2017
Trans-identified kids & the media – what makes a child transgender?
Posted on September 22, 2017 by Lily Maynard
(Expanded 24/10/17) There is a format to these stories and it is always the same. There is almost always a picture of a child in a pink tutu – either to show how much the garment was loved, or how … Continue reading →
“Would you like the pink box or the blue box?”
Posted on September 23, 2017 by Lily Maynard
‘Gender roles’ are the ways in which society expects women and men to behave. Gender is both a social construct and a hierarchy. It is confining and restrictive and especially harmful to girls. Gender stereotyping starts from the moment we … Continue reading →
Posted on September 24, 2017 by Lily Maynard
I was happy and honoured that the inspiring Robert Webb retweeted me today. My family are all huge fans of ‘Peep Show’: I’d rather the teens watched that than ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’ and luckily so would they. It’s hilariously … Continue reading →
Posted on September 25, 2017 by Lily Maynard
I’ve been thinking about how some people are shocked or angered by my Twitter tag claim that transitioning kids is child abuse. I’ve always been very clear about my belief that most parents love and want to do the best … Continue reading →
Posted on September 28, 2017 by Lily Maynard
If Transwomen ARE women, do we need a new word to define the type of humans who are biologically built to menstruate, give birth & lactate; who have a uterus and breasts and are oppressed because of their biology ? … Continue reading →
who at the point of application identifies as a woman
Posted on October 4, 2017 by Lily Maynard
Oh Cambridge University, what the very fuck? Et tu, New Hall? Cambridge University’s women-only college, Murray Edwards, is not a college steeped in ancient tradition: it was founded as late as 1954 to to address the fact that Cambridge had … Continue reading →
Posted on October 11, 2017 by Lily Maynard
“You can play the part of a woman, but you cannot be one unless you were born one. A woman is an adult female. Males are not and can never be females.” Jenn Smith https://transanityca.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/the-transgender-peer-pressure-time-bomb-lessons-from-the-life-and-experiences-of-a-transgender-elder/ I’m so moved … Continue reading
BIND ME: “I’m feeling ecstatic and scared and mum’s feeling sick” – young women binding.
Posted on October 28, 2017 by Lily Maynard
So wrote one girl on receiving her free binder from the MORF Binder scheme: MORF is a Manchester organisation, established in 2005 for the purpose of helping trans-identified females to support and meet each other. In 2011 MORF started the … Continue reading →
Posted on October 17, 2017 by Lily Maynard
We are living in a culture which force-feeds kids gender stereotypes and at the same time tells them those stereotypes define what it is to be a boy or a girl. That was the message I wanted to get … Continue reading →
My first article- “A Mum’s Voyage Through Transtopia”
Posted on November 6, 2017 by Lily Maynard
FOREWORD My daughter Jessie identified as a boy for at least nine months. She was insistent and persistent and wanted to change her pronouns; register at college as a boy and visit a gender therapist. I said no. Jessie will … Continue reading →
Posted on November 8, 2017 by Lily Maynard
When we hear stories of ‘trans’ children in the media we are usually struck by two things. Firstly, the photo of the cute, vulnerable child- nearly always a long-haired boy in pink and a tutu- and secondly the fierce love … Continue reading →
When it’s what you don’t say that can get you fired.
Posted on November 12, 2017 by Lily Maynard
The Daily Mail yesterday ran an article about a maths teacher who has been suspended for saying ‘good work, girls’ to a trans-identified girl and her friend. The bare bones of the story seem to be this: Joshua Sutcliffe (27), … Continue reading →
Guest post: “To the woman who shrieked at me that I am a bigot…”
Posted on December 10, 2017 by Lily Maynard
Sometimes a post is so powerful it needs to be shared far and wide. Logging on to facebook this morning, the first thing I saw was this powerful post from CR. I too have been shouted at, by other women, … Continue reading →
I know who’s going to be on the wrong side of history – and it isn’t me.
Posted on December 16, 2017 by Lily Maynard
Owen Jones wrote in the Guardian today that those who don’t support transgender rights will be on the wrong side of history’. ‘Anti-trans zealots’ he proclaimed dramatically, ‘know this: history will judge you.’ Jones’ article – like so many before … Continue reading →
What makes somebody ‘real trans’? Part 1- Adults
Posted on December 30, 2017 by Lily Maynard
“I just have a hard time now seeing anybody as ‘really trans’.” confided a friend the other day, which got me thinking: what makes somebody ‘really’ trans? Let’s try to unpick this. First we need to clarify the difference between … Continue reading →
Bra-gate – Yellowberry products now ‘for everyone’
Posted on December 31, 2017 by Lily Maynard
“Before a fruit is fully ripened… it passes through several shades of yellow. Those yellow stages take time, but they are what will eventually create a beautiful berry.” So reads the ‘about us’ section on the homepage … Continue reading →
2018
What makes somebody ‘real’ trans? Part 2 – Kids.
