Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Alex Ashman

Katelyn Burns @katelynburns.com · 8h

"biological pronouns" is an insane phrase

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 9h

BREAKING: The Sixth Circuit, in a 10-7 en banc decision, holds that an Ohio school district's anti-bullying policy that requires students to use children's preferred pronouns is likely unconstitutional on these facts.

Judge Murphy, a Trump appointee, writes the court's decision.

OPINION
MURPHY, Circuit Judge. An Ohio public school district bars its students from referring to transgender and nonbinary classmates using the pronouns that match their biological sex if the classmates prefer to go by different pronouns. The plaintiff in this case has parent and student members who believe that a person's sex is immutable. The members want to express this view by using biological pronouns. And they believe that they would convey a falsehood —that a person's gender is fluid—if they use preferred pronouns. So the plaintiff challenged the school district's speech ban on behalf of its members under the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause.
This case about pronouns pits two important interests against each other. On the one hand, the school district has prohibited speech (biological pronouns) that expresses a message on a matter of pressing public concern. And because the district requires other speech (preferred pronouns) that expresses a competing view, it has discriminated based on its students' viewpoints. Its approach thus raises serious free-speech concerns. On the other hand, the school district rightly responds that it has a duty to protect all students- including transgender and nonbinary students— from bullying and harassment. And this protection, while necessarily restricting speech, does not violate the Free Speech Clause. So which of these competing concerns should prevail in this case?

The Supreme Court's cases provide a clear answer. A school district may not restrict personal speech on matters of public concern unless the speech would "materially and substantially disrupt" school activities or infringe the legal "rights of others" in the school community. Tinker
v. Des Moines Indep. Cmty. Sch. Dist., 393 U.S. 503, 513 (1969). In this case's current posture, the school district has fallen far short of meeting this demanding standard. It introduced no evidence that the use of biological pronouns would disrupt school functions or qualify as harassment under Ohio law. Our society continues to debate whether biological pronouns are appropriate or offensive just as it continues to debate many other issues surrounding transgender rights. The school district may not skew this debate by forcing one side to change the way it conveys its message or by compelling it to express a different view. We thus reverse and remand
Case: 23-3630
Document: 253-2
Filed: 11/06/2025
Page: 4
No. 23-3630
Defending Educ. v. Olentangy Loc.
Sch. Dist. Bd. of Educ., et al.
Page 4
for the entry of an appropriately tailored preliminary injunction barring the district from punishing students for the commonplace use of biological pronouns. Yet nothing we say here forecloses the district from enforcing its anti-harassment policies against the abuse of transgender students just as it enforces those policies against the abuse of all other students.

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · 16h

Also they corrected it to alter the line re: "a controversial view about trans people" 🤨

Correction: This article originally said the ECU found that Martine Croxall's facial expression as she spoke expressed a "controversial view about trans people" and has been amended to make clear that they instead found that her expression gave the "strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter". The article also mistakenly quoted the judgement as referring to "trans ideology" and has been amended to correctly refer to "trans identity."

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Reposted by Alex Ashman

Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · Sep 26

On behalf of Women in ENT Surgery UK:

Our first full podcast episode of Season 2 is out now! Our host Alex Ashman talks to Michaella Cameron about taking leave and returning to training, tips for success and the art of keeping all the plates spinning.

Listen here: www.buzzsprout.com/1792796

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · Sep 26

On behalf of Women in ENT Surgery UK:

Our first full podcast episode of Season 2 is out now! Our host Alex Ashman talks to Michaella Cameron about taking leave and returning to training, tips for success and the art of keeping all the plates spinning.

Listen here: www.buzzsprout.com/1792796

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 23

UN experts warn that the UK may once again be in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, following interim guidance from the EHRC that called for the exclusion of trans people from public spaces.
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

UN experts warn of legal uncertainty and rights implications following UK Supreme Court ruling

GENEVA – A group of independent human rights experts* today expressed concern about the implications of the recent UK Supreme Court judgment interpreting the definition of “woman” under the Equality A...

www.ohchr.org

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Reposted by Alex Ashman

The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · May 22

NEW: Sure Start generated widespread, long-lasting benefits for children in education, health, absences, and SEND.

Every £1 of up-front spending on Sure Start could generate around £2 in total benefits over the long run.

THREAD on our new ‪@nuffieldfoundation.org‬-funded report:

[1/11]

Chart shows the effects of Sure Start on academic achievements by age, SEN support by age, probability of hospitalisation by age and criminal behaviour up to age 16.

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 22

Ooh, teeth as ancient cutaneous otoliths. No, it's still weird.

