Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Jess Gifkins

QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 5d

This Saturday after painstaking research and FOIs by @clairestranstalks.bsky.social with @whatthetrans.com, we'll publish 'The Gender Clinic Files' in our newsletter:

A new investigative series exposing deep structural issues with UK Transgender healthcare

Sign up 👉 www.wearequeeraf.com/subscribe/

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Jess Gifkins @jessgifkins.bsky.social · 6d

New article out by Stephen McLoughlin, @profbode.bsky.social and me 🎉
On the practice of early warning of mass atrocities by practitioners in the UN Secretariat and has important findings on the limitations of current early warning practices. This project was funded by the The British Academy.

Journal of Global Security Studies @journalofgss.bsky.social · 13d

🤔 Why does the UN Secretariat struggle to act on early warnings?

A new #JOGSS article shows how diverging standards of ‘competent’ practices across different communities of practice (CoPs) create tensions and performance gaps

🔗 Available open access: doi.org/10.1093/jogs...

On the left, the cover of The Journal of Global Security Studies is displayed. Along the bottom, the journal’s homepage (https://academic.oup.com/jogss) and Bluesky handle (@journalofgss.bsky.social) appear in white text against a navy-blue background. The main image shows flags of countries in front of the United Nations Office at Geneva, overlaid with the article title and authors: ‘Never Again? Mass Atrocity Early Warning Practices in the UN Secretariat’ by Jess Gifkins, Stephen McLoughlin, and Ingvild Bode.

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Jess Gifkins @jessgifkins.bsky.social · Sep 7

Important statement from the Lemkin Institute on the position and status of the EHRC in the UK 👇🏻

TACC @tacc.org.uk · Sep 5

Lemkin Institute release, Statement on the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission: Violation of the Paris Principles and erosion of protections for transgender and intersex people.

Read it here ✊🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

bit.ly/EHRCUK

bit.ly

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Will Tullett @willtullett.bsky.social · Sep 4

So basically Vallance has announced there won't be new announcements/work on REF for 3 months, implying that there will potentially be big changes announced in 3 months time, but the deadline for the REF is going to remain the same?! How er... helpful. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/patrick...

Patrick Vallance hits pause on Research Excellence Framework

Science minister announces review of controversial changes to research environment assessment

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Dr Blair Williams @blairwilliams26.bsky.social · Aug 24

Thanks! 😁

You can read the full 10,000 word open access article here:

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Bloody Howard! Gender, Leadership, and the Decline of the Liberal Party of Australia as the “Party for Women”

Women played a key role in the founding of the Liberal Party of Australia (LPA) in 1944 and in providing its branch structure. The newly established LPA also sought to encourage women to join the par....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Jess Gifkins @jessgifkins.bsky.social · Aug 24

Really interesting article on the history of engagement with women and gender norms in the Liberal Party.
Thanks @blairwilliams26.bsky.social for your research!

ABC News Bot (unofficial) @abcnewsbot.bsky.social · Aug 24

New analysis argues that under John Howard, the Liberal Party became increasingly influenced by a social conservatism that emphasised traditional gender norms.

Answers to Liberal Party's 'women problem' might lie before Howard's time

New analysis argues that under John Howard, the Liberal Party became increasingly influenced by a social conservatism that emphasised traditional gender norms.

www.abc.net.au

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Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · Aug 14

Well worth a read. Much to ponder as Babel builds its skyscraper and hubris rules

www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

Will the Humanities Survive Artificial Intelligence?

Maybe not as we’ve known them. But, in the ruins of the old curriculum, something vital is stirring.

www.newyorker.com

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Reposted by Jess Gifkins

Martha Albertson Fineman @mlafineman.bsky.social · Aug 10

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Jess Gifkins @jessgifkins.bsky.social · Aug 7

Many congratulations from the 2017 winners! 🥂
with @jasonralph.bsky.social

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Jannis J Grimm @jannisgrimm.bsky.social · Aug 4

"While asking the ‘genocide question’ is important, it is also crucial to remember that myriad war crimes are being committed on an almost daily basis in this conflict, with conduct potentially amounting to war crimes including wilful killing; hostage-taking;..."
opiniojuris.org/2025/08/04/i...

