Notices by HarriettMB (harriettmb@beige.party), page 2

Especially for the #Labour administration in the UK; the Supreme Court in the UK, all the #TERF and Terf adjacent people out there, the media, especially the #Guardian.
#Rights #HumanRights #ProChoice #Autonomy #Biology #Facts

Once again, for those still quoting primary school level science:

Rebecca Helm, a biologist and an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, Asheville US writes:

"Friendly neighborhood biologist here. I see a lot of people are talking about biological sexes and gender right now. Lots of folks make biological sex sex seem really simple. Well, since it’s so simple, let’s find the biological roots, shall we? Let’s talk about sex...[a thread]

If you know a bit about biology you will probably say that biological sex is caused by chromosomes, XX and you’re female, XY and you’re male. This is “chromosomal sex” but is it “biological sex”? Well...

Turns out there is only ONE GENE on the Y chromosome that really matters to sex. It’s called the SRY gene. During human embryonic development the SRY protein turns on male-associated genes. Having an SRY gene makes you “genetically male”. But is this “biological sex”?

Sometimes that SRY gene pops off the Y chromosome and over to an X chromosome. Surprise! So now you’ve got an X with an SRY and a Y without an SRY. What does this mean?

A Y with no SRY means physically you’re female, chromosomally you’re male (XY) and genetically you’re female (no SRY). An X with an SRY means you’re physically male, chromsomally female (XX) and genetically male (SRY). But biological sex is simple! There must be another answer...

Sex-related genes ultimately turn on hormones in specifics areas on the body, and reception of those hormones by cells throughout the body. Is this the root of “biological sex”??

“Hormonal male” means you produce ‘normal’ levels of male-associated hormones. Except some percentage of females will have higher levels of ‘male’ hormones than some percentage of males. Ditto ditto ‘female’ hormones. And...

...if you’re developing, your body may not produce enough hormones for your genetic sex. Leading you to be genetically male or female, chromosomally male or female, hormonally non-binary, and physically non-binary. Well, except cells have something to say about this...

Maybe cells are the answer to “biological sex”?? Right?? Cells have receptors that “hear” the signal from sex hormones. But sometimes those receptors don’t work. Like a mobile phone that’s on “do not disturb’. Call and cell, they will not answer.

What does this all mean?

It means you may be genetically male or female, chromosomally male or female, hormonally male/female/non-binary, with cells that may or may not hear the male/female/non-binary call, and all this leading to a body that can be male/non-binary/female.

Try out some combinations for yourself. Notice how confusing it gets? Can you point to what the absolute cause of biological sex is? Is it fair to judge people by it?

Of course you could try appealing to the numbers. “Most people are either male or female” you say. Except that as a biologist professor I will tell you...

The reason I don’t have my students look at their own chromosome in class is because people could learn that their chromosomal sex doesn’t match their physical sex, and learning that in the middle of a 10-point assignment is JUST NOT THE TIME.

Biological sex is complicated. Before you discriminate against someone on the basis of “biological sex” & identity, ask yourself: have you seen YOUR chromosomes? Do you know the genes of the people you love? The hormones of the people you work with? The state of their cells?

Since the answer will obviously be no, please be kind, respect people’s right to tell you who they are, and remember that you don’t have all the answers. Again: biology is complicated. Kindness and respect don’t have to be.

Note: Biological classifications exist. XX, XY, XXY XXYY and all manner of variation which is why sex isn't classified as binary. You can't have a binary classification system with more than two configurations even if two of those configurations are more common than others.

Biology is a shitshow. Be kind to people."

Many thanks to Traci Drake for finding this.

@Infoseepage I’m surprised he hasn’t made a deal with the National Trust. That’s what quite a few of them do, and there’s a tax advantage in it also.

Trump has been made King in all but title. SCOTUS has granted him immunity from any actions carried out while in office. It will come as no surprise to me when the Mid-Term Elections so many are expecting and relying on are postponed or cancelled indefinitely. If they go ahead I expect to see the kind of results only seen in Russia or North Korea where the party apparatchiks receive 99% of the vote - no matter how anyone voted.

No one wanted Trump’s devastating budget bill. Of course it passed | Moira Donegan | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/04/trump-devastating-budget-bill

@Infoseepage That one of the O’Neills has a really interesting and complex history. There’s very little of the original castle left now, but loads of information. we had friends here a couple of days ago, and Anne used to be the Conservation Officer, so told us loads of the story. We went to see it today, and to visit Pomeroy Woods not too far away. In Co Meath there’s the hill of Tara which has similar huge views of much our the country, and almost in a straight line south again, there is the Rock of Cashel similarly situated. Back in the days of Kings in Ireland these three locations controlled a vast amount of the country.

