ThisIsntWorkingPodcast

You still wear Balenciaga.

Something that always strikes me when I see videos like this - and when I’ve gone along to events like this myself and tried to speak to trans activists … There is SO much in the press about the overdiagnosis of autism and ADHD. It’s almost become a joke. Meanwhile, pretty much every parent I speak to with a trans-identifying child tells me their child has a diagnosis of autism, ADHD or both. Or that they suspect this, but haven’t been able to access an assessment. In some cases, their child was referred for ‘gender-affirming care’ before they’d even been screened for autism. And anyone who knows anything about autism will know that characteristics such as ‘black and white’ thinking can make some autistic young people particularly vulnerable to being drawn into activism. By people who may not have their best interests at heart. Especially when it offers a sense of identity and belonging. While outrageous amounts of money have been spent educating people about trans identities and promoting so-called ‘gender-affirming care’, parents are still struggling to get their children assessed for autism and ADHD - let alone access proper support. And while we hear plenty about the supposed overdiagnosis of autism and ADHD, I hear far less discussion about why diagnoses are rising, whether we’re recognising young people who were previously overlooked, and what support they actually need.

You have no idea how vast the discrepancy is between what these kids are taught about the world in college and what the real world is like. Many seem to expect the world will roll out the red carpet and only the occasional employer would reject them based on pronouns but they wouldn’t want to work for that company anyway. There’s no inner burden on these kids to relate to people who don’t share their worldview as decent and interesting human beings worthy of perspective taking. They think they can just go through life dismissing the odd “transphobe” as a bigot and go on their merry way to all the other employers who would just love to hire them, pronouns and all. They have no idea how off-putting their ideology is to a much vaster swath of the population than they’ve been conditioned to think they’ll need to put up with. When it comes to employment, many of them are in for a rude awakening.

My workplace is hiring and today we had a great applicant. Then she handed me her resume and she goes by a male name and he/him pronouns. If we were to employ her it would be on the condition that she would likely be “misgendered” because I refuse to use wrong sex or “they” pronouns. I don’t think it’s fair on her to ask her to make that concession. Or fair on our customers. The other option, and most likely outcome, is we don’t employ her. I wonder if trans activists realise that they don’t get opportunities because they compel others speech and behaviour. Not because they are “trans.” Their demands impact everyone around them. Nobody wants to walk on eggshells at work. Such a shame because I liked her and she’s otherwise the best candidate so far.

People arent even allowed to watch the Christmas lights turn on in peace. Why should families with children have to put up with this crap just because they want to go in the Harry Potter shop🤬

Fascinating note from my colleague, Joachim Klement, on how DEI-related social media posts by companies have declined - both sides of the Atlantic since 2024. I hadn't quite twigged how much corporate US and Europe have moved/bent with the political weather.

The more I think about St Hilda’s and Matt Rattley, the more frustrated I feel that staff and students are reluctant to speak - even off the record. My concern extends to Rattley himself. I sincerely hope he has people around him offering honest advice and support. Because I believe he has been badly let down by those around him, including his colleagues and employer. If my son, brother, friend or colleague were wearing enormous prosthetic breasts to teach students, I would tell him: this is not acceptable in the workplace and it's going to land you in trouble. You need to stop doing it. Had people felt able to raise concerns - and had those concerns been addressed - perhaps this would never have become a matter of public controversy. I understand that jobs, livelihoods and reputations are at stake. Speaking to a journalist can feel daunting, even with assurances of confidentiality. But isn’t the fact that people feel afraid to speak concerning in itself? It wouldn’t take the entire college speaking publicly to get this addressed. It would just take enough people raising concerns - including through confidential channels - to make it impossible for the college to ignore them. Silence can feel like kindness, or self-preservation. But who is it helping here? My inbox is open: janet@janetmurray.co.uk All messages treated in confidence.

I have to say I'm increasingly of the view the government doesn't understand its own conversion bill. Clause 5 unambiguously extends corporate liability to all companies. The government thinks it only applies to "companies that provide conversion therapy" This is nuts.