Kate

@IainDale Didn’t realise you have a St Swithuns Day birthday! Happy birthday!

Well today is the day… thanks to all who have wished me a happy birthday! And ordered the book!

@jk_rowling @coccinellanovem @AmnestyUK Excellent letter. Shame on Amnesty for going against women suffering the horrors and indignity of sexual violence.

Another letter to add to @AmnestyUK's overflowing mail box, this one from women-only rape support service, Beira's Place. 1/3

@ripx4nutmeg These young people are gender non-conforming and adopting (on introduction) an opposite-sex first name.We aren’t being asked to be complicit in any kind of make believe. I don’t like to see these kids included with the other chancers on your otherwise fantastic,terrifying list.

19. There has been no end of 'trans women' on BBC quiz shows this year. The first eight episodes of the latest series of University Challenge featured three all male teams that included a 'woman' x.com/ripx4nutmeg/st…

Alastair Campbell has written that it's "not true" to say the BBC is "pro trans". Here's a TOP 40 of just some eye-catching stories and developments from just the last 12 months, involving the BBC. Could the BBC have some sort of pro trans agenda?

@SVPhillimore @AFAF_freespeech Fabulous picture Sarah

Here I am. I don’t give a shit what you think I look like. I remain female. I will remain female whether or not you want to fuck me, whether or not you think I am beautiful, whether or not you think I look like a man. It wasn’t me with a megaphone yesterday shouting at a group of men and telling them they were ugly fascist scum.

@ninapaley @heterodorx Great episode! Thanks.

New @heterodorx podcast! Episode 180: Fresh Convert vs Tired Agnostic Recorded during the High Holy Days, after catching up on sensitivity, innocence, hard surfaces, insect bites, and fasting,... (1/4)

@ThePosieParker Hope her care improves and she recovers quickly.

Well, it was more serious than we realised or were told, she has sepsis.

@CampAmerica69 may I ask if Camp America has a policy on single-sex spaces for their counsellors at USA camps ? Can a trans counsellor be assigned to a dorm that corresponds with their gender identity. Thanks

@heterodorx My nephew is transitioning. He and his family know how I feel about it (v upset and worried). But there’s more chance of him listening to you than to KJK or to me. I’m glad you’re both part of the debate. Hope you have nice friends, Cori, for times when this all gets to you.

@HazelAppleyard_ So long as hes not claiming to be a woman or use women’s spaces, I’m fine with it. It’s not my cup of tea and I’d probably feel a little uncomfortable but that needn’t be his problem.

You’d think this was a drag show but it’s actually at the Golden Globes. Do men in womanface offend you?

@widerlenspod @HJoyceGender @stellaomalley3 @SashaLPC @TherapyFirstOrg @genspect Thank you for this fascinating conversation. Of all the Christmas podcast episodes in my feed, this was the most apposite. You’re all fantastic clever brave women! Happy Christmas.

A thoughtful conversation between @HJoyceGender and Marian Tompson on La Leche League, breastfeeding, gender inclusivity, female biology, and the cultural shifts shaping women and motherhood. widerlenspod.com/p/episode-198 @stellaomalley3 @sashalpc @TherapyFirstOrg @genspect

@Jebadoo2 This is so beautifully expressed. Thank you Dennis.

8/ Choice is a useful concept in consumerism. In public policy, in extremis, in vulnerability, in reduced capacity it can give you no more intellectually than "the customer is always rights". The areligious may not believe in infallible Popes, but do in infallible choices.

1/ Conceptualising choice as the primary virtue in policy and imagining individual good cases are enough for laws is simply saying "there is no such thing as society". Choice is a burden for those not exercising it because choosing to and choosing not are equal binaries.

@Lea_Christina4 @stellaomalley3 @widerlenspod Great conversation. This is one formerly liberal, frumpy, scruffy, middle aged woman who thinks you’re awesome and brave! Thanks for standing up for women.

Thanks for the wonderful conversation @widerlenspod @stellaomalley3 Let us all remember that "Save womens sports" is NOT hate speech. Say it LOUDER, say it everyday. youtu.be/Hsu0qW1Bkn4?si…

@IainDale @Tessadunlop My favourite of all the contenders! I didn’t know her, either parasocially or actually, but thought she was very interesting, and as uninhibited about interrupting as Iain. Great pairing!

