First an apology: unfortunately, Julie’s new ear bud technology proved to be too complex for her, what with her advanced age (her words), and therefore her sound may not reach our usual standards this week.
Loved this, from Julie: “Everybody stop talking about sex at work. End of. Whether you have it, whether you don’t, or whether you have it with a lamp post. Just stop.”
I've just had a go at the Linda Riley doc. Geez, it's tedious! But explains a lot about Dawn Butler MP!! Incidentally, the Brookie Snog discussion reminded me, in 95, there was a TV adaptation of a Joanna Trollope novel, A Village Affair. The affair in question was between terribly English married Alice, played by Sophie Ward, and newcomer, artistic and unconventional Clodagh, played by Kerry Fox. It was all fairly torrid, but the point is that Sophie Ward wrote in an article, that kissing Kerry Fox had made it clear to her that she actually preferred women. She came out as a lesbian in 96, left her husband, found a partner, to whom she is still married. Life imitating art?
ASEXUALITY I reckon Stonewall celebrate it cos they know there’s a hugs cohort of young adults with zero libido and/or genital numbness due to SSRIs and/or PBs do they have to try to spin this permanent damage into a positive
Thank you for another fun and thought-provoking discussion. You mentioned Admiral Rachel Levine, and this in particular has been rankling me. Levine used the power of a government appointment to trick the medical establishment and adversely affect the health and care of many vulnerable young Americans. After building a career and family as a man, with a wife to bear his children and help raise them, Levine claims to have transitioned into a woman in late middle age. You can almost imagine the glee of the politicians who appointed Levine—finally, a qualified “woman” for these roles!
I was recently told of a gender non-conforming boy who joined the girls’ softball team at an elite private school claiming to prefer the playing with the girls because they were friendlier and less competitive.
Doesn’t this sound like Levine? As men age and lose their vigor, they may find themselves unable to compete with younger men. Why not put on a dress and play in a friendlier and less competitive space? Levine’s career success is analogous to the male puberty that makes transwomen competing in women’s sports such a farce.
There are literally billions of ways to be a woman. Have children or don’t. Have a career or don’t. Love men, or women, or both, or neither. But Rachel Levine isn’t a woman in any of those ways, because you cannot grow up a boy and a man and then also claim to be, understand, and represent women.
If Levine had transitioned sooner and had experienced the challenges of being a relatively unattractive infertile young woman trying to get ahead in a career while navigating the complications of balancing all the caring responsibilities that are expected of women—and smiling, to look prettier—then maybe Levine would have some claim to understand.
Muscling into women’s spaces and bullying them—and all of us—with a twisted ideology just as it becomes inconvenient to be a man is anything but courageous. And the idea that any portion of society would celebrate such terrible immoral behavior is horrifying.
If you agree with this angle, I would be honored if you’d incorporate into your published work so we can add to the broader discussion. And thank you both for all you do to promote sanity.
I understand what you intend with your statement, but in my view, there's only one way to be a woman: You're born female and grow up. No choice any male makes at any time in his life gives him any claim to understand or represent female experience, which is innately, unavoidably embodied, begins in the womb and lasts until death.
Levine is emblematic of the Biden administration's complete capture by gender ideology, which has ended my lifetime support of the Democratic Party. I'm hoping the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron deference will help defeat Biden's efforts to gut Title IX and otherwise give "gender identity" legal standing that trashes the historical sex-based rights of girls and women.
We’re between a rock and a hard place, but the Dems cynical rewrite of Title IX is an enormous betrayal. Fingers crossed on post-Chevron. I’m also cautiously optimistic.
And let’s not forget that Levine has stated that he’s glad he “transitioned” later in life because he wouldn’t have his children otherwise- so much for the children being sterilized under his policies who will never have that opportunity.
