The Countess Didn't Fight For This!
Update 299
I am further deferring my Marlon Brando season! I last featured Countess Markievicz here:
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/the-countess
I thought I would continue the vein of forgotten or side lined women artists featured in my last update. It is little known that, aside from all the other things she is famous for, she was also an artist - not that I would claim that she is on a par with Artemisia Gentileschi who I featured in that last update. The work below is A View of Glendalough from 1895.
Additionally I thought I would flag up at this early stage the battles ahead this year for Irish gender critical, women’s rights and gay rights campaigners with the attack on the Irish constitution itself, the hate crime bill and the digital services bill. This is to say nothing of the ‘gender affirming care’ approach of the Irish medical establishment and the indoctrination already taking place in Irish schools. These matters are being concentrated on by the great Irish women’s rights organisation named after The Countess. Also shout out to Not All Gays and Women’s Space Ireland.
By the way next update is no 300!! I am working on which of my favourites film scenes ( which will probably have nothing to do with our campaign!) to choose for this milestone! 😎 Back to the Countess.
A Suffragette and a fervent campaigner for women’s rights, Constance Gore-Booth or Countess Markievicz as she was later known, is best remembered for her role in the Easter Rising where she was a leading member of the Irish Citizen’s Army. Although she was condemned to death in 1916 her sex resulted in the sentence being commuted to penal servitude for life and, after spending periods in Aylesbury and Holloway jails, she was released. During her confinement, Gore-Booth’s sister, Eva, supplied her with art materials which allowed her to complete a number of drawings and watercolours.
Feminist Legal Clinic
Shout out as ever to wonderful FLC and two pieces from them. The first one is about a really delightful trans rights activist!! Shocking stuff!! The second is about how the attempts to cancel JK Rowling have thankfully not had an effect on Harry Potter book sales.
UK: Former Leader in “Gender Diversity” Organization Pleads Guilty to Live-Streaming Castrations, Distributing Child Pornography ( 04 January)
A former queer activist from Norway has pleaded guilty in a London court after carrying out castrations and livestreaming the footage as pornography to a paying audience over a span of six years. Marius Gustavson, 46, uploaded recordings of the illicit surgeries to his ‘Eunuch Maker’ website, netting up to £200,000 from subscribers.
The practice of removing the testicles or amputating the penis is linked to a male body modification fetish subculture known as “nullification,” and participants identify themselves as “nullos” or “smoothies.” While advertising his Eunuch Maker site and services online, Gustavson called himself Theo and described himself as a “happy nullo.”
Gustavson was initially arrested along with six other men in February 2022. Shortly after his arrest, he told the Independent in an interview that he had undergone an amateur orchiectomy himself and carried the operation out on 58 other men. He stated that he had his own genitals surgically removed because he wanted to “look like a Ken doll with nothing down there.”
At the time of his arrest Gustavson had told the press that he executed the procedures using a Burdizzo, an instrument for removing the testicles of livestock. He admitted that he kept the amputated appendages in his freezer and preserved them in alcohol in his basement apartment.
A registration form on the site listed possible “gender identities” based on sadomasochistic criteria. Among them were eunuch, nullo (nullification), and cutter, a euphemism for a person who performs male genital modification surgeries.
Promotions on his primary platform direct visitors to another URL owned by Gustavson, Eunuchmaker.info. Archived versions of the page redirect to yet another online community, the-em.com, which is cited in criminal charges filed October 21 2020, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma against two men who participated in fetishistic genital surgeries.
Bobby Lee Allen and his partner Thomas Evan Gates were charged with conspiracy to commit an unlicensed surgery, maiming, and failure to bury a dead human member, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The two men, self-described ‘cannibals’, removed the testicles of a 28-year-old Virginia resident as part of an illegally conducted gender reassignment surgery. Afterwards, according to court records, Allen laughed and told the victim he intended to consume his amputated members.
In another grisly case involving Gustavson’s forum, an elderly Florida man was sentenced to three years in prison following a bloody botched home castration he performed and recorded on camera, apparently intending to broadcast the footage through the Eunuch Maker site. Gary Van Ryswyk, 76, performed the genital surgery in August 2019 on a male victim, then aged 53.
As previously revealed by Reduxx, Gustavson was in a leadership position at a Norwegian trans activist lobbying group prior to relocating to England to carry out his clandestine genital mutilation surgeries. From 2001 through 2007, Gustavson was Chairman of the Board for the Busker Ud Chapter of The Norwegian Organization for Sexual and Gender Diversity, now known as FRI (foreningen for kjønns- og seksualitetsmangfold). During this time, FRI, Norway’s oldest and largest LGBT organization, went by the name ‘The National Association for Lesbian and Gay Liberation,’ or LLH.
