Some news on various items I’ve commented on in the past or only mentioned on twitter:
- On the Malawi couple from June, Pink News report one of them is seeking asylum in Canada. Which the otherwise usually very Trans-friendly Pink News reports by constantly using male language to describe Tiwonge. Oops. (As I’ve noted before, if you’re not sure it’s easy to avoid including gender)
- On government snooping, it was reported back in July that requests for information under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act had risen 4% in 2009. (Via LINX Public Affairs) Using the same measure as I did for Google requests, it comes out at 8,467 requests per million people per year.
- On the ONS 1.5% figure from September, the Americans have come up with a figure of 7-8% (Pink News)
- And finally, on the alleged “sex by deception” case in Scotland, there has been a similar case in Ohio, United States (Telegraph) where the woman has been sentenced to six months. (There are rather missing-the-point comparisons with Boys Don’t Cry in there, I’m afraid)
- On ID cards and gender markers, a Pink Paper story from September reports on a campaign in Nepal to have a “third sex” available on ID cards. (I do not know Nepalese Trans culture or issues, but I would guess it’s somewhat different from ours in terms of identity)
- From the start of this month, the Cambridge News ran an article on hate crimes, focusing on race and religion motivated crimes. However, they also received information on LGBT crimes – there were 35 homophobic incidents in 12 months and 8 transphobic ones. (Not attacks and not necessarily on people who were actually gay or transsexual, which is how the Cambridge News reports it) The area covered by Cambridgeshire police, for reference, has a population of around 750,000.
- OfCom’s statement this week that they’re going to allow other providers to use BT ducts and poles should result in an interesting new category of excuses from BT when things break: Someone else did it, honest. (OK, I do think this is a good idea but the problems of service providers breaking each other’s equipment is genuine)