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Emma McDowell

@emmamcdoofus.bsky.social
601 followers 395 following 25 posts

Lecturer at School of Performance & Cultural Industries (Leeds Uni); adhd; she/they; interested in how we make sense of/through our cultural experiences (esp theatre); preferred mode of communication - gifs; also dogs

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Emma McDowell @emmamcdoofus.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
c.org/PMGNrDdbW7
c.org
Sign the Petition
Allow transgender women and girls back into GirlGuiding UK
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dermot daly @dermotdaly.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
‘Being Black and British: Before During and After Drama School’ is released on September 22 but is available to pre-order from TODAY. Pre-order now - directly from the publisher on the link, your favourite bookshop, or your institutional or local library. Launch event(s) to be shared…
routledge.com
Being Black and British: Before, During and After Drama School
Being Black and British: Before, During and After Drama School is about being Black, being British and being an actor before, during and after training. Written by Black writers working in and around ...
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Dr Sarah Feinstein @1000plateaus.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Sara Ahmed - No Is Not a Lonely Utterance - Manchester Book Launch www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sara-ahmed...
eventbrite.co.uk
Sara Ahmed - No Is Not a Lonely Utterance - Manchester Book Launch
Join us for an evening with Sara Ahmed as she launches her new book, No Is Not a Lonely Utterance: The Art and Activism of Complaining.
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 14/08/2025
At least 100 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, including 61 in Gaza City, as Al Jazeera reports intensified strikes in the north while Israel prepares to seize Gaza City aje.io/io4cij
aje.io
Israel kills 61 people in Gaza City, at least 100 across enclave
The surge in Israel’s bombardment in the north of the Gaza Strip comes as it plans to seize Gaza City.
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 16/07/2025
UN says one in 10 children screened at their clinics in Gaza are malnourished amid Israel’s siege.
bit.ly
Israel bombs Gaza, Syria as alarm grows over rise in starving children
UN says one in 10 children screened at their clinics in Gaza are malnourished amid Israel’s siege.
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 05/07/2025
Palestinians say they have no choice but to go to deadly US- and Israeli-backed aid sites amid growing starvation.
bit.ly
‘Going hungry’: More than 700 Palestinians killed seeking aid in Gaza
Palestinians say they have no choice but to go to deadly US- and Israeli-backed aid sites amid growing starvation.
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Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
This 83-year-old priest has just been arrested for holding a sign which read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” According to Starmer’s new law, this puts her in the same category as an ISIS or Al-Qaeda terrorist, with a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
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Katy Montgomerie 🦗 @katymontgomerie.com · 27/06/2025
A group of lesbians disrupt a GC hate talk This bit is just perfection 😘👌 www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture...
The atmosphere in the room had by now descended into a fog of paranoia. Who could be trusted? One gender-critical woman suggested that everyone in the audience turn to the person next to them, ask what they were doing there and, if they weren’t satisfied with the answer, demand they leave. Another tried to preemptively chuck someone out because they looked suspicious (I thought this was because they were young, which would have been funny, but a Dyke Project member later told me it was because they looked like they might be trans, which is less so.) A lone voice of reason in the audience cried out, “we’re not going to do an age-based witch hunt!”
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Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Israeli officers and soldiers have revealed they’ve been ordered to deliberately shoot at unarmed Palestinians trying to get aid. That’s in Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Israel is deliberately massacring civilians it’s deliberately starving. There are few crimes more depraved.
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 02/06/2025
Israeli tanks opened fire on thousands of civilians gathered at a distribution site in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Sunday morning, killing at least 31 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office aje.io/xx7980
aje.io
Israel kills 32 Palestinians seeking food at ‘death trap’ Gaza aid sites
Troops gun down starving crowds, capping deadly first week of operations for controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 01/06/2025
Palestinians gunned down while trying to reach food aid site in Gaza, hospital says
theguardian.com
Palestinians gunned down while trying to reach food aid site in Gaza, hospital says
Witnesses say Israeli forces opened fire on people near distribution point run by Israel-backed foundation More than 20 people were killed on Sunday as they went to receive food at an aid distribution point set up by an Israeli-backed foundation in the Gaza Strip, according to a hospital run by the Red Cross that received the bodies. Witnesses told the Associated Press that Israeli forces had opened fire on people as they headed toward the aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). “There were many martyrs, including women,” the 40-year-old resident said. “We were about 300 metres away from the military.” Continue reading...
