Last week’s controversy around the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre put the spotlight on the need for single-sex services to protect vulnerable women, but it’s very far from the only example of how Scottish women are being let down in this regard by both the Scottish Government and civic organisations.
The homelessness system in Scotland has collapsed. Emergency accommodation is dangerous, sub-standard, and overcrowded. There has been an epidemic of deaths in hotels and B&Bs in recent years.
As a writer, feminist and literary events organiser in Scotland, I’m regularly sent links to information someone thinks might be of interest to me. This week it was a document commissioned by one of Scotland’s leading and most powerful publicly-funded literary organisations, Literature Alliance Scotland (LAS).
Nobody, of course, objects to transgender writers being included or supported, but the content of the guidance raises several extremely serious and concerning issues.
Normally in cases like these, there’s an instant and concerted attempt to rubbish the judgement, both from amateurs and activist lawyers like Robin Moira “Barry” White, Jolyon Maugham, and the anonymous “Pissed Off Lawyer” tweeting as @legaltweetz. They’ll issue spurious “analyses” dismissing the findings with jargon terms like “obiter”, and either question their correctness or attempt to minimise their significance.
For some reason that didn’t happen this time. The hyper-antagonist online trans army has very conspicuously failed to rush to the defence of ERCC CEO Mridul Wadhwa, perhaps because Judge Ian McFatridge’s conclusions were so relentlessly, brutally and comprehensively excoriating of Wadhwa’s appalling behaviour that no amount of spin or disingenuity could disguise it.
But then, on white charger and with papoose, enter a hero.
Mridul Wadhwa, a man with whom Wings readers have been familiar for some years, was found by the tribunal judge to have been “the invisible hand behind everything that had taken place” as Roz Adams, a conscientious, caring and highly professional woman with a long history in the sector, was systematically and methodically hounded out of her job for holding, privately and sensitively, the belief that biological sex is real.
We watched Question Time last night for the first time in about nine years, and this comment from SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn raised an eyebrow.
Because we couldn’t remember ANY times that Flynn had publicly expressed any problems with the Scottish Greens during their governing alliance.
George Ferguson on The Broken Rainbow: “@Lorncal 8:50pm It is exactly the same for the UK Government. The King’s Speech called for Digital ID for citizens.…” May 14, 21:23
Northcode on The Broken Rainbow: “The swearing-in of Scotland’s MSPs is presented as a moment of democratic renewal, and yet the first act of the…” May 14, 21:04
Lorncal on The Broken Rainbow: “If any of the parties stood up for ordinary folk and refused to implement any of this ‘woke’ ordure, they…” May 14, 20:50
George Ferguson on The Broken Rainbow: “A lot of languages spoke today at the MSPs inauguration. It was almost like it wasn’t my country any more.…” May 14, 19:59
Young Lochinvar on The Broken Rainbow: “HMcH I know I told you to own yer homosexuality but hadn’t expected an invitation from you to go to…” May 14, 19:00
agentx on The Broken Rainbow: ““O’Neill was meeting Dave Doogan, the SNP leader at Westminster, and Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru leader at Westminter.…” May 14, 17:12
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: ““an individual born in one gender might choose to change to another gender, with changes in appearance, clothing, and practical…” May 14, 17:03
Mark Beggan on The Broken Rainbow: “@Hatey The Sherman tank was the quantity over quality. Often referred to as the “Tommy Cooker” by the wermacht. The…” May 14, 16:59
Mark Beggan on The Broken Rainbow: “Nature abhors a vacuum. Has anyone seen the British government?” May 14, 16:40
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Broken Rainbow: “STUDENTS TO ENCOUNTER ’HARMFUL’ TRANS IDEOLOGY IN GCSE MODERN LANGUAGES GCSE students will be encouraged to use French, German and…” May 14, 16:39
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: “Over 2 hours now, Mark. Best ask the jannie to bring a bucket of sawdust.” May 14, 16:22
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: “Carrying a torch am I, Minceheid? Get your eyes tested. That’s no torch!” May 14, 16:19
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: “All true, x, but as I wrote earlier, there would have been no “downfall of Germany” if the USA hadn’t…” May 14, 16:16
agentx on The Broken Rainbow: “SNP Kenneth Gibson now takes his place in the presiding officer’s chair. That reduces the SNP voting power by one…” May 14, 16:14
agentx on The Broken Rainbow: “Germany lost the vast majority of its troops—approximately 80% or roughly 4 million soldiers—on the Eastern Front against the Soviet…” May 14, 15:57
Minceheid on The Broken Rainbow: “Ach, everybody knows that you are carrying a torch for the fiesty, foxy, flame-haired financially-furtive Angie. You might as well…” May 14, 15:18
Mark Beggan on The Broken Rainbow: “Tell him he’ll just have to wait till the Scottish government makes a decision about the decision of the Court…” May 14, 15:18
agentx on The Broken Rainbow: “Operation Barbarossa lead to the downfall of Germany.” May 14, 15:05
Mark Beggan on The Broken Rainbow: “Daddy and the Third Attempt. Nipple is the capitol of DaddyLand. The Leibstandatre Division would be called Daddy’s Little Helpers.” May 14, 14:55
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: “Young Lochinvar has had his hand up for attention since 2:15. He needs somebody to take him to the bogs.” May 14, 14:51
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: “WW2 was a distraction from the unfinished business of WW1. The news from Germany, as they pour money into re-arming,…” May 14, 14:40
Sven on The Broken Rainbow: “Mark Beggan @ 14.26. I trust that the result would have been the same had it been called Diddyland !” May 14, 14:38
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: “No way, Mark. The GG is playing with a deck containing several victim cards. It’s gonna be a delight watching…” May 14, 14:31
Mark Beggan on The Broken Rainbow: “A bit off topic but talking about lunatics is maybe not so off. Do you think World War 2 would…” May 14, 14:26
Young Lochinvar on The Broken Rainbow: “HMcH Classic non response, play the man not the ball, served up with a huge dollop of deflection topped off…” May 14, 14:15
Mark Beggan on The Broken Rainbow: “What about the High Priest of Windmills? You know everybody loves Ed!” May 14, 14:10
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: ““during the leadership contest, Ash Denim also put it on the table..” But she was two cloth-headed to make a…” May 14, 14:03
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: “Anyone want to bet folding money on his successor lasting until 2027? Dear Lord, I trouble you but rarely, but…” May 14, 13:55
Hatey McHateface on The Broken Rainbow: “Far be it for me to attempt to convert you from your natural instincts, YL, but it’s entirely likely that…” May 14, 13:50
Lorncal on The Broken Rainbow: “It is post modernism and queering in action, Willie, and they have hooked themselves on to a kind of cultural…” May 14, 13:50
