Pop star Jade Thirlwall leads crowd in anti-J.K. Rowling chant at LGBTQ+ festival
The Harry Potter author has said she would 'happily' go to prison for misgendering a trans person rather than use their chosen pronouns. In April, she celebrated a Supreme Court ruling tying the legal definition of 'woman' to biological sex, which campaigners say could have serious consequences for trans people. Following the verdict, Rowling posted a photo of herself smoking a cigar with the caption: 'I love it when a plan comes together.'
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Holyrood's elite has created conditions for rise of great Reform con
Among those who rushed to condemn her for belonging to a church that believes marriage is a sacrament reserved for a man and a woman was John Swinney, her SNP colleague of long standing. Yet Mr Swinney is happy to bring up his children in the Catholic tradition, having had his first marriage annulled so that he could marry again in the Catholic Church. I have questions. Doesn't Mr Swinney know that the Catholic Church also teaches that marriage is reserved for the union of a man and a woman? Feminists who, in the course of many decades, had fought for women's rights, found that they too were branded Fascists and bigots because they opposed biological men gaining access to their private spaces. The five Supreme Court judges who have now clarified this position in law are also bigots, according to Holyrood's Deputy Convenor of its Equalities committee, as is the European Human Rights Commission who endorsed the judges' ruling. She remains in her post. Read more It's not enough now merely to disagree or criticise: only Fascism will do. For, once you've been so labelled it becomes easier to remove you from your post if you work in Scotland's public omni-sector. For the record, I don't believe anyone in Scottish public life is a Fascist. I don't see people who believe in a one-party state or who are in favour of establishing a quasi-military police force reinforced by extra-judicial powers. What I have seen in the devolved era is a civic belief system that's been established by stealth and carefully nurtured by special interest groups which work against the interests and traditions of a majority of Scottish people, especially those belonging to working-class communities. I believe also that the SNP, Scotland's eternal party of government, has been gate-crashed by groups and individuals who care little for independence, except as providing cover for their own illiberal agendas. These range from the policy of placing violent men in women's prisons and imposing pronouns in the workplace to backing the NATO military alliance whose ruinous diplomacy has brought us to the brink of war with Russia. It includes indulging the Scottish Greens, whose clumsy attempts to impose climatism on the population has cost us many millions of pounds and speak of an underlying loathing for working class people who insist on clinging to their old, unsustainable ways. What's much more worrying is what has emerged in the course of devolved era. This is the emergence of a sprawling, a-political class who proceed on a gaseous and shape-shifting suite of values and ethics. They swirl and churn endlessly in a vortex of slogans, mission statements and labels, but never land. Kate Forbes received criticism for her deeply-held religious views (Image: Jeff J Mitchell) They don't believe in anything substantial beyond a collective credo of no-belief and no-value. The Scottish National Party no longer believes in independence; the Scottish Greens have subordinated stewardship of the natural environment to identity politics; the Labour Party are softening up the populace to prepare for global war by spending billions on more weapons of mass destruction and the Liberal Democrats have a leader who was last seen getting heated about Holyrood's toilet arrangements. Devolution has delivered a class of politicians who, quite literally, stand for nothing more than getting elected again. For an all-consuming void like this to have settled on the highest offices in the land, two major mechanisms are required. One is the establishment of a system of patronage so vast that its machinery reaches in to every public office in the land. It's why a country with a population of 5.5m is governed by an administration employing almost 30 ministers with a portfolio of 32 local authorities. We have become a panjandrum nation. These are reinforced by a vast lobbying sector that didn't exist before 1999. Their task has been to create a civic/entrepreneurial organism kept alive by fat public contracts. Experience, skill and cost-effectiveness count for little in this sector unless you agree to sign up to Holyrood's cultural agenda. Even so, this in itself wouldn't be sufficient for such a metastasis to have occurred. For that, you require slowly to eliminate dissenting voices and monitor the smart people and their smart thoughts. For 20 years or so, this was easily concealed and public trust was maintained. In the Sturgeon/Swinney era though, there's been a quickening, so that cabinet posts are now occupied by a cohort of barely-literate fools promoted well beyond their paltry abilities on the proviso that they keep their mouths and their minds shut. Read more The great Holyrood toilet debate was one of those rare occasions when we got to glimpse the full reality. This is what happens when you pursue an internal policy of forcibly removing talent and replacing them with mediocrity. It's the political equivalent of consanguinity. Most recently it's been evident in a multi-million-pound recovery mega-structure formed by a handful of superannuated public agencies. Their task has been to sell the lie that the political elites give a single flying toss about poor people dying in their thousands, not of addiction, but raw, grinding poverty. For the first time, I sense that this is cutting through to the Scottish public, a development that the political elite have worked hard to prevent. When this happens it's inevitable that a party proclaiming fake everyman values such as Reform would come to exploit the situation. No matter what happens at the Hamilton, Stonehouse and Larkhall by-election on Thursday, Scotland will be the losers. Kevin McKenna is a Herald writer and columnist and Scottish Feature Writer of the Year.
North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Women's centre founded by JK Rowling to host conference on internet pornography
Beira's Place, in Edinburgh's New Town, was founded and funded by the Harry Potter author to meet what she described as an 'unmet need' for women after a row over transgender people in rape crisis centres. The female-only service opened in December 2022 and has had 624 referrals so far, from over-16s in the Lothians who have experienced sexual violence. The conference on Tuesday will examine the impact of internet pornography and social media influencers, and how this may be fuelling the increasing levels of reported violence and abuse experienced by young women, according to organisers. Speakers include Michael Conroy, the director of Men At Work, an organisation which delivers professional training in supporting the healthy personal development of boys and young men. Mr Conroy warned that trends originating from internet pornography included non-consensual strangulation, which he described as 'worrying' and increasingly normalised. Mary Sharpe, chief executive of The Reward Foundation, a relationship and sex education charity, will also speak and warned that internet pornography was 'addictive' and could provide a gateway to criminality. It is hoped the conference will spark 'concrete ideas' for ways to tackle the issue and is part of a series of events, Unseen, Unheard, focused on violence against women. Mr Conroy said: 'It's increasingly clear from working with a range of frontline professionals that boys and young men are having their expectations around sex and intimacy shaped by porn in harmful ways. 'So-called 'choking', or sexual strangulation, is a really worrying emerging feature of this influence and we have to do all we can to stop its normalisation. 'Unfortunately, there is evidence that some of that normalisation is coming from organisations who should know much better.' Ms Sharpe said: 'Internet pornography is one of the key drivers of the epidemic of violence against women and girls. It's designed to be addictive. 'Some consumers escalate to violent porn and to child sexual abuse material. The good news is that when users quit porn the brain settles down and appreciation of women often improves. 'The multibillion-dollar porn industry has actively suppressed evidence of the many porn-related health risks. The Reward Foundation provides free, evidence-based training materials for schools, professionals and parents.' Other speakers include national co-ordinator of the Women's Support Project Linda Thompson, Dr Alison Scott, consultant gynaecologist in sexual health services, and nurse lead for the sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) Jessica Davidson MBE. Founded and funded by JK Rowling, Beira's Place employs 10 support workers. Directors of Beira's Place include former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss, former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont and director of For Women Scotland Susan Smith. Lesley Johnston, chief executive of Beira's Place, said: 'We are delighted to be hosting this conference and are thrilled to be platforming so many excellent speakers, all of whom have considerable experience and insights to share. 'We hope to leave attendees with ideas for concrete action that can be taken in order to address the impact of pornography on levels of violence against women.'
Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Women's centre founded by JK Rowling to host conference on internet pornography
Beira's Place, in Edinburgh's New Town, was founded and funded by the Harry Potter author to meet what she described as an 'unmet need' for women after a row over transgender people in rape crisis centres. The female-only service opened in December 2022 and has had 624 referrals so far, from over-16s in the Lothians who have experienced sexual violence. The conference on Tuesday will examine the impact of internet pornography and social media influencers, and how this may be fuelling the increasing levels of reported violence and abuse experienced by young women, according to organisers. Speakers include Michael Conroy, the director of Men At Work, an organisation which delivers professional training in supporting the healthy personal development of boys and young men. Mr Conroy warned that trends originating from internet pornography included non-consensual strangulation, which he described as 'worrying' and increasingly normalised. Mary Sharpe, chief executive of The Reward Foundation, a relationship and sex education charity, will also speak and warned that internet pornography was 'addictive' and could provide a gateway to criminality. It is hoped the conference will spark 'concrete ideas' for ways to tackle the issue and is part of a series of events, Unseen, Unheard, focused on violence against women. Mr Conroy said: 'It's increasingly clear from working with a range of frontline professionals that boys and young men are having their expectations around sex and intimacy shaped by porn in harmful ways. 'So-called 'choking', or sexual strangulation, is a really worrying emerging feature of this influence and we have to do all we can to stop its normalisation. 'Unfortunately, there is evidence that some of that normalisation is coming from organisations who should know much better.' Ms Sharpe said: 'Internet pornography is one of the key drivers of the epidemic of violence against women and girls. It's designed to be addictive. 'Some consumers escalate to violent porn and to child sexual abuse material. The good news is that when users quit porn the brain settles down and appreciation of women often improves. 'The multibillion-dollar porn industry has actively suppressed evidence of the many porn-related health risks. The Reward Foundation provides free, evidence-based training materials for schools, professionals and parents.' Other speakers include national co-ordinator of the Women's Support Project Linda Thompson, Dr Alison Scott, consultant gynaecologist in sexual health services, and nurse lead for the sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) Jessica Davidson MBE. Founded and funded by JK Rowling, Beira's Place employs 10 support workers. Directors of Beira's Place include former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss, former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont and director of For Women Scotland Susan Smith. Lesley Johnston, chief executive of Beira's Place, said: 'We are delighted to be hosting this conference and are thrilled to be platforming so many excellent speakers, all of whom have considerable experience and insights to share. 'We hope to leave attendees with ideas for concrete action that can be taken in order to address the impact of pornography on levels of violence against women.'
