iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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mad-swilliams.bsky.social @mad-swilliams.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Very anxious about posting this, but I feel strongly compelled to share. I know it’s a lot to take in for a Saturday morning and I appreciate anyone for taking the time to read it.

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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 29/09/2026

The official verdict is out - £900m of unprecedented financial cheating. The biggest football scandal Britain has ever seen, described today by Jason Burt as a 'rules row'. Read the findings for yourself now:

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GeekOnALeash 🏳️‍⚧️ @geekonaleash.co.uk · 29/09/2026

I have written to @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social to ask some important questions relating to her appearance and comments on The Daily T's Sunday Showdown, where she stated she was "a woman, defined by my biology", and that a women’s refuge should be for those of us who are “biologically women"

"... When asked whether you would have allowed a trans woman fleeing domestic abuse into the women’s refuge you once managed, you answered: “No.”

You said that alternative provision could be made, and that a women’s refuge should be for those of us who are “biologically women”.

That deserves considerably more scrutiny than another political soundbite.

You have chosen to justify your position by appealing to biology, so I would like you to explain what you mean by that claim in biological terms, rather than simply referring back to the law, the Supreme Court or the EHRC.

What, biologically, is a woman?

The scientific picture is considerably more complicated than the neat binary your statement suggests. Sex-related biology involves multiple characteristics, including chromosomes, gonads, reproductive anatomy, hormones and secondary sex characteristics. These characteristics do not always align in the stereotypical way, which is why medicine recognises differences of sex development. Contemporary scientific literature describes sex-related biology as involving multiple interacting characteristics rather than one single biological test that can infallibly sort every human being into one of two boxes.

You already know this. Biologists, doctors and other experts sent you an open letter specifically explaining these issues. They warned that reducing human sex biology to an immutable binary is an oversimplification and that policy built upon that oversimplification can cause real harm.

That does not mean biological sex is meaningless. It obviously is not. Female and male reproductive biology are real and medically important. But acknowledging that doesn't require pretending every human body is a perfectly standard biological specimen.

So let us get away from slogans.

You say that you are a woman “defined by my biology”. You say that I am not.

What, precisely, is the biological distinction you are making?"

"...And how would you establish it?

Would you take my blood? Sequence my chromosomes? Examine my gonads? Inspect my anatomy? Measure my hormones? Demand medical records?

Because the moment “biologically a woman” has to become a real-world test rather than a political phrase, the simplicity disappears.

And nowhere is that more obvious than in the refuge you once managed.

Imagine a woman arriving at the door after fleeing an abusive partner. She is terrified. She has no passport, no birth certificate and no medical records. She may have left everything behind to get herself and her children somewhere safe.

You have said the refuge should be for women who are “biologically women”.

So how does the refuge establish that?

Does she need to prove her chromosomes before being allowed through the door? Does somebody examine her body? Does she have to produce evidence of her reproductive anatomy? Or does a member of staff simply look at her and decide whether she appears sufficiently female?

Because the last option is not biology.

It is gender policing.

And then comes the question you cannot escape: how would you identify a trans woman without simply assuming that she is trans?

You cannot see somebody's chromosomes. You cannot see their gonads. You cannot see their hormone levels. You cannot see their developmental history.

If your answer is appearance, you have created a system in which women can be challenged because they are too masculine, too tall, too muscular, too deep-voiced, too gender-nonconforming or do not conform to somebody else's idea of what a woman is supposed to look like.

That is not a minor administrative problem. It is the policing of women's bodies, dressed up as biological certainty.

And feminism should recognise that for what it is...."

"...Sex and gender are related, but they're not interchangeable concepts. Sex encompasses biological characteristics and processes; gender also encompasses the social and personal dimensions through which human beings understand and live their gender. The scientific literature itself recognises that these concepts interact in complex ways rather than functioning as two completely separate boxes.
...You have experience running a women's refuge. You know what a woman arriving at that door needs. She does not need a politician's abstract definition of womanhood. She needs safety.

So I am asking you, as Minister for Women and Equalities, to answer some very straightforward questions.

What biological characteristics make you a woman and make me not one?

How would you establish that distinction in practice?

How does your definition account for women with differences of sex development?

What happens to women whose chromosomes do not fit the stereotypical XX model?

What happens to women who cannot produce eggs, who have no ovaries, who have undergone hysterectomy or who have otherwise experienced changes to their reproductive anatomy?