NEW EPISODE OF THE FOR THE MANY PODCAST 499. Parasocial Relationship with Tessa Dunlop In which @Tessadunlop explains her dream about me, the Moldovan election, Wes Streeting's family tree. And much else. I manage to utter the odd word... Listen podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/499…

@IainDale What a shame. The Liverpool Phil Music Room is a lovely venue and would have suited your event beautifully. I hope you decide to try and find somewhere else in Liverpool.

Liverpool Philharmonic Cancels 'For the Many' Live Event with me, Lisa Nandy & Jacqui Smith - A Statement dlvr.it/TB87KC

@IainDale @Jacqui_Smith1 @forthemanypod Congratulations Jacqui! How wonderful! I hope the podcast can continue in some form. It’s my favourite political podcast.

It's happened! I could not be more delighted that my lovely friend and podcast partner @Jacqui_Smith1 is back in government, as Lord minister for skills, further & higher education. Of course I am beyond bereft that this era of the @forthemanypod ends. More on that later.

@BBCRadio4 Many listeners will have been reminded of the sadness and discomfort of seeing a loved one’s mental decline. I disliked Sarah Smith’s amused tone. Maybe she was still running on adrenaline, but @TheNewsAgents did a better job on this.

"Many Americans will have looked on this debate with utter horror" Hear analysis on the US presidential debate on the latest #Americast

@LFCHelp Is there parking in the morning for buying merchandise?

🚍Attending an upcoming show at Anfield? Make sure to plan your travel to and from the Stadium in advance as there is no public parking. For more information on getting to Anfield please click here: events.liverpoolfc.com/information/ge…

@BluskyeAllison Good luck and thank you.

