Miss Pokeno

Australia needs all eyes on her at the moment. This man could win his case.

This is a hugely significant moment - we are finding our way towards a new wave of lesbian and gay liberation politics, and away from the massive, hostile takeover by Queer Isis. Thank you, @AllianceLGB x.com/lgbinternation…

In a landmark hearing, the NZ Human Rights Review Tribunal is considering whether the belief that men cannot become women is so hateful and harmful that it does not warrant human rights protection. ⬇️

MEDIA RELEASE: Human Rights Commission Hysteria Betrays Women and Girls In a disappointing, but not entirely surprising, admission this week, the Human Rights Commission has confirmed its contempt for both its own legislation and for women and girls in its hysterical condemnation of the Government’s removal of Sport NZ’s transgender inclusion guidelines... Read the full release below speakupforwomen.nz/post/media-rel…

Part II of the Sullivan report is out today. It contains details of what I and many others were put through in UK Universities to make pedestrian points about human biology and its medical and social impacts on well-being and interests. The point is not the harms to us, personally - I for one am very glad I ended up on the right side of history, when the wrong side was sterilising minors and chopping sexual organs out, putting sex-offending men in women's prisons, and pushing women athletes out of competition. The point is the effect of this intensely hostile environment - the research dropped, the talks not given, the lips bitten and the things not said. With Office for Student's new guidance in place, let's hope these poisonous tactics get rooted out of our research institutions, along with (eventually) the senior academics who instigated and facilitated them.

PRESS RELEASE ON BEHALF OF VANESSA'S* PARENTS The Tragic Loss of Our Daughter, Vanessa* It is with deep sadness that we, as the parents of Vanessa*, speak out against the sensationalised portrayal of our daughter’s life and death in a recent article by David Farrier. We are heartbroken by the story that has been shared publicly and deeply disappointed by the way Mr Farrier has weaponised Vanessa's* distress and struggles with complex mental illness. We now are aware that New Zealand Herald journalist David Fisher is writing an article to amplify this further. First and foremost, we loved Vanessa*. She was our only child and her death has all but destroyed us. We acknowledge that there was tension and conflict between Vanessa* and us. We discussed this in detail with Ruth Hill from Radio New Zealand. The challenges in our relationships were painful and it is appalling that the details of the most devastating aspects of our family life is being used by activists to paint us as bad parents. Children often become very angry with their parents when we have to assert our authority and make decisions we consider to be best for them. We made Vanessa* eat when she did not want to, we took away her access to the internet when she was using it to take part in pro-anorexia forums, we took her to doctors and psychiatrists when she wanted to be left alone with her eating disorder, and yes, we had her hospitalised when she was dangerously ill due to that disorder. She was very angry with us. Doing the right thing by our child was often the very hardest thing. We object to the portrayal of Vanessa’s* struggles with anorexia, autism, and gender as though they were simply the result of our lack of understanding or ignorance. To be clear, Vanessa* was not “lost” due to her 'gender identity'. Her anorexia, a long-standing and deeply painful struggle, was the cause of her death. She was 30 kilograms when she died. That is what killed her. Parenting is never easy, but when your child is autistic, has anorexia, and is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, the challenges can feel overwhelming. As parents, we have always done our best, but the complexity of Vanessa’s* needs and the trauma she carried meant we often had to be the 'bad guys' advocating for her best interests when her mental illness was telling her to harm herself. We urge those who have shared Vanessa’s* story to focus on the real issue: that a 17-year-old died of starvation in the care of the state. It was a systemic failing of our public service, along with her school. They facilitated alienating her from the very people who loved her and put her before all else - her parents. Our experience should sound the alarm about the way parental rights are quickly disregarded by our government and school system. In all but a few sad circumstances, family and parents are best placed to advocate for their children and ensure they get the care they need. We were alienated from our child and then those who drove that alienation left her to die. We are disgusted that David Farrier and Paul Thistoll have taken it upon themselves to publicly attack us, labelling us as "bad" parents. These two men have no understanding of our family, no insight into the personal struggles we've faced, and most importantly, no connection to Vanessa*. They didn’t know her, and they certainly didn't witness the heartache we endured in trying to support our child. To have our parenting criticised by individuals who were never part of our lives, who never walked in our shoes, and who had no firsthand experience of the complexities of Vanessa's* struggles is not only unjust but deeply malevolent. They have no right to use our grief as a platform to push their own narratives or to vilify us in ways that are frankly cruel. Mr Farrier and Mr Thistoll are two opportunistic men who are picking over the tragic remains of our daughter's life like vultures. Our grief is as acute today as it was the day we were told our only child was dead. We will never stop mourning her and wishing her life could have been different. Mr Farrier and Mr Thistoll will have forgotten about her by next week. Vanessa’s parents *Vanessa is the name we have chosen for our daughter, to protect our family’s anonymity. ENDS

This is unbelievably sad on so many levels and is a heartbreaking example of the dangers of an ideology that can’t be questioned. Thanks to Ruth Hill of RNZ for writing this. rnz.co.nz/news/national/… Teenager starves to death alone in emergency accommodation | RNZ News

Here’s a short clip of @HJoyceGender Very, very clear and cogent. At one point Nuala used ‘he’ for Robin White - it proves how natural accurate language is the default, even after years of training not to use it.

“Women’s spaces are for women. That’s non-negotiable.” Helen Joyce (@HJoyceGender) speaks to @BBCNuala on Woman’s Hour @BBCWomansHour about the Supreme Court ruling on the clarification of sex.

‘Lesbians were completely thrown under the bus by the trans movement. It was the biggest onslaught on our rights in my lifetime… It is the most bonkers, Orwellian, swivel-headed madness.’ Julie Bindel on gender ideology: buff.ly/P9HrTtB

This is the most horrific story you’ll read in a while. Karen was to have an urgent hysterectomy, and on requesting that Rose not be on the team, was asked: ‘How would Rose feel if she was asked not to come to theatre?’ Lack of paywall deserves credit. dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…

This is our incredibly brave colleague, and friend Karen who has recently shared her story with the media. We are so proud of her and feel privileged to have her stand with us ❤️

BANK HOLIDAY MAN-DAY! Moving speech from Amy Desir @akmd87 from legendary Man Friday protest group at LWS, see you on Hampstead Heath this Monday 5th May #LetWomenSwim

@suzanne_moore Bloody hell! That’s a bit too complicated for us brick layers! X

Who is wearing "Protect the Bricks" T-shirts?? Dolls and bricks = decades old slang for trans women who "pass" and those who don't.

Virginia Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew accuser, dies aged 41 | Jeffrey Epstein | The Guardian theguardian.com/us-news/2025/a…

YES!!! Its mens work to protect the dolls by acknowledging their own sexes fem performative nature to lesser or greater degree and including that in what it is to be a man #menbekind #mengetyourshittogether

“We always believed this was the law. So in a way, nothing has changed, but in another sense, everything has changed.” The incredible Susan Smith of @ForWomenScot on @BBCWomansHour this morning 🔥

@BBCWomansHour Susan Smith is absolutely right when she says women are not human shields for trans identifying males. Let men do the work to ensure that male spaces are welcoming of their gender non-conforming brothers. #SexMatters #SexNotGender #WomensRights

🇳🇿Kiwis🇳🇿 I’ll be on @theplatform_nz with @LeahPanapa at 1pm NZ time talking about men not being women. Australia - @AlboMP - take note.

We agree.