Reposted by Alex Ashman

Dr Chris Noone @chris-noone.bsky.social · May 10

Just out! Our peer-reviewed critique of the Cass Review has been published by BMC Medical Research Methodology. Please read and share. We show that the Cass Review is fatally flawed and should not be the basis for policy or practice in transgender healthcare.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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Reposted by Alex Ashman

Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 9

Are you a BMA member? 🦀

Would you like to support your trans colleagues by calling out recent coverage in the BMJ? 🏳️‍⚧️

If so, please join me and opt out from receiving the fortnightly BMJ. 1/
rallystarter.com/rally/2566/b...

Rally Starter

Rally Starter is a digital advocacy platform to mobilize communities and build movements that benefit humanity. Create your campaign and influence change now!

rallystarter.com

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 9

P.S. If you have any doubts as to how the BMJ has handled trans issues: here's the latest piece, undermining an elected BMA committee and creating the sense of a backlash by citing Sex Matters, CANSG and 'Biology in Medicine'. 5/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 9

If you're a BMA member, please visit this page (or contact the BMA Support team directly) to arrange for your opt-out from receiving the BMJ. Thank you. 4/
rallystarter.com/rally/2566/b...

Rally Starter

Rally Starter is a digital advocacy platform to mobilize communities and build movements that benefit humanity. Create your campaign and influence change now!

rallystarter.com

1 2

Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 9

The BMJ may have editorial independence from the BMA, but we can vote with our feet.

By opting out of receiving the BMJ, you can:
🌍 Reduce your carbon footprint,
🏳️‍⚧️ Show support for trans colleagues,
⛔ Avoid silently supporting anti-LGBT lobby groups. 3/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 9

In recent years, BMJ coverage of trans issues has been increasingly problematic. LGBTQ medical orgs such as GLADD and PRiSM have called out biased coverage. The BMJ have repeatedly quoted and cited anti-trans lobbies and hate groups. 2/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 9

Are you a BMA member? 🦀

Would you like to support your trans colleagues by calling out recent coverage in the BMJ? 🏳️‍⚧️

If so, please join me and opt out from receiving the fortnightly BMJ. 1/
rallystarter.com/rally/2566/b...

Rally Starter

Rally Starter is a digital advocacy platform to mobilize communities and build movements that benefit humanity. Create your campaign and influence change now!

rallystarter.com

1 1 4

Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

For reference:
bsky.app/profile/alex...

Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

This FAQ by @jessothomson.co.uk suggests that trans-exclusionary single-sex toilets aren't mandatory; providers will be making an active choice to exclude trans people. 1/
www.wearequeeraf.com/faq-ehrc-int...

EHRC Interim Update: What does it mean for workplaces and service providers?

An interim EHRC update instructs UK orgs to segregate Trans+ people in public single-sex spaces - how much weight does it carry and what does it mean for workplaces and service providers?

www.wearequeeraf.com

Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

Barclays bank has decided to go with "cisgender only" toilets, despite reports that the law does not actually mandate this.

Folks, if you bank with Barclays, now is the time to vote with your feet.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Barclays says bank will bar trans women from using female bathrooms

Boss confirms policy change as businesses move to comply with recent supreme court ruling

www.theguardian.com

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

This is a scary time for trans people, but it may also become a time of controversy and reputational damage for businesses who actively decide that they will support the modern equivalent of apartheid. 7/

Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

Also, to what extent will society suffer the modern equivalent of "Whites Only" signs over toilets? How many of such spaces will end up the subject of protests, occupations, removal of signage, and citizen-led deconsecration of their "cisgender-only" status? 6/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

One also has to wonder how any "cisgender-only" toilets will be policed - will there be staff on the door, ID checks, inspections? Will we all need to carry ID to pee in public? 5/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

If some providers put in place signs and policies deliberately excluding trans people then complaints may well arise, and business may end up going elsewhere. 4/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

It looks like currently, providers have the choice to instead provide toilets which are not policed as single sex, and let everyone decide which one is appropriate to use. These can be single occupancy and thus support privacy and dignity. Which is basically how things have been already. 3/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

If they do, the knock-on effect is that mums can't take their little boys to the loo, nor can dads take their little girls. Also, anyone not adhering to gender stereotypes may also find their access limited by challenges from staff and members of the public. 2/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · May 3

This FAQ by @jessothomson.co.uk suggests that trans-exclusionary single-sex toilets aren't mandatory; providers will be making an active choice to exclude trans people. 1/
www.wearequeeraf.com/faq-ehrc-int...

EHRC Interim Update: What does it mean for workplaces and service providers?

An interim EHRC update instructs UK orgs to segregate Trans+ people in public single-sex spaces - how much weight does it carry and what does it mean for workplaces and service providers?

www.wearequeeraf.com

1 1

Reposted by Alex Ashman

Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · Apr 28

My latest thread for WENTS UK on Threads/Twitter:

As news lands that the Equality and Human Rights Commission are recommending segregating trans people out of mainstream toilets and changing rooms, let's look at previous examples of segregation in the UK and how they are Not A Good Thing. 🧵1/

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Alex Ashman @alexashman.bsky.social · Apr 28

We are living in history. Do the right thing. 22/

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