The Young Lions
Update 303 Cultural Revolution Special
Aieeee!! This is a really long one, dear readers!
We are understandably concentrating in our campaign on getting the information out to those in the general public who know little or nothing about the gender madness. Yet we might also hope to occasionally change the minds of some of the trans rights foot soldiers - such as the ‘handmaids’, the young women who often appear alongside the anti-women activists at Let Women Speak events. The wonderful K. Yang, known as The Deprogrammer, in America fights on our side of the argument but was originally fighting for the gender ideologues ( see her website: https://www.thedeprogrammer.com/ ).
However, there are some I think we will never forgive. Such as Christian Diestl perhaps?
Onwards with my mini Brando season 😎
In the 1958 film, The Young Lions, Christian Diestl ( played by Marlon Brando) joins the German army at the start of the Second World War. It is only at the bitter end that he realises the evils of Nazism. In the scene below, Parley Baer is Sergeant Brandt, Liliane Montevecchi is Francoise ( the one who challenges Diestl) and Dora Doll is Simone.
Armando Iannucci
Maybe we won’t forgive cowards such as Mr Iannucci? Here is an open letter to him from Graham Linehan:
The Irish Constitution - Some Good News!
John McGuirk on Gript(THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MCDOWELL’S “NO” VOTES 11 January) writes:
Regular readers might be aware that in a previous life, your correspondent was involved at a senior level in helping to shape several Irish referendum campaigns – both Lisbon referenda and the abortion referendum of 2018. You might therefore forgive me a moment of relief that those days are in the past, and that for the upcoming referenda on women in the home and the definition of family, yours truly will play the role of interested observer, and nothing more.
That previous experience, however, has given me some insights which lead me to believe that yesterday’s intervention from Senator Michael McDowell, in which he came out in support of a “no” vote on both ballots, might well prove decisive in the outcome of the two votes due on March 8th.
The nature of Irish referendums is that they are rarely divisive at the political level. By that I mean that in almost every referendum since the turn of the millennium, it is customary for the major parties in the Oireachtas to line up on the same side. Years ago, in the Lisbon referendum of 2008, in which the Government was defeated, I recall watching a focus group where a man said something to the effect of “if all the big parties are for it, you can’t really go wrong voting yes”.
In most political debates, partisanship plays a big role: If you are a Sinn Fein voter, and Sinn Fein signals that it is supporting a particular referendum, then you are measurably less likely to vote no than you would if Sinn Fein were opposed to the referendum. Partisan support is a measure of trust, if nothing else, and therefore plays a big role. That is why when the Irish political class loses a referendum, it tends to lose narrowly. Once they are all lined up on the same side, partisanship and inertia are hard to overcome.
It also creates a problem for the “No” campaign, regardless of what the referendum is. Politicians dominate the political discussion in the country, and this makes them household names. While any “no” campaign might have impressive individuals, it is very hard to win a debate where Mary Lou McDonald and Micheal Martin are sat on one side, and a lawyer you’ve never heard of is paired with a newspaper columnist on the other side.
That’s all aside, though, from the single biggest problem that almost every “No” campaign faces: Respectability.
Put simply, voting “No” in most cases requires you to side against most of the political parties, The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, a panopoly of respectable NGOs [ Dusty - not sure that the National Willy …sorry Women’s Council are respectable, John!], most of the trades unions, most of the employers organisations, and usually a range of non-political celebrities who have been assiduously recruited to promote the cause. The argument to authority is the most constant theme of Irish referendum campaigns: Try speaking up in a room of people to air your reasons why you’re voting “no”, and chances are someone will say something along the lines of “well Daniel O’Donnell is voting yes”. These campaigns often come down to who you side with, more than what you side with.
That is why Michael McDowell’s “no” vote is so significant: Because referenda are essentially campaigns about whether people have permission to vote no, in their own minds. Are they siding with respectable, reasonable people, or are they siding with somebody they’ve never heard of, from an organisation they’ve never heard of, who is being accused of spreading misinformation on the telly?
McDowell is a former Minister for Justice, a former Attorney General, a recognised expert on the Irish constitution, an Irish Times columnist, and a household name. His opposition is not significant because of what he says, but because of what he permits other people to say – “well, I read what Michael McDowell wrote, and I think he’s right”. Nobody sounds like a fool, or a conspiracy theorist, or a crank, or, worst of all, a fringe catholic extremist, saying that. And that matters.