In 2018, The Norwegian Organization for Sexual and Gender Diversity (FRI) successfully lobbied the World Health Organization to officially depathologize fetishism, sadomasochism, and fetishistic transvestitism by removing them from the 11th revision of the International Classifications of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11).
J.K. Rowling DEFIES cancel culture as Pottermore sees a SURGE in profits after author controversy (04 January)
J.K. Rowling has defied cancel culture after Pottermore saw a surge in pre-tax profits for the fiscal year 2023.
The author, who soared to fame with her Harry Potter series was ‘cancelled’ in 2020 after she voiced her stance on protecting sex-based rights for women.
The iconic author published an essay online in which she claimed – as a domestic violence survivor – that she felt allowing trans people to use single-sex bathrooms and changing rooms could be “offering cover to predators”.
Her stance has caused fans and stars of the wizarding world like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Eddie Redmayne to speak out against the author.
This sparked a furious backlash from her follower who said that she had “destroyed her legacy.”
However this has not been proven to be true as Rowling’s renowned Harry Potter series and affiliated Wizarding World titles, experienced profits soaring in 2023.
The figures rose to £9.4 million, marking a substantial increase from the previous year’s £5.7 million.
Pottermore Publishing is the global digital audiobook and eBook publisher of J.K. Rowling’s multi-million bestselling Harry Potter series and associated titles from the Wizarding World.
Source: J.K. Rowling DEFIES cancel culture as Pottermore sees a SURGE in profits after author controversy
The Woomen’s Institute
Thanks to my wife for referring me to hard work by Malcolm Clark on Twitter/X highlighting the WI inviting a certain Nettie Pollard, a paedophile apologist, to speak at a workshop!! You couldn’t make it up! Great work, Malcolm!
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742671680000946347
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742671683259953527
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742671687844495740
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742671691547816112
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742671695339561264
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742671698569371781
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742671702369411558
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742671706739876038
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742673842546315455
https://twitter.com/TwisterFilm/status/1742677393985171896
Gender Reassignment as a Protected Characteristic
In a recent video, Kellie-Jay relates meeting a trans identifying woman on reception at her doctor’s surgery.
I do think that the Gender Recognition Act ( which became academic once same sex marriage was allowed) should be repealed. Similarly the protected characteristic of ‘gender reassignment’, which creates a legal fiction, should also be removed from the Equality Act. Then, following the For Women Scotland case (see my previous discussion about this here: https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/erin-brockovich) , we would need it made clear that the Equality Act is referring to biological sex when it refers to men and women. I don't understand why the Party of Women (PoW) , once set up, can't say, since they do not believe in 'gender identity', they do not want to employ anyone or have any members who do believe in gender identity. The Maya Forstater case stated that belief in 'gender critical views' is a belief that is protected under the Equality Act ( I know we would like to phrase it in a different way but that is the way we have to phrase it under the Act) so why can't the PoW uphold that belief??
All thoughts gratefully received.
Arty Morty
A substacker called Freddie deBoer has written a defence of trans rights arising out of an analysis of a 1987 film called Mannequin:
Arty has done an excellent riposte to this:
You're facing the wrong way, Freddie (04 January)
This is an open open letter to Substack writer Freddie deBoer.
Freddie,
Although you and I have never met or spoken, we did both participate in the virtual Free Speech and the Left conference last year. So we’re only one or two degrees of separation. I’m a gay, liberal-minded Canadian/American and I work to protect and defend gender nonconforming men and women, people just like the beloved character Hollywood from the ‘80s comedy Mannequin, who you used to frame your disastrous essay about the gender debate.
(I think Mannequin is a gloriously goofy and surprisingly subversive movie which I’ve loved since I was a kid, and it’s one of only five films I’ve ever bought on DVD.)
Here's a thought experiment for you, Freddie: imagine if the entire Republican party collapsed overnight, and every single American — every single one — voted straight Democrat down every ballot from today onwards. A one-hundred percent progressive, Democratic America. You think it’d be a utopia for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals?
It wouldn’t be.
Going by the policies that are being promoted by Democrats today: gender nonconforming Americans — men like the fictional Hollywood Montrose — would immediately be far, far worse off. In fact, such an imaginary situation would be catastrophic for LGB & T people. It would be catastrophic for women & girls, too, so extreme and dangerous are the policies espoused by progressives today.