My appeal against Stonewall will be heard at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London this week, 14 -15 May 2024. Four and a half years ago, I was a barrister at Garden Court Chambers. It was 2019 and I had decided that I could not ignore what was happening to women and to lesbians in particular who voiced opposition to Stonewall’s lobbying for gender self-ID, and I tweeted about it. I also supported the founding of LGB Alliance, and on 22 October 2019, I tweeted about its launch. I received hundreds if not thousands of abusive and threatening tweets, memes of guns, some of these messages were threats of sexual violence, some were racist. What they all had in common was that the people sending them were doing so, they said or inferred, in support of LGBT rights. I was told in often vicious terms that there is no LGB without the T - including by straight people. At the same time a number of LGBT organisations also spoke out against me. It was terrifying, as I believe it was intended to be, a warning of what would happen if one steps out of line and dares to voice and opinion that differs from the lobbying goals of brand LGBT and queer. However, I continued to speak out and to tweet. It was against this backdrop that on 31 October 2019, Stonewall emailed Garden Court via the heads of chambers and my clerks, accusing me of “making multiple transphobic statements online.” The “statements” that Stonewall complained of were tweets that: a woman is an adult biological female and that this description is itself viewed by some as a hate crime; that women are at huge risk of violence from men, regardless of how the male in question performs femininity, yet we are eliminating all safe spaces for women and telling women that our fear of these men is irrational; that I put the rights of women before men who want to live as women; arguing against gender self-ID because of the danger to women & girls if any man is able to claim that he is legally female; that men should not be able to self-ID on to women’s wards within the NHS; that self-ID would make a mockery of women’s rights and safety; regarding the abhorrent practice of trans identified men meeting to strategise on how they can ‘overcome the cotton ceiling’ and coerce lesbians into sexual relations; and retweeting posts about Stonewall splitting in the wake of the founding of LGB Alliance. Link to Stonewall’s letter to Garden Court Chambers: allisonbailey.co.uk/wp-content/upl… Link to tweets that Stonewall complained of: allisonbailey.co.uk/wp-content/upl… In its complaint to Garden Court, Stonewall concluded with these words: “However, for Garden Court Chambers to continue associating with a barrister who is actively campaigning for a reduction in trans rights and equality, while also specifically targeting members of our staff with transphobic abuse on a public platform, puts us in a difficult position with yourselves: the safety of our staff and community will always be Stonewalls first priority. I trust that you will do what is right and stand in solidarity with trans people.” The Employment Tribunal agreed at paragraph 368 of its judgment that it was at least “certainly one reading” of these words to consider them as a threat from Stonewall – if chambers didn’t get rid of me, Stonewall would end its relationship with Garden Court. The Tribunal also described Stonewall’s alternative explanation as “implausible”. The Tribunal also concluded at paragraph 377 that, but for the Stonewall complaint, I would not have been discriminated against by Garden Court in its decision to uphold complaints against me: in fact, when Stonewall sent in its complaint, I had (although I did not know it at the time) already been investigated, and the outcome of that investigation was that no further action should be taken against me. But, upon receiving Stonewall’s complaint, Garden Court abandoned this conclusion, extended its investigation, and went on to conclude against me. My case has always been that Stonewall’s action was unlawful under s.111 EqA 2010, because it constituted Stonewall “instructing, causing or inducing” Garden Court’s unlawful discrimination against me. But although the tribunal upheld my claims against Garden Court Chambers for those acts of discrimination, it did not uphold the claims against Stonewall under s.111. We say this was an error of law: the employment tribunal made the finding (at para 377) that, but for Stonewall’s complaint, the discriminatory investigation outcome would never have been reached. We say therefore that the Tribunal ought to have concluded that Stonewall induced, caused or influenced Garden Court’s unlawful conduct, thus establishing unlawful conduct on the part of Stonewall by making its complaint. This is the heart of the appeal to be heard this week. The specific meaning of the words “induce”, “cause” or “influence” within s.111 have never been ruled on in court and this will be the first case that does so. We say that the words should be given their normal, every-day meaning, and that given the use of three words to define the prohibited conduct, it is apparent that parliament intended s.111 to apply to a broad category of actions – which include a threat to withdraw from a commercial relationship if an employer doesn’t terminate its relationship with a member of its own staff. If my appeal succeeds, it will be a landmark decision with wider significance. On a personal level, it will be vindication and I will have - with your generosity and support - obtained justice, for myself and for others that follow. I hope it will end the bizarre racket that is Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Scheme, whereby companies, organisations and even government departments pay Stonewall to misrepresent the law to them, effectively encouraging them to discriminate against their own staff. In doing so, Stonewall and other LGBTQ+ organisations actively erode lesbian and gay rights by demanding those rights are tethered to trans rights – which are in many ways directly oppositional to lesbian and gay rights - and using incorrect statements of law to do so. I hope my case will spark a serious and urgent debate about whether the Stonewall of today is a fit and proper charity. Regardless of the outcome of my appeal, my view on this question is clear: it is not. I came out as a lesbian as a teenager in the late 1980s, in Cowley, Oxford, in the hostile climate created by s.28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality. There were no official resources for young lesbians at all, at school, in education and work, and no protection from discrimination. The Stonewall that emerged to fight s.28 and to fight for my rights, and the rights of LGB people is unrecognisable to me now. I believe it is now a dangerous, intolerant and undemocratic lobbying group. Its influence in British life and in our institutions and public places must be removed as a matter of urgency. You can follow the hearing via @Tribunaltweets, who will be in attendance and who will be seeking the Court’s permission to live tweet. Finally, and most importantly, I want to convey my deep, heartfelt gratitude and thanks to all of you who have supported, defended and encouraged me every step of the way. You got me through this. Thank you.

@hannahsbee @NewStatesman You poor woman, I’m very sorry you had this horrible experience. I’ve admired your reporting on care at GIDS but to share something so personal is very brave.

This week's cover story for the @NewStatesman is probably the most difficult thing I've ever had to write, and certainly the most personal. Birth trauma: the hidden childbirth crisis that is devastating lives and costing the NHS billions. newstatesman.com/politics/healt…

@CarmeliteAnna These are beautiful.

Rosary Giveaway!! First Friday again ! Finally I’m back and this time as promised we have 2! Beautiful amazonite beads With cord and a wire wrapped rosary with blue stone. Please read the instructions on the photo. May the most deserving win!