In fact, McDowell has emerged in recent years as a key “get” in referendum campaigns. When he opposes the Government – as he did, most famously, on Seanad abolition – the Government of the day tends to lose these votes. When he supports the Government, as he did on marriage, abortion, and the Lisbon votes, the Government tends to triumph (even if it took two goes for Lisbon).
The other problem for the Government is, obviously, McDowell’s talent and skill as a media performer: The media are obligated during referendum campaigns to give both sides equal time, which is both a blessing and a curse for opponents. A blessing, because it forces Government and YES campaigners to address arguments raised by opponents. A curse, because from time to time a shortage of NO campaigners can mean that people who – to put it diplomatically – do not help the cause end up getting airtime as broadcasters search in desperation for opposing voices.
Now, there’s a heavyweight opposing voice who can fill TV and radio panel debates, sound reasonable, and make life difficult for the Government. The referendums – already, I think, in some trouble – just got a lot harder for the politicians to win.
Police Activism Criticised
At last some attempt to properly hold the Police to account for their shameless involvement in Woo Woo politics.
Owen Evans in The Epoch Times( Progressive Police Staff Group Activism Threatens Impartiality: Watchdog 11 January) reports:
Police staff networks driven by identity politics are compromising the ability of forces to maintain public perceptions of impartiality, a watchdog has found.
A letter to Home Secretary James Cleverly from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on Thursday, provided an initial update to the review on “woke” policing ordered by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman last year.
Last year, Ms. Braverman asked HMICFRS to examine police involvement in issues such as “gender identity” politics, critical race theory, and climate activism, and how much this may be affecting the efficiency and legitimacy of policing in England and Wales.
Part of the remit was on the role of independent advisory groups that are consulted on revisions to policy or process.
The letter from the Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said that “the forces we inspected use advisory groups, but they use them in many different ways.”
Some of these identity-based staff association groups have been criticised for being biased.
The think tank Civitas pointed out in a 2022 report that there is what it called an “infrastructure of identity politics” within the police, composed of identity-based staff associations, so-called independent advisory groups (IAGs), and “LGBT liaison officers.”
It found that such groups tend to be made up of “identitarian activists” who can lobby the police for their own interests, most notably “talking up ‘hate crime' as a police priority, despite the evidence showing most recorded hate crimes to be non-violent.”
The letter did not name any specific groups but said there “is no consistency in what forces call these groups or how they recruit members.”
Wonderful Harry Miller is quoted later in the article:
Harry Miller, a former police officer who is now part of the organisation Fair Cop that campaigns against “ideological policing,” told The Epoch Times that he challenged the LGBT Police Network, which now no longer posts on social media at a national level, after it wrote that “it stood for Stonewall.”
“I mean, you can’t get more political than that, can you?” he said.
Mr. Miller said that he told the LGBT Police Network spokesman: “Look, you know you are clearly in breach of your code of ethics and operating as a political lobby group. Unless you stop it, we’re going to keep coming at you.”
The full article is here:
Stop Press
After first publication of this update, I have now learned that the Police have dropped the guidance and will be reviewing it. Well done everyone involved in attacking this mad policy! I hope to have more details in the next update:
Scottish Conversion Therapy Bill
Excellent piece on this on his substack by Dennis Kavanagh of the Gay Men’s Network ( and Queens’ Speech, of course) who uses a worked example to explain how this disastrous piece of proposed legislation might work in practice. I will comment further on this at the end of the quotes I am using here.
The disaster of the Scottish Conversion Therapy offence in practice
A worked example of how a concerned mother might be harassed and criminalised by poor legislation (12 January)
On 9th January 2024 the Scottish Government opened a consultation on “banning conversion practices”, that is to say the introduction of a new criminal offence which imposes liability for practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexuality or gender identity. These bills are demanded globally by trans activists principally to control what doctors at gender clinics do and say, in short, their aim is to ensure doctors do nothing but “affirm” a child’s self-diagnosis, (irrespective of how wrong headed that might be or how much a child might come to regret such an early decision).
I will have more to say about how clinicians and trans windows would fare under this proposed legislation, but for now, I want to build on a twitter thread and examine how this proposal criminalises parents by way of one extended worked example. My background is in criminal law, so I’ll be approaching this primarily from how criminal statutes work in practice.
There then follows the worked example. Dennis concludes:
As will be obvious, it is vitally important that as many people as possible respond to the consultation on this dangerous and ill considered piece of legislation, if you have time, please consider doing so here. The intention of this legislation is one thing and one thing only, that is to place the contested concept of gender identity on the statute books and exploit the sad and painful history of real conversion practices against gay people in order to do so. As I’ve demonstrated in this piece, this legislation is highly dangerous and will be seized upon by captured bodies in order to advance the influence of this new civic religion. It is fundamentally incompatible with basic human rights and it presents a clear threat to family life. There are many, many more dangers to this legislation such as to medical practice and family life and I will follow up this piece with explanations of why that is the case. For the time being, this is a deeply serious threat to freedom of public conscience and family life in Scotland and its time to make your voice heard if you possibly can speaking out against this. You only get one chance to make sure gender identity doesn’t make its way onto the statute book and this is it.
The link to respond is in the paragraph above. It seems to me that you don’t have to live in Scotland to respond and I will be responding. The deadline for responses is midnight on 02 April 2024.
I wonder if another possible way forward, if this is brought into force, might be to seek a declaration of incompatibility under section 4 of the Human Rights Act on the basis that the legislation itself is incompatible with the HRA ( on the basis of the arguments Dennis raises in his example of a defence)? I asked Dennis about this and he says that would be a way forward 😊
Excellent piece on this from Dennis and Clive Simpson in the latest Queens’ Speech:
The full article is here:
https://dennisnoelkavanagh.substack.com/p/the-disaster-of-the-scottish-conversion
You Must Believe!
I have recently featured Xi Van Fleet ( see: https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/the-countess-didnt-fight-for-this ) who details how parts of America are caught by a kind of back door communist cultural revolution. The same applies throughout the West. Xi says that under a fascist system you have to keep your mouth shut but under Communist China you need to believe what you are being told. Think all of this is exaggeration when it comes to the West or to the United Kingdom? Thanks to a wonderful reader for bringing this to my attention. Perhaps think again? See below.
Connor Stringer in The Mail Online ( Civil Service woke madness: Pronouns aren't enough... you must THINK of trans colleagues as women now! 12 January) reports:
Civil servants have been told to 'think' of transgender colleagues as women in new staff guidance branded as ‘woke’ by critics.
The diktat by bosses at data watchdog the Information Commissioner's Office suggests that it is not enough to call employees by their chosen gender pronouns.
It says staff can show their support for trans colleagues by 'thinking of the person as being the gender that they want you to think of them as'.
The taxpayer-funded body also claims that transgender women – who are born male – go through the menopause. But MPs and campaigners have blasted the policies, saying it is the latest evidence of the public sector pandering to Left-wing gender ideology.
Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, said: 'The ICO is supposed to be responsible for protecting people's privacy.
'How can it be taken seriously in that role if it's dictating to its employees what they can and can't think?
'Talk about invasion of privacy! This is like something out of [George Orwell's novel] 1984, telling people they must not commit thought crime.'
The ICO upholds information rights and has the power to fine companies caught breaching data laws.
Tory MP Lia Nici said: 'Why do we need organisations like the ICO to produce guidance to tell people what they should be thinking? We already have protection for everyone in the workplace since the Equality Act was introduced in 2010.'
Lia Nici MP
The full article is here:
Stop Press
Thanks to another wonderful reader for this update:
Cath Leng (@leng_cath) posted at 8:56 am on Sat, Jan 13, 2024:
‘Trans women are women’
This is the UK Information Commissioner John Edwards. Please read this - written by him when he was New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner.
It’s a passionate defence of Self-ID as a ‘human right’ https://t.co/xi4eA3ZCyH
(https://x.com/leng_cath/status/1746093958281789532?t=r7yEQQw4wVyIXJvY5l6TGQ&s=03)
The Cultural Revolution
The article below is not right on subject but, in a way, I think it is. If you think I’m exaggerating when I talk of a quiet cultural revolution in the West, consider this:
Jimmy Quinn in The National Review ( Xi Jinping’s Goon Squads 21 December 2023) reports:
At a ritzy gala at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on November 15, a crowd that included America’s top business leaders twice gave Xi Jinping a standing ovation as he delivered a speech full of reassurances about his fine intentions and the state of the ailing Sino–U.S. relationship.
Next door, from the fourth floor of a parking garage, a group of masked thugs came close to killing five Tibetan activists. “Before the secret entities and the clearly pro-CCP — and what looked like a bunch of trained — men, before they came in and ambushed us and stole our banner from the fifth floor, they actually started from the fourth floor and started pulling on the banner,” said Chemi Lhamo, an activist with the group Students for a Free Tibet. She told me that she and others lost their balance and almost fell off the side of the garage. Fifteen masked men who “really marched like a unit” then came up to the fifth floor and attacked them.
The full article is here:
Privilege
And if you have a cultural revolution, you need to have some group or groups to blame. John Hopkins Hospital have a few suggestions:
Jack Walters on GB News ( 'This must end!' Elon Musk wades into woke row as hospital sends out 'hit list' of groups automatically guilty of privilege 12 January) reports:
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has waded in on a woke row after a hospital listed people automatically guilty of privilege.
Musk took to social media to leave a short but clear comment on the matter.
The 52-year-old, who acquired the social media giant in October 2022, simply said: “This must end!”
Musk was responding to an update released by a hospital in Baltimore.
John Hopkins Hospital with Elon Musk and Sherita Hill Golden as insets© GB News
John Hopkins Hospital’s chief diversity officer Sherita Hill Golden uploaded an update which described “diversity” as the word of the month.
It said: “Privilege is a set of unearned benefits given to people who are in a specific social group.
“Privilege operates on personal, interpersonal, cultural and institutional levels, and it provides advantages and favours to members of dominant groups at the expense of members of other groups.”
The Maryland-based hospital identified white people, able-bodied people, heterosexuals, cisgender people, males, Christians, middle or owning-class people, middle-aged people and English-speaking people as being privileged.
It added: “Privilege is characteristically invisible to people who have it.
“People in dominant groups often believe they have earned the privileges they enjoy or that everyone could have access to these privileges if only they worked to earn them.
A copy of the guidance© GB News
“In fact, privileges are unearned and are granted to people in the dominant groups whether they want those privileges or not, and regardless of their stated intent.”
Ms [ Not So] Golden has subsequently tried to row back a bit from what she said but we know what you think now, Ms Golden. And what exactly is the purpose of the Chief Diversity Officer, Ms Golden?
The full article is here:
Pennsylvania Mum
Thanks to the same wonderful reader for a much needed piece of good news. We need more cases like this!
James Reinl in The Mail Online ( Pennsylvania mom sues school for keeping her gender-confused child's pronouns a secret, and policy that sucks kids toward 'genital mutilation and chemical castration' 12 January) reports:
A Pennsylvania mom who was worried about her child's transgender identity has sued her Pennsylvania school after teachers refused to let her know if the minor was using different pronouns in class.
The mother, known only as Jane Doe, on Friday sued the Pine-Richland School District, in suburban Pittsburgh, for policies that prevent staff from letting parents know if children are transitioning at school.
It's the latest in a series of lawsuits aimed at the doctors, hospitals, teachers, schools, and therapists who help and in some cases encourage kids who identify as anything other than their biological sex.
The full article is here:
Women’s Rights Network
WRN’s latest excellent newsletter is out (mainly featuring their very important report about the police - which I have already covered - see here: https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/do-you-have-any-tobacco ) but I feature here the great work being carried out by their Norfolk Branch. Well done, ladies.
WRN Norfolk addressing local & national issues (13 January)
Individual groups addressing local issues often touch on national ones that affect us all. WRN Norfolk highlighted flaws in the Financial Conduct Authority’s new recommendations for data collected about personal characteristics that omit sex within an industry dominated by men, raised by the Sex Equality and Equity Network (SEEN in the City).
The Norfolk group says, ‘With Marsh, Aviva and other financial services companies in #Norwich, this is an issue for Norfolk women. It is essential that @TheFCA requires companies to use sex, not gender, and #pregnancy and #maternity, not parenthood, in its requirements. Don't erase women, FCA.”
The group has also been out and about talking to people on the street.
“We met and talked to women, girls, men and boys in King's Lynn this afternoon about the sex based rights of women and girls, what's being taught in schools, sexual assaults in hospitals, prisons and women's sports.” Responses reflected what we all see in our daily lives, people recognise sex has a material affect on life and the loss of single sex recognition is already harming women and girls.
“Boys told us they don't like sharing toilets with girls at school. Boys want single sex toilets, and support the rights of women and girls.”
In this era of Diversity and Inclusion goals, local WRN groups have a great opportunity to become a valuable resource for businesses, local authorities, the media and voluntary sector to get a reasoned, factual view on issues that impact women. Individual letters and responses to questionnaires can make a difference so get involved.