I can’t stress this enough, Freddie: this isn’t a battle about how to “be kind” to gender nonconforming people. At all.
Arty’s full piece is here:
https://artymorty.substack.com/p/youre-facing-the-wrong-way-freddie
Rosie Duffield
Great news that Rosie has been totally exonerated after the spurious allegations made against her. At least the gender critical voters in her Canterbury constituency will have someone to vote for! I don’t think most of the rest of us will be voting for Labour! Sorry, Rosie 😊
A group of Sex Matters supporters with a banner and signs are joined by MP Rosie Duffield in Parliament Square© Getty
Labour MP Rosie Duffield said she has been "completely exonerated" of allegations of antisemitism and transphobia.
The MP for Canterbury said the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) had dismissed the claims against her, adding "there was no case to answer, and nothing I had done had breached any Labour party rule".
A newspaper reported last year that Labour had launched an investigation after Ms Duffield liked a controversial post by a comedian online [ Dusty - Um! That would be Glinner!].
Following the NEC's decision, Ms Duffield said she expects to be announced as the Labour candidate for Canterbury in the general election "shortly".
In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, the MP wrote: "The Labour Party placed me under investigation last year under allegation - which I strenuously denied - of antisemitism and transphobia."
It continued: "Immediately before Christmas, I was informed that the existing allegations, which had been confirmed by the party to The Sunday Times, had been dismissed by the NEC: there was no case to answer, and nothing I had done had breached any Labour party rule.
"I was completely exonerated. That being the case I anticipate that I will be formally confirmed as the Labour candidate for Canterbury shortly."
She added: "Thank you again to everyone who has expressed support and solidarity in what has been a very difficult time. It has meant the world to me."
Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer used a speech near Bristol on Thursday to confirm that his party would fully protect single-sex spaces for women if they came into Government.
When asked whether he can "100% guarantee" this, he said: "Yes, and I've been really clear and unwavering on this."
The Daily Express has backed calls for single-sex spaces as part of its Protect Women's Rights crusade.
There is a great discussion of this at the beginning of Dennis and Clive’s latest Queens’ Speech:
https://clivesimpson.substack.com/p/queens-speech-episode-73-the-borg
THE WOO WHO
I reported on the WHO proposed ‘transgender health guidance’ here:
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/stand-by-your-man
There is also an excellent discussion of this subject on The Queens’ Speech ( see above).
Here is the great submission from Transgender Trend ( thanks to a wonderful reader for bringing this to my attention).
WHO guideline on the health of trans and gender diverse people – our response
WHO guideline consultation submission ( 06 January)
Transgender Trend was set up in 2015 to call for evidence-based healthcare for children with gender distress and for fact-based teaching about sex and gender in schools. Our widely respected website
https://www.transgendertrend.com/
publishes original research and analysis into the consequences of gender identity ideas as they impact healthcare and education.
Our expertise was recognised by the High Court when we were given permission to intervene in the Bell v Tavistock Judicial Review in 2020. The outcome of this case was instrumental in exposing the lack of evidence for the use of puberty blockers, and which started a worldwide rethink about using drugs to treat gender distress. Our school resources have provided teachers and parents with legally compliant guidelines to safeguard the well-being of all children, including those who are trans identified, in UK schools. We are pleased to say that the recent draft guidance from the Department for Education, in December 2023, Gender Questioning Children, now largely reflects what we have been proposing for the last five years.
WHO announced the full guideline development group for the development of a guideline on the health of trans and gender diverse people on December 18th and has allowed only three weeks for public comment. This is over the Christmas and New Year holiday period when many people will miss the opportunity to submit their views.
WHO states as the first focus point of the guidance the “provision of gender-affirming care, including hormones”, indicating an unevidenced assumption that the affirmative, medicalised approach is the correct one. No other approach or treatment is referenced.
The guideline development group is comprised of majority trans activists, affiliated to the discredited WPATH, and proponents of “gender-affirming care,” with unmanaged conflicts of interest. There is no balance with professionals who are fully independent or who are cautious about this model of care. The WHO’s own guidance for guideline development has not been followed.
The guideline development group will meet in Geneva over three days from February 19th to interpret the evidence, formulate recommendations and suggest implementation considerations.
