A Week in Links #12
January 15, 2011
I don’t exactly do this weekly, so some links are old, but still worth reading I think. And there are too many of them.
- The Babylon Tales I’ve only just discovered this blog and it is fantastic. I can’t specify a post as they all make me laugh a lot.
- Beckicksle My lovely friend Becca, who I have known for a long time but never met in real life, has written an inspiring post regarding her mental health. It is so hard to do this, and I am so proud of her.
- Hyperbole and a Half Another new blog to me, which will quite literally steal your time. It is indescribable – go look.
- Transgender Children: More Than a Theoretical Challenge byNatacha Kennedy and Mark Hellen is an excellent study regarding how trans children are invisible to others, and how damaging this is. Also covered in The Huffington Post.
- From Tehelka, Kuzhali Mahickavel dissects how that bloody M.I.A. RUINS EVERYTHING. Disgraceful woman!
- Advocate.com – An Unlikely Activist Michael Luongo meets Ezra Nawi, an Israeli who fights to uphold human rights in Palestine.
- Greenpeace – What Secrets Are Lurking In Your Tin Of Tuna? Sharks, turtles and dolphins apparently. Nice.
- DWP – Maria Cunty Miller’s new green paper ‘Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance – public consultation’ David Cameron declared the tory war on single parents to be over. We all knew he was lying. If you can respond to this consultation then please do.
- National Day of Protest Against Benefit Cuts: UK Round Up The Tories are continuing and obviously expanding the war on disabled people, we have an opportunity to protest if able. Facebook group here, and more info here.
- Sue Marsh details how ‘Sick and Disabled people are now facing cuts of up to a third in their incomes.’ This isn’t abstract, this is what has already been legislated by the tory government. It is vile. An October article in the Guardian spells out some of the other attacks.
- Labour leader Ed Miliband responds to the tory government, but seems to forget to mention how the most vulnerable people around him are being hit over the head with a sledgehammer. Perhaps he doesn’t see us, perhaps he is quite happy that the Tories are continuing Labour’s punishing policies. Thanks Ed – don’t ask for my vote again.
- Zoe Williams – ‘This talk of ‘benefit cheats’ is not only stigmatising, it is slanderous, too’ Won’t stop them though. It’s ingrained into our society.
- EPAO – TIMELINE 2006-2010 Irom Sharmila agitation to repeal AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958)
- BBC World Book Club Bernard Schlink talks about The Reader. One of the few books which is complemented and added to by its movie version.
- New Internationalist Magazine – Guilty secrets ‘In strictly segregated Yemeni society, child sexual abuse is kept well-hidden. Glen Johnson hears the harrowing testimony of a survivor.’
- Row over exotic minerals that make modern life tick by Olivia Lang The metals that can be found all over our houses.
- Killing the Buddah -Yes, Mr. Kristof, This Is America Garrett Baer responds to the wide eyed fool that is Kristof.
- Al Jazeera – Sudan: Transcending Tribe May Ying Welsh gives a brief history behind the poll for Independence in Southern Sudan.
Now for the music:
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Thankyou, you beautiful lady. Such kind words. And I’m not always as brave, I published a post last week and deleted it after a few comments – a bit too shocking and not so calmly or positively written
Becca xx
You’re more than welcome
An exhaustive (!) series of excellent links, thanks!
Thanks in particular for the link to the study about transgender children. I was cross-dressing aged 4 and suspect my life would have been very different had I grown up in a society that was more accepting of genderqueer identities. There are many people of my age (late thirties, early forties) still wrestling with their gender identities and suffering deeply because they grew up unable to express what they have always known was “different” about them. We’ve made some progress over the decades but when the Prime Minister thinks it is acceptable to make transphobic jokes during PMQs then we should know we still have a very long way to go. It saddens me to think of the new generation growing up confused and lonely and isolated but I hope that increased discussion online is at least helping create safe virtual spaces that did not exist when I was a child.
Thank you Tim, appreciated.
Yes there has been progress regarding awareness and also basic rights in law, but I think there is so much that has also gone backwards. In the early 70s my brother and I would wear the same clothes. Nowadays children’s clothes and toys are strictly gendered by colour. It’s a brave child who tries to defy this. I think it’s much more acceptable to parents that children ‘cross-dress’ at young ages, but this soon becomes forbidden.
I believe that work is being done to educate teachers about gender identity. Something that isn’t done in primary schools at all at the moment. I hope this comes to fruition very soon.
I missed Cameron’s transphobia – when was this?
Thank you, earwicga. I hope so too.
The comment was lost in the drama of the student fees debate.
“Jack Dromey (Birmingham, Erdington) (Lab): Is the Prime Minister aware that Parliament may have been infiltrated by an imposter? The Deputy Prime Minister- [Interruption.] The Deputy Prime Minister has said he will vote to treble tuition fees and abolish the education maintenance allowance. Before the general election the leader of the Liberal Democrats said he would vote to abolish tuition fees and keep the EMA. [Interruption.] Can the Prime Minister- [Interruption.]
Mr Speaker: Order. The hon. Gentleman will have a chance to finish his question without chuntering and shouting from a sedentary position. The last sentence please.
Jack Dromey: Can the Prime Minister tell the House this: are there two Nick Cleggs?
The Prime Minister: I have to say that the hon. Gentleman has the unique qualification of being one of the brothers who was selected on an all-women shortlist-next time he comes in he should dress properly.”
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101208/debtext/101208-0001.htm#10120866000924
As Riki Wilchins wrote in Genderqueer, “”Men in dresses’” isn’t the next hit movie: It’s a punch line in the next joke.”
The fact that this was aggressive and humiliating enough to derail the question says it all.