And most importantly:

How does a frightened woman fleeing domestic abuse prove that she is “biologically a woman” without being subjected to exactly the kind of bodily scrutiny and gender policing that feminists have spent generations challenging?

If your answer is that she does not have to prove it, then why should a trans woman?

If your answer is documentation, what happens to the woman who has none?

If your answer is appearance, whose idea of female appearance are you using?

And if there is no practical biological test, then perhaps “biology” is not quite the straightforward answer you have presented it as.

Women fleeing violence need refuge workers asking whether they are safe, not whether they can pass an ideological biology exam....."

"...You have chosen to draw a line between yourself and me by saying that you are a woman defined by biology and that women like me are not. I am therefore asking you to explain where that line actually is.

Not in a court judgment.

Not in an EHRC document.

Not in a political slogan.

In biology.

Because if you cannot define the biological test, and cannot explain how it could be applied fairly to women standing at the door of a refuge, then “biologically a woman” is not the clear, objective safeguard you claim it is.

It is simply a phrase being used to decide which women are allowed through the door.

And when the woman on the other side of that door is fleeing an abuser, that is not an abstract debate.

That is somebody's life.

Yours sincerely,

A woman who apparently needs a biology exam to prove it,'

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Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Now that’s an important historical anniversary

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Defend Our Juries @defendourjuries.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

BREAKING: 94 year old Jewish human rights barrister, Margaret Owen arrested under the Terrorism Act outside Andy Burnham’s Labour Party conference. UK taxpayers are funding these arrests while masked men terrorise the streets in coastal towns. Lift The Ban on Palestine Action.

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Sarah @sarahfaulkner.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

For #wildflowerhour today, I thought I'd compile a collage of the cheeriest yellow flowers I've seen this week - floral sunshine for a grey day. Here are Autumn Hawkbit, Agrimony, Gorse, Common Toadflax, Creeping Buttercup, Ragwort, Bristly Oxtongue, Tormentil, Bird's-foot Trefoil and Fleabane. 💛

A collage of yellow flowers seen in Dorset this week:
Autumn Hawkbit, Agrimony, Gorse, Common Toadflax, Creeping Buttercup, Ragwort, Bristly Oxtongue, Tormentil, Bird's-foot Trefoil and Fleabane.

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jane fae #facciamorete #antifa @janefae.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

A day late (was Jim Henson's birthday yesterday: he would have been 90). But thank you Jim for Rainbow Connection and a song that has only grown in importance over the years: youtu.be/9-VpPCKTCAI?...

youtu.be

The Muppets - Rainbow Connection Finale (Tribute To Jim Henson)

YouTube video by The Muppet Hub

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Lyra 💕 @lyra-scotland.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Yet another article that mentions us without us. Trans people boycotting labour's conference is mentioned here. It calls it a protest by "Trans Activists" and ignore that the majority of the companies biggest unions are boycotting & then pushes labour as too soft on trans people. archive.is/2JGrC

archive.is

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The Lexorcist @lexidarlingxoxo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I’ve literally never seen anyone considered a progressive champion of human rights be explicitly ideologically transphobic. Meanwhile some people who’ve agreed with & praised GC views include: Elon Musk, Tommy Robinson, Donald Trump, Glinner, Matt Walsh, Chris Rufo, Nathan Cofnas, Adolf Hitler,

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Jolisa Gracewood @nzdodo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Walked in on the cat making yet another podcast; tiptoed back out. #nzpets

A very hard “excuse you” stare from a black and white cat sitting on a desk, with a microphone set-up at face level.

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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 25/09/2026

The media in the UK is broken at all levels. This is Sky Sports reporting Manchester City, owned by Abu Dhabi, being found guilty in 114 of 115 charges of financial cheating that robbed many other clubs of trophies and players. bsky.app/profile/phil...

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Caroline Litman @alicemydaughter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

UK government is calling for evidence on puberty suppressing hormones for children and young people with gender incongruence. It’s asking: what research has emerged since 2023. How has the evidence base changed? What makes the evidence hard to generate, evaluate and use in clinical/policy decisions?

post.parliament.uk

Puberty-suppressing hormones for children and young people accessing gender identity services

How has evidence on puberty suppressing hormones for children and young people with gender incongruence evolved since 2023, and what challenges affect its interpretation and use?

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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 24/09/2026

In the latest development among anti-trans wings of the Democratic Party, the Ohio Democratic Party is now deleting criticism from caucus members of Kaptur's anti-trans ad calling transgender people an "ideology." It appears any dissent over the ad is practically banned on caucus social media.

erininthemorning.com

The Ohio Democratic Party Is Silencing Its Pride Caucus Over Criticism Of Kaptur's "Transgender Ideology" Ad

The Ohio Democratic Party suppressed dissent from within its own Pride Caucus, activists said.

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Matthew Facciani @matthewfacciani.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

My book, Misguided, officially launches today! If you’ve ever wondered why people believe false things — or how to build resilience against misinformation — this book is for you. I wrote it to help us navigate our overwhelming information environment, and I’m thrilled to finally share it with you.

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Wear The Peace @wearthepeace.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Actress Susan Sarandon being arrested earlier today for protesting Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations. One is speaking out against genocide, one is committing it. One was arrested, one was not.

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Taryn de Vere @taryndevere.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

"the Irish Government had proposed - as part of the plans for the EU Presidency- that the rights of big AI companies to collect data on people should be recognised as a higher right than humans’ data protection rights." 😯😯😯 www.thegist.ie/the-gist-on-...

thegist.ie

The Gist: On (and On) Bullshit

I have been thinking about Bullshit, in its official categorisation. In his short and easy essay “On Bullshit”, the euphoniously-named American philosopher Harry J. Frankfurt posited that a person co...

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Johanna T 👻 📚 @johannamation.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

In my experience: asking about process and tools is very helpful in catching someone out on using genAI, because real artists genuinely LOVE talking about their process and tools. Being vague or evasive about one’s process is a huge tell that they just generated it.

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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

will say it again: the most effective way to curb far right agitators like Lowe, "Tommo" et. al. would be to stop their ability to earn money for it from social media or live streaming. So much of it is grifting for revenue, not attention.

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Caroline Litman @alicemydaughter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Until then the suicide rates of trans people like Alice will remain high as will the rates for: autistic people disabled people those of low socioeconomic status homeless people victims of csa, domestic violence and corporate bullying like the estimated 13 deaths from the post office scandal.

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Caroline Litman @alicemydaughter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

These prevention campaigns can have a really negative impact on those left behind. And they detract from the real systemic issues that need addressing that we know protect against suicide: equal access to healthcare, housing, employment, food, warmth and justice for all of us.

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Sam @tiedyedcryptid.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Horrific. I always have more ire towards supposed allies who cast people aside to further their careers than I do towards people who were openly hateful all along.

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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

saw this on Instagram and it so perfectly encapsulated my rage

seravph
being so fr when I say that transmisogyny has put feminism back like 50 years

seravph
what i thought we had distanced ourselves from was the reduction of women to vaginas and wombs and the ability to bear children. i thought we had progressed past 'dresses are for women and pants are for men. i thought we progressed past the idea that someone is less of a woman if she does not adhere strictly to beauty standards. i thought we progressed past the idea that naturally being comfortable adhering to highly feminine standards is vulgar. but i (sarcastically) guess no one could have predicted that trans-exclusive feminism would be the downfall of all the progress we've made

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South-East London for Europe (Selfe) @selfe.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Fantastic news Latest records show that #RNLI donations have increased by 5000% over the past couple of weeks after far-right backlash. The RNLI is on track to record its highest annual fundraising total in its almost 200-year history. Donate here rnli.org/support-us/g...

rnli.org

Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea

Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.

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frank n furter @mxfrankduffy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

this handsome fella is now sold out 💀 if you want first dibs on my limited-edition prints then sign up here, or don't, I'm not your dad >>> dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/677555...

linoprint of a stylised crow strutting along with a human skull in its beak. either side are two trees and above, a crescent moon.

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Sam @tiedyedcryptid.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Better than a long wait, but not as good as the surgeries not being cancelled for no good reason in the first place

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Libby from Biscuit @thisisbiscuit.org.uk · 22/09/2026

"as many as two thirds of heterosexual women (66%) say that they would be unwilling to date a bisexual man, compared to only 19% who would be willing to do so. This is substantially higher than the number of straight men saying they wouldn’t date a bisexual woman (35%)"

yougov.com

Two thirds of straight women are unwilling to date a bisexual man

A third of straight men are likewise unwilling to date a bisexual woman

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Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The Oxenham Arms pub in South Zeal, Devon, boasts the unusual distinction of having been constructed around two prehistoric standing stones. If you’re lucky and visit at the right time of day, as I did, you might also see the smaller of the two being recharged with sacred energy by the sun.

