on this international workers' day, please remember those whose labour goes largely unacknowledged, unappreciated & unpaid. here's to the carers & the cleaners & everyone else without whom the human world would pretty much grind to a halt.
#iwd #internationalWorkersDay #huitHeures #1erMai #work #labour #art #illustration
NEW REPORT: UK Political Parties' canvassing apps threaten voter privacy with security vulnerabilities and commercially owned infrastructure.
Data is driving elections, deciding how to focus efforts and target messaging. We lose in a data arms race.
Read more ⬇️
#dataprotection #GDPR #data #democracy #ukpolitics #politicalparties #labour #conservatives #libdems #privacy
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.
"My numbers are tanking, my Party is in open rebellion, I really need a good policy that the public can get behind me on....."
My latest Zine is now available!
Volume 2’s theme is F the Patriarchy
With music mixtape playlist & bonus playlist of feminist content creators. Plus gorgeous original art. Great fun design as I bring checks & receipts!! Lots of information, lots of Easter eggs.
Available as digital download to print, cut, & fold for $3 or readymade for $6.
https://ko-fi.com/joblakely/shop
#feminist #feminism #patriarchy #labour #work #care #music #playlist #mixtape #art #mastoart #zine #zines #resistance
As Britain's governing Labour Party gathers in Liverpool for its annual conference, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey will be skipping many of the usual events and speaker panels to work on next month's budget. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/28/world/uk-budget-healey-labour/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #uk #johnhealey #labour
Iran-US tensions put markets on edge as oil jumps again and Labour conference kicks off
Markets are set for volatility in the UK and globally as investors watch closely for signs of escalation…
#EuropeSays #Headlines #News #Europe #Europa #EU #Iran #andyburnham #Equities #FTSE100 #Inflation #JohnHealey #labour-party #Markets #MiddleEast #Oil
https://www.europesays.com/iran/310166/
We should be wise about what we labor for.
We do too much for nothing.
Too much labor, too many resources, too much waste. For not much good, but a lot of generational & existential harm. We could get rid of 90% of it and live better.
Working not because we must ‘make a living’ but work to make a better life for all.
Choosing what we extract from the earth more responsibly.
Raise your standards! (Pun intended)
British lawyers to push Labour for more sanctions on Israel at party conference
British lawyers and legal experts will call on Labour to go further with its Palestine policy and increase…
#EuropeSays #Headlines #News #Europe #Europa #EU #Israel #labour-party #Palestine #standard #story #UKBureau
https://www.europesays.com/iran/306654/
https://www.europesays.com/3275035/ UK Granted Asylum, Citizenship to Hamas Bodyguard Now Facing Terror Charges #AndyBurnham #antisemitic #asylum #AsylumSeekers #Britain #citizenship #Conservative #Gaza #germany #Hamas #Israel #Labour #Naturalization #terrorism #TerroristAttack #UnitedKingdom
Netanyahu has damaged the country’s global standing for years to come, Israeli opposition figure tells Labour conference
Panellists suggested that there is a central struggle in confronting Netanyahu on security issues, as those in opposition…
#EuropeSays #Headlines #News #Europe #Europa #EU #Israel #LabourFriendsofIsrael #labour-party
https://www.europesays.com/iran/309247/
Tough U.K. budget hangs over John Healey at Labour gathering https://www.byteseu.com/2404203/ #GreatBritain #JohnHealey #Labour #UK #UnitedKingdom
new! #autumn photos from #ThePark in the most deprived estate in england, from the so-called worst place to live in the UK'.
recently youth here have been branded 'terrorists' by the #Labour mp, the party who stoked the delusions of the extreme right to distract from their own complicity & corrupt conduct in partnership with the global #BillionaireClass who i hold responsible for my traumas, disabilities & chronic illness, as well as everyone elses´.
i love it here, because i make it so with help from the amazing people who struggle along with me. 🖤 ✊ 🐉
#press #art #photography #IndependentMedia #IndependentArtist #MentalHealth #recovery
https://www.europesays.com/3277527/ Mahmood opens the flood gates in a new brutal immigration message – London Business News #AsylumSeekers #immigrant #Immigration #Labour #Politics #Refugees #ShabanaMahmood #WorldNews
Labour big hitters claim Britain is influencing other countries’ policies on Israel
“This is how to make change happen in today’s world,” he added, to applause. “Doing what is right…
#EuropeSays #Headlines #News #Europe #Europa #EU #Israel #ForeignOffice #Labour
https://www.europesays.com/iran/310640/
Miliband’s dangerous anti-Israel rhetoric – The Jewish Chronicle
Labour cannot be oblivious to the potentially dangerous passions it is stoking. Britain’s Jewish community has endured an…
#EuropeSays #Headlines #News #Europe #Europa #EU #Israel #anti-Israelprotests #EdMiliband #Gaza #Hamas #Iran #labour-party
https://www.europesays.com/iran/311531/
UK foreign secretary to pursue more progressive foreign policy on Israel
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will push for a more progressive foreign policy on Israel in an upcoming…
#EuropeSays #Headlines #News #Europe #Europa #EU #Israel #andyburnham #EdMiliband #labour-party #London #palestinians #UnitedKingdom #WestBank
https://www.europesays.com/iran/311654/
I was wondering the other day about why peas don't give people allergic reactions like peanuts. I did work processing peas on a pea farm one winter, and it totally ruined my lungs for a year, causing me to wheeze in pain. This was undoubtly the root of the asthma I suffer now as a 50 year old man. This was back in the late 90s, before there were Occupational Health & Safety standards for farm workers in Alberta. They wouldn't be able to put you to work physically inside a silo full of dried up peas without an N95 or P100 fine particulate respirator mask nowadays. When Rachel Notley was our Premier during the NDP's one term in office here, they brought basic Occupational Health & Safety and Workers Compensation protections to farm workers through Bill 6. Farm owners were furious! While farm workers toiled in the fields, the farm owners hopped on their multi-million dollar farm tractors and high-tailed it into the city to rally against the rights of their workers. I remember sharing an LRT ride towards the Legislature with one couple decked out in the most extravagent furs and finery, who asked me about directions. The next day, I picked them out from the front page of the newspaper where their big furs were recognizable from the photo of protesting farm owners. Capitalist owners can never be trusted to care about the wellbeing of their workers. This is why we must organize and collectively secure our own future.
#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli #labour #union #solidarity #workersrights #OccupationalHealthAndSafety
