Girlguiding says girls not at risk from trans inclusion – BBC News

Girlguiding has defended its decision to allow transgender members and leaders – after it expelled two volunteers who objected to the policy.
Helen Watts, one of the expelled volunteers, said girls had a right to “female-only spaces”.
But Girlguiding says including people who identify as female to join or lead groups does not put girls at risk.
Simply being transgender “does not make someone more of a safeguarding risk than any other person”, it said.
Chief guide Amanda Medler and acting chief executive Ruth Marvel explained the organisation’s policy in a letter sent to parents and members on Tuesday.
“In the last few days you may have seen that Girlguiding’s equality and diversity policy has been criticised in the media, with accusations that our inclusion of trans members puts girls at risk,” they wrote.

via Girlguiding says girls not at risk from trans inclusion – BBC News

Cara Delevingne on why she didn’t report sexual abuse – BBC News

Model and actress Cara Delevingne has shared why she was so reluctant to report sexual abuse.
“I felt ashamed of what happened and didn’t want to publicly ruin someone’s life,” says Cara.
Thousands of women have been sharing their stories under the hashtag WhyIDidntReport.
It’s gained popularity after Donald Trump suggested people who’d been abused in the past should’ve gone to the authorities sooner.

via Cara Delevingne on why she didn’t report sexual abuse – BBC News

Transgender woman’s bank account frozen as she ‘sounded like man’ – BBC News

A transgender woman said she “felt humiliated” after a bank froze her account because she sounded like a man.
Sophia Reis, from Nottingham, was using Santander’s telephone banking service when a member of staff said she could not access her money.
The 46-year-old said a customer service adviser later told her the problem had arisen because of her voice.
Santander said it has a “duty to protect the security” of accounts but apologised for any offence caused.

via Transgender woman’s bank account frozen as she ‘sounded like man’ – BBC News

India court legalises gay sex in landmark ruling – BBC News

In a historic decision, India’s Supreme Court has ruled that gay sex is no longer a criminal offence.
The ruling overturns a 2013 judgement that upheld a colonial-era law, known as section 377, under which gay sex is categorised as an “unnatural offence”.
The court has now ruled discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a fundamental violation of rights.
Campaigners outside the court cheered and some broke down in tears as the ruling was handed down.
Although public opinion in India’s biggest cities has been in favour of scrapping the law, there remains strong opposition among religious groups and in conservative rural communities.

via India court legalises gay sex in landmark ruling – BBC News

LGBT Plaques | English Heritage

LONDON PRIDE: LGBTQ STORIES FROM HISTORY

Many of the famous figures honoured with a London blue plaque lived radical private lives outside the sexual norms of the time. Some were persecuted for it and some helped to challenge public perceptions of gender and sexuality. Below, we explore the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) stories associated with some of London’s blue plaques.

via LGBT Plaques | English Heritage

LGBT rights: Malaysia women caned for attempting to have lesbian sex – BBC News

wo Malaysian women convicted of attempting to have lesbian sex in a car have been caned in a religious court.
The Muslim women, aged 22 and 32, were each caned six times in the Sharia High Court in the state of Terengganu.
According to an official, this is the state’s first conviction for same-sex relations and its first public caning.
Human rights activists reacted with outrage. Homosexual activity is illegal under both secular and religious laws.
The caning was witnessed by more than 100 people, according to local news outlet The Star.

via LGBT rights: Malaysia women caned for attempting to have lesbian sex – BBC News

Anne Lister: Plaque wording to change after ‘lesbian’ row – BBC News

The wording on a blue plaque in York honouring a woman described as the “first modern lesbian” is to be looked at again after complaints it had “erased” her sexuality.
The tribute to 19th Century diarist Anne Lister described her as “gender-nonconforming”.
An online petition claimed the description had “nothing to do with sexuality”.
The group behind the memorial said it would change the wording.

via Anne Lister: Plaque wording to change after ‘lesbian’ row – BBC News

The Empowering Internet Safety Guide for Women | vpnMentor

Have you ever been harassed in the street? Received a crass message on a dating app? Had a coworker make a comment about your appearance that just didn’t sit right?

You’re not alone.

With the #MeToo movement, it’s easy to log onto Twitter or Facebook and see just how many women are victims of sexual harassment. Whether in person or online, women everywhere have experienced it in one way or another. And with all the new ways the internet has opened avenues of communication, online harassment is more prevalent than ever.

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, most online abuse takes place on social media. Although men are also subject to online harassment – which includes name calling, derision, and physical threats – the study found that online, women are more than twice as likely as men to experience sexual harassment.

via The Empowering Internet Safety Guide for Women | vpnMentor

School Closes After Parents Obscenely Threaten Transgender 12-Year-Old Via Facebook

Yesterday morning, parents responded to the threats against the seventh grader—who is pseudonymously identified as “Maddie”—by staging a small silent rally in support of the girl outside of the school. In response, law enforcement officials reportedly asked the school to shut down for the day out of fear of a counter protest.

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Maddie has publicly identified as a girl for the past two years. Previously, she used a staff bathroom “to avoid being harassed,” as Think Progress reports. After the school was recently renovated, though, she had a difficult time finding the staff bathroom. On one single occasion, according to Maddie’s mother, she used the girls’ restroom.

via School Closes After Parents Obscenely Threaten Transgender 12-Year-Old Via Facebook