Selina Todd deserves a mention. She has effectively suffered the same as DocStock but her profile isn't quite as high. And where is Julie Bindel? Both above have also explicitly focus on class issues, which are often ignored in this gender war... In fact its largely an elitist movement imposing revolution from above on the deplorabes they resent so much (ie us the majority).
Proudly written from the TERF Capital of Australia, Melbourne. U+1F998 (that was meant to be an emoji kangaroo but didn't come out for some reason)
Unfortunately, most people who will vote for Biden are either blind to the transgender ideology or actually support it , because they think they’re being “ kind”. Thus, unfortunately, this issue is not at the top of their concerns as the issue of abortion is. A small number of ( former) Democrats will not vote for Biden on the trans issue and the IsraelGaza war. But will they vote for Trump or just stay home?
Thanks to Joe Biden, as of this August 1, when my seventeen year old granddaughter returns to school she will be forced (if she desires to use the gym or pool) to shower with men. How can anyone vote for this guy again?
Maybe the way this rolls out during the first few months of the fall semester will wake up Democrats, but who will even cover the school board meetings? Libs of TikTok? Even if voters get the memo, who are they supposed to vote for? I predict record low turnout in November.
Oh, good catch! Which reminds me of the heroic Michael Biggs, who pulled back the curtain on the Tavistock’s records before Hannah Barnes arrived. Seriously, how did they get all the heroes??? Okay, not all; we still have Julia Mason, Miriam Grossman, Kara Dansky and Zhenya. But way more than their share!
We must include Sue and Marcus Evans - for calling out GIDS, helping Keira Bell, and writing a book to help those with gender dysphoria - without chopping up their bodies!!
Yes, and I think Graham Linehan and Helen Joyce too? But isn't it kind of like California vs. Oregon? I'm kidding. But, I do think there are common personality traits that I see and admire in English, Irish and Scottish women which transcend borders; among them, courage of their convictions, a certain assertive confidence, and above all, a strong sense of humor. Probably applies to the men too, but the women are front and center in this conversation. We could use some of that secret sauce in the US.
You must must must include Kellie-Jay Keen of Let Women Speak. She holds LWS open air meetings all around the UK to give women a platform to speak.... has ventured to the US doing same and several other countries, mine included - New Zealand, the terfest place in the Southern Hemisphere, where she was mobbed by a huge crowd of trans activists and allies. Kellie-Jay has been snubbed by some British feminist groups..... not sure why. Perhaps because she doesn't call herself a feminist and is a Marilyn Monroe look-alike, and is a very strong personality. But wow! Is she a force for women's rights and children's safeguarding in this fight. She has now got the political Party of Women underway to fight in the local and national elections.
Thanks, Sheryl -- I have been schooled by a few readers about that glaring omission and can only say mea culpa! I knew I'd miss at least one VIP, but will certainly put her on the list. I'm a big fan too.
Kellie-Jay Keen should be at the top of the list. There was JFK, RFK and MLK before I was born, and now in my lifetime, I have the pleasure of seeing someone truly great, KJK. She is the greatest of all those mentioned because she has been involved in this since circa 2015, and she is the greatest because she is not an academic, a journalist or a famous author.
She is instead that funny thing called a leader, the person who shoulders her way from the back of the back to the front to lead the troops forward. She was not appointed, and she was not elected. No one sought her out to lead. She leads because she is a natural born leader. She leads because she is confident in her knowledge, beliefs and skills. Thus, with her confidence, she can lead the way, and others can get behind her.
The other women are great, too, do not get me wrong, and I have only respect and admiration for all of them and all they are doing, but they are not the chief commander but the leaders under the chief commander. Here my lack of military knowledge fails me.
But in short, she is Moses, Caesar and Napoleon, and this culture war is indeed a war that women may not win. We may have already lost too much ground. I hope not. I want to believe we can gain back the ground we have lost.
KJK says she will not accept any compromises. She wants to repeal the Gender Recognition Act and the Equalities Act and rid the law of gender identity. In short, she’s coming for the Gender Recognition Certificates that make men “legally female.”
When their gender certificates are repealed, India Willoughby and his like will be legally what they are in reality: men who wish they were the opposite sex.