Posted on January 16, 2018 by Lily Maynard
What are the real differences between boys and girls? What really makes a boy a boy and a girl a girl? The boys in these pictures will lead very different lives in very different parts of the world. They will … Continue reading →
Posted on February 15, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Twitter erupted in a storm today and yesterday with the release of Transgender Trend’s free resource pack ‘supporting gender non-conforming and trans-identified students in schools’. Transactivists- mostly late-transitioning men & parents who have chosen to transition their own children- seem … Continue reading →
TransAge – the tale of Chrissie & Nigel
Posted on February 20, 2018 by Lily Maynard
This is Chrissie. Chrissie is TransAge. Chrissie was born in 1973, but she doesn’t feel 45. She’s always hung out with people younger than herself, using the same slang phrases and jargon as people half her age. Chrissie knows all … Continue reading →
Posted on February 26, 2018 by Lily Maynard
It never bodes well when people are ordered not to read something. Throughout history, great thinkers, philosophers and academics have always encouraged reading widely: it provokes thought, discussion and diversity. Those who don’t want us to think for ourselves, educate … Continue reading →
Posted on March 20, 2018 by Lily Maynard
The media circus is full of high-profile men claiming to be women. Most of them didn’t ‘transition’ until mid-adulthood and there’s a very good reason for this. Parents twenty years ago realised that childhood, the teenage years – and even … Continue reading →
“But nobody is encouraging kids to be trans!”
Posted on March 31, 2018 by Lily Maynard
We’re told that nobody is encouraging children to be transgender; that a generation of kids is suddenly coming to that realisation by itself. There’s an excellent article on the 4thwavenow website about how there is no historical precedent for the … Continue reading →
Yes, but today is Monday! Swimming in the Men’s Pond on Hampstead Heath
Posted on May 30, 2018 by Lily Maynard
I was delighted to be a part of the latest Man Friday initiative, a Bank Holiday Monday dip in the Men’s Pond on Parliament Hill. (photos by Lily Maynard) When is a woman not a woman? Why, when it’s Friday, … Continue reading →
Transgender Trend – raising money for resource packs; standing up to bullies.
Posted on June 4, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Transgender Trend was established in 2015, by a group of parents who questioned the current trans-narrative. Over the last few years it has grown into a well-known and respected organisation with a strong ethical and empathic foundation. Although considered controversial by … Continue reading →
‘Inconvenient Women’ @Camden Town Hall 13/6/18
Posted on June 20, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Text & photos- Lily Maynard Sketches-Michèle M ‘Inconvenient Women’ is one of a series of lectures organised by Venice Allan as part of the ‘We Need to Talk’ tours. Key speakers were Sheila Jeffreys and Nicole Smith. Chaired by Anne … Continue reading →
Guest Post: The 2018 Gender Games
Posted on June 26, 2018 by Lily Maynard
A few weeks ago, when this year’s World Cup was still in its early days, (I’ll be honest here, I had to Google that. I had absolutely no idea when the World Cup started, it just mysteriously, suddenly WAS … Continue reading →
Pride & Prejudice – who is standing with lesbians? #GetTheLOut
Posted on July 12, 2018 by Lily Maynard
This year’s Pride in London parade was ‘hijacked’ by a lesbian activist group called ‘Get the L Out.‘ I was on the tube on my way to Pride when my phone buzzed. “OMG have you seen this? Are you there?” … Continue reading →
ROGD- Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria
Posted on July 28, 2018 by Lily Maynard
There’s an ongoing battle between those who recognise Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) as ‘a thing’ and those who deny it exists. ROGD believers are mostly gender-critical parents and professionals, who have seen it with their own eyes in their … Continue reading →
Brighton Rock -A Woman’s Place is Turning the Tide
Posted on August 2, 2018 by Lily Maynard
On July 16th 2018, a group of almost 200 women, and a few men, attended a meeting organised by ‘Woman’s Place UK’ at Jury’s Inn in Brighton. “We are a group of people from a range of backgrounds,” declares Woman’s … Continue reading →
Telling Tales – four stories of women’s bodies, gender & dysphoria
Posted on August 6, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Here are four stories selected from those that arrive in my inboxes. Four voices, four women, each with something different to say. One is a nurse, herself with a trans-identified daughter, who describes dressing the arm wound of a young … Continue reading →
Child Transition: the Myth of Informed Consent
Posted on August 20, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Magical thinking. It’s everywhere. And in no place or time is it more powerful than in childhood. ‘Childhood,’ wrote Edna St Vincent Millay, “is the kingdom where nobody dies.” As a child, I was quite certain that I wasn’t going … Continue reading →
Unisex toilets & sexual violence in schools
Posted on August 29, 2018 by Lily Maynard
“If you get the toilets right, you get the teaching right.” So said Schools’ Minister David Miliband, somewhat bizarrely in 2004. Well, are schools getting it right? Not according to a 2010 report which suggested that one in four … Continue reading →
‘Gender Neutral’ Toilets? Computer says no.
Posted on September 18, 2018 by Lily Maynard
In the first few months after Twitter added the ‘poll’ option for its users back in 2015, over 1.7 billion votes were cast. The online poll is a data gathering research tool previous generations could never have dreamed of. A … Continue reading →
Linda Bellos and Venice Allan. A case to answer?
Posted on September 30, 2018 by Lily Maynard
On 26th September 2018, Venice and Linda had to present themselves at Westminster Magistrates Court in answer to a private prosecution brought by a tranactivist who felt threatened by one of 67 year old Linda’s comments at a ‘We Need … Continue reading →
Gender is harmful. My views are not hateful.