Terrific! Thank you. Great to see/hear you both again after 8 weeks unable to focus on anything other than the Passport office and exhibition organising. I've got a massive catch up to do but I'm looking forward to it. Xx
Damn my earbuds just keep popping out of my ears. Julie, have you found a specific brand? Actually, my ears prefer the big muffs that cancel out the noise. GenZ says I am cool😂😎🤣
Kathleen and Julie: Would you please dedicate an episode to whether gender dysphoria is real?
I suspect that gender dysphoria as propagated by the DSM today exists primarily as a trendy diagnosis into which get funneled multiple other mental illnesses. Unlike those less tidy (and less profitable) diagnoses, however, gender dysphoria triggers a treatment protocol that permanently changes bodies, initiating a lifelong, gender-industry-lucrative regimen of drugs and/or surgery.
As far as I know, no non-human animal experiences gender dysphoria (while many other species demonstrate homosexuality). It is a uniquely human insanity, along the same lines as anorexia, which is cured not by manipulating the body to match a troubled mind's delusion, but by addressing that troubled mind.
I don't believe "gender dysphoria" EVER correctly describes what's amiss with a person. The diagnosis relies on an unsubstantiated, amorphous notion of "gender identity." Yet people seem to readily accept that gender identity does exist, and can be misaligned with material reality, resulting in gender dysphoria. Even those of us who are gender-critical talk about gender dysphoria as if it is real, rather than an (expedient and lucrative) misconstruing of other issues. Have I missed scientific evidence for the existence of gender identity, which is necessary to believe in gender dysphoria?
I feel as if we're talking a lot about exorcism without having first established that demons exist. Or pots of gold buried at the end of rainbows, without first confirming leprechauns exist. You get the idea.
What do others think? And, Kathleen and Julie: Would you consider an episode investigating this question and looking at any credible up-to-date science, if it can be found? Where are the demons? The leprechauns?
Do not assume that asexual actors would not like the same opportunity to make televisual history afforded fellow LGBTQAers.
Loved this, from Julie: “Everybody stop talking about sex at work. End of. Whether you have it, whether you don’t, or whether you have it with a lamp post. Just stop.”
I've just had a go at the Linda Riley doc. Geez, it's tedious! But explains a lot about Dawn Butler MP!! Incidentally, the Brookie Snog discussion reminded me, in 95, there was a TV adaptation of a Joanna Trollope novel, A Village Affair. The affair in question was between terribly English married Alice, played by Sophie Ward, and newcomer, artistic and unconventional Clodagh, played by Kerry Fox. It was all fairly torrid, but the point is that Sophie Ward wrote in an article, that kissing Kerry Fox had made it clear to her that she actually preferred women. She came out as a lesbian in 96, left her husband, found a partner, to whom she is still married. Life imitating art?
I remember that! I can see her now. I adored her!!
Another great chat, that made me laugh and giggle all through. Thank you.
ASEXUALITY I reckon Stonewall celebrate it cos they know there’s a hugs cohort of young adults with zero libido and/or genital numbness due to SSRIs and/or PBs do they have to try to spin this permanent damage into a positive
Thank you for another fun and thought-provoking discussion. You mentioned Admiral Rachel Levine, and this in particular has been rankling me. Levine used the power of a government appointment to trick the medical establishment and adversely affect the health and care of many vulnerable young Americans. After building a career and family as a man, with a wife to bear his children and help raise them, Levine claims to have transitioned into a woman in late middle age. You can almost imagine the glee of the politicians who appointed Levine—finally, a qualified “woman” for these roles!
I was recently told of a gender non-conforming boy who joined the girls’ softball team at an elite private school claiming to prefer the playing with the girls because they were friendlier and less competitive.
Doesn’t this sound like Levine? As men age and lose their vigor, they may find themselves unable to compete with younger men. Why not put on a dress and play in a friendlier and less competitive space? Levine’s career success is analogous to the male puberty that makes transwomen competing in women’s sports such a farce.