In the United States, you and a bunch of Substack writers and YouTubers have stepped forward and stuck your necks out to lead the way, and I thank you for all your efforts. I really do believe KJK is a once-in-a-lifetime leader.
You have just pointed out one of the few good things to have come out of this terfwar. The fact that citizen activists and citizen journalists have sprung up everywhere to fight this is great. They could only do this with open media such as Substack - there is also Quillette & Medium but the latter was "assimilated" by the gender movement. Looks like we just pipped the censor since in Australia the "eSafety" commission is now flexing its muscles.
I'm a HUGE Douglas Murray fan. I devoured Strange Death of Europe and War on the West, even though they're not about gender (lol). Madness of Crowds may have been the first book I ever read that exposed GI for the naked abomination it is; but I think of DM in a broader public-intellectual context and I think I want full-on gender obsessives for my fantasy team -- you know, one-trick ponies like me. Thoughts?
Please don't forget the late, great Magdeline Berns! Her Youtube videos were some of the first things I watched. Other early TERF Island TERFs who helped peak me: Jane Clare Jones and Julie Bindel. Jo Phoenix is another important one. I know there are more.
TERF Island was all I had for information when I was first learning in 2019. The only organization that existed I could find in the US was WoLF. There was practically no conversation in the US—at all. (Notable US exceptions: MK Fain and Sasha White’s Youtube conversations for teens and young women on “Identity Crisis,” still worth checking out, and of course Abigail Shrier's Irreversible Damage). But nothing at all in the press, from the left or right. I watched “The Mess We’re In” religiously and followed all these amazing TERFs. I am grateful to all of them.
Magdalen Berns was a magnificent profile in courage; thanks for keeping her memory alive. Yes to Julie B, and I’ve heard of JC Jones but need to read her stuff. Great suggestions! Also, about the info desert circa 2019 and before: 100%!!
I nominate Joanna Cherry of Scotland for honorable mention (since she isn’t from England). Her speech before the House of Commons in 2022 is pure inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tfqI4aFLaM
A UK Conservative government minister, Sajid Javid, [1] commissioned the Cass Review.
In the UK, the gender identity ideology argument is primarily between feminists, as feminists are also the biggest supporters of gender identity ideology:
Lambrini girls: "Happy International Women’s Day everybody! As Allies, we need to show solidarity for our trans friends today. IWD is for all women. No excuse for pricks like JK Rowling to hijack it with hate. If your *Feminism* is diminishing Women, then you are a misogynist. Trans rights always"
Laurie Penny: "I consider 'woman' to be a made-up category, an intangible constantly changing idea with as many different definitions as there are cultures on Earth".
Rosel Jackson Stern: "Cutting access to puberty blockers undermines young trans people’s autonomy"
Nim Ralph: "Throughout history, cis, white, middle-class women have utilised their racial and class privilege to become the self-appointed gatekeepers of the feminist movement. We can see sex-based rights feminists carrying this legacy alongside the rest of the radical feminist ideology into today’s exclusion of trans folks from women’s and feminist spaces."
Sisters Uncut: "If you are a young trans person, please know we love you and see you and are grateful for your presence in this world. If you need support please reach out to @Mermaids_Gender or @Genderintel"
Emma Watson: "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are"
Great read, Jenny, thanks from a Terf island resident! Stella (who totally deserves her place in your list) is Irish though….. as in Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland. Terf islands?
Selina Todd deserves a mention. She has effectively suffered the same as DocStock but her profile isn't quite as high. And where is Julie Bindel? Both above have also explicitly focus on class issues, which are often ignored in this gender war... In fact its largely an elitist movement imposing revolution from above on the deplorabes they resent so much (ie us the majority).
Proudly written from the TERF Capital of Australia, Melbourne. U+1F998 (that was meant to be an emoji kangaroo but didn't come out for some reason)
Michael Shellenberger who eviscerated the WPATH ‘professionals’.
I’m a fan of MS, but he lacks the accent, and the proper passport. 🥲
Really enjoyed this article but why on earth no mention of Kellie-Jay Keen aka Posie Parker as the founder of #StandingForWomen and #LetWomenSpeak?
1000 percent right, Liz! And thank you.
Unfortunately, most people who will vote for Biden are either blind to the transgender ideology or actually support it , because they think they’re being “ kind”. Thus, unfortunately, this issue is not at the top of their concerns as the issue of abortion is. A small number of ( former) Democrats will not vote for Biden on the trans issue and the IsraelGaza war. But will they vote for Trump or just stay home?