Posted on October 12, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Yesterday I was told that my writing could be seen as hateful. The accusation stems from my belief that men cannot ‘become’ women, & that ‘woman’ is a biological descriptor. Nor do I believe a child can be born in … Continue reading →
Butterfly- a view from the cocoon
Posted on October 14, 2018 by Lily Maynard
I watched the first episode of the new ITV drama ‘Butterfly’ with interest and growing discomfort. From the opening credits, where Max removes his lipstick and pink nail polish, to the firm handshakes dolled out by his bearded father, I … Continue reading →
Butterfly 2 – in search of puberty blockers
Posted on October 23, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Episode 2 of ‘Butterfly’ hit our screens last night, and what a whirlwind it was. As the opening credits rolled the self-described ‘truthful and powerfully beautiful drama’ opened with a scan of Max’s dressing table: moving past the snarling dinousaurs … Continue reading →
Page 3 – when the battle’s lost and won
Posted on October 28, 2018 by Lily Maynard
On the bus today, middle-child kicked my foot and rolled her eyes towards the bloke behind me. He was sitting facing her on the seat kitty-corner to hers. I looked over. He was reading a folded-over tabloid newspaper, & a … Continue reading →
Posted on October 29, 2018 by Lily Maynard
The third- and hopefully final- part of ITV’s mini-drama Butterfly hit our screens tonight. (See also my reviews of episodes 1 and 2) Although Vicky hasn’t made time to phone Stephen or Lily, Max has posted a selfie of himself … Continue reading →
Posted on October 30, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Last night I got myself a Twitter ban. I’d never had one before. There were several windows open on my laptop, and a friend on facebook had posted a picture of Shon Faye’s Twitter feed (see left). Shon & I … Continue reading →
ROGD – a detransitioner speaks (guest post)
Posted on November 11, 2018 by Lily Maynard
Helena is a young woman who is a detransioner; a young woman who got a prescription for testosterone after a single, hour-long appointment; a young woman who has agreed to write a guest post about her ROGD experience for this … Continue reading →
Living life ‘as a woman’. How it’s done.
Posted on November 25, 2018 by Lily Maynard
The women of Twitter answer the billion dollar question. I asked “Hey Twitter peeps, please explain how one ‘lives life as a woman’ and how people are supposed to deal with someone who wishes to be ‘treated as a … Continue reading →
Linda Bellos and Venice Allan. No case to answer!
Posted on December 3, 2018 by Lily Maynard
For a background to this post, read my article, Linda Bellos and Venice Allan. A case to answer? It was likely that wading through the endless reams of paperwork might take the court some time (ie all day) so we … Continue reading →
2019
Gender Identity Teaching in Schools – Haringey ReSisters public meeting with TransgenderTrend
Posted on February 18, 2019 by Lily Maynard
On 12/2/19, Haringey ReSisters organised a meeting in North London, for those concerned or curious about the teaching of gender identity in schools and the social and medical transition of children. Stephanie Davies-Arai of Transgender Trend was a speaker, and … Continue reading →
Dr James Barry & other wild women who broke the rules
Posted on March 25, 2019 by Lily Maynard
Recently there has developed a fashion for rewriting the lives of certain non-conformist women to claim them as transgender. Joan of Arc, Jennie Hodgers, James Barry; even Queen Elizabeth I has not escaped the suggestion that the wearing of men’s … Continue reading →
Protest at Downview Prison – no men in women’s prisons
Posted on April 1, 2019 by Lily Maynard
On March 30th 2019, a group of over 20 women arrived at HMP Downview in Surrey to protest the continued placement of men in women’s prisons. On the night of March 29th, I was putting the final touches to a … Continue reading →
Posted on April 6, 2019 by Lily Maynard
Where does a child get its sense of gender? There are certainly some biological differences between girls and boys. Firstly, girls have XX chromosomes and boys have XY, except in very rare intersex conditions. You cannot change your chromosomes. It … Continue reading →
Protesting Stonewall – Lesbians Up Against the Wall
Posted on April 29, 2019 by Lily Maynard
“We’re here to remind Stonewall what a lesbian is, on Lesbian Visibility Day. This is Stonewall’s supposed Workplace Equality Conference. There is no equality for women in the workplace when women are forced to pretend that men are also women. … Continue reading →
Lesbians on Chairs – the event
Posted on May 15, 2019 by Lily Maynard
I can confirm that there were lesbians and they were quite definitely sitting on chairs. On 11th May 2019, an audience of 160 (159 women & a bloke) gathered to hear words of wisdom from five lesbians: six if you … Continue reading →
First Do No Harm – the ethics of transgender healthcare
Posted on May 25, 2019 by Lily Maynard
The House of Lords played host to a series of short lectures on transgender healthcare on 15th May 2019. Controversy, no surprise, raised its head before the lectures began. The event was organised by ‘Standing for Women‘ and sponsored by … Continue reading →
The Wanking Man – how public masturbation is normalised
Posted on May 27, 2019 by Lily Maynard
From a very young age we are told to stay close to our parents, not to speak to strange men in the park, or by the toilets, not to walk down alleyways… The girls in my family were raised with … Continue reading →
Free Speech & Gender Ideology – Crossing the line
Posted on June 5, 2019 by Lily Maynard
The dilemma A police officer publicly claims my opinion ‘directly leads’ to murder. He’s a representative of the law, I’m a stay-at-home mum who believes in free speech. I asked, but he hasn’t removed the tweet & he hasn’t apologised. … Continue reading →
Bergdorf & ChildLine – did they or didn’t they?