There are literally billions of ways to be a woman. Have children or don’t. Have a career or don’t. Love men, or women, or both, or neither. But Rachel Levine isn’t a woman in any of those ways, because you cannot grow up a boy and a man and then also claim to be, understand, and represent women.
If Levine had transitioned sooner and had experienced the challenges of being a relatively unattractive infertile young woman trying to get ahead in a career while navigating the complications of balancing all the caring responsibilities that are expected of women—and smiling, to look prettier—then maybe Levine would have some claim to understand.
Muscling into women’s spaces and bullying them—and all of us—with a twisted ideology just as it becomes inconvenient to be a man is anything but courageous. And the idea that any portion of society would celebrate such terrible immoral behavior is horrifying.
If you agree with this angle, I would be honored if you’d incorporate into your published work so we can add to the broader discussion. And thank you both for all you do to promote sanity.
I understand what you intend with your statement, but in my view, there's only one way to be a woman: You're born female and grow up. No choice any male makes at any time in his life gives him any claim to understand or represent female experience, which is innately, unavoidably embodied, begins in the womb and lasts until death.
Levine is emblematic of the Biden administration's complete capture by gender ideology, which has ended my lifetime support of the Democratic Party. I'm hoping the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron deference will help defeat Biden's efforts to gut Title IX and otherwise give "gender identity" legal standing that trashes the historical sex-based rights of girls and women.
We’re between a rock and a hard place, but the Dems cynical rewrite of Title IX is an enormous betrayal. Fingers crossed on post-Chevron. I’m also cautiously optimistic.
And let’s not forget that Levine has stated that he’s glad he “transitioned” later in life because he wouldn’t have his children otherwise- so much for the children being sterilized under his policies who will never have that opportunity.
Thank you, Julie and Kathleen. Great stuff, wonderful rants that keep me going all week.
Wonderful as usual. Thank you both.
Malfeasance? Mal-feas-ance?
I laughed at the thought of asexuals being natural-born pacifists.
Also, this needs more views:
https://youtu.be/3RUn-TzcVms?si=WzqTw8P723HTzRMt
Terrific! Thank you. Great to see/hear you both again after 8 weeks unable to focus on anything other than the Passport office and exhibition organising. I've got a massive catch up to do but I'm looking forward to it. Xx
Gosh I miss Brookie at it's peak, 80's and early 90's.
Damn my earbuds just keep popping out of my ears. Julie, have you found a specific brand? Actually, my ears prefer the big muffs that cancel out the noise. GenZ says I am cool😂😎🤣
Kathleen and Julie: Would you please dedicate an episode to whether gender dysphoria is real?
I suspect that gender dysphoria as propagated by the DSM today exists primarily as a trendy diagnosis into which get funneled multiple other mental illnesses. Unlike those less tidy (and less profitable) diagnoses, however, gender dysphoria triggers a treatment protocol that permanently changes bodies, initiating a lifelong, gender-industry-lucrative regimen of drugs and/or surgery.
As far as I know, no non-human animal experiences gender dysphoria (while many other species demonstrate homosexuality). It is a uniquely human insanity, along the same lines as anorexia, which is cured not by manipulating the body to match a troubled mind's delusion, but by addressing that troubled mind.
I don't believe "gender dysphoria" EVER correctly describes what's amiss with a person. The diagnosis relies on an unsubstantiated, amorphous notion of "gender identity." Yet people seem to readily accept that gender identity does exist, and can be misaligned with material reality, resulting in gender dysphoria. Even those of us who are gender-critical talk about gender dysphoria as if it is real, rather than an (expedient and lucrative) misconstruing of other issues. Have I missed scientific evidence for the existence of gender identity, which is necessary to believe in gender dysphoria?
I feel as if we're talking a lot about exorcism without having first established that demons exist. Or pots of gold buried at the end of rainbows, without first confirming leprechauns exist. You get the idea.
What do others think? And, Kathleen and Julie: Would you consider an episode investigating this question and looking at any credible up-to-date science, if it can be found? Where are the demons? The leprechauns?