An ancient standing stone replenishes itself with the moorland winter sun, in a the dining room of a pub where I found out, to my disappointment, non-cash payments of under £10 are not permitted.

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the most typical @jazzpomegranate.com · 20/09/2026

my opponent (WHO IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES) wants to look at your kid’s private parts like cmon why isn’t someone screaming this on television every night???

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Julie - TrexPushups @trexpushups.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Bathroom bans are a ban on having jobs, seeing movies in theaters, and being able to live life outside your home. It's evil to put people on a urinary leash.

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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 21/09/2026

'no direct evidence' won't stop them. Ask this trans person how I know...

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Sam @tiedyedcryptid.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

NHS Wales has a meeting tomorrow about the indefensible cancellation of transition related surgeries. Please email in support of getting them started ASAP, there's a pre-written email here: transactual.org.uk/blog/2026/09...

transactual.org.uk

Take Action to Restore Access to Gender‑Affirming Surgeries in Wales – TransActual

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Cos! @algernonentity.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

idly reading about the rutherglen pigeon war

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Kath Page @orkat3.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#StandingStoneSunday the Serpent stone or Aberlemno 1. A class 1 #Pictish stone in Aberlemno Angus. It depicts a serpent, a double disk, Z rod, mirror and comb, #Neolithic cup marks are on the reverse, its thought to date to 7th or 8th century. 📸 mine. #Scotland #SymbolStone #RockArt #Archaeology

A standing stone in front of a dry stone wall, it is covered in green lichen with depictions of a serpent, a z-rod and mirror carved into the face of the stone

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jessstilllife.bsky.social @jessstilllife.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The Langstone, a late Neolithic/early Bronze Age standing stone with distinctive shape, looking towards the Langstone Moor stone circle in shadow on the left and Great Mis Tor. The circular indents on the stone are bullet marks from its use as target practice before D Day #StandingStoneSunday

A tall, 3 metre high standing stone with a jagged outline and jumbled rocks at its base. A tor in sunlight and cloud shadows is visible beyond a stretch of grassy moorland

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The Folklore of Warwickshire @warksfolklore.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

In 1642, the sound of military drums emitted from a well in the hamlet of Hill Wooten. The drumming continued for 14 days then stopped, only to restart in 1660 and 1669. No source for the noise was discovered. 🧵 #SpookySunday

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c3rmen @c3rmen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Losing my mind while doing some research for my creature design lecture that the closest relative to the maned wolf is the bush dog. Like there has gotta be a fable where the maned wolf took all the leggie from its cousin

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Thomas S Brown @tomsbrown.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Good morning part II Drew this at an unfinished gothic mansion while artist in residence. (Woodchester Mansion) Living the dream.

Pencil drawing of a green man face surrounded by carefully observed natural foliage.

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Skulls and Sheets @skullsandsheets.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

If you are interested in donating something to this auction and missed the original sign up, please let me know!! As well as Mari Lwyd artwork, I accept: Books Spooky wares Other things!

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Photography by Alfie Goodrich @alfie.photography · 20/09/2026

All part of the transfer of wealth to techbros. And the normalising of “the computer did it” as the explanation for any and all catastrophes.

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DrEddful @eddedmondson.eurosky.social · 19/09/2026

If you think you're a trans ally, read this thread and check if you need to be doing a fuck load more.

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Not In Our Name (NION) Women @nionwomen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

You don't have to be an activist or an expert on trans issues to know that exclusion doesn't speak for you. More than 110,000 women have already signed our letter because they want another voice to be heard: one of fairness, compassion and solidarity with the trans+ community. notinourname.org.uk

Two middle-aged women hug and smile. The quote says

“We need to join together to show that 'gender critical' anti-trans lobbyists do not speak for the majority."

#WhyWeSigned

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Skulls and Sheets @skullsandsheets.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A La Catrina (Dia de los muertos) inspired mari I think I made her too busy!

A mari in a marigold and leaf headdress holds too sugar skulls with monarch butterflies on her scarf and skulls

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The Megalithic Portal Ancient Sites & Stones @megalithic.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Farranmacbride: Anthony Weir writes: The townland of Glencolumbcille in Co. Donegal is famous for its "turas", or devotional pattern on the 9th of June, along a given route which is punctuated by stations.

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