Posted on June 8, 2019 by Lily Maynard
On 5th June 2019 the NSPCC announced their new ChildLine ‘influencer’ for ‘LGBT+ youth’: Munroe Bergdorf, a 30 year old male who began ‘transitioning from male to female’ age 24. Selected as L’Oreal’s ‘first transgender model’ in 2017, Bergdorf was … Continue reading →
Kool-Aid for Kiddies – teaching little ones about the gender fairy
Posted on June 29, 2019 by Lily Maynard
The question is not whether it is okay to change from a girl to a boy, it’s whether it is possible to change from a girl to a boy. And the answer is a resounding ‘no’. “Look at … Continue reading →
Men in Make-Up – Rewriting History
Posted on July 25, 2019 by Lily Maynard
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. … Continue reading →
The ‘True Trans’ Trope
Posted on August 8, 2019 by Lily Maynard
Yesterday The National Post and various other outlets reported on Jessica Yaniv’s predictable yet dramatic arrest shortly after an online debate with transsexual Blaire White. The debate and ongoing drama made me want … Continue reading →
#GenderCare – Dr Lorimer brings all the ‘transboys’ to the yard
Posted on August 22, 2019 by Lily Maynard
You can visit the GenderCare website here. You will learn that Gendercare is a ‘network of individual healthcare practitioners’ who ‘share a general commitment to providing friendly, accessible private services, tailored to individual needs and timescales, in a variety of … Continue reading →
The Invisible Women- why are so many women scared to speak out about gender politics?
Posted on September 21, 2019 by Lily Maynard
Why are so many women scared to speak out about gender politics? Why are so many ‘gender critical’ women scared to use their own name? By the time I was ready to tell the story of my daughter’s trans-identification and … Continue reading →
Bisexual Day of Visibility, my Arse
Posted on September 24, 2019 by Lily Maynard
So, dear reader, today (technically yesterday now) was officially Bisexual Day of Visibility! Or #BiVisibilityDay. Which should be a good thing, right? Bisexual visibility day could promote a number of ideas. We aren’t ‘pretending’ to try and impress you, no, … Continue reading →
Woke News – Censorship and sensitivities Part 1
Posted on October 25, 2019 by Lily Maynard
I woke up bright and early on that sunny Saturday. Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive- but to be ‘woke’ was very heaven! Lesley had driven down from north of Watford and we were poodling down the … Continue reading →
Inventing the Transgender Child – a conference
Posted on October 31, 2019 by Lily Maynard
On October 27th 2019, I attended the one-day conference ‘Inventing the Transgender Child – A new Sex Education?‘ in central London. Tickets went on sale through Eventbrite and that link to the event, with the original details of speakers and … Continue reading →
Hackney ReSisters – Women & Girls Under Attack
Posted on November 26, 2019 by Lily Maynard
“Are you concerned about child safeguarding, safety in prisons, securing the future of women’s sport, single-sex NHS wards, sexism- pay equality?” demanded the leaflet. Well, yes, I am indeed, two tickets please. I arranged to meet Lesley near the venue, … Continue reading →
So your child thinks they might be transgender? Part 1 – information for parents
Posted on November 30, 2019 by Lily Maynard
Information and resources for parents of trans-identified kids. Part 1 – information Firstly, this article isn’t going to tell you what I think you should do, because I don’t know what you should do. I don’t know you; I don’t … Continue reading →
So your child thinks they might be transgender? Part 2 – resources for parents
Posted on December 19, 2019 by Lily Maynard
This article is the second part of a two part series. It started out as a plan for a collection of resources with a brief introduction but the brief introduction took on a life of its own, rather like one … Continue reading →
What exactly IS ‘transphobia’?
Posted on December 31, 2019 by Lily Maynard
Transphobe, transphobic, transphobia, the words trip off the tongue like some kind of anti-demon spell, hurled against wicked, über-right-wing, LGBTQI+ hating bigots and the sort of evil Nazis who wish harm on trans people – you’d better hope those words … Continue reading →
2020
A Celebration of Magdalen Berns
Posted on January 27, 2020 by Lily Maynard
Lesbian feminist icon Magdalen Berns (1983-2019) is most famous for her short, irreverent videos concerned with gender identity politics and women’s rights. Her wikipedia page describes her as ‘a lesbian radical feminist… YouTuber, boxer and software engineer.’ Magdalen’s YouTube channel … Continue reading →
Women’s Liberation 2020 – a WPUK conference
Posted on February 16, 2020 by Lily Maynard
This year is the 50th anniversary of the first National Women’s Liberation Conference, which was held at Oxford in 1970 and attracted over 600 feminist activists from across the country. This year’s conference, organised by Woman’s Place UK and the … Continue reading →
How LGBTQIA+ teaching in schools erases lesbian & gay kids
Posted on February 25, 2020 by Lily Maynard
Celebrating diversity is a good thing. Who we love, what we want to wear, whether we like climbing the highest mountains or doing crossword puzzles in front of a warm fire, we are all different. We have dark skin, fair … Continue reading →
Adult human female – a red flag?
