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Yesterday I linked to a piece about women of colour being overwhelmed with requests to educate people. Not all of those requests are made in good faith, and even the ones that are can be exhausting. This morning. Afua Hirsch writes about her experience on Sky News. Hirsch was asked to explain why an image… [more]
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Guilaine Kinouani writes at Race Reflections. In “education requests, exploitation & oppression” she discusses the issue of emotional labour, where complete strangers (usually members of the majority) ask someone (usually a member of a minority group), to educate them on things they could easily Google – or often, things they have already Googled and choose… [more]
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I’ve just done a radio interview, with a preamble I’m used to: Me (on phone): Hello! Researcher: Hi! Can I speak to Carrie Marshall, please? Me: Speaking! Researcher: [pause] Then professionalism kicks in and the researcher tells me what they’re calling about. It’s not a big deal; just one of those things you get used… [more]
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I went with a friend to see Grace Petrie last night. If you’re not familiar with her work, she’s a protest singer with a big voice and an even bigger heart. She described this song, Black Tie, as “the closest thing I’ve had to a hit.” It was spellbinding last night, Petrie solo with just… [more]
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When Theresa May allied with the notoriously anti-LGBT DUP, the government promised significant investment in promoting LGBT rights in Northern Ireland. Channel 4 News has investigated and discovered exactly how much has been spent to promote equality in a country of 1.871 million people. £318. You may be wondering: what amazing things was this incredible… [more]
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My former doctor has been suspended by the General Medical Council. Dr Mike Webberley, who took over the care of trans patients when his wife Helen was censured over an administrative issue, is no longer able to treat patients in the UK. I don’t know the ins and outs of this one, but I do… [more]
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James Doleman’s Twitter account is providing an unintentionally hilarious account of Katherine O’Donnell’s employment tribunal. Today, Times editor John Witherow is giving evidence. A pattern appears to be emerging. Counsel for the complainant presents to the court another Times article, a “self-identification,†of gender. This refers to the Soham Murderer, Ian Huntley, and suggests he… [more]
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The chat app SnapChat is back in the headlines after its new gender-swapping filter went viral. The filter makes boys look like girls and vice-versa, and as you can see above the results are pretty funny – although I seem to have the dubious honour of being the only person who looks older when the… [more]
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I’m indebted to Tennessee Pete on Twitter for the link to and commentary on this story: As he put it: This is such a good case study for manufacturing consent because it’s just… ‘in response to Iran’ In response to Iran doing what? No, not in response to any provocation, just in response to Iran.… [more]
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Imagine if the BBC had been taken to a tribunal over allegations of bullying, bias and malpractice so serious the entire management team were made to appear as witnesses. Newspapers would be all over the story, with good reason. As award-winning journalist Liz Gerard points out on Twitter, if you swap the BBC for The Times… [more]
Read me in books
My debut memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was a Scotsman book of the year and Damian Barr’s Literary Salon book of the week, and it was shortlisