Gender and PMQs

PMQ's was interesting.  As many would have guessed, the judgement of the Supreme Court stating that the Equality Act definition excludes transgender women was brought up. I thought that Starmer dealt with it quite well when he called for the debate to be calmer, this link being from Bluesky, this link from Twitter.

There have been lots of different views on this, some of it good some of it not so.  As posted before, I disagree with the interpretation that means that people have to use bathrooms based on biological sex, but it appears that having that view is wrong.

I often disagree with Novara media, and while I do not agree fully with their video, I think that this is quite good.  Notably the issue where trying to discuss matters about inclusion and addressing concerns about prisons and sports was and is viewed by some as being transphobic.  The Rest is Politics have brought up the issue of Trans-Men and the issues they face.  In addition to which they have also discussed how toxic the debate has become.  I would love parliament to debate this so that we can have more guidance on where people who do not conform to their chromosomal make up do when it comes to single sexed spaces.  But I suspect that the reasons that Labour are not keen on this is because of how some vested interest groups would act. 

It will be interesting to see how this progresses.  I do hope that debate about the concerns of this will be civil.  There are many examples of where it can be so.

Brexit is failing the UK

Those who have read my blog may be aware about my views on the insanity that is Brexit.  We have seen how many Eurosceptic parties in EU nations have no longer advocated leaving the EU, or are a lot quieter about it, since they have seen how Brexit has harmed the UK.  The reason for this post is that I was watching this video and thought that it needed to be shared.  That and we need a reminder about Farage told about how we could have a deal like Norway or Switzerland as he is now telling lies that he never said such a thing.

Maybe we should all wear nappies

This was a solution mentioned in jest by my manager at work when I was discussing the recent court case on gender and the interview on Radio Four by Bridget Phillipson. I am viewed by many as being transphobic and I think that the law needs clarity on issues such as the use of toilets and communal changing areas by Transgender people. 

As I have stated before, I am of the view that segregation in toilets, when it happens, should be based on genitalia, but this being a don’t ask, don’t tell rule. Communal changing rooms and showers should also be segregated by genitalia, but for obvious reasons a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell would not apply here. Bridget Phillipson stated that it should be on biological sex, and to be fair, the recent interpretation of the law seems to back her with this.  I do understand the concerns of women, I know of one who speaks out on this after being sexually assaulted in a female toilet by someone with a willy, and in my job, I have spent time treating someone who was a repeat offender with a willy, who identified as female.

But, we do need a fairer system for transgender individuals, notably ones who have completed the surgical transition. It is sad that debate on this is shutdown by many people (on both sides) deciding that the rules on this complex issue are binary. 

The Family Plan

The Guardian and I agree with this film. Forgettable.  My wife and I watched it on Apple TV and while we have watched worse films, there are better ones out there.  Do I regret watching this? No. Would I watch it again? No. Even if channel hopping, this is a film I would move on from.

When it comes to directing and plot, they are fine for an action film. The plot could be better, but this film does not aim to be a blockbuster. It is an easy film to watch, it is enjoyable, it has some laughs, but it is nothing memorable.

Can a woman have a willy?

To start off this post, in my opinion, no.  

There are many gender identities, but my view is that a woman cannot have a penis, however a trans-woman can. As I have posted before, I do not think that it is right, or polite, to misgender someone. Many will consider me rude and wrong for refusing consider India Willoughby to be a woman, but I do consider her to be a transgender woman, not as JK Rowling as tweeted, a man.  I have tried to debate this, but sadly ended up blocked (repeatedly). My views on this have evolved with time and I will summarise them.

Just because you identify as something does not mean you are it. Rachel Dolezal identified as being black, despite having two white parents.  Very few people accept the way she identifies herself as correct. 

Other than in schools, the use of toilets by someone who identifies as a different gender is fine. The only time I have seen genitalia in toilets was using the urinals as a child (as an adult, we do not look). However, if women are exposed to male genitalia in that situation, the perpetrator should face the full weight of the law.

It should be up to each sport to decided if transgender competitors can compete based on the gender they identify with. 

Communal changing areas should be subject to segregation based on genitalia.  I have seen to shops where changing areas are unisex and there was an attendant to ensure no theft took place who also would have been a witness if anything untoward happened.

No sex offender with a penis should be in a female jail.

A child who wishes to socially transition at school without informing their parents should be allowed to do so, but just as this applies to a teenager seeking an abortion, that child should be encouraged to involve their parents. But, that child should still use facilities based on biological sex. 

I thought The Newsagents covered this really well.  Not everyone does. But as has been stated before, I am transphobic for having my views. But if anyone is happy to debate this, I am happy to do so on BlueSky. 

We did the double against Real Madrid!

I knew we could beat them, but I also knew this tie could still turn against us. The advantage we had in this tie was the desire of our opponents to play football against us. As under Arsene when we beat them before, few teams can play football against us and if they play a tactical game, it is harder for us to win.

I watched the highlights not knowing the score and took a while to calm down afterwards. While we have beaten PSG before, they will be hard opponents, but I consider us to be the favourites for that game. 

An open day

Today was busy. I went to work to try to catch up on paperwork before taking my son to his open day at The University of Essex. He doubts that he will go here, but it gave him the opportunity to find out about courses.

We met one of his friends for part of it and got to tour the campus. He has been using the library for revision, much like his sister did, but has started to come here at an earlier stage in his A-levels.  I have brought the dog here on several occasions for her walk and my wife studied here for her Masters.

Still it was a nice day. I am not sure how useful it was for him, but it was better to go rather than not. What was noticeable was how well it was organised. The only open day I attended with my daughter was in Bristol and that included a terrible presentation. This was much better, all those presenting to the audience being enthused and being great adverts for the university. It is easy to see why it is a popular place to come when it is sold so well. 

Anyway, I need to keep my fingers crossed for the game tonight.