A new month, another week, same nonsense news and moral panics. What’s in store this week? Turns out alot! It’s been a busy one.
Monday: GOP Lawmakers Their “Endgame”: Banning All Transition
Uncovered and first reported on by Trans Journalist Erin Reed after the audio from a Republican Twitter Spaces event was made public. You can hear Republican Lawmakers talking about the supposed “Endgame” of banning Gender Affirming care for Trans Youth. With Representative Josh Shriver stating in the clip “why are we allowing these practices for anyone?… why not apply it for anyone over 18?”
There is a lot to unpack with this one. The full transcript of what was said is available in the article we have linked which was written by Erin Reed. Of course I don’t think any Queer person is surprised here. This is how restricting rights works, as we’ve seen historically and today. We have already seen that states who have banned Trans Healthcare for minors are also more likely to restrict access to abortion. My hope with this story breaking is that more people can actually call them out on the ultimate goal with these bills but maybe that’s a bit too hopeful?
Tuesday: Lucy Clark: First in women’s football as transgender manager appointed
Lucy Clark has become the first Transgender manager appointed in the top five tiers of English Football. She has been appointed as manager for Sutton United’s premier women’s division. She was previously the first Transgender referee in the third tier of women’s Football. Clark said in an interview “”To actually actively be involved in this role is just amazing. So I’m living the dream, loving it”.
Love a bit of nice news. Wishing all the best for Lucy in her new role! Hoping this will lead to more inclusion for Trans people not only in administrative roles in sports but just in sports in general.
Wednesday: Keir Starmer promises trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban under Labour
Labour leader Keir Starmer has expressed support of a trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban under a Labour Government. When speaking to LGBT+ Labour he stated that “We’ll implement a full, trans-inclusive, ban on all forms of conversion therapy”.
This feels like another one of Starmer’s acts of trying to get everyone to like him. I’m very cautious of this u-turn. But it’s also not really a u-turn at all, due to the fact that it’s still Keir Starmer’s Labour. I continue to be angry at Labour and it hurts that they are the main Tory opposition, ugh this sucks.
Thursday: Third of trans Londoners feared losing accommodation in 2023
In a survey by The Trans Learning Partnership, it was found that 31% of Trans people in London had feared losing their homes last year. This statistic came from a survey of 479 Transgender Londoners. It was also found that Trans and Non-Binary Londoners are more likely to suffer from deprivation and poverty and are also less likely to have access to healthcare.
It is a massive shame but unfortunately I’m not surprised, and I can see it being a consistent number across the country, hoping the best for anyone who’s going through housing problems.
Friday: Remember Brianna Ghey’s name, not her killers’
Two Teenagers have been found guilty for the murder of Brianna Ghey. Both have been sentenced to at least 20 years in prison. Brianna’s family told the court that the pair should never be released from prison. Peter Spooner, Brianna’s father, described his daughter’s killers as “pure evil”.
So I am sure you have seen this. I originally was not going to include this here but I thought it would be important to talk about, but I will under no circumstances name the killers, for several reasons this is something I do not want to do here and I think that their names should not have been released and I think it could be potentially dangerous. What we need to do is remember Brianna Ghey, remember her name, remember why she died, remember what caused this. We need to hold not only the killers accountable, but also our Government, Media outlets and anyone who has ever pushed Transphobic rhetoric. They’re narrative killed a 16 year old girl and most likely many more whose names we don’t know. I don’t want to let them get away with it anymore.
Saturday: Transgender advocacy group sues South Dakota for discrimination – and wins $300,000
Governor Kristi Noem has been forced to issue an apology letter and a $300,000 payment to The Transformation Project, a health organisation whose goal is to support Transgender people and to also spread awareness and acceptance of the Trans community. The Organization was given a $136,000 contract but was quickly cancelled by South Dakota’s Republican Governor. The Transformation Project won the court case as the judge found that the Governor’s choice to cancel the contract was a discriminatory decision.
Always good to hear of a victory in court against bigoted politicians. It’s a shame that these cases seem to be few and far between but I am glad to see it, but the fact that the contract could be cancelled in the first place with no evidence to justify it is very worrying.
Hundreds gathered outside Calgary town hall in Canada in protest of the United Conservative Party’s (UCP) bill to ban Gender Affirming care for Youths under the age of 15 “The community feels very scared, there’s open discussions of having to flee the province,” said Victoria Bughholtz, an organiser of the rally. It has also been stated that Teenagers below the age of 18 can only start Hormone Replacement Therapy with parental or psychological approval.
It seems to me that unfortunately the Trans Panic happening both here in the UK and in America is spreading to Canada. While Canada currently has a more left leaning Government, I don’t think it’s going to stay that way forever. Hoping that if we are going to be getting more news from Canada like this than it won’t last for the years that it has here and in the US.
Conclusion:
It’s been a very busy week and I really had to think about what to include this week so I highly encourage you to read the honourable mentions below (mainly the convictions in Russia). Hoping that the rolling moral panic is at least a bit more tame in Canada than in the US and here. Other than that a suspicious U-turn from Starmer, worrying stats from London and a statement about the Republican Party’s end goal through its anti-trans bills it’s been an interesting week. Wishing you all well and hoping for a nicer week ahead.
Honourable Mentions:
Monday:
Royal Court play Cowbois aims to put ‘trans joy’ centre stage
Tuesday:
How Russia Is Erasing All Traces of Its Queer People
As HIV cases rise in Arizona, transgender women must remain priority for care, CDC says
Wednesday:
