Update 800!!
Update 800. Third Anniversary Special. #BeMorePorcupine.
TADAHHHH!!!! Shortly before the third anniversary of this substack, we have arrived at Update 800!!
🥳🎈🥂😁🍾🎆
And, most importantly, after my wife picked one nomination from the hat, the winner of our detective film competition is….DRUM ROLL!! …Petal, who chose Prisoners (2013). . Congratulations to Petal!
Petal, as you are already one of the very kind paid subscribers, please e-mail me the name of someone who you want to have a free paid subscription ( can be a pseudonym if necessary, of course) and their e-mail address. Some of the nominations were not in the current film list so the following have been added to that list:
And Then There Were None
The Bone Collector
The Cheap Detective
Farewell, My Lovely
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
LA Confidential
Wake Up Dead Man
Zodiac
Thanks to all who took part. Becca, you are going to have to wait a while for Zodiac!! It is now second last in the alphabetical list ( last is Zombieland).
As ever, please do have a flick through the list which is here in its latest version and let me know if you have a film or films you really like which is/are not in the list:
Prisoners is a 2013 American film directed by Denis Villeneuve.
The film follows the abduction of two young girls in Pennsylvania and the subsequent search for the perpetrator by the police. After police arrest a young suspect and release him, the father of one of the daughters takes matters into his own hands.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Detective Loki
David Dastmalchian is Bob Taylor
Thanks to two wonderful readers for suggested pieces.
Some of the linked pieces below may be behind a paywall.
And here is Update 1!!!!!!!!!
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/update-1-from-dusty?utm_source=publication-search
The Darlington Nurses - Bethany Hutchinson
We reported on the victory of the Darlington Nurses here: https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/hooray-for-the-darlington-nurses
As reported by Feminist Legal Clinic via The Daily Express, one of the nurses, Bethany Hutchinson is pledging to keep on with Terfy campaigning. Go, Bethany!
I’m going to tell the world about Labour’s failure to act on radical trans ideology | Daily Express (02 February)
All entries on Feminist Legal Clinic’s News Digest Blog are extracts from news articles and other publications, with the source available at the link at the bottom. The content is not originally generated by Feminist Legal Clinic and does not necessarily reflect our views.
Trailblazing nurse Bethany Hutchison spearheaded a stunning legal victory against the NHS and will now warn the world about the dangers of ignoring “biological reality”.
Our story has travelled far beyond Darlington Memorial Hospital. It has become a warning, not just to Britain, but now to America, of what happens when ideology overtakes common sense, safeguarding, and basic human dignity.
For more than two-and-a-half years my colleagues and I asked our NHS Trust (County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust) for something that should never have been up for debate: the right for women to have a female only changing room. Instead, we were told to “broaden our mindset,” get “educated,” and accept a biological male in our private space, or else.
Some of my colleagues, including survivors of abuse, were re-traumatised. All of us were ignored, intimidated and put at further risk.
When the employment tribunal ruled earlier this month that what happened to us was unlawful harassment, that our dignity had been violated, it should never have felt like a groundbreaking victory. But it did. And that fact alone is alarming to say the least.
My message to America is simple: do not wait until your institutions are captured before you start fighting back. Women should never have to go to court to defend biological reality or their right to single sex spaces.
UK - Free Speech
I always recommend Terfs to join the Free Speech Union if you are not already a member ( for as little as £30 per annum - and no, I am not funded by them!). Three bits from the latest FSU newsletter (02 February)
FSU given permission to intervene in the case of Sussex University vs the Office for Students
FSU lawyers will be in the High Court next week after we were granted permission to intervene in one of the key free speech cases of our times: Sussex University’s judicial review against the Office for Students for the fine the regulator imposed following Sussex’s failure to stop Kathleen Stock being hounded from her job by trans rights activists in 2021.
The university claims the Human Rights Act means its obligations under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (HEFSA) are very limited, and can be diluted by balancing them against other considerations such as trans rights. But the OfS takes broadly the same position as the FSU – that universities must take all practicable steps to protect any speech on campus that is not expressly prohibited by law.
A lot is at stake: a victory for the University of Sussex would allow universities to neuter HEFSA by appealing to the human rights doctrine of ‘proportionality’, and this, we believe, must be prevented as a matter of urgency.
The dangers of “safeguarding”
The FSU has become increasingly concerned about the misuse of the concept of ‘safeguarding’ for political purposes.
In December, for instance, there were stories about one teacher being sacked for telling his Muslim pupils that “Britain is still a Christian state”; and another teacher sacked for showing videos of Donald Trump to his A-level Politics class. In both cases, ‘safeguarding’ issues were solemnly invoked.
More recently came news of the cancellation of a visit by the Jewish MP Damien Egan to a school in his Bristol constituency following objections from the National Education Union and the local branch of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign – which duly welcomed the school’s decision to call off the visit as a “win for safeguarding”.
All of this is further proof of how safeguarding is being weaponised by activists to silence their political opponents in the name of protecting children from ‘harm’. It’s a deeply cynical way to wage political warfare and risks discrediting policies put in place to protect children from sexual predators.
For this reason, I and the crossbench peer Lord Walney have jointly tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would prevent schools from using ‘safeguarding’ as an excuse either to sack politically incorrect teachers or to no-platform visiting speakers.
The amendment would mean that when making a safeguarding assessment, schools would be required by law to take no account of the political views expressed by the subject of that assessment. The only exceptions would be views unworthy of respect in a democratic society, those in conflict with the fundamental rights of others and those associated with any group proscribed under the Terrorism Act.
More here.
So farewell then, NCHIs – but not in Scotland
In one of the month’s least surprising – but still highly welcome – developments, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said that non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) will soon be scrapped in their current form.
Following a long campaign by the FSU, NCHIs have been in their apparent death throes for a while now – and, echoing what we’ve been saying for years, Mahmood told the Telegraph this week that she wants officers to focus on “catching criminals, cutting crime, making sure that people feel safe” rather than “policing perfectly legal tweets”.
However, one disturbing question remains: what will happen to historic NCHIs? Unless the promised new “common sense” approach also wipes out all those that have been issued in the past six years (the length of time for which they currently stick around), there’ll be at least 100,000 still on people’s records and still disclosable on DBS checks, jeopardising their job prospects.
So it was that this month – a busy one for me in the Lords – I spoke in favour of my amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that would not only ensure that NCHIs really are abolished once and for all, but would also require police to delete old ones unless they’re relevant to a criminal investigation.
And let’s not forget that the scrapping of NCHIs will apply only in England and Wales. There are, it seems, no plans for Northern Ireland or Scotland to follow suit.
Indeed, Police Scotland was reported this week to be doubling down on the policy, with a spokesman insisting that NCHIs are part of its duty “to prevent as well as detect crime as part of our work to improve community wellbeing”. The force has also confirmed that “information within hate incidents” would fall under “other relevant information” in enhanced Disclosure Scotland checks.
UK - Alphabet Soup Month
Readers will be horrified to hear that February is LGBT WTF LOL History Month! Take away famous LGB people and it seems to me we are left with Weird and Criminal History Month! EDI Jester discusses Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey bigging up this load of twaddle. Do you know what a woman is yet, Ed? All thoughts gratefully received.
Northern Ireland - Legal Challenge
One piece from the latest Women’s Rights Network newsletter ( 01 February).
Are women in Northern Ireland female?
WRN NI opposes claim that “equality” means men should be included in the definition of women
This week WRN Northern Ireland launched an application for a Judicial Review to defend the fact that the basis on which women’s rights stand is the lifelong, biological reality of sex that was identified in the Supreme Court judgment.
Marianne Buchanan-Stewart of WRN NI was quoted saying the organisation had taken the legal route “in order to protect women’s rights in society and in law”.
Fifty years after the 1976 introduction of Northern Ireland’s first sex discrimination legislation, the region’s Equality Commission (ECNI) claimed The Windsor Framework might mean that the UK Supreme Court ruling might not apply to women in Northern Ireland.
The Windsor Framework commits the UK to ensure post-Brexit regulations between the EU and UK do not cause a “diminution of the rights” of people in Northern Ireland, which was required to reflect the Reconciliation terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
The Equality Commission of Northern Ireland claims that under the Windsor Framework, the Supreme Court judgment could cause a “diminution” of the “right” to access opposite sex spaces. We know that opposite sex access compromises the safety, dignity and privacy of women while benefitting men who want access to female-only spaces and services.
The ECNI has not raised the fact that the rights of women are diminished by policies that allow a man to become a “woman” in law and restrict female rights to assert boundaries with men.
WRN Northern Ireland’s application was heard alongside the ECNI’s own application and Mr Justice McAlinden noted that “all voices will be heard”. However McAlinden also said that further hearings will not take place before the judgment in the Supreme Court case of Dillon, re the Windsor Framework. Dusty - the Dillon case does not realte to sex discrimination but to ‘Troubles’ related offences and situations.
Today’s decision by the Judge is disappointing. We do not believe it is necessary to wait for an outcome in a decision regarding the Windsor Framework as the meaning of a woman in law in Northern Ireland has always been based on biological sex and that has not changed.
Women’s protections against sex-based discrimination in NI were enshrined in law in 1976 but yet women are forced to take our equality body to court for its inability to defend our rights. It is a damning indictment on society that women are having to take this action.
While we are disappointed with the decision we look forward to defending our position that the definition of a woman has not changed & the actions of the ECNI only seek to diminish the rights that they are supposed to protect.
We will fight!
WRN stands united with all regions to secure the rights of women and girls to legal recognition distinct from men.
The States - Single Sex Bathrooms At School
Kara Dansky does her usual wide ranging and detailed round up including the (believe it or not!!) still vexed question as to whether a school can maintain single sex bathrooms!!
The States - ‘Trans’ and the Epstein Files
Karen Davis has come across, within the latest batch of the Epstein files that have been released, an e-mail from a biologist called Robert Trivers to Jeffrey Epstein concerning methods of ‘feminising’ men and ‘masculinising’ women. Karen concludes that Mr Trivers suffers from Gynandromorphophilia ( GAMP). GAMP is a term in sexual psychology referring to the sexual attraction and arousal of individuals—typically men—to feminine men especially larping men. Karen ponders whether mega rich Epstein might have committed some of his wealth to this kind of experimentation.
Round Up Of The Media
Excellent round up of last week’s media by SEEN In Journalism. The BBC are ( surprise, surprise) still up to their old tricks.
A short time ago I mentioned the case of David Toshack, a trainee custody officer who was sacked for expressing ‘gender critical’ views. https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/they-expect-us-to-lose-heart-or-to?utm_source=publication-search
Thanks to SEEN for bringing me up to speed with the fact that his Tribunal hearing has just taken place. Fingers crossed for David!
Terf Island Discs
Thanks to all readers ( and me 😀) who have made suggestions and we still have lots of songs to go that will take us well into 2026. It’s been great (I think anyway 😊).
We will then be reverting to Endpieces.
Endpieces, as regular readers will know, consisted of comic pieces, animal videos, songs etc to provide a bit of relief after some of the horror stories we detail on this substack. Endpieces was run by Tenaciously Terfin, Liz Parker and myself and we are delighted to now have been joined by Becca Shambles, Petal and Jeremy Wickins. Please let us know if you want to join the Endpieces Club 😊
I have an Endpieces folder so Endpieces suggestions can be sent to me at any time from now even though Terf Island Discs will be continuing for the moment as explained above 😊
Onwards with Terf Island Discs.
Next up!
Chosen by: Jeremy Wickins
‘Solitaire’ by The Carpenters
#BeMorePorcupine
#KeepTerfing
#StandWithJenniferMelle
#PubertyIsAHumanRight
#AdultHumanFemale
#LetWomenSpeak
#LGB✂️TQ
#KeepBoppingTerfs
#HoldTheLine
#NoBlockersTrial
#NeverSurrender
#NeverForget
#TruthWillTriumph
#WeWillWin
Congratulations Dusty. Fantastic work. You deserve a 🍺and a 🥇. I’ll do my usual early morning read otherwise I won’t sleep.
And well done Petal 👏.
Third time lucky (I've accidentally deleted this comment twice!)
Nice one, Petal. I haven't seen the movie, but I'll look out for it.
Dusty - 800 posts in under 3 years? Excellent work, mate! I'd ask you what you'd write about when gender madness goes away, but it would be pointless, since we're stuck with it for a long time yet.
Karen's post is intriguing. From what I've read about Epstein (mainly from Malcolm Clark), he was probably bisexual. He was also very keen to make his clients' wishes come true. It wouldn't surprise me at all to find that he had... helped... some young gay men to, errr, be their true selves(TM).