Good question. I can’t stomach Trump, but I also don’t want to support the democrats who mangled Title IX. Not sure what to do.
Thanks to Joe Biden, as of this August 1, when my seventeen year old granddaughter returns to school she will be forced (if she desires to use the gym or pool) to shower with men. How can anyone vote for this guy again?
I agree! Parents will be directly affected by this! And parents of girls will probably turn away from Biden.
Maybe the way this rolls out during the first few months of the fall semester will wake up Democrats, but who will even cover the school board meetings? Libs of TikTok? Even if voters get the memo, who are they supposed to vote for? I predict record low turnout in November.
I think you’re right on that!
Oh, good catch! Which reminds me of the heroic Michael Biggs, who pulled back the curtain on the Tavistock’s records before Hannah Barnes arrived. Seriously, how did they get all the heroes??? Okay, not all; we still have Julia Mason, Miriam Grossman, Kara Dansky and Zhenya. But way more than their share!
We must include Sue and Marcus Evans - for calling out GIDS, helping Keira Bell, and writing a book to help those with gender dysphoria - without chopping up their bodies!!
Great, loved it, fully agree. Here in Australia the media situation is just as bad as in the U.S.
Just one thing: the legendary Stella O'Malley is Irish.
Yes, and I think Graham Linehan and Helen Joyce too? But isn't it kind of like California vs. Oregon? I'm kidding. But, I do think there are common personality traits that I see and admire in English, Irish and Scottish women which transcend borders; among them, courage of their convictions, a certain assertive confidence, and above all, a strong sense of humor. Probably applies to the men too, but the women are front and center in this conversation. We could use some of that secret sauce in the US.
You must must must include Kellie-Jay Keen of Let Women Speak. She holds LWS open air meetings all around the UK to give women a platform to speak.... has ventured to the US doing same and several other countries, mine included - New Zealand, the terfest place in the Southern Hemisphere, where she was mobbed by a huge crowd of trans activists and allies. Kellie-Jay has been snubbed by some British feminist groups..... not sure why. Perhaps because she doesn't call herself a feminist and is a Marilyn Monroe look-alike, and is a very strong personality. But wow! Is she a force for women's rights and children's safeguarding in this fight. She has now got the political Party of Women underway to fight in the local and national elections.
Thanks, Sheryl -- I have been schooled by a few readers about that glaring omission and can only say mea culpa! I knew I'd miss at least one VIP, but will certainly put her on the list. I'm a big fan too.
Oh that's great. Thanks Jenny
The above should read, not "the terfest place", but "the wokest place"
Kellie-Jay Keen should be at the top of the list. There was JFK, RFK and MLK before I was born, and now in my lifetime, I have the pleasure of seeing someone truly great, KJK. She is the greatest of all those mentioned because she has been involved in this since circa 2015, and she is the greatest because she is not an academic, a journalist or a famous author.
She is instead that funny thing called a leader, the person who shoulders her way from the back of the back to the front to lead the troops forward. She was not appointed, and she was not elected. No one sought her out to lead. She leads because she is a natural born leader. She leads because she is confident in her knowledge, beliefs and skills. Thus, with her confidence, she can lead the way, and others can get behind her.
The other women are great, too, do not get me wrong, and I have only respect and admiration for all of them and all they are doing, but they are not the chief commander but the leaders under the chief commander. Here my lack of military knowledge fails me.
But in short, she is Moses, Caesar and Napoleon, and this culture war is indeed a war that women may not win. We may have already lost too much ground. I hope not. I want to believe we can gain back the ground we have lost.
KJK says she will not accept any compromises. She wants to repeal the Gender Recognition Act and the Equalities Act and rid the law of gender identity. In short, she’s coming for the Gender Recognition Certificates that make men “legally female.”
When their gender certificates are repealed, India Willoughby and his like will be legally what they are in reality: men who wish they were the opposite sex.
Thanks for that ringing endorsement of KJK! I’m embarrassed to have neglected her; my bad.
In the United States, you and a bunch of Substack writers and YouTubers have stepped forward and stuck your necks out to lead the way, and I thank you for all your efforts. I really do believe KJK is a once-in-a-lifetime leader.