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What The Trans?! 🏳️‍⚧️ @whatthetrans.com · 30/05/2025
Fundraiser for legal action against the EHRC
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 26/05/2025
BREAKING: An Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter has killed at least 25 Palestinians, mostly women and children, Gaza's Health Ministry said. The school was hit three times while people slept, setting their belongings ablaze, they added.
bit.ly
Israeli strike on school-turned-shelter in Gaza kills 25, medics say
An Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 25 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
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Emma McDowell @emmamcdoofus.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Jewish creatives warn against false censorship of art critical of Israel www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/jewish-...
artsprofessional.co.uk
Jewish creatives warn against ‘false censorship’ of art critical of Israel - Arts Professional
Art must not be censored under the "false guise" of protecting against antisemitism, a group of Jewish creatives has warned. The group, calling itself Jewish Artists UK, says it wants to help arts org...
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Emma McDowell @emmamcdoofus.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Your mandatory training on 🚨🚨‼️‼️Understanding STRESS 🚨🚨‼️‼️ is OVERDUE⏰⏰⏰ do it NOW!!!!!!!! (Yesterday) or there WILL be Consequences
media.tenor.com
a cartoon character with red hair and a white coat is making a surprised face
ALT: a cartoon character with red hair and a white coat is making a surprised face
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Starmer's anti-immigrant speech today wasn't just a moral and political embarrassment. It was also an intellectual embarrassment. inews.co.uk/opinion/star...
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Kieran Hurley @kieranhurley.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
whooooo remembers "they'll shift to the left once they're in power, they have to say these things to win the election first you idiots"
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J Farrers @jfarrers.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Os ydych chi eisiau byw yn y Deyrnas Unedig, dylech chi siarad Cymraeg. Dyna synnwyr cyffredin. Felly rydym yn codi gofynion iaith Gymraeg ar draws pob prif lwybr mewnfudo.
Keir Starmer blowing a massive racist dog-whistle
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Jennie Jordan @jenniewren.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
This is what happens when the Treasury becomes the master rather than the servant. Accountants who know the price of everything, and the value of nothing www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
Ministers admit failing to assess impact of thousands of NHS job cuts in England
Exclusive: Failure to assess impact of axing thousands of NHS managers described by critics as reckless
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intercomtrustlgbt.bsky.social @intercomtrustlgbt.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Happy #TransHistoryWeek! 🏳️‍⚧️ @transhistoryweek.com is a global week-long observance dedicated to celebrating the history of all gender diverse people – including trans, non-binary and Intersex people 🌟
ID: slide with gradient pink, white and blue background. The slide shows a title reading 'Trans+ History Week 5th-11th May'. The THW and Intercom logos are at the top of the page. Below this are the photos of trans+ icons as follows, left to right from the back row first: Jude Guaitamacchi, Fox Fisher, Jan Morris, Shon Faye, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Riviera, Munroe Bergdorf.
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Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 03/05/2025
We believe the Supreme Court has placed the UK in breach of its obligations under the Human Rights Act. Over 8,000 people have supported our case - will you join us? goodlawproject.org/crowdfunder/...
goodlawproject.org
Help us challenge the Supreme Court’s judgment on trans rights | Good Law Project
We use cookies where necessary to allow us to understand how people interact with our website and content, so that we can continue to improve our service.
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Katy Montgomerie 🦗 @katymontgomerie.com · 03/05/2025
On top of hundreds of biologists, hundreds of feminists, hundreds of businesses, hundreds of historians all writing letters saying the Supreme Court and corrupt EHRC are wrong due to evidence from their fields, even geographers are angry and are providing evidence! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
Open letter to RGS on Supreme Court and EHRC events April 2025
1 May 2025 Dear Professor Dame Jane Francis and Professor Joe Smith, Re: The response of the Royal Geographical Society to the April 2025 Supreme Court ruling and EHRC interim update We are currently ...
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Dr Dyi D. Huijg @drdyidhuijg.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
This statement 'Not In Our Name: Feminist Academics and Educators Speak Out Against Transphobia' has over 850 signatures and co-signatures. My bet is that we can get this to 1000 today!
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Emma McDowell @emmamcdoofus.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Calling all feminist academics & educators -please add your name and sign ❤️🏳️‍⚧️⚧️🏳️‍🌈👇🏼
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 30/04/2025
The United Nations calls for “concerted” action to stop the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza as Israel’s total blockade enters its 60th day. 🔴 LIVE updates: aje.io/uz3nxr
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 28/04/2025
The Settlers review – this vital film forces Louis Theroux to do something he’s never done before
theguardian.com
The Settlers review – this vital film forces Louis Theroux to do something he’s never done before
The documentarian manages to stay calm and polite as guns are repeatedly pointed at him in the West Bank. Then someone shoves him …
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 28/04/2025
Israeli forces have killed at least 44 Palestinians across Gaza since dawn on Monday, including five children in a drone attack on a busy street in Gaza City. 🔴 LIVE updates ⤵️
aje.io
Israeli attacks on Gaza ‘worsen by the hour’ as drone kills five children
International Court of Justice hearings begin as fears of famine grow in Gaza with Israel’s blockade nearing 60th day.
