Rubecula

Rubecula

@rubecula52.bsky.social

he/him Working in equality and diversity. Bi, cis, trans ally #transliberationnow

352 followers451 following1.2K posts

Pinned

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

We need to support trans people in the workplace to help prevent their exclusion from the every day conversations that affect them. I am happy to speak to anyone to share advice on applying to jobs, interviews, career development in any way I can.

Rubecula reposted

UK Gender Services Monitor
@ukgsm.bsky.social

The latest @whatthetrans.com podcast is out, with yours truly talking with @flintywrites.bsky.social and @ashleigh.whatthetrans.com about the 2026 gender service dashboard updates. link to the pod below, which includes links to the dashboards.

What The Trans?! 🏳️‍⚧️@whatthetrans.com

EXCLUSIVE: In our latest episode we sat down with Clare Prosho who runs the Adult Gender Service Monitor at @ukgsm.bsky.social, she worked out the 225 year wait time in Glasgow last year. Want to hear how long it is now? Get listening! > whatthetrans.com/ep167

Rubecula reposted

cornish person girl
@gemma.transwrites.world

friend died and one of the things I kept from their stuff was some art printed/painted on tin. Peter Blake's Babe Rainbow from 1968. It's rusted as hell and I'd love to get it restored. but I haven't a clue where to start looking. anyoooooone?

Rubecula reposted

Leicester Gazette
@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *
Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

NHS England should be sharing guidance on NHS trans staff using facilities at 4pm today. Will be released to the media at the same time. Get ready for miscommunication and false interpretations, as well as just for the guidance to be awful.

Rubecula reposted

Kat Lo
@lolkat.bsky.social

Hey! I am looking for people who moderate online spaces for girls and women in the Global Majority to discuss sexual and reproductive health—be it WhatsApp, Facebook groups, forums, or any social media pages. We are writing report with UNICEF on GBV-informed moderation and I want to talk to you!

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

"the #MeToo movement... in its own way, has raised the stakes around sex for these men." Don't you hate it when people raise systemic horrific sexual abuse throughout society and it affects men's sex lives.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

The study makes no comparison of men's attitudes to sex against women's. Why would it? They're completely different species, we shouldn't look at how women experience sex. All that matters is that men used to get off a lot easier and now it's harder for them to. Oh the humanity.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

"Consent education... belongs to a longer feminist effort to move the question away from whether the victim consented and toward whether the man took care to find out if she did" Poor men, having to find out if the person they're having sex with actually wants to.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

A reddit post on the conduct of anti-trans lawyer Naomi Cunningham. Shocking stuff, heartbreaking to see how trans people are treated in court, and the free reign to commit unadulterated cruelty by the bigots who will never see consequences for their actions. www.reddit.com/r/transgende...

reddit.comFrom the transgenderUK community on Reddit: Naomi Cunningham, Revenge Porn in Court, & Institutional Harassment in British LawExplore this post and more from the transgenderUK community

Rubecula reposted

Jess O'Thomson
@jessothomson.co.uk

If anyone is in touch with any of the local trans inclusive safe spaces orgs around the country can you reach out to them and ask if they would be willing to speak to me over the next day or so please. I have opened my DMs.

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Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

Organisations have a duty to protect its staff. The Good Law Project v EHRC case found that staff being outed would not be discriminatory as it would not put the staff member at risk, but for example the NHS staff survey results say differently.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

Trans staff experience more harassment and even physical violence compared to cis staff. If a member of staff is outed as trans because of a workplace policy and is harassed or potentially attacked, this would be discrimination.

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Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

Defaulting to excluding the trans member of staff shows a hierarchy and contradicts evidence from employment tribunals, which stress that situations must be assessed on a case-by-case basis considering evidence, context and proportionality (eg Peggie vs Fife para 606-607, Kelly v Leonardo para 347)

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

Organisations have data protection duties under GDPR. The EHRC has confirmed that gender reassignment is special category data. Policies advising trans and intersex staff to use facilities of the gender assigned at birth will lead to breaches of this data.

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Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

For an organisation to justify having a discriminatory policy it would need to show this is a proportionate means to a legitimate aim. Has there been an exercise carried out to show that the policy is proportionate? What complaints have the Trust had around trans individuals using facilities?