You have just pointed out one of the few good things to have come out of this terfwar. The fact that citizen activists and citizen journalists have sprung up everywhere to fight this is great. They could only do this with open media such as Substack - there is also Quillette & Medium but the latter was "assimilated" by the gender movement. Looks like we just pipped the censor since in Australia the "eSafety" commission is now flexing its muscles.
Suggested additions: Julie Bindel, Malcolm Richard Clark, Andrew Doyle, Dennis Kavanaugh
Yes yes yes and yes!
Douglas Murray!
I'm a HUGE Douglas Murray fan. I devoured Strange Death of Europe and War on the West, even though they're not about gender (lol). Madness of Crowds may have been the first book I ever read that exposed GI for the naked abomination it is; but I think of DM in a broader public-intellectual context and I think I want full-on gender obsessives for my fantasy team -- you know, one-trick ponies like me. Thoughts?
Of course. So nix Francis and konstantin too lol.
Please don't forget the late, great Magdeline Berns! Her Youtube videos were some of the first things I watched. Other early TERF Island TERFs who helped peak me: Jane Clare Jones and Julie Bindel. Jo Phoenix is another important one. I know there are more.
TERF Island was all I had for information when I was first learning in 2019. The only organization that existed I could find in the US was WoLF. There was practically no conversation in the US—at all. (Notable US exceptions: MK Fain and Sasha White’s Youtube conversations for teens and young women on “Identity Crisis,” still worth checking out, and of course Abigail Shrier's Irreversible Damage). But nothing at all in the press, from the left or right. I watched “The Mess We’re In” religiously and followed all these amazing TERFs. I am grateful to all of them.
Magdalen Berns was a magnificent profile in courage; thanks for keeping her memory alive. Yes to Julie B, and I’ve heard of JC Jones but need to read her stuff. Great suggestions! Also, about the info desert circa 2019 and before: 100%!!
I nominate Milli Hill who writes, The Word is Woman, here on Substack and also Kellie-Jay Keen of Let Women Speak.
Can’t believe I forgot Kellie J, thanks! And yes, absolutely Milli Hill.
I nominate Joanna Cherry of Scotland for honorable mention (since she isn’t from England). Her speech before the House of Commons in 2022 is pure inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tfqI4aFLaM
I just watched it, thanks! I might quote her quoting Susan B Anthony. 💪🏻
A UK Conservative government minister, Sajid Javid, [1] commissioned the Cass Review.
In the UK, the gender identity ideology argument is primarily between feminists, as feminists are also the biggest supporters of gender identity ideology:
Lambrini girls: "Happy International Women’s Day everybody! As Allies, we need to show solidarity for our trans friends today. IWD is for all women. No excuse for pricks like JK Rowling to hijack it with hate. If your *Feminism* is diminishing Women, then you are a misogynist. Trans rights always"
Laurie Penny: "I consider 'woman' to be a made-up category, an intangible constantly changing idea with as many different definitions as there are cultures on Earth".
Rosel Jackson Stern: "Cutting access to puberty blockers undermines young trans people’s autonomy"
Nim Ralph: "Throughout history, cis, white, middle-class women have utilised their racial and class privilege to become the self-appointed gatekeepers of the feminist movement. We can see sex-based rights feminists carrying this legacy alongside the rest of the radical feminist ideology into today’s exclusion of trans folks from women’s and feminist spaces."
Sisters Uncut: "If you are a young trans person, please know we love you and see you and are grateful for your presence in this world. If you need support please reach out to @Mermaids_Gender or @Genderintel"
Emma Watson: "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are"
[1] https://www.sajidjavid.com/news/sajid-javid-nhs-let-gender-ideology-replace-childrens-best-interest
Nothing like using the excuse of”“trans” as”victims “ to take over women’s spaces, women’s sports , and other women’s rights...
How can one” love the young trans person”??? How about young girls? Are they less worthy of love?
It’s a men’s world after all! Women who support this are part of those pushing women under the bus! Shame on them!!
Criminals. We must make these people pay
Great read, Jenny, thanks from a Terf island resident! Stella (who totally deserves her place in your list) is Irish though….. as in Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland. Terf islands?
Yes! Definitely an occasion for inclusivity, imo.