Women’s Football
I am delighted to note that Shadow culture secretary, Ms Debbonaire has condemned misogynistic comments directed at sportswomen. She must have been in a bit of a rush because she forgot to add that the even more important issue is making sure that trans identifying men do not take part in women’s sport. I am sure she is going to mention that very soon 😎
Rhiannon James on PA Media ( Misogynistic comments putting women and girls off sports, Labour says 11 January) reports:
Misogynistic comments are putting women and girls off participating in sports, Labour said.
Shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire said every sports organisation should have a strategy to tackle sexual harassment and abuse.
This comes as sports minister Stuart Andrew condemned “dangerous” comments made by former footballer Joey Barton about female football commentators and pundits earlier this week.
The full article is here:
The Dutch Protocol
The Amsterdam Gender Clinic were the originators of the so called ‘Dutch Protocol’. 17 years ago they said they needed to do further research on the effects of puberty blockers, especially on the brain. All this time later and they still haven’t got around to doing that despite all the negative evidence being presented elsewhere in the world! Interesting report from Dutch TV channel Zembla.
Sex Matters
The excellent Memo newsletter from Sex Matters is now out and just one piece from there:
Whistleblower threatened with prosecution ( 12 January)
Whistleblowing surgeon Eithan Haim has been threatened with prosecution after speaking out about transgender surgeries being performed on children at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Shortly after his story became public, Texas legislators passed Senate Bill 14, banning all child sex-change procedures state wide.
Federal agents tracked down the whistleblower, who had given anonymous testimony to journalist and campaigner Christopher Rufo. Assistant US Attorney Tina Ansari has threatened him with prosecution.
Eithan Haim has now decided to come forward and is raising money for his defence.
Well done, Mr Haim! Leave him alone, Tina Ansari, you bully!!
Good News from Alabama
Kim Chandler on AP News ( Alabama can enforce a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, appeals court rules 12 January) reports:
Alabama can begin immediately enforcing a ban outlawing the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender people under 19, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, granting the state’s request to stay a preliminary injunction that had blocked enforcement of the 2022 law.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had previously ruled that the injunction should be vacated, but the decision had been effectively on hold while families with transgender children asked the full appellate court to reconsider the decision. The Thursday order will allow the ban to take effect while the full court decides whether it will revisit the decision.
The state Attorney General Steve Marshall called the order a "significant victory for our country, for children and for common sense.”
Cis
I hate the non-word ‘cis’. So does Elon Musk 😁
Bang Showbiz ( Elon Musk brands ‘cisgender’ a ‘heterophobic word’! 12 January) reports:
Elon Musk © Provided by BANG Showbiz
Elon Musk has branded “cisgender” a “heterophobic word”.
The Tesla billionaire, who bought Twitter in a $44 billion deal in 2022 before rebranding it under its current banner of X, sparked huge controversy by adding anyone who uses the phrases should be ashamed of themselves.
I’m busy practising saying ‘you heterophobic bigot’ in a high pitched voice 🤣
The rest of this article goes rather off with the Woo but, if you really want to read it, it is here 😎
Endpiece
You get a double endpiece tonight, dear readers.
First a really brilliant piece by comedian Tyler Fischer:
Then I am choosing something here to go with the film clip. The 1939 version of Lili Marleen by Lale Andersen bizarrely became popular amongst both sides in the Second World War. In 1944 Marlene Dietrich was commissioned to record this version specifically for the victorious Allied soldiers. Given her iconic status, I think this is especially for my LGB readers 😊
Dear readers
IMPORTANT UPDATE.
I have now added another stop press to this update. It appears that the Police have dropped their strip search guidance and will be reviewing.
Terf Power eh!!?? Well done all those who complained, Harry et al.😎
Dusty
Thanks as always Dusty.
Re the Information Commissioner, you might be interested in this tweet from Cath Leng:
Cath Leng (@leng_cath) posted at 8:56 am on Sat, Jan 13, 2024:
‘Trans women are women’
This is the UK Information Commissioner John Edwards. Please read this - written by him when he was New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner.
It’s a passionate defence of Self-ID as a ‘human right’ https://t.co/xi4eA3ZCyH
(https://x.com/leng_cath/status/1746093958281789532?t=r7yEQQw4wVyIXJvY5l6TGQ&s=03)