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

Even in situations where there was conflict between staff members, a more proportionate way of handling the situation could be undertaken, such as agreeing on facility usage on a case-by-case basis to ensure staff that want to avoid each other do not share facilities.

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Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

The NHS England webinar also disclosed that NHS Trusts would be at legal risk by encouraging trans or intersex staff to use accessible facilities, from both trans and intersex staff as well as other disabled staff.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

The EHRC and court cases have been clear that there is no hierarchy of protected characteristics. New policy wording may present a hierarchy if facilities being used according to sex assigned at birth is presented as mandatory but gender-neutral facilities are offered optionally.

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Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

This led to the creation of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 which is still in place and was not affected by the FWS Supreme Court case.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

It has been continually raised that encouraging trans or intersex staff to use facilities of the gender assigned at birth is likely to be discriminatory. This has been advised from NHS England webinar as well in the EHRC guidance and in online information sessions provided by the EHRC.

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Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

The policy may break Human Rights law. The European Court have previously found violations of Articles 8 and 12 in the case of Goodwin v United Kingdom in situations where trans or intersex people are placed in an “intermediate zone” where they are treated as “not quite one gender or another”.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

The court considered that “a conflict between social reality and law” places trans people in an “anomalous position”, in which they “may experience feelings of vulnerability, humiliation and anxiety”.

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Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

How was the phrasing of the new policy created? If possible, make a Freedom of Information Request for the Copilot logs of the individual who proposed the new wording. To prevent this request being refused, see if you can narrow down the specific staff member and the timeframe.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

A number of higher ups in organisations are both pressured to make trans-exclusive changes and also pressured to use Copilot in their work, so there is a decent chance some professionals have used this. What instructions and information did they give copilot to create the new policy?

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Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

If the organisation is a public organisation it is required to adhere to the Public Sector Equality Duty, does the policy change adhere to this?

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

Does the case refer to reputational risk through figures like J.K. Rowling, suggesting that the organisation may benefit from discriminating against trans staff if they are at risk of a public harassment campaign?

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

First off, how has the change been made? Was it through a paper submitted to the Executive Committee? Ask for a copy, did it accurately describe the current law and legal risks (including risks of discrimination against trans staff)?

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

If it mentions employment tribunals that anti-trans staff won, does it also mention the cases where they lost? Does it mention the only High Court setting precedent, Good Law Project vs EHRC, which confirms that organisations can provide trans inclusive facilities?

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

A "spontaneous protest"? The police aren't as adept at tracking what these guys are up to as one person on bluesky. That's not accidental. The information's out there, they just aren't interested.

Jane@localnotail.bsky.social

Here it is - the post-Belfast riots recruitment video from Daniel "Danny Thommo" Thomas Calling for men to organise nationally to take action "Take control of Dover" Launching his "Patriot Platform" sign-up "everyone's concerned" 🙄 [Sped up the start to get to 3 mins but also for comedy. Melts]

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

Man, I was dissapointed by Sacks when I found out he made up a bunch of the shit he wrote, now I loathe him. As a side note, really interesting to look at how people write about Sacks making up entire cases compared to how people talk about Arday.

Rebecca Watson@skepchick.org

Prominent scientists and institutions proudly and publicly defended and protected a man who ran an international child sex trafficking operation. No, I'm not talking about Jeffrey Epstein. Another one. skepchick.org/2026/08/nobe...

skepchick.orgNobelists & the NIH Protected a PedoTranscript: Another heavy topic today, folks, so here’s a content warning: today I’m going to be talking about a man who ran an international child sex trafficking operation supported by some of th…
Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

It is the duty of academia and journalists to tear down and critically pick apart every aspect of Arday's life. Sacks however, he wasn't being literal silly, he was a humanist, he was the modern Aesopp writing fables, the fact he inspired people is the most important thing.

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

I think people are too harsh to Good Law Project at times, I remember when the GLP vs EHRC judgement came out seeing people act like it was wrong for them to promo the wind they did get when they lost on other points. But the wind are a big deal, especially in the current climate!

Rubecula
@rubecula52.bsky.social

Most employers think it's fine to tell trans people to use toilets of the wrong gender. GLP got a high court to rule not only that this isn't acceptable, but also that you can have trans people using the correct gendered facilities! Thats amazing!! We should be making sure everyone knows this!