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LJ's avatar
Apr 4Edited

Kathleen is spot on per gene editing the only benefit is the elimination of disease

I was an extremely shy, introverted child growing up in the late 80s and early 90s in an economically deprived area. Luckily, my (unknown to me at the time, for obvious reasons, a lesbian PE teacher) encouraged me to join the free after-school sports clubs, so I did, and it changed my life.

I won lots of trophies. I learned the value of team work, female camaraderie and fair play. It also built up my self-esteem, and I was fit as a butcher's dog.

Which is why I despise the sportswomen who advocate for the participation of males in female sports. They’re pulling up the ladder behind them purposefully denying a whole generation of young girls the social, academic and financial opportunities they enjoyed because of their batshit ideology. It's a travesty.

Ps The photo of young Julie at the ideal home exhibition wow! ❤️😉

Sorry for waffling on 😂. Great episode as always 👍🏼

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Cate's avatar
Apr 5Edited

Yes, sportswomen who support males in female sport are "literally morons," as Kathleen rhetorically asks. Or, much worse -- as idiocy as a genetic matter is beyond one's control -- so lemming-like and afraid of social opprobrium that they support trans activists or stay silent, betraying female athletes everywhere. They're cowards, in other words. Contemptible.

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LJ's avatar

Absolutely they’re contemptible cowards!

Thankfully, Martina Navratilova, Sharon Davies and others are speaking out.

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Cate's avatar

Also, really liked "fit as a butcher's dog." :)

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LJ's avatar
Apr 5Edited

It’s one of my favourites.

I’m English we have plenty of weird and wonderful idioms. 😂

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Raquel Franco's avatar

As a Gen Z lesbian, I always apperciate the jokes! And Kathleen and Julie will be happy to hear that 2/3 of us at the law school here in Eastern Canada (Fredericton, New Brunswick) go to drink together at least once a week.

It can be tough on campus to get everyone together but I've been lucky. Both for my undergraduate degree in Toronto and my Law degree in Fredericton, I have always had great peers elected to the "Student's Society" who put together events that we can have drinks at. Tonight, we have kangaroo court! Where we sue our professors and each other for the various silly things we've done all year. Drinks are allowed at these hearings ;)

Hopefully this can elevate your opinion of us slightly!

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Nicola's avatar

The bit where Kathleen and Julie discuss the lack of drinking amongst Gen Z like it’s a terrible social problem is classic. So amusing! These two crack me up! Especially when Kathleen warns people to ‘save their breath’ in writing in to say how bad alcohol is for you with a stare! As if we’d dare 🤣 Also learnt something new, never heard of a Shrub. Other than when gardening!

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jen's avatar

Re the food chat in this pod, amusingly, I recently started using the financing app Moneyhub, which links to your bank accounts and categorises transactions - they're usually pretty accurate. The subscription payment for this podcast was labelled 'Groceries'. How did they know?!

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Lu's avatar

Great episode, thanks for the laughs and the food for thought re epigenetics - I am with you there, even if it could be harm free we’d be doing unforeseen damage for sure..

plus most of the beautiful things in life you don’t get to plan, they just happen, and rightly so as if your life went exactly as you planned it would certainly be so much more limited and boring..

The theme about sport really has me annoyed too as it is bloody obvious and everyone knows this. My old out and proud lesbian football team has been taken over by this trans BS - most women don’t agree if you talk to them one to one but only a couple of us has dared to say anything about it, resulting in the predictable rage from the trans identified men in the club and the teams chat admin having to suspend posting due to the insults.. I don’t give a toss but women are clearly self-censuring. The people in charge / some women involved in charities supposedly supporting women’s sport are some of the zealots imposing this regardless of what the vast majority women think -and despite reality!

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Marcella McClure's avatar

Anyone thinking that we have to start doing epigenetic modification so that lesbians can have a child with both their genetics is insane. We are not living in a world in which we have the time energy or resources to be doing this or many many other things( trans surgery, turning humans into eunuchs, etc).

This is more distraction/deflection from real world issues.

Playing with the millions of years of human reproduction evolution, with all its issues, is more narcissistic behavior. On queer earth, everyone can have and be everything and anything they can imagine. Not every gene can be genetically modified what we have is the result of a long evolution. Fuck around with mother nature we’re gonna get slapped down real seriously.

Yes, I understand the urge to reproduce one’s own child. I was raised to believe that that was best for me. I had to rebel against all of it to become what I am today, but I do love my children and grandchildren.

PS my daughters where raised by their father and I became the first computational virologist in the US.

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CB's avatar

Even if one was a die-hard fan of 'crunchy old pub' vibes (as I am), I still can't see how some unholy non-alcoholic brew of herbs, fruit, soda and organic badger-scrapings could possibly tempt anyone to cross the threshold, let alone cough up twelve quid. Even the lure of actual pub pints seems to shrink as the prices inflate... When I can find a compelling and cost-effective alternative to sprawling on the sofa in front of Nighty Night whilst spilling supermarket pilsner over myself from a Victorian ale glass - I'll be there. Cheers to you two, your courage and your humour! Both much appreciated.

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St Gervais's avatar

I can categorically confirm that Julie walks fast on her running machine as I saw her walking purposefully towards the Sheldonian in Oxford for her Oxford Literary festival sessions. Like a whippet she was! I shouted “ooh it’s Julie Bindel” ”. She stopped and said hello. Very friendly.

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BB's avatar

It's not just the issue of transwomen/men in women's sport but also people with DSDs, also men, especially in women's football. Athletics have woken up after all the podium places in the women's 800m final at the 2016 Olympics went to men with DSDs. These people are being exploited for sure but it's fundamentally wrong and needs to change ASAP.

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Deirdre Johnston's avatar

Enjoyed this week hugely as always but the item on queering the genome (and the polyamorous fire fighters) had me shouting with laughter. You two are a match made in heaven.

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Green Goblin's avatar

Please wave to Sally Hines every week - it makes me chuckle.

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Clare's avatar

Once again love the dynamics and humour - interesting that lately there seems to be a vying for who is the most curmudgeon as usually Julie wins hands down!

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Cate's avatar
Apr 5Edited

Please do circulate by e-mail a link to that upcoming event in which you two will share a stage! You will not drink during it, but -- if it coincides with (expanded) Happy Hour in the United States -- I will gladly raise a glass to you both while tuning in.

Also, very glad for the ruling against Sussex, though I know it's not over, and it drags Kathleen back into what had to be a distressing period of her life. The university richly deserves a comeuppance. The decidedly silver lining of that cloud was the delivery of Doc Stock's work to a more general audience, including UnHerd and this pod.

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Geraldine Gavin's avatar

Fabulous listening to the two of you chewing over stuff together. Looking forward to the Unherd event mentioned next week.

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BB's avatar

What is this event please? I've been looking but not found it yet.

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Geraldine Gavin's avatar

Both are on stage talking together this Thursday evening in Central London

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The Third Space Podcast's avatar

Someone needs to develop a calendar scheduling app like Doodle for poly people.

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Survive and Thrive's avatar

Appreciate the discussion of gene editing/artificial pregnancy/dynastic conspiracy/genetic engineering.Apparently the poor are getting poorer.So where go all the findings about disease management? Do the poor benefit? Good topic,good brains around it.Hooray for lesbian podcast.

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