Posted on March 4, 2020 by Lily Maynard
Two Merseyside councils flew flags bearing the legend ‘adult human female’ this week, in celebration of International Women’s Day. Predictably, the flags didn’t stay up long, after several blokes claimed the message hurt their feelings. Of course, … Continue reading →
WOMEN SAY on Women’s Day
Posted on March 23, 2020 by Lily Maynard
The right to free speech at Speakers Corner has ghoulish roots. It is the site where those condemned to die on the gallows at Tyburn were permitted to speak their last words in front of the crowds who flocked to … Continue reading →
Guerilla Postcards from the Edge
Posted on April 12, 2020 by Lily Maynard
What happens when you arm a group of women with ‘adult human female’ postcards and let them loose on the art galleries and museums of Britain? We found out. As we look online at pictures of deserted city centres and … Continue reading →
The Museum of Transology, Brighton
Posted on April 22, 2020 by Lily Maynard
Yes, Virginia, there really is a Museum of Transology. I started writing this piece back in October 2018, and it lurked, half-finished, in the ‘drafts’ section of my blog for eighteen months. Unable to roam, as are we all during … Continue reading →
There but for Grace go we- queer theory and the snowflake generation
Posted on May 8, 2020 by Lily Maynard
“One reason I’m so anti-zoom,” Grace Lavery, Associate Professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, confided to 21.8k followers on Twitter a few days ago,“is that I teach classes in queer and trans studies, where part of the … Continue reading →
Hyperbole and the Trans Suicide Myth
Posted on May 30, 2020 by Lily Maynard
It is incredibly difficult to approach the subject of suicide among trans-identified people without being labelled a hateful bigot who wants trans kids to kill themselves. Yet one of the main concerns voiced by those who question the suicide myth … Continue reading →
Sexism, Transtopia and the NHS
Posted on June 7, 2020 by Lily Maynard
The NHS was established in 1948, in the wake of the devastation of two world wars. The visualised dream of Sir William Beveridge, it was nurtured into being after the 1945 General Election, under the eye of Health Minister Aneurin … Continue reading →
Transactivism & the Ning Nang Nong
Posted on June 8, 2020 by Lily Maynard
“On the Ning Nang Nong,Where the Cows go Bong!and the monkeys all say BOO!There’s a Nong Nang Ning Where the trees go Ping!And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.” Spike Milligan We are currently experiencing extremely high levels of jibber … Continue reading →
Costing the Kool-Aid – bias & funding in a ‘gender diversity’ research project
Posted on June 25, 2020 by Lily Maynard
Society’s current obsession with gender identity politics is unprecedented and if there’s one thing we can probably all agree on, it’s that there needs to be more research done into why more and more young people are increasingly identifying as … Continue reading →
The incredible adventures of #stickerwoman
Posted on July 10, 2020 by Lily Maynard
The first #stickerwoman? On the morning of 22 April 1910, 20 year old Londoner Vera Wentworth pasted eight stickers on the Palace of Westminster walls. The stickers read: ‘To know more about the Women’s Suffrage Movement read “Votes for Women” … Continue reading →
The Mystery of the Disappearing JK Rowling Poster
Posted on July 30, 2020 by Lily Maynard
“Fantastic addition to Waverley Station, Edinburgh!“ tweeted For Women Scotland, on the afternoon of July 27th 2020. The new addition was an “I heart JK Rowling” digital poster, conceived, designed and paid for by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (aka Posie Parker) of … Continue reading →
Standing for Women @ Speaker’s Corner
Posted on July 31, 2020 by Lily Maynard
“I can’t cycle that far!” I moaned, waving my phone at Jessie, window open on the Standing for Women facebook page. “I haven’t got off my arse for months. And my bike probably needs a service. And there’s no way … Continue reading →
When is a mermaid not a Mermaid?
Posted on September 3, 2020 by Lily Maynard
This afternoon it came up on my Twitter that a bloke called Andrew Carter had posted his concern over a ‘fake’ Mermaids account that has been set up. “Transphobes set up a fake @Mermaids_Gender account to trick vulnerable children into … Continue reading →
‘Troubled Blood’ indeed – a feminist review
Posted on September 30, 2020 by Lily Maynard
How I loved the Harry Potter books! I read them, then I read them aloud to my kids; I even read them a third time as the kids became old enough to read them for themselves. I loved the magic … Continue reading →
“Born in the Wrong Body? That’s not what we meant!”
