Texas is likely to be the next US state to ban trans youth from participating in school sports after the Texas House approved HB 25 in a 76-54 vote following three failed attempts to pass the bill. According to the Texas Tribune, the bill would force students to compete on school sports terms in accordance with their gender assigned at birth, and will now head to the Senate where it is expected to pass.
The bill was authored by lawmaker Valoree Swanson, who insisted it would “protect” women and girls in sports. State representative Mary E González disputed Swanson, describing the bill as “harmful” and saying: “If you care about mental health, and I know you do, then do this simple thing and not advance this piece of harmful legislation…There is no issue with transgender and intersex students playing sports.”
ACLU of Texas is urging residents to contact their state representatives and request they vote against the “cruel” bill the will “further exclude transgender people from public life at a time when we should be creating laws to protect them from discrimination.” Tens of US states have proposed anti-trans legislation this year alone, with most bills challenging trans inclusion in school sports.
Despite increased hostility towards trans athletes, a 2021 study found that trans participation in sports poses no threat to cisgender youth, as there is no evidence to “support the claim that allowing transgender athletes to participate will reduce or harm participation in girls’ sports”. It argued that the recent anti-trans discourse relies on “scare tactics, stereotypes, and unwarranted claims that transgender women have a physiological advantage over cisgender women”, meaning there is no scientific reason for banning trans inclusion in school sports.
After pulling out of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme, the BBC has released a 10-part investigative podcast and article titled Stonewall’s influence on BBC and Ofcom revealed as it announced its ‘investigation’ into the LGBTQ+ organisation. The report found Ofcom is continuing to submit information to the Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index program, despite also having cut ties with the charity, with an Ofcom representative saying: “Our participation in the Stonewall Equality Index has no bearing whatsoever on any of our broadcasting standards decisions.”
While the BBC did not release any information about its participation in the Workplace Equality Index scheme, a former BBC journalist said she believes that workers are ‘afraid’ to speak out against Stonewall, adding: “How can it not have a chilling effect when it is writ large across the BBC that we are a [Stonewall] champion. I can’t think of anything else that the BBC has done that’s in the same ball park.” Stonewall told the podcast that it is “completely normal and appropriate for charities to engage with public sector organisations”, as it strives to create more inclusive workplaces in the UK.
LGBTQ+ activists and politicians have criticised the BBC investigation, with the hashtag #IStandWithStonewall circulating on social media. LGBT+ Labour described the BBC report as an “attack” that was “co-ordinated by those who seek to play with fire, by those who mean us harm, and by those who know better.” MP Zarah Sultana also condemned the “hateful campaign”, adding: “Relentless attempts to vilify Stonewall, simply because they stand up for trans rights, are shameful and frightening. That the BBC is using public money to amplify such a hateful campaign, reminiscent of homophobic moral panics, beggars belief.”
Stonewall said it makes no apology “for working towards a better world for LGBTQ+ people”, as it continues its current work to ban conversion therapy, support LGBTQ+ refugees and help LGBTQ+ people report hate crimes.
The official LGBTQ+ group of Quakers in Britain has issued a statement regarding conversion therapy, describing the practice as “harmful” and “unethical”, while demanding that the government move quickly to enact a national ban. The statement was released as part of the annual Quaker Gender and Sexual Diversity Community meeting, with leaders saying that “diversity should be celebrated, not stamped out.”
The statement sent a message of “love and solidarity to all who have experienced conversion practices”, and concluded: “We, therefore, join with others, of many faiths and none, in calling upon the UK government to ban so-called conversion therapy without delay.” Although the prospect of a ban on conversion therapy has been under debate in parliament, no such ban has yet been enforced, with March 28 2021 marking 1,000 days since the government first promised to eliminate the practice.
Earlier this month, Nick Herbert – the UK government’s first-ever envoy on LGBTQ+ rights – confirmed that a national ban would be introduced in Spring 2022. Responding to an advisory report on banning conversion therapy, Herbert said: “I know the Government remains committed – as set out in the Queen’s speech – to bringing forward legislation next Spring to ensure that the abhorrent practice of conversion therapy will be banned.”
Following a student-led campaign to have the allegedly transphobic philosophy professor, Kathleen Stock, removed from her position at the University of Sussex, Labour’s new shadow women and equalities minister, Taiwo Owatemi, has described Stock’s involvement with the LGB Alliance as ‘greatly concerning’. In a letter that was shared on Twitter, Owatemi condemned the anti-trans LGB Alliance for opposing the reform of the Gender Recognition Act and ignoring the existence of non-binary people.
She said that she is unfamiliar with Stock’s philosophical writings, but is concerned over her trustee role for the LGB Alliance, after being contacted by a Coventry women’s campaign group for a response on the Sussex campaign. While The Women Coventry group described Owatemi’s letter as “appalling” for ‘slating’ the LGB Alliance, the equalities minister affirmed that her party remains ‘committed’ to overseeing trans-inclusive reforms to the GRA.