Based on these factors the result is a foregone conclusion. The rushed and shoddy process risks loss of credibility for WHO and a guideline that is ideologically biased, based on shaky evidence and unfit for purpose. Unfavourable comparisons will inevitably be made with the rigorous Cass Review in the UK which is ongoing and fully independent. Similarly, WHO is expected to value and uphold the highest professional standards of clinical ethics, research and process. It is only on this basis that credible guidelines can be formulated.
In an area of healthcare that is relatively new and poorly evidenced, and employing a model of care that is attracting worldwide consternation and professional re-evaluation, WHO’s motives for this exercise may be called into question. As with the WPATH Standards of Care, the WHO guideline risks failing professional, public and political scrutiny, discrediting the guideline and causing reputational damage to WHO itself.
WHO needs to go back to the drawing board or public trust will be lost.
Jane Eyre
This is what happens when the Woke are in charge. They take that well known revolutionary tract, Jane Eyre, and butcher it.
Emily Bearn in The Telegraph ( A modern edition of Jane Eyre – with half the book cut out 04 January) reports:
An 1873 painting of Charlotte Brontë by Evert A Duyckinck (detail) - Alamy© Provided by The Telegraph
Given the vast amount of contemporary children’s fiction being published in Britain, it may seem surprising that authors spend so much time tampering with the classics. In the last few years, there have been “re-imaginings” of everything from The Railway Children to Peter Rabbit; Michael Morpurgo recently rewrote 10 of Shakespeare’s plays.
The latest well-known work in the firing line is Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, which has been abridged by the British writer Patrice Lawrence “to inspire and engage a new generation of middle-grade [ages eight-to-12] readers”. Lawrence adds in her introduction that she felt uncomfortable with the “more troubling aspects of [Brontë’s] story”, including its depiction of mental health, and the connections between the Rochester family and wealth derived from West Indies plantations.
The full article is here:
Mao’s America
Very interesting (second) interview by Benjamin Boyce with Xi Van Fleet, the author of Mao’s America. She relates her experiences under the totalitarian regime in China but then also relates how she has seen significant aspects of life in America becoming totalitarian since she has lived there.
Though the consequences of standing up to the regime are much more dire in China (the gulag or even execution), there are still very dire consequences of standing up to certain totalitarian systems in America ( or elsewhere in the West).
I reported very recently on a new policy at Queen’s University in Belfast:
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/the-teahouse-of-the-august-moon-part-8b7
Under this policy staff and students (and contractors!!) could be disciplined for ‘misgendering’ or using wrong pronouns (which, the university says, may amount to bullying or harassment). So a staff member who refuses to go along with this may end up being sacked and a student may end up being thrown off his or her course!
Thankfully we do here have recourse to the law and that may be what is required but to get to the law you have to have the dire consequences visited on you first!! That is a bit of a Catch 22! Alternatively, the Government could step in but that happens far too infrequently and, in some western countries, the Government itself is captured by gender ideology!
Anyway, I recommend this interview:
Endpiece
I started this update with an Irish theme so I will end it likewise. As regular readers will know, I am an Irish Rugby fan. OK, this is a bit in advance of the Six Nations but here is a street performance actually in Athenry of our rugby anthem, The Fields of Athenry.
A question that's frequently asked is: What the fuck does it take for people to react to the gender bullshit and everything associated with it? Not in some half arsed way that's going to make no impact, with with real anger and determination. Using words like 'no' 'fuck you' 'I'm not doing it', etc. Including those people who have shown support for misogynistic trans related bollocks, or even been 'allies'. When is a boundary crossed that they can't sugar coat and explain back to themselves as being okay? So much of this isn't okay, it's damaging, abusive and it puts people, particularly women and young people, in danger. Anyone who can afford to take a risk should do it; some can't and they shouldn't be expected to. But they can make other aware of what is happening, however. This isn't going to stop on its own, a stage isn't going to be reached when the organisations and people driving this are going to think they've bullied people enough.
Sorry Dusty, I’m being thick again. Is KJK saying that she is not allowed to discriminate against candidates on the basis of a belief in gender identity as opposed to a person with gender reassignment? If so, that makes a mockery of democracy. What it would mean is that no Party could be set up to campaign for a belief in biological reality without including people who actively oppose the Party’s core reason for existence. It’s like saying that the Brexit Party had to include Remainers as candidates. That said, a person with gender reassignment, who did not believe in GI could probably qualify ( Debbie Hatton possibly) but that would confuse the general public so much as to be counter productive. The laws need to be completely reworked and there’s no way that will happen under Labour.
Beautiful watercolour.
The WI 😳