Posted on October 3, 2020 by Lily Maynard
For years we have been told that trans-identified people were born in the wrong body and that it is the clothing, toy and hobby choices of children that mark them out as transgender. Media-hungry parents have said it of their … Continue reading →
‘Stop Medicalising Children’ – a report on the Voorzij Conference
Posted on November 2, 2020 by Lily Maynard
It’s been months since I went to a proper event. Obviously chat room conferences are no replacement for IRL meetings but when I saw the ‘Stop Medicalising Children’ conference advertised on Facebook I thought I’d sign up. After all, if … Continue reading →
The Mary Wollstonecraft Statue – everything that’s wrong with modern feminism
Posted on November 16, 2020 by Lily Maynard
This week a new statue was unveiled on North London’s Newington Green. The £143,300 sculpture is for eighteenth century feminist and author Mary Wollstonecraft. “Great! Just what we need! A statue of an inspiring woman.” I hear you cry. Well, … Continue reading →
The Gendered Soul
Posted on December 6, 2020 by Lily Maynard
Do humans have gendered souls? This is a question that lies right at the heart of the debate over ‘trans rights’ in the UK, especially in regard to the protection and well-being of vulnerable groups such as children and young … Continue reading →
2021
Wrestling with Reality – the birth of Gabbi Tuft
Posted on February 8, 2021 by Lily Maynard
I woke up late today. Glancing at the snow outside, making a quick coffee and sliding back under the duvet, I opened Twitter on my phone to see that wrestling legend Gabe Tuft aka Tyler Reks has actually been a … Continue reading →
Getting the Giggles
Posted on February 23, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Giggle CEO and founder Sall Grover is no stranger to misogyny. She left Australia for Los Angeles aged 24, determined to be a screen writer. Initially it was a successful venture but when her friend and female co-writer left, Sall … Continue reading →
An open letter to Alison Bechdel
Posted on February 25, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Hi Alison, You probably won’t read this, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. You might, and if you do, thank you. I’ve always admired your work. I had a copy of Dykes to Watch Out For in my squat in the … Continue reading →
Stephanie Davies-Arai & the story of Transgender Trend
Posted on February 28, 2021 by Lily Maynard
If you’re reading this, the chances are you know a bit about Transgender Trend already. You might have asked for one of their schools’ packs to be sent to your child’s school or club; you might have referred a friend … Continue reading →
It Izzn’t funny – how male appropriation of womanhood has gone way too far
Posted on March 12, 2021 by Lily Maynard
For those involved in the ongoing debate about what constitutes a ‘lived experience as a woman’ the Guardian today sported a very poignant cover. The top left corner of the front page featured a heavily photoshopped picture of … Continue reading →
Transitioning kids – why it’s always about sexism & homophobia
Posted on March 18, 2021 by Lily Maynard
A clip posted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Twitter a couple of days ago has been shared all over the world on various social media platforms, reaching millions of viewers and provoking diverse reactions in those who … Continue reading →
Liberal Voice for Women: Liberal Principles Applied to Treatment of Children with Gender Dysphoria 12/4/21
Posted on April 21, 2021 by Lily Maynard
I’m not a Liberal Democrat, or a Conservative, or a whatever-it-is-that-people-in-the-Labour-party-call-themselves-these-days but, when there doesn’t seem to be a political party in the entire country willing to admit to knowing what a woman is, attending an event such as this … Continue reading →
Who’s really driving the trans-train?
Posted on May 6, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Gender identity politics is, perhaps, the most unlikely youth movement we could have imagined. Far from rebelling against the stereotypes that were beginning to be broken down by the GenXers, Gens Y&Z seem intent on re-enforcing the differences between the … Continue reading →
Kathleen Stock’s ‘Material Girls’ – a review
Posted on May 17, 2021 by Lily Maynard
On May 6th, philosopher and Sussex University lecturer Kathleen Stock published her book, ‘Material Girls’, subtitled ‘why reality matters for feminism’. Just one day after publication, it had hit number 49 on the Amazon bestseller list. “Material Girls is out … Continue reading →
Heather Brunskell-Evans – Transgender Body Politics – A review
Posted on May 23, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Heather Brunskell-Evans is an academic; a philosopher, co-founder of the Women’s Human Rights Campaign and co-author of the Declaration on Women’s Sex-based Rights. She has co-edited, with Michele Moore, the books Transgender Children – Born in Your Own Body and … Continue reading →
The Curious Case of Marion Millar
Posted on June 5, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Marion Millar is Scottish, a feminist and a working mum. On 28th April 2021 she received a phone call out of the blue, from a police officer who told her she would need to attend her local police station to … Continue reading →
101 things the ruling does NOT give Maya Forstater the right to do…
Posted on June 10, 2021 by Lily Maynard
It was announced today (10/6/21) that Maya Forstater has won her appeal. Here is an excellent and informative piece, ‘The Forstater Judgement: what Next? written by her lawyer Peter Daly, who tweeted this morning: “Very pleased to be able to … Continue reading →
Non-binary: valid or vacuous?
Posted on June 11, 2021 by Lily Maynard
That an intelligent adult can keep a straight face when confronted with the idea that a special few of us are non-binary is one of the most astonishing things about the power of gender ideology. A person who is non-binary … Continue reading →
Heretic – Jess de Wahls & the new censorship
Posted on June 17, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Jess de Wahls grew up in East Berlin. She now lives in London where she has been nicknamed ‘the enfant terrible of the textile industry’. Her work features detailed patches weaving together feminism and plant life as well as complex … Continue reading →
Susan & Marcus Evans- ‘Gender Dysphoria’, a review
Posted on June 22, 2021 by Lily Maynard
In May 2021, Susan and Marcus Evans book, Gender Dysphoria: A Therapeutic Model for Working with Children, Adolescents and Young Adults, was published by Phoenix Press. The authors discuss the developmental and relationship issues that can cause a child or … Continue reading →
Resting on our Laurels- why aren’t all women up in arms about men in women’s sports?