@Infoseepage We were at this place in Dungannon today. Ranfurly House is very Scottish baronial style. The views from the remnants of the O’Neill castle mean the inhabitants then could see most of the nine counties of Ulster.

@Geri These colours have also been hijacked by some #TERF. It’s a gross betrayal of every woman there has been and will be in the UK. To have these women vote to proscribe a non-violent organisation, as well as support the erasure of #Trans people is perverse.

@Geri For Women Scotland, I think it is, wear the suffragette colours.

More reports of the disgusting homophobic behaviour of Isaac Adams and his absolutely NOT a ‘prank’ pouring 50 litres of slurry over the streets of #Ballymena before #Pride celebration last Saturday. Media and the Courts need to make thir minds up - is this a ‘Prank’ or is it a ‘Protest’? It cannot be both and the behaviour to me looks like hate, ignorance and protest. Pranks are supposed to have an element of entertainment. This does not.
Isaac Adams: Man charged over Ballymena Pride incident is named as court told manure spray ‘prank’ has backfired | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/man-charged-over-ballymena-pride-incident-is-named-as-court-told-manure-spray-prank-has-backfired/a1479245759.html

Israel steps up Gaza bombardment ahead of ceasefire talks https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2025/0630/1521026-israel-gaza/

@Infoseepage You deserve a day off, now and again.

Seems the thin-skinned #Starmer really is digging into his authoritarian tendencies. He’s now got #MetPol investigating #Kneecap and #BobVylan after their stage performances at #Glastonbury. He’s learned nothing about Irish history, or oppression anywhere in the world, or how the British State creates heroes by attempting to suppress people fighting for rights and the truth.
Police 'assessing' comments made by Kneecap and Bob Vylan at Glastonbury - Manchester Evening News https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/police-investigate-comments-made-kneecap-31954405

Today is 1st June - #PrideMonth I wish everyone a peaceful and positive Pride and all its associated events.
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ #Pride #Autonomy #MyBodyMyChoice #TransRightsAreHumanRights

You just know what he’s planning to do next. Insanity personified. That stuff doesn’t stay within any country’s borders. https://mstdn.social/@GottaLaff/114744136999112426

@Infoseepage https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/24/nyregion/nyc-democratic-primary-election-mayor

@Infoseepage Cuomo has conceded. 🏆. Politics in the USA can be changed from the ground up when people vote like this. All the republicans and many of the democrats need to be ousted. I hope there will be a lot more such wins. A rare bit of good news in frightening times.

@Infoseepage 😂 Trump called Netenyahu a ‘motherfucker’ in a live presser just now…… oops. Diplomacy, much?

@Infoseepage I don’t think he will oppose Israel. This is very like his recent posts with Putin. Called him out similarly, and was back to being his bestie [even if Putin doesn’t care] shortly afterwards. Trump has unleashed a monster with his irresponsible and illegal bombing of Iran, encouraged Israels attacks on all it’s neighbours, hosted Netanyahu despite the arrest warrant being out for him, and Trump is most definitely not in control of any of this. I cannot see the USA stopping supplying Israel - surely their biggest customer for ordnance and more - any time soon. It’s not helped by Starmer & UK Labour being in lock-step with Israel either.

@EUCommission Turning into the thing they were set up never to be.

Lammy and Starmer should stay out of Trumps ‘diplomatic solutions’. They are nothing more than Colonial Occupiers who still fail to understand other countries integrity, autonomy, history, heritage and rights. Nowhere in the Middle East has benefited from Western interference: indeed no place in the world has benefited from being colonised, occupied or controlled by another. It always ends with the occupiers impoverishing that place and taking anything of value, while leaving a physical, cultural, environmental desert behind. https://toot.wales/@NationCymru/114731251699743912

There’s lies, damned lies and American lies..
No rise in radiation detected, suggests the Americans certainly didn’t bomb an active nuclear facility with bombs that would be ‘ready in weeks’.
Either there’s no bombs at all, which is what the inspectors have noted for years, or Iran’s nukes are somewhere they will not be found, until they use them. https://flipboard.com/@aljazeera/us-canada-news-010sv4dcz/-/a-prRdffFWRcCnl4A_d5Euxg%3Aa%3A3199698-%2F0