Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ethel Weapon

@lousadzak.bsky.social

1.4K followers 1.2K following 4.1K posts

Exhilarated absurdist. Against nature. Music fiend. Physical media appreciator. Trans and trapped in England. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · Jul 29

A litany of pathetic, disgraceful, and vindictive actions from institutionally queer-hostile Labour UK

AGC @agc1985.bsky.social · Jul 16

Updated: Starmer’s Labour: The most anti-LGBT+ govt since Thatcher. A list of the awful things they've done and said regarding LGBT+ people, especially trans people.

Labour: Ditched its longstanding pledge to demedicalise gender recognition for trans people before the 2024 election • And then abandoned even plans for watered-down reform • Made the Tories’ temporary ban on puberty blockers for trans children indefinite • Endorsed the flawed and discredited Cass Review • Refused to pass legislation to protect trans people’s gender recognition following the recent Supreme Court ruling • Introduced a new Section 28 for trans people • Banned trans women from standing for internal Women’s Officer posts • Oversaw the UK dropping to its lowest ever place in the ILGA-Europe rankings of LGBT+ rights in European countries • Has adopted covertly transphobic language (‘sex-based rights’, ‘transmen’, ‘transwomen’) in internal documentation • Took no action against Rosie Duffield even after years of vile social media posts targeting trans (and bi) people – including sharing a post denying Nazi persecution of trans people • Re-elected Duffield Women’s PLP Chair on International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia 2021 • Suspended the whip from Stonewall founder Michael Cashman for (rightly) criticising Duffield • Reappointed a ‘gender-critical’ bigot, Baroness Falkner, as Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission • Then tried to appoint ANOTHER ‘gender-critical’ figure, Mary-Ann Stephenson, as Falkner’s successor! • Suspended Lloyd Russell-Moyle, a gay MP and one of the most vocal pro-trans parliamentarians, on bogus charges shortly before the last election • Oversaw the introduction of new CPS guidelines that put trans people at risk of prosecution if they do not disclose their gender identity before having sex • Multiple Labour MPs attempted to dilute a motion at the Council of Europe condemning anti-LGBT+ hatred • Labour MPs abstained on backing trans rights in Scotland • Unlike other European countries, has not issued updated travel warnings for trans travellers to the US • Hosts anti-trans groups at its conferences

Health Secretary Wes Streeting: Responded to the (flawed, discredited) Cass Review by saying he’d been wrong to say trans women are women • Banned the use of puberty blockers, against international best practice and evidence, and severely restricted gender healthcare for trans children • Supports segregation of trans patients in hospitals • Has expressed sympathy for conversion therapy groups • Implemented a ban on young trans people being able to obtain hormone therapy outside the NHS • Has overseen guidance directing GPs not to monitor trans people’s blood values – putting them at harm if they are forced to self-medicate due to NHS failings • Wrote in The Sun to share the lie that the NHS no longer uses the term ‘women’ • Shared the false claim that the practice history of doctors who transition to a new legal gender would not be disclosed to patients • Shared false claims that terms such as ‘breastfeeding’ are being ‘erased’ • Invited transphobic groups to produce NHS exclusion guidelines • Has overseen a rise in GPs refusing hormone prescriptions to trans people, which can have serious mental and physical health consequences • Responded to the recent Supreme Court ruling by calling on those who’d previously recognised trans people’s lived gender identities to reconsider • Was named What the Trans ‘Villain of the Year’ in 2024 • Issued an apology to Duffield for how she had been treated, ignoring her years of vitriol against trans people on social media

STARMER’S LABOUR: THE MOST ANTI-LGBT+ GOVT SINCE THATCHER

Prime Minister Keir Starmer: Responded to the recent Supreme Court ruling by declaring that trans women are not women • Attended a deeply homophobic church to deliver his Easter message • Then did it AGAIN two years later! • Supports the exclusion of trans women from sports • Refused to meet with trans Labour members to discuss concerns about institutional transphobia in the party • Left Marsha de Cordova in post as Shadow Equalities Secretary even after she shared overtly transphobic content on social media • Staged a fake meeting with LGBT+ community members (in reality all Labour staffers/councillors) for a publicity stunt • In 2023, expressed ‘concerns’ about the Gender Recognition Reform Bill in Scotland that was supported by his Scottish Labour colleagues • Believes trans children should require parental permission to socially transition Education Secretary and ‘Equalities’ Minister Bridget Phillipson: Responded to the recent Supreme Court ruling by immediately declaring trans people should use toilets according to ‘biological sex’ • Supports the removal of anti-transphobia policies at universities • Supports trans schoolchildren being outed to their parents • Welcomed the fine imposed on the University of Sussex due to students using their free speech to protest campus transphobia • Erased the word ‘trans’ from the new schools guidance • Prohibited schools from promoting ‘gender identity’ and ‘social transition’ – Section 28 all over again • Requires schools to misrepresent the law about ‘biological sex’ and gender recognition

STARMER’S LABOUR: THE MOST ANTI-LGBT+ GOVT SINCE THATCHER

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood: During protests against LGBT-inclusive RSE in schools, argued that pupils’ ‘religious background’ and ‘age appropriateness’ should be considered • Agrees with J. K. Rowling’s views on ‘biological sex’ • Claimed it is ‘absolutely unacceptable’ to criticise the recent Supreme Court ruling • Home Secretary Yvette Cooper: Passed guidelines that would allocate trans women to male prisons – threatening their safety and dignity • Responded to a demonstration for trans rights by condemning washable chalk graffiti on a statue • Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy: Deleted all her past tweets supportive of trans people when the government switched to an explicitly anti-trans position • Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar: During the NHS Fife tribunal case, backed the ‘gender-critical’ nurse accused of harassing trans doctor Beth Upton • U-turned on previous support for gender recognition reform in Scotland • Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens: Shared content from gender-critical group Woman’s Place UK • Parliamentary Under-Secretary Feryal Clark: Described LGBT+ affirming education as ‘nonsense’ on social media • Parliamentary Under-Secretary Jess Phillips: Shared a conspiracy theory on social media alleging that the murderer of Phoenix Netts was a trans woman • Tonia Antoniazzi MP: Accused Welsh government of being ‘dictated to’ by Stonewall and having an ‘ideological culture’ • Jonathan Hinder MP: Supports exclusion of trans women from (non-competitive, mixed-sex) Parkruns

2 3 23

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1h

“no safe spaces” is the least intellectually adventurous idea imaginable

it’s the sound of void space between the ears hissing out of the mouth

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1h

🤷‍♀️

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 2h

A lot of the objections to sortition basically boil down to "common people are too stupid to be trusted with something so important" but have you SEEN the state of the House of Lords?

And they are there for life. The fug of senesence is incredible.

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1h

If “politics” is predicated on electability then it’s a fact of life, and a rather ugly one in my opinion. My feeling is that electability is not a particularly good proxy for either representativeness or competence.

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1h

I do not.

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1h

… and there are so many groups that are underrepresented or not represented at all through a system that requires basically “salesperson” as core personality/skillset.

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1h

One of the interesting aspects to sortition is that it offers the prospect of representation of the perspectives of people who would never hold a shot at electoral office.

Remember the UK has never knowingly elected a trans MP. In a body of 100s sortition offers a prospect of representation…

Reposted by Ethel Weapon

Siobhan Craig - DarkEden21 @darkeden21.bsky.social · 2h

List of Labour MPs who are openly transphobic nowadays and who to vote for to unseat them.

1) Tonia Antoniazzi

Transphobic for years. Open GC. Behind the "Women's Dec" for Labour

Constituency: Gower
Maj: 11567

Suggested vote: Plaid Cymru

3 60 110

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 2h

So it is at least interesting to think about how a non-elective body that is genuinely representative might work.

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 2h

The FPTP system in the UK is certainly not at all conducive to your vote going to someone that you trust.

And with the HoL we are starting from a position where it is not democratically constructed: it's a ragbag of political cronies, anointed famous-ish people, aristos, and bishops.

Reposted by Ethel Weapon

sasha ↙︎↙︎↙︎ 🌹🏴 @2damntrans.bsky.social · 2h

I mean, in Labour it started with "concerns" over some minor reforms to the GRA ("this isn't about REAL trans people at all, promise!"), and we're not at the point where a Labour government wants to bring in a nationwide bathroom ban and has already introduced a new Section 28.

1 3 7

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 2h

That, also, is SUPER refreshing

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 2h

*conference innit

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 2h

Honestly kicking out GWD from congerence warmed my heart lol

2 1 8

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 2h

I mean I also find the notion of a sortition-based HoL extremely interesting. It's an idea that I've found pretty appealing for I guess 35 years or so, but there's never been any genuine prospect of implementation at scale.

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 4h

The lack of cringing, cowering deference to this nonsense is so immensely refreshing. Just joined the party.

Josiah Mortimer @josiah.writes.news · 5h

Zack Polanski: "If the straight question is, ‘would I abolish the monarchy' - yeah, absolutely.”
open.substack.com/pub/abolishw...

Exclusive: Zack Polanski backs Scottish and Welsh independence

The eco-populist Green leader has called for sweeping change to Britain's political system, and spoken about potentially leading an explicitly ‘English’ party for the first time.

open.substack.com

2 5 38

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 6h

Nothing is more tedious than money not even opera

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 7h

take these arms / clasp them hard / love is all that matters now / so forget your coy facade

💀

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 7h

Back on my Amazing Blondel bullshit

"Swifts and swains / leafy lanes / this country brings them near / like a lover to his lass / and a woodsman to his deer"

amazing lol

The cover of Fantasia Lindum by Amazing Blondel, featuring their trademark large hound and the three Blondelians dressed in Puritan outfits. Astonishing beardwork is in evidence.

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 7h

The detail that they had "also planned a collection for trans youth on the night" is pretty funny.

Yeah, we're doing a Hitler Night but we're also collecting for Victims Of Nazism so it balances out right?

1 1 18

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 22h

supermassive ratio in progress lol

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you.

However, it is pretty hard not to feel that the language of "dignity and respect" has already been subverted by the government. This is phrasing that was used to welcome the FWS Supreme Court verdict and imply that trans people could now be excluded from society in a "respectful" way.

3 2 25

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1d

giant 1992 era k.d. lang poster secured along with miss chatelaine remixes

12” single of Miss Chatelaine featuring extravagantly coiffed kd lang on the cover

Ethel Weapon @lousadzak.bsky.social · 1d

Here he's engaging directly with the two committees that recommended against the appointment of Mary-Ann Stephenson as EHRC chair, rather than directly with the UK government (which went ahead anyway).

Reposted by Ethel Weapon

Commissioner for Human Rights @commissionerhr.coe.int · 1d

Read my two letters to the #UK:
1. Protests: I call for a review of the legal framework and the reconsideration of provisions in the Crime & Policing Bill that could restrict freedom of assembly.
2. Trans people: I warn against exclusion&zero-sum approaches
👇#HumanRights
www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

United Kingdom: Commissioner addresses human rights issues in policing of protests and the situation of trans people - Commissioner for Human Rights - www.coe.int

Strasbourg 14/10/2025

www.coe.int

28 250 490