Synaptic Refuge

UK’s first transgender judge seeks rehearing of supreme court case on biological sex Exclusive: Victoria McCloud says court undermined her rights to a fair trial when it refused to hear her evidence

The UK Supreme Court took representation from anti-trans groups but none from trans groups or people, before ruling that even trans women with a GRC can not access women’s spaces.
This creates unenforceable, dangerous and cruel restrictions on trans access to public space. It must be reversed.

Well worth your time.

PS. Skin is an absolute Queen. 😍

www.terfipedia.com

UK’s first transgender judge seeks rehearing of supreme court case on biological sex Exclusive: Victoria McCloud says court undermined her rights to a fair trial when it refused to hear her evidence

"According to sources with knowledge of the process, the revised [EHRC] code is expected to be delivered to the equalities minister, Bridget Phillipson, this week"

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

As we warned, the government’s short-sighted anti-immigration policy caused a 44% drop in overseas student applications.

The result? A destabilised higher education sector already under huge pressure.

Yesterday’s @skynewsrss.bsky.social press review:

Just out! Our peer-reviewed critique of the Cass Review has been published by BMC Medical Research Methodology. Please read and share. We show that the Cass Review is fatally flawed and should not be the basis for policy or practice in transgender healthcare.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Arts Council faces payout over trans row Organisation’s diversity chief who likened gendercritical beliefs to racism wins unfair dismissal case The Daily Telegraph20 Feb 2025By Telegraph Reporter AN ARTS COUNCIL diversity manager investigated after she compared gender critical beliefs to racism has won a payout for unfair dismissal. Afreena Islam-wright became upset after a grant was awarded to the LGB Alliance, a campaign group founded to oppose the policies of LGBT rights charity Stonewall on transgender issues. She said she would “feel terrified” if co-workers were making “openly racist statements” and “can’t imagine” what transgender colleagues were going through at finding out about the grant. An employment tribunal heard the “hasty, ill-informed and ill-thought” comments upset staff who held gender-critical views, meaning they believe biological sex cannot be changed, and she was taken to a disciplinary meeting. She has now successfully sued Arts Council England (ACE) for unfair dismissal after the tribunal found she had made the comments because she was “motivated solely” to support transgender and non-binary colleagues. The hearing in Manchester was told Mrs Islam-wright began working for the arts organisation as a diversity relationship manager in September 2020. In April 2022 an organisation called the London Community Foundation awarded a grant out of ACE funding it had been given to the organisation LGB Alliance. The tribunal heard that although ACE was not involved in the funding decision it faced criticism, internally and externally.

She stood up when a grant was given to the LGB Alliance, GC colleagues complained about her, she was dismissed, then she won her case for unfair dismissal.

image from Indiana Jones movie of him punching a nazi

youtu.be/-sOSr7n_8YU?...

Musk's fascist salutes are a signal, showing how far he intends to go. They point to the destruction of democracy he seeks, the impunity, the violent pursuit of power.
They point to the empire he wants to build, and to the degradation of all our lives as he sets out to crush our humanity.

January 20, 2025 The tone for the inauguration of Donald J.

January 20, 2025

David Lynch/Elephant Man in Shad Thames SE1 Shad Thames/Butlers Wharf has been used in so many films, evoking as it does to this day the lost world of dockside London with its warehous...

In 1979 David Lynch filmed The Elephant Man at Shad Thames/Butlers Wharf SE1, hanging out with Mel Brooks, Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt transpont.blogspot.com/2025/01/davi...

Keep sharing this video.

ONE STUGGLE. ONE FIGHT. WOMEN'S RIGHTS ARE TRANS RIGHTS!!!

Nine pictures of UK Women's March in Scottish city Women called for human rights around the world

Great photos and footage from the Edinburgh Women’s March ❤️ www.scotsman.com/news/nine-pi...

One struggle, one fight! Women’s rights are trans rights!

Please share 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and the Human Cost of 'Free' Speech It's time for politicians and the media to take responsibility for the consequences of their dehumanising language about those seeking refuge in the UK

🔴Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and the Human Cost of 'Free' Speech

As the latest far right terrorist is imprisoned for an attack on asylum seekers it's time for politicians and the media to take responsibility for their dehumanising language about those seeking refuge in the UK

Chatting to people at the Women’s March today and some things that give me hope are…

🏳️‍⚧️ most feminist women agree transphobes are a threat to women’s rights and horrible people

❤️lots of young men have not drank the Tate Kool Aid and want to support us.

The results of this analysis demonstrate that over 2 years of GAH treatment for gender dysphoria, participants experienced significant improvement across multiple dimensions of emotional health as measured by NIHTB-EB, a standardized instrument that we extended for use and measurement among TNB youth. Furthermore, we found that those who started with lower AC had a faster rate of improvement in psychological well-being, social satisfaction, and faster decline in negative affect over time. These improvements provide further data that support the potential benefits of the use of exogenous hormones for phenotypic transition. Future research should examine how these associations continue, change or persist in longer follow-up periods. Additional studies should further explore the effects of GAC treatments on the lives of TNB with a specific focus on emotional health and functioning.

Not so much a nail in the coffin but a stake through the heart of the Cass Review.

Olson-Kennedy et al (2025) Emotional Health of Transgender Youth 24 Months After Initiating Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy. Journal of adolescent health.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This is brilliant!! 😂✊🏼

CONTEXT: I wrote/drew this in 2020. Lol. Happy New Year!

It is generally difficult to communicate the malice and cruelty of transphobes without sounding like you're making it up. They know that what they're doing is inflicting terrible harm on people with no ability to protect themselves or strike back. That is the pleasure and the joy of it, for them.

EHRC code of practice on goods and services, and trans people The Code of Practice on Goods and Services says what discrimination, including against trans people, is prohibited. Courts are obliged to “take account of” it when making decisions: they do not nee…

Claire writing about the new, proposed transphobic “Code of Practice” for the Equality Act.

In effect it guts the act and needs a response to its consultation by Jan 3.

Also a reminder that if your GP has denied you HRT. Use this form to report them to TransActual to help with their data gathering work.

Also has some help and advice too.

transactual.org.uk/medical-tran...

Gender-Affirming Care Access Improves Mental Health: Study The faster a transgender patient receives access to care, the quicker their levels of suicidal ideation and gender dysphoria decreases, according to researchers.

"indicates that people with gender dysphoria who are able to access gender-affirming care and treatment are significantly more mentally well-adjusted and less suicidal when their access to care is not delayed."

www.advocate.com/health-care/...

If you’re still somehow supporting and giving money to JKR, maybe make 2025 the year that you stop.

New Draft EHRC Code of Practice shows a concerning shift in priorities The EHRC has launched a consultation on changes to its Code of practice for services, public functions and associations. Trans Safety Network have noticed some concerning changes that may indicate shi...

If you haven’t responded to this consultation, you only have until 3 Jan.

transsafety.network/posts/draft-...

J.K. Rowling falsely claims 'there are no trans kids' The children's book author and anti-trans activist has increasingly denied the existence of transgender people.

www.advocate.com/jk-rowling-s...

“It’s a phase.”

“They’re mentally unwell.”

“The lifestyle is dangerous.”

“They’ll regret it later in life.”

“They’ve been indoctrinated.”

Bigots said this about gay kids in the 1980s and 90s. Now they say the same about trans youth. Let’s put this recycled politics where it belongs: the trash.

Really poor from the Oxford Literary Festival. By giving credence to the false framing that Trans rights and women's rights are in opposition they are not just platforming bigotry, but actively legitimising a dangerous far-right talking point. I will be boycotting because of this event.

Behind The Facade: The Truth About The Boxing Day Parade - Hunt Saboteurs Association The annual Boxing Day Hunt Parade is a traditional fixture in many towns' Christmas calendars, with families turning out to enjoy the ‘spectacle’. The hunt lingers for a while, drinking port, eating s...

www.huntsabs.org.uk/behind-the-f...

The TERFs want to ban trans people from being teachers.

So now is a great time to train to become one.

I’m proud to work on the Goldsmiths PGCE which is fully inclusive of trans & non-binary students. I have personally trained many trans/nb students.

www.gold.ac.uk/pgce/

Clean Up Politics. Public funding of all elections and no foreign money. I’ll be the Donor calling for an end to Donors - similar to the millionaire calling for more tax…:)