The Cuckoo Clock

Update 198

The current ban by NHS England on the routine prescription of puberty blockers while the consultation continues does raise a risk of more people resorting to the black market to get blockers and cross sex hormones ( not that this is an argument against the ban, of course). However, this brings to mind ( and I have mentioned it before) the incredible 1949 film The Third Man.

Holly Martins ( played by Joseph Cotten), an American author, arrives in post–World War 2 Vienna seeking his childhood friend, Harry Lime (played by Orson Welles), who has offered him a job. Martins is told that Lime was killed by a car while crossing the street. Lime's girlfriend is an actress called Anna Schmidt ( played by Alida Valli).

As Martins and Anna query Lime's death, they realise that accounts differ as to whether two or three men carried away the body. It turns out that Lime was stealing penicillin from military hospitals, diluting it, then selling it on the black market, injuring or killing countless infants. And saying more would be to give too much away for those who haven’t watched this film…

“In Switzerland they had brotherly love, 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”

With apologies to the Swiss 😇

OK, ok, you want the famous theme tune!! Get your zithers out!!

The Teenage Autistic Girl

In case you have been hiding out on a mountain top, West Yorkshire Police has received a complaint after a mother said her autistic teenage daughter was arrested for saying a female officer "looked like her lesbian nana".

A video uploaded to TikTok by her mother showed the girl, 16, being detained by seven officers outside her home in Leeds in the early hours of Monday, August 7. The force said the teenager was taken back to the house at about 1am after a family member reported that she was intoxicated and "putting herself at risk in Leeds city centre".

See Kellie-Jay’s take on the matter in my last update and now here is Harry Miller of Fair Cop who describes the seven officers as a ‘criminal gang’ and makes the simple point that you cannot commit a public order offence (which is what she was ostensibly arrested for) within a private dwelling. I hope the young lady takes the Police to the cleaners!

Madness in Mexico

Are you incapable of being shocked by now? I reckon this will shock you!

Rodrigo Iván Cortés

ADF International ( BREAKING: On final appeal, Court finds Mexican civil society leader guilty of “gender-based political violence” for tweets 10 August) report:

Civil society leader and former Mexican Congressman, Rodrigo Iván Cortés, has been convicted of “gender-based political violence,” including digital violence, for social media posts on Twitter and Facebook referring to transgender-identifying Mexican Congressional representative, Salma Luévano, as a “man who self-ascribes as a woman”. [Dusty - FFS! This is thought to be one of the first cases in the world (!!) when these kind of ridiculous so called offences have been brought against someone who is simply exercising his right to free speech - I thought Mexico was a democracy last time I looked? The misuse of the word ‘violence’ is especially galling! ]

On Wednesday 9 August, Mexico’s highest court for electoral issues, the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judicial Power, upheld the lower court’s guilty verdict, convicting Cortés of (i) gender-based political violence, (ii) digital violence, (iii) symbolic violence, (iv) psychological violence, and (v) sexual violence for his social media expression. [ Dusty - I am sure they could have invented a few more types of made up violence!?]

The Superior Chamber imposed a fine of $19,244.00 MXN, in addition to directing him to publish the court ruling and an apology drafted by the court on Twitter and Facebook daily for 30 days. Cortés also must take a course on “gender-based political violence” and register on the National Registry of Persons Sanctioned in Political Matters against Women. 

“Disagreement is not discrimination, and peaceful dissent should never be penalized as violence. It is deeply disturbing that Cortés, who exercised his right to peaceably share his views on a matter of significant current debate, has been convicted as a violent offender when it is his opponents who are perpetuating unrest within Mexico’s political institutions,” stated Kristina Hjelkrem, legal counsel for ADF International, which is providing legal support to Cortés’ defense. 

Cortés’ case parallels that of sitting Mexican Congressman Gabriel Quadri, who was similarly charged and convicted of “gender-based political violence” for Twitter posts, as a result of a complaint also filed by Salma Luévano. Quadri is pursuing justice at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and is awaiting a decision on admissibility there. 

Delay in Justice 

Cortés, head of advocacy group Frente Nacional por la Familia (FNF), was first convicted by a lower court for using masculine references on Twitter and Facebook regarding Luévano. The higher court ruling initially was expected two months ago, but was delayed due to requests for judicial recusal following publicized closed-door meetings between the judge and Luévano, demonstrating bias toward the transgender lawmaker. 

In response to his conviction, Cortés stated: “This judgment is gravely disappointing—the suppression of speech and expression points to the demolition of democracy in Mexico. I am committed to seeking justice and securing mine and every Mexican citizen’s right to freedom of speech. No laws should be used to silence or punish individuals for sharing their convictions, especially on issues of great importance. Peacefully expressing the truth of biological reality can never be a crime”. 

Series of 9 social media posts results in conviction  

…

Beginning in September 2022, the FNF expressed concern on Twitter that a bill presented by Luévano violated freedom of speech and religious freedom. The proposed bill aimed to penalize Christian teaching on sexuality as “hate speech”. It garnered significant attention when Luévano presented it in Congress wearing the vestments of a Catholic bishop. 

