like you.
I think something similar happened with transphobia. My academic background is in the witch hunt and an understanding of scapegoating and moral panics. The attack on trans people is so obviously scapegoating and othering a tiny minority in an utterly disproportionate way that it almost makes me feel like I'm being gaslit when I warn people how serious and immoral it is - and they treat me like I'm some kind of extremist for pointing out the completely obvious - here is a tiny harmless minority being monstered with all the 'threat to women and children' stuff and other tropes that we've seen used historically to persecute other minorities.
I do wonder if it's because it's a prejudice that so successfully makes itself seem homely and innocuous - it often comes from people who 'look and sound exactly like you'.
It's been spearheaded over here by ' nice' well-spoken, educated, middle class professionals - including women, Guardian readers, Labour voters, self-professed 'feminists' - centrist and left-leaning journalists. writers, columnists - playing on people not knowing many trans people in their lives and filling the vacuum with scaremongering and misinformation techniques to produce dangerous fears.
Some of us spotted it very early as really a far-right and religious right project using sheep's clothing but now the mask is completely off with Trumpism - yes it is a vehicle for fascist and authoritarian hate - you know those processes we were all taught 'Never Again!' about when we studied the Nazis and antisemitism? Yes, it's one of those!
But many people can't associate that with 'nice' people like themselves who wrap their dangerous flirtation with fascist-type scapegoating in language of 'reasonable concerns' and 'women's rights'. Even today one of the Scottish broadsheet papers ran a front page story which effectively promoted the agenda of a hate-group in 'women's rights' disguise going after trans kids. The Labour leadership in Scotland just went to the Dark Side on it, as we've been discussing.
It's out there in the open as a major plank of modern- day fascism and our media still can't wean themselves off it and not one Scottish media outlet has rejected it or apologised for their framing.
It just seems to have some curious force-field of respectability which lets it keep proliferating in plain sight without being recognised and stopped.
I want to ask about an old joke that I've seen on FB again today. How is this heard by people who are trans? (I am asking as a cis-male).
I was assigned female at birth.
I identify as a woman
But according to the box of Birdseye Lasagne, I'm a family of four...
I am firmly of the view that humour is only humour if it's punching up and not down. I don't quite know where this sits. I doesn't sound offensive to my ears, but I wonder if I am being deaf here?
I wondered that too. The joke is not about trans people, it’s about how small ready meals are. But I wonder if it could be worded another way? “Better check my tax return, I’ve been claiming as a single person but according to…”
Comments
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/10/labour-shelves-plans-easier-people-legally-change-gender
https://transwrites.world/judge-tinnion-should-be-ashamed-of-allowing-tribunal-to-become-a-circus-of-harassment/
DT I hope you are right and it would be great if you were.
There are open fascists in full cry hunting trans people - scapegoating a tiny minority of harmless people. The most famous authoritarian anti-democratic leader in the world is leading the charge and Scottish Labour can't tell right from wrong. Donald Dewar who fought Section 28/2a must be turning in his grave.
Forbes is one of those driving the wagon, never mind backing it.
It's like an event horizon. When some people pass the TERF point all other concerns go out the window and they start lauding anyone who supports them on that issue.
I think something similar happened with transphobia. My academic background is in the witch hunt and an understanding of scapegoating and moral panics. The attack on trans people is so obviously scapegoating and othering a tiny minority in an utterly disproportionate way that it almost makes me feel like I'm being gaslit when I warn people how serious and immoral it is - and they treat me like I'm some kind of extremist for pointing out the completely obvious - here is a tiny harmless minority being monstered with all the 'threat to women and children' stuff and other tropes that we've seen used historically to persecute other minorities.
I do wonder if it's because it's a prejudice that so successfully makes itself seem homely and innocuous - it often comes from people who 'look and sound exactly like you'.
It's been spearheaded over here by ' nice' well-spoken, educated, middle class professionals - including women, Guardian readers, Labour voters, self-professed 'feminists' - centrist and left-leaning journalists. writers, columnists - playing on people not knowing many trans people in their lives and filling the vacuum with scaremongering and misinformation techniques to produce dangerous fears.
Some of us spotted it very early as really a far-right and religious right project using sheep's clothing but now the mask is completely off with Trumpism - yes it is a vehicle for fascist and authoritarian hate - you know those processes we were all taught 'Never Again!' about when we studied the Nazis and antisemitism? Yes, it's one of those!
But many people can't associate that with 'nice' people like themselves who wrap their dangerous flirtation with fascist-type scapegoating in language of 'reasonable concerns' and 'women's rights'. Even today one of the Scottish broadsheet papers ran a front page story which effectively promoted the agenda of a hate-group in 'women's rights' disguise going after trans kids. The Labour leadership in Scotland just went to the Dark Side on it, as we've been discussing.
It's out there in the open as a major plank of modern- day fascism and our media still can't wean themselves off it and not one Scottish media outlet has rejected it or apologised for their framing.
It just seems to have some curious force-field of respectability which lets it keep proliferating in plain sight without being recognised and stopped.
I have not had the opportunity to listen to this as yet. However, it came very highly recommended from a podcast that I regularly listen to.
Looking at the episode titles, I suspect it is pertinent to this discussion so I wanted to put if here as it may well be interesting and useful.
AFZ
I identify as a woman
But according to the box of Birdseye Lasagne, I'm a family of four...
I am firmly of the view that humour is only humour if it's punching up and not down. I don't quite know where this sits. I doesn't sound offensive to my ears, but I wonder if I am being deaf here?
AFZ