EP 32: Trans witchcraft vs The Government

1. Lisa Power talk

Lisa Power is great, here she is talking about founding Stonewall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmPo4LGJAQE

2. Lisa Power and Duncan Campbell info

Follow them. They are great.

https://twitter.com/alisapower

https://twitter.com/dcampbell_iptv

3. Dawn butler calls out the government at the Pink News awards

NEVER STOP SWEARING DAWN!

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/10/17/dawn-butler-gender-recognition-act-delay-pinknews-awards-labour-mp-community-group/

4. Boris Johnson/Downing Street statement

What we asked:

The Mail on Sunday reported on the 5th of October that a senior government source told them that Lizz Truss was handed the women & equalities brief by Dominic Cummings in an attempt to “strangle” the issue of GRA reform. Is this true?

At the Pink News awards last week, former women & equalities minister Penny Mordaunt said that she believes the British people are “good” and she knows that because (in her words): “Unlike you, I have seen the results of the consultation.” She also went in to seemingly call for the release of the consultation results. Has the Prime Minister seen the results? Is he involved in the decision in reguards to when the results will be released?

What are the Prime Ministers current views on Gender Recognition Act reform?

Statement they sent to us:

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

“The PM has a long and strong record on LGBT rights, and he is a proud champion of equality. He has been repeatedly clear that we must do more to ensure that trans rights are protected.

“That’s why we have consulted on potential reforms to the Gender Recognition Act. It is vital that any next steps are carefully considered and have the right backing in order to have a positive impact on the trans community in the UK.

“The Government received more than 100,000 responses to the consultation and met with 140 organisations to ensure concerns were heard from all sides of the debate. We’ll set out next steps in due course.”

5. Liz Truss/Government eqaulity office statement

Questions we asked:

The Mail on Sunday reported that a “senior government source” told
them that Lizz Truss got the women & eqaulities brief from Dominic
Cummings because the minister is against “children being helped to seek
transition” thinks giving her the brief will “strangle” the issue. Is
this true?

What are the minister’s views on GRA reform?

What are the minister’s views on transgender children?

Last week Penny Mordaunt heavily implied that the results of the GRA
consultation were “good” and called on the government to release the
results of the consultation. Can we get a comment from the minister on
this? Is it true that the results are in favour of GRA reform?

Can we have a copy of the consultation results? If not, why not?

It has been just over a year since the consultation came to a close,
why haven’t the results been released yet? Is Downing Street ordering
the GEO to hold back on releasing the results?

Statement they sent to us:

It is vital that the next steps on any potential reform of the Gender Recognition Act are carefully planned, and have the right backing so they can have a positive impact on the adult trans community in the UK.

We had more than 100,000 responses to our consultation and have met with 140 organisations to ensure that we have taken into account views and concerns from all sides of the debate. We will announce more detail on our proposed next steps in due course.

At the Pink New Awards, Minister for Equalities, Baroness Williams, said:

“I remain committed to the reform of the GRA…I want as minister [of state] for equalities to live in a world where people at work and at home can be who they are.”

In July, as part of the LGBT Action Plan, the Government announced its intention to publish a call for evidence on the experiences of people who have a non-binary gender identity.

This is an emerging and complicated area of policy, and one in which the Government is still developing its research and understanding.The evidence gathered from this exercise will inform the Government’s next steps in this area.

6. REGISTER TO VOTE

Seriously, fucking vote ya jabroni.

https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

7. Trigger warning and the safe spaces

This band are amazing. Go get their album (pay what you want!)

https://triggerwarningandthesafespaces.bandcamp.com/releases

8. Witchy Reading list.

History and theory

Political/Feminist aspects
Becoming Dangerous – edited by Katie West & Jasmine Elliott

Buy: https://fictionandfeeling.com/pages/becoming-dangerous

Witches, Sluts, Feminists – Kristen J Sollée

Buy: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780996485272

Caliban & the Witch – Silvia Federici

Free PDF!: https://libcom.org/files/Caliban%20and%20the%20Witch.pdf

Straight-up witchcraft;

Casting a Queer Circle: Non-Binary Witchcraft – Thista Minai

Buy: https://www.asphodelpress.com/index.php?q=book.html&title=queer-circle

Queer Magic – edited by Lee Harrington & Tai Felix Kulystin

Buy: https://www.waterstones.com/book/queer-magic/lee-harrington/tai-fenix-kulystin/9781942733799

Witchcraft for Tomorrow – Doreen Valiente

Buy: https://www.waterstones.com/book/witchcraft-for-tomorrow/doreen-valiente/9780709052449

9. Philosophy Tube – Witchcraft, Gender, & Marxism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmk47kh7fiE