Is Genocide Happening in Gaza?

[Melanie O’Brien is Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Western Australia, President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and Visiting Scholar with the H…

opiniojuris.org

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Reposted by Jess Gifkins

Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · Aug 4

THREAD:

1. In May I published my peer-reviewed research into the effects of the Starmer-Streeting puberty-blocker ban. TLDR; lots of children have already been harmed. TW; this is a hard read.

There is a term for adult men who deliberately harm children…

www.tandfonline.com

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Jess Gifkins @jessgifkins.bsky.social · Aug 3

The annual global gender survey is live for anyone who’s gender doesn’t fit into the binary 👇🏻
You can share the below post for extra reach 😊

Gender Census @gendercensus.bsky.social · Jul 30

The 12th annual international Gender Census 2025 is now open until at least 30th August 2025!

survey.gendercensus.com

It's for anyone whose gender (or lack thereof) isn't described by the M/F binary. It's short and easy, and results are useful in academia, business and self-advocacy.

Title: Gender Census 2025.

Text: If you can't easily put yourself into just one of these two boxes, you are invited to take part.

Illustration: Two boxes, each with photos of relevant dictionary pages.

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Izzy Jayasinghe @ijayas.bsky.social · Aug 3

Can’t feel prouder of people in this city on one of the worst weather days so far this year.

Madre Swift Justice @madreswiftjustice.bsky.social · Aug 3

Free Palestine protest across Sydney Harbour bridge. 50,000 maybe? more walking in the rain.

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Ruth Pearce @notrightruth.bsky.social · Aug 2

Endorsement: WRITING BADLY

Writing Badly is a new, print-only, journal of letters on the subject of feminism and transmisogyny. It is written and edited by and for trans women.

"By turns profound and infuriating, beautiful and devastating, this collection has it all."

Photo of Writing Badly Issue 1. The cover image is greyscale and features an abstract image of several fish.

Photo of printed page. Text reads: Further praise for Writing Badly issue 1. Throw away your phone and read this instead. From cookery to consciousness-raising, from deep theory to casual misandry, from practical advice to impractical advice, the essays and letters of Writing Badly will help you build new worlds. Imagine deep conversation with the cleverest women you know. Imagine organising with the coolest women you know. Imagine arguing with the most annoying women you know. Imagine being in community with women who will always have your back. By turns profound and infuriating, beautiful and devastating, this collection has it all. Best, Ruth Pearce. Author, Understanding Trans Health (2018) and others.

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Jess Gifkins @jessgifkins.bsky.social · Aug 1

Impressive! 👏🏻

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Matthew Hodson @matthewhodson.bsky.social · Jul 31

Good news!
St. Lucia has struck down colonial-era laws that criminalised homosexuality.
While much of the world is edging backwards on LGBTQ rights and acceptance, St. Lucia becomes the 5th Eastern Caribbean country to decriminalise same-sex relations in the last few years.

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court strikes down St. Lucia laws criminalizing gay sex

The laws against “gross indecency” and “buggery” are unconstitutional, the court ruled.

www.advocate.com

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Gender Census @gendercensus.bsky.social · Jul 30

The 12th annual international Gender Census 2025 is now open until at least 30th August 2025!

survey.gendercensus.com

It's for anyone whose gender (or lack thereof) isn't described by the M/F binary. It's short and easy, and results are useful in academia, business and self-advocacy.

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Dr. Sandra Duffy Golden @sandraduffy.bsky.social · Jul 30

One like, one law and/or gender opinion.

Dr Dave Hitchcock @davehitchcock.bsky.social · Jul 30

One like, one history of poverty opinion

Mateusz Fafinski @calthalas.bsky.social · Jul 25

One like, one history opinion

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Matt McDonald @mattuq.bsky.social · Jul 28

Amen
theconversation.com/top-australi...

Top Australian writers urge Albanese to abolish Job-Ready Graduates, calling their humanities degrees life changing

Tim Winton, Helen Garner and Peter Garrett are just a few of the high-profile signatories to an open letter against Job-Ready Graduates – and for the humanities.

theconversation.com

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Jess Gifkins @jessgifkins.bsky.social · Jul 26

Alex de Waal, an expert on the politics of famine, discussing the dire situation in Gaza.

Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · Jul 26

Starve, Pray, Die
In an interview, Alex de Waal discusses Israel’s use of food as a weapon of war in Gaza, and its repercussions.

carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/...

Starve, Pray, Die

In an interview, Alex de Waal discusses Israel’s use of food as a weapon of war in Gaza, and its repercussions.

carnegieendowment.org

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Jess Gifkins @jessgifkins.bsky.social · Jul 24

Absolutely devastating 👇🏻

Senthorun S. Raj @senthorun.bsky.social · Jul 21

“The bullets were chasing us as if we were targets on a shooting range, and not just hungry people. We scattered under a hail of bullets. I got closer to death that day than a piece of bread.”

Famine in Gaza is a direct consequence of a brutal US-Israeli politics. They are forcing people to starve.

Our Reporter Got Into Gaza. He Witnessed a Famine of Israel’s Making.

The people of Gaza face starvation under the joint U.S.-Israeli food distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

theintercept.com

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Reposted by Jess Gifkins

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · Jul 21

A horrifying statement published today by the Editorial Committee of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.

"Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die"

Translation from French to English by @cnorristrent.bsky.social:

Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die
July 21, 2025

AFP has been working with 1 writer, 3 photographers and 6 videographers, all freelance, in the Gaza Strip since its staff journalists left in 2024.

Along with a few others, they are now the only ones left to report what is happening in the Gaza Strip. The international press has been banned from entering the territory for nearly two years.

We refuse to watch them die.

One of them, Bashar, has been working with AFP since 2010, first as a fixer, then freelance photographer, and since 2024, as lead photographer. On July 19th he managed to post a message on Facebook: “I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can’t work anymore.”

Bashar, 30, works & lives in the same conditions as all Gazans, moving from one refugee camp to another under Israeli bombings. For > a year he’s lived in utter destitution, working at extreme risk to his life. Hygiene is a major issue for him, with recurring bouts of severe intestinal illness.

Since Feb, Bashar’s been living in the ruins of his home in Gaza City with his mother, 4 brothers & sisters and the family of one of his brothers. Their house is devoid of any furnishings, except a few cushions. On Sunday morning, he reported that one of his brothers had “fallen, due to hunger.”

Even though these journalists receive a monthly salary from AFP, it’s no longer enough to buy food, or they have to pay completely exorbitant prices. The banking system has collapsed, and those who exchange money via online bank accounts charge a commission of up to 40%.

AFP no longer has the ability to provide them with a vehicle and there is not enough fuel to allow these journalists to travel for their reporting. Driving a car means becoming a target for Israeli airstrikes. AFP reporters therefore travel on foot or by donkey cart. (alt txt continued in next post)

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Senthorun S. Raj @senthorun.bsky.social · Jul 20

“LGBTQI+ rights are inseparable from the broader fight against authoritarianism… if you are able, show up for every mass mobilization. Keep queer joy, humor, and defiance alive in your activism long after the parades end.”

We should learn from, and keep building, social movements to resist fascism.

What Queer Americans Can Learn From Hungary

We believe Hungary represents the kind of country Trump and his allies want.

www.autostraddle.com

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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · Jul 20

Before the pandemic hit, 70% of Republicans said that science has had a mostly positive effect on society. Four years later, fewer than half (47%) said so. 🧪
https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/11/14/americans-trust-in-scientists-positive-views-of-science-continue-to-decline/

Chart shows Republicans turn less positive about science’s impact on society

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