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 25/04/2025
🏳️‍⚧️ How to tell our history stories, so we learn from them At this critical moment, how can we tell stories of @transhistoryweek.bsky.social and apply the lessons from them to today’s fight? 🧵👇
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Caridad Svich @csvich.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
the theatre chose seats over the ppl, and one day only the seats will be left
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Dr Sarah Feinstein @1000plateaus.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Leeds says #transrightsarehumanrights
Trans rights rally in Leeds city centre
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Centre for Cultural Value @valuingculture.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Writing for @artsprofessional.co.uk, Liz Harrop explores what it means to build a sustainable and regenerative cultural sector, and the Centre’s role as an infrastructure organisation in this complex and uncertain landscape. www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/fea...
artsprofessional.co.uk
Navigating the spaces in between - Arts Professional
Like many cultural organisations, the Centre for Cultural Value finds itself at a crossroads. Its manager, Liz Harrop, explores how to build a more inclusive and sustainable sector.
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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
The Supreme Court didn't change any laws, and it's unhelpful to suggest it did. It established what will, for now, stand as the definitive interpretation of the current law. But government can and should change the law to protect trans people and cis women. The responsibility here lies with Labour.
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Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Gary Lineker tells the truth about Gaza - and absolutely humiliates the British media
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Arts Professional @artsprofessional.co.uk · 23/04/2025
Like many cultural organisations, the Centre for Cultural Value finds itself at a crossroads. Its manager, Liz Harrop, explores how to build a more inclusive and sustainable sector.
buff.ly
Navigating the spaces in between - Arts Professional
Like many cultural organisations, the Centre for Cultural Value finds itself at a crossroads. Its manager, Liz Harrop, explores how to build a more inclusive and sustainable sector.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
The regret rate for gender transition is less than 0.3% (as compared with an average of 14% for surgery in general and 7% for having kids!) but the media loves to find and platform a regretter.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
I’ve been doing the same job for two decades, seeing how people flourish when able to manage their gender-related distress.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
It's even becoming a grift, more so in the US but increasingly in the UK too. There’s a lot of money in right-wing transphobia and if you’re outspoken enough against trans people here, there’s always the chance that Lady Blackmould will lob a grand or two in your direction.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Trans is one of the last minorities that can be attacked, freely and publicly, with almost no serious consequence. Indeed, attack trans people and large swathes of Twitter will applaud you as a hero, a brave “speaker of truth”.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Personally, I think there’s an illicit thrill – especially among those who feel, themselves, victimised or marginalised by wider society – in punching down at a minority.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
I believe there may be one trans member of the House of Lords and a single trans MP; none of the media outlets are trans-favourable or even trans-neutral; with the exception of Stonewall and Mermaids, no UK charities are explicitly supportive of trans people.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Trans people are, as a minority, pretty powerless, internationally and nationally. Within the UK, there are almost no trans people in positions of establishment power:
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Wherever possible, the media provides photos in order that snap judgements can be made on the basis of physical appearance – so everyone becomes an armchair expert.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
The media ignores all of this, focusing instead on low-hanging fruit, those areas where lay people who have no opinion can be coaxed into a kneejerk one: the vanishingly tiny number of trans people who are incarcerated in prison, who commit sexual offences and who are professional athletes.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Services for trans people have been allowed to wither through lack of funding. In 2002, the wait for a first appointment at an NHS gender clinic was three months; in 2025, it’s seven years.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
imagine if gay men’s health policies were decided by excluding all gay men and all clinicians with experience of the field.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
ruling specifically disallowed any trans person from being involved and also refused to hear from those, like myself, with clinical expertise of treating gender dysphoria. I can’t think of any other area where this happens:
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
At the same time, trans people are specifically excluded from policies and legislation that directly affect their lives, while those opposed to trans rights are invited to take part. The Cass Review, the Sullivan Review and the recent Supreme Court
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Despite making up less than 1% of the population and there being no tangible evidence that they pose any threat to women, children or anyone else, trans people find themselves, exhaustingly, in the media more or less constantly.
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Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of the UK population remain entirely neutral – they’re neither massively supportive nor opposed to trans people living their lives – but the media and (previous Tory and current Labour) government keep bouncing trans around as a political football.
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