Photo: Instagram @antiterfsussex
Since the campaign against Stock was launched, the hashtag #ShameOnSussexUni has been circulating on Twitter. While many social media users penalised the university for not firing Stock, others are shared messages of support for the professor, criticising the students for campaigning against her. Sussex vice-chancellor, Adam Tickell, said the student activity is being “investigated”, branding it an “attack” on “Professor Kathleen Stock for exercising her academic freedoms.” The students leading the campaign have described Stock as a ‘danger’ to trans people, adding: “Transphobes like Stock are anti-feminist, anti-queer and anti-intellectual.”
A gay couple living in Basildon, Essex, were left “covered in cuts and bruises” after being attacked by a group of five men outside Colors nightclub on October 10. Speaking to the Echo, Dan Wilson and Rob Morris explained they were leaving the club at around 1 am while Morris was in drag, before they were targeted by the group who left Wilson with cracked ribs.
The pair took themselves to A&E after the attack, and claim to have made five 999 calls to Essex Police, with officers failing to attend the scene of the incident. Wilson described the attack as “terrifying”, adding: “It was horrible. We’re so grateful for the couple who stepped in to help. They prevented it getting any worse…This kind of thing just shouldn’t be happening. Basildon is meant to be promoting the LGBTQ+ community.”
The couple were attacked outside Colors LGBTQ+ nightclub, Basildon
Essex Police has confirmed it is now investigating the assault, saying all “available officers were deployed elsewhere” at the time of the incident. Dave Wilson, Dan’s father, has urged authorities to ‘name and shame’ the perpetrators, saying: “They were shouting homophobic chants while beating up my son, it’s disgusting…The police need to catch them and make sure punished.”
Mel Robert Groves, a 25-year-old Black trans man, is the 39th trans or gender non-conforming person to have been killed in the US this year after being fatally shot in Jackson, Mississippi on Monday. According to American news outlet, WLBT, Groves arrived at Merit Health Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds but later succumbed to his injuries. Police have yet to identify any suspects or motives.
LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation, TKO Alabama, criticised media sources for misgendering Groves after his death, asking its followers to “contact Mississippi media outlets and demand that they stop misgendering him.” Although little is known about the circumstances surrounding his death, Groves was a farmer and plant-soil scientist who had been working on completing his degree, with family describing him as “brilliant”.
As the high rates of violence against the trans community continue, activists are fearful that 2021 will be even more deadly than 2020, which saw 44 trans and gender non-conforming people murdered in the US. A total of 350 trans/gender non-conforming people were killed globally last year, the majority of whom were Black trans people.
38-year-old John-Paul Kesseler is the latest victim of an anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime in Birmingham after he was struck with a wine bottle in the city centre “for holding another man’s hand”. Speaking to Birmingham Live, Kesseler explained that he was returning to his hotel with a friend in the early hours of the morning on October 10, when he was targeted by a man who said that the pair “shouldn’t be holding hands”.
Kessler said the man then became physically aggressive: “I didn’t notice him coming and the next thing I knew, I felt bashed round my head. I felt I was bleeding, I could feel blood dripping down my clothes. I was a bit dazed.” The attacker then attempted to hit Kesseler again with an iron bar before fleeing the scene. After the incident, Kesseler said: “There were homophobic comments after the attack from people mulling around outside, saying: ‘We do not agree with that LGBTQ stuff.’”
Photo: Birmingham Live
The attack is being treated as a hate crime, with the West Midlands Police saying it is investigating the “homophobic attack.” Birmingham’s Gay Village and city centre has seen numerous homophobic attacks over the past few months, raising concerns over the safety of the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Police have confirmed it will be increasing its presence in the area to help prevent further incidents.
Launched on World Mental Health Day (October 10), a new survey will collect data from LGBTQ+ Christians to examine how safe queer people feel in religious spaces. Instigated by Jayne Ozanne – director of the Ozanne Foundation – the launch coincided with the Church of England’s first “Safeguarding Sunday”, and the survey will last for two weeks before the findings are made public in November.
Ozanne explained that the survey strives to help implement safety measures for LGBTQ+ Christians, adding: “Many LGBTQ+ Christians feel increasingly vulnerable in their local churches given the increasingly toxic rhetoric around sexuality and gender identity.” Dr Sarah Carr, an LGBTQ+ mental health expert who is overseeing the survey, said it is vital “that LGBTQ+ people’s wellbeing is prioritised in spaces which we know have and still can cause significant harm and trauma.”
OneBodyOneFaith is partnering with the Ozanne Foundation on the project, with executive director Luke Dowding hoping it will illustrate how safe LGBTQ+ Christians feel when attending church. The survey is open to all LGBTQ+ Christians in the UK who are aged over 18. Those interested in completing the survey can do so online.
Another year, another Brighton & Hove Pride cancelled. I brought tickets for this year (mainly in the hope that Ms Carey would be headlining), so I think some part of me was convinced that 2021 would see everything go back to some version of pre-Covid normality. And after all, the summers of your youth are supposed to be filled with festivals, all-nighters and overpriced fruit-infused ciders, right? So, I figured I should definitely buy a ticket on the off-chance that the event goes ahead.
“I’ve been left wondering if I’m missing the portion of me which is meant to enjoy the things that I’m supposed to. Not only can I not live my 20s in the way that I’m expected to – I don’t actually want to. Is there something wrong with me?”
I turned 22 this year, so finally I can sing Taylor Swift’s 22 and have it actually make sense. However, unlike Taylor in the song’s energetic and fun-filled music video, I haven’t been spending my 20s partying, clubbing and having “breakfast at midnight”. Due to lockdown restrictions, I haven’t been to a club since 2019, and have spent most evenings in bed by 9pm with Netflix and a peppermint tea.
As I’ve found myself another year into my 20s, the pressure to live in accordance with how young people are supposed to has been increasing. Sometimes I wonder how I would have spent the past two years if the pandemic hadn’t happened – would I have travelled the globe instead of hardly leaving the house for months on end? Would I have been going to music festivals instead of working at my laptop with a Carly Rae Jepsen playlist on repeat in the background?
Although the ‘correct’ answer is yes, I’m not sure if I would be spending my weekends clubbing and going on spontaneous adventures. While many young people have been struggling with the loss of these freedoms, I can’t say that I’ve missed the nights out where I just wanted to get home into my bed and not wake up feeling exhausted, deflated, and wondering how much I actually enjoyed the partying lifestyle that university students are supposed to relish.
Now that even more of us are feeling the pressure to ‘live our best lives’, I’ve been left wondering if I’m missing the portion of me which is meant to enjoy the things that I’m supposed to. Not only can I not live my 20s in the way that I’m expected to – I don’t actually want to. Is there something wrong with me?
I’ve been pondering this for much of the pandemic and fretting that I was losing what is supposed to be a key part of everybody’s life. However, as many LGBTQ+ people find, there have been several aspects of my life that didn’t quite adhere to the normative timeline of ‘growing up’. Unlike most of my friends, my first partner was of the same gender as me, the first night out that I actually enjoyed was at a gay bar, and I reconsidered my LGBTQ+ several times, thus coming out and re-establishing myself multiple times.
When I was at university, I did a module centred on queer literature. Through the masses of theory I read for that section of my course, one particular point stood out to me, and has remained with me one year after graduating: queer people often don’t live linear timelines, which are in fact a myth perpetuated by heteronormative society.
LGBTQ+ people in particular don’t always adhere to the idea that one should be married and should have ‘settled down’ by a certain age, with many queer people coming out later in life as their identity finally emerges despite years of suppression at the hands of the forces which encourage us to live in the way which we are taught is ‘correct’.
And this got me thinking – the notion that a particular point in your life should be characterised by certain behaviours and activities is completely illogical, and the Covid pandemic has proved this further.
Everybody’s plans have been disrupted and put on hold due to circumstances which no one expected, which seems to have sent a lot of people into a panic as they fear they’re missing out on whatever stage of their life they are at because they can’t conform to societal dictations of how they’re supposed to be living at that age.
I can’t be missing out on my 20s, because any time is an opportunity for growth, development or just living on my terms – even if that means staying in some nights and watching Friends for the one-hundredth time.
In that sense, the challenges the pandemic has brought have been valuable to me. This time has allowed me to get to a stage where I no longer feel that I should be spending my 20s in a certain way. And I for one am glad to have that pressure alleviated, and to not be enduring hangovers in 9am lectures anymore.
Malborough Productions has relaunched its New Queers on the Block community development programme, with three £12,500 commissions available for LGBTQ+ performance artists. Since 2018, the scheme has supported the development of numerous queer performers, including Oozing Gloop, Malik Nashad Sharpe, Rachael Young, Harry Clayton-Wright and Subira Joy, across live art, theatre, dance, cabaret, film, spoken word and visual art.
Selected artists/groups will embark on a holistic 6-month development period with no public-facing outputs expected at the end. Creative director Tarik Elmoutawakil and executive director David Sheppeard said the scheme strives “empower marginalised LGBTQ+ artists and producers”, adding: “ [The programme] disrupts the capitalist origins of this way of working, breaking new ground and allowing artists and producers to determine for themselves their optimum conditions to thrive.”
Applications are open until 4 November 2021. Those interested can apply online.
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