Luévano filed a complaint against Cortés, arguing that 9 social media posts on Twitter and Facebook violated the right to be acknowledged as a woman and a “denial of identity”. Cortés was charged with “gender-based political violence”. 

Luévano, together with transgender identifying representative María Clemente, has gained notoriety for fomenting unrest within Mexico’s Congress, including an incident where Clemente, supported by Luévano, physically wrestled with the president of the chamber to force him into relinquishing control of a congressional meeting in an attempt to expel Congressman Gabriel Quadri. Clemente also prompted international outrage by Tweeting explicit videos of Clemente’s own “sex work,” citing a right to freely share this kind of content on digital platforms. 

Luévano and Clemente are members of the MORENA party, which has promoted constitutional amendments to enshrine “sexual rights,” without age distinctions (including minors); a proposal that the FNF criticized in one of the social media posts. [Dusty - well that’s not dodgy at all is it!!]

“The real purpose of this conviction is to silence me from saying what every concerned citizen needs to hear—that these actions and proposed laws are driving forward a radical agenda in Mexico, which poses a very serious threat to the wellbeing of our society, especially our children,” Cortés stated. 

He added: “I remain committed to the peaceful expression of truth, the defense of our fundamental freedoms, and the protection of our children. Further, I reject violence on all grounds. One need only watch the videos of unrest in our Congress to see clearly that it is not me and my organization that is bringing chaos and disorder into Mexico’s political institutions”. 

“Free speech is greatly threatened in Mexico at this time, and it has hit a crisis point with courts imposing severe censorship sanctions for the peaceful expression of views as evidenced by this egregious case. Unfortunately, Cortés’ case is far from an isolated incident,” said Hjelkrem. 

“More and more, we are seeing the Mexican government violate its citizens’ fundamental and constitutional right to freedom of speech. Cortés spoke out, peacefully, in support of self-evident truth, and for that, he has been convicted as a violent offender and subjected to onerous punishments. Censorship is not compatible with a free society,” Hjelkrem added. 

The fight for free speech in Mexico continues 

With this judgment, Cortés has exhausted all options for legal remedy in Mexico. He plans to take his case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with the support of ADF International.  

Best of luck to Rodrigo Cortés.

Yet Another Travesty Of Justice

After punching a 71 year old supporter of Kellie-Jay at the Auckland Let Women Speak rally and cracking her eye socket, the assailant has been given ‘name suppression’ (i.e. anonymity) and ‘restorative justice’ ( the equivalent of ‘community service’) after pleading guilty. FFS!!!!

https://twitter.com/NZFreeSpeech/status/1689754181425356802

https://twitter.com/SimonRAnderson1/status/1689411680810500096

New Zealand Women’s Rights Party

Jeeezzzz, after all that we need some good news! This exciting new party have been set up in New Zealand.

Check out their excellent website here:

https://womensrightsparty.nz/

Conversion Therapy

Wonderful Feminist Legal Clinic report on the situation in New South Wales - their editor supplies the comments so I don’t have to worry with that 😎

NSW gay conversion therapy ban to extend to gender identity, transgender suppression ( 11 August)

The NSW government’s plans to ban gay conversion therapy will be expanded to include making it illegal to change or suppress a person identifying as trans or gender diverse.

Attorney-General Michael Daley has confirmed the government is pushing ahead with its own new laws, rather than backing independent MP Alex Greenwich’s bill later this month.

Before winning the state election, Premier Chris Minns promised to outlaw gay conversion practices, without explicitly extending his commitment to the trans community.

A leaked discussion paper, however, shows that the government wants to make illegal any activities attempting to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and this would be elevated to a crime if these practices were likely to cause harm. It also proposed to criminalise taking someone out of the state to participate in conversion practices.

Relationships of LGBTQ people with parents, friends, work colleagues, schools, health professionals and religious groups will all be covered by the proposed laws.

Daley said the form of the prohibition needed to be carefully considered, and the government’s intention was to “strike a careful balance between prohibiting harmful practices and ensuring freedom of religious belief”.

[Ed: what about beliefs based on science?!!]

A government working group has begun closed consultations with key stakeholders including national LGBTQ group Equality Australia, LGBTQ health organisation ACON, and the Catholic Church that will close at the end of this month. [Ed: Feminist groups are not being consulted needless to say].[ Dusty - I will step in here to say that ACON are like the Stonewall equivalent in Australia]

A coalition of women’s groups that argue for rights based on biological sex rather than gender identity has rallied to fight the proposed changes, setting up a website and crowdfunding a billboard in Belmore in south-west Sydney that says: “Sex self ID gives men & boys the key to women & girls’ changing rooms & sports teams. Contact your NSW MP now. Say no to sex self ID!”

Kit Kowalski, co-founder of one of the groups, Women’s Rights Network Australia, said she believed the reason for the targeted consultation was “to limit debate because there was broad social consensus that gay conversion therapy was bad, but gender identity was more contentious”.

Source: NSW gay conversion therapy ban to extend to gender identity, transgender suppression

And finally…

Following on from the release of their songs ‘Let Women Speak’ and ‘She’s a Boy’ , Whistle the Band have now released the whole of their six song album. All songs are gender critical/ pro-women . Excellent stuff:

https://whistle.bandzoogle.com/

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