Posted on June 30, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Today I’m writing about weightlifting, but let’s start by having a quick look at what happens when you let boys compete in girls’ sporting categories. “We all know the outcome of the race before it even starts. It’s demoralising.” reported … Continue reading→
Transitioning children – how young is too young?
Posted on August 24, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Today’s Grauniad, (24/8/21) features an article entitled ‘I feel like it’s quite shaky acceptance’: trans kids and the fight for inclusion’, by transactivist Shon Faye. Yes, that is the Shon who advised ‘children’ to ‘be sluttier than you are’, ‘suck … Continue reading →
Standing for Women at the Reformers’ Tree – August 2021
Posted on August 30, 2021 by Lily Maynard
This is a very visual piece and as such it took me longer than usual to finish it- it’s almost exactly a month since this meeting! In fact, there was another meeting at the Reformers’ Tree yesterday (29/8/21) so it’s … Continue reading →
The real conversion therapy is transitioning kids
Posted on September 30, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Transitioning children is conversion therapy. The claim that it is in fact the opposite is one of the most spectacular DARVOs our culture has ever seen. Take a girl – convert her to a facsimile of a boy. Take a … Continue reading →
Dinosaurs? Hear us roar! Protest in London 8/10/21
Posted on October 11, 2021 by Lily Maynard
Those pesky dinosaurs, hoarding their rights all over the place! Dinosaurs, cervixes, women’s rights, trans rights, secret hoards of rights, bodies with vaginas, is there a pie or is there not a pie? There have been some pressing questions in … Continue reading →
Come Out of Stonewall
Posted on October 30, 2021 by Lily Maynard
On 22nd October, a group of mostly LGB people met at Parliament Square to protest outside about the capture of organisations by the Stonewall Diversity Scheme. Rather than blog about the event, I decided to make a short film for … Continue reading →
2022
The bigotry on the bus goes round and round
Posted on January 12, 2022 by Lily Maynard
In November last year, a friend of mine and her date were attacked on a London night bus by a man and two women who objected to them showing affection. The couple was beaten and left bruised and traumatised. Both … Continue reading →
Wielding the Sidhbh- the life & work of ‘tit wizard’ Sidhbh Gallagher
Sidhbh Gallagher – a brief bio Sidhbh Gallagher- it’s pronounced ‘sive’ as in skive or alive– hails from a little village called Louth, in County Louth, Ireland. After attending St Louis all-girls Catholic secondary school, she graduated with a medical … Continue reading
Adidas – our boobs are not your billboards
The first I knew about the Adidas billboard was when a photo of it was shared in one of those super-secret WhatsApp groups where dinosaurs and shrill sirens mingle with powerful lesbians and multi-millionaire benefactors. A woman (let’s call her … Continue reading
We’re all Dying to Know – What is a Woman?
They were hush-hush arrangements. We didn’t want the Tate to suspect that there would be a protest. Meeting in a pub on the south bank of the Thames beforehand, we arrived at the gallery in small groups of two or … Continue reading
No Men in Women’s Prisons – protests in England 2022
Mention the presence of men in women’s prisons and most people will assume you’re talking about the guards, not the inmates. Tell somebody that there are male prisoners being held in women’s prisons and it’s quite likely that they’ll look … Continue reading
Wounded Pride- how gender identity & profit have hijacked the rainbow
This was intended to be a short piece but has morphed into 8000+ words. It starts with an innocent trip to Bluewater shopping centre, where it muses on the packaging of Pride and looks at the evolution of the Pride … Continue reading
The Feminist Library open letter & how it went terribly wrong
Oh dear, Feminist Library, how you have let yourself down. How very, very, very unfeminst you have become. And amidst all our dismay and disappointment, what a laugh you have inadvertently given us… but we’ll come to that later. The … Continue reading
Let Women Swim
It was back in 2018 that Man Friday organised the first women’s protest at the ponds on Hampstead Heath. On that occassion a group of women chose to swim in the men’s pond in an attempt to draw attention to … Continue reading
Lies that identify as truths- TERF hatred and fascist babies in Brighton
This wasn’t the article I intended to write. I had been looking forward to hearing the speeches. I travelled down to Brighton by train with Jo and we met up with a few others at the station. We stopped at … Continue reading
The rise & rise of the overindulged blokes in dresses
Ridiculous men in dresses, calling themselves women – how we love to praise them! Handmaidens applauding left, right and centre, potential Prime Ministers who can’t even spit out a description of ‘woman’, politicians who ‘see people’s souls’. So perhaps … Continue reading
Keep Prisons Single Sex! Who are these men & why do we need to protest?
I had to check my diary to remind myself when the last protest outside the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) had taken place. It was then I had last seen the ‘No Men in Women’s Prisons’ banner that I’d originally made … Continue reading
2023
YES, BUT WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY WANT ???
The conflict between Trans Rights Activists (TRAs) and ‘gender critical’ women (and men) is not two rival factions meeting for ‘turf wars’. This is not the Montagues and Capulets biting their thumbs at each other. There is no ‘wrong on … Continue reading
Lesbian not criminal – London 16/2/23
Why ‘lesbian not criminal‘? Tonje Gjevjon, a lesbian artist, musician and activist found herself on the wrong side of self-ID when she was recently threatened with prosecution under Norway’s 2020 ‘hate’ legislation. In October 2022 she posted on Facebook, … Continue reading
Let Women Speak – Reformers Tree February 2023
It was two thirty in the morning when I suddenly had an idea for a new flag. ‘It won’t take that long to make,’ I told myself, ‘and I can take it with me in the morning. I can easily … Continue reading
Let Women Speak – back at Speakers Corner March 2023
Well, here we are again, another chilly Sunday and another ‘Let Women Speak’ event menaced by TRAs. This time they brought along foghorns, megaphones and an amplifier, and I’d like to address that first of all. There’s a bylaw in … Continue reading
Women’s Rights Protestors gather at the New Zealand Embassy
On 28th March 2023, a group of around thirty five women gathered outside the New Zealand High Commission (NZHC) to protest against the New Zealand government’s apathetic response to the violence encountered by women in Auckland, show support for the … Continue reading
Thoughts on Trans Day of Visibility
So today (now yesterday) was Trans day of Visibility. Which is strange, because rarely has a supposedly marginalised group been so visible. The rainbow flag that until recently stood for the same-sex attracted community has been appropriated and replaced with … Continue reading
KPSS: 200 Years Since the Gaols Act: what next?
On 28th March 2023, MP Kenny MacAskill hosted an event on behalf of Kate Coleman and Keep Prisons Single Sex. 150 tickets were issued for “200 Years Since the Gaols Act: what next?” Tickets could be reserved through tickettailor, where … Continue reading
Dance for Freedom – supporting women in Iran 29/4/23
Today, 29th April 2023, International Dance Day, women gathered at Picadilly Circus in London to ‘dance for freedom’. The official website for International Dance Day, which started in 1982, says: “This day is a celebration day for those who can … Continue reading
Adult Human Female – the postcard extravaganza!
Still, after all these years, we’re having to remind people that men cannot be women, that a woman is an adult human female, and still the cries of ‘hateful transphobe’ are addressed to those of us who dare to point … Continue reading
Let Women Speak – Reformers Tree, London 30/4/23
As my bus drove alongside Hyde Park, I saw a gaggle of TRAs collected by the fountain. Ten minutes later, by the time I’d got off the bus, crossed the road and grabbed a coffee, they were just starting to … Continue reading
It’s not great, maaate.
All over London women, and men, are shaking their heads at our Mayor and his latest ‘say maaate to a mate’ and #HaveAWord campaign. Designed to discourage ‘toxic masculinity’- from punching women in the face to sharing lascivious and disrespectful … Continue reading
Counting the COSTA – the glorification of cutting off healthy breasts
It seems to have become horifically de rigeur to use young women who have had their healthy breasts removed to advertise products to young people, something we couldn’t have conceived of even ten years ago. Yet here we are. Costa … Continue reading
Life’s a beach – Adult Human Female postcards in Brighton
I was recently contacted by a small group of women who had been involved in leaving ‘adult human female’ postcards around Brighton and taking photos of them. This is their story. Names have been changed and randomly assigned. Many of … Continue reading
What did Peter Tatchell really say about kids, sex & the age of consent?
Peter Gary Tatchell was born in 1952 and hails from Melbourne, Australia. His website tells us he “has been campaigning for human rights, democracy, LGBT+ freedom and global justice” since 1967. In his home country he supported the black civil … Continue reading
Who will guard the guards? – When the Police say Men are Women
A prime example of this is the case of a recent statement made by a Detective Inspector after two men were convicted of child sex abuse offences. I mean, if the DI in charge of such cases in Greater Manchester … Continue reading
2024
Time to Talk – a Sisters Salon event with Hannah Barnes & Helen Lewis
Plus- who is Katy Jon Went, and why did Lewis invite him to speak? “Helen Lewis and Hannah Barnes will discuss the importance of evidence-based reporting on contentious subjects, their experiences as journalists in this difficult terrain, and – in … Continue reading
Moob Juice is Child Abuse – protesting men who ‘breastfeed’ for kicks
In May 2023, Children of Transitioners wrote to University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, expressing concerns about their ‘Perinatal Care for Trans and Non-binary people’ policy. Attention was also drawn to the policy by @ripx4nutmeg, who linked to a discussion … Continue reading
The Great (ongoing) Puberty Blockers Experiment
“We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty-suppressing hormones to make the treatment routinely available at this time.” So announced the NHS this week (March 2024), on publication of the … Continue reading
The Stunning, Brave & Beautiful Game
The UEFA Women’s Championship final back in April 2022 was epic. Even for those of us mostly unmoved by the beautiful game, it was uplifting; it felt as if that match really turned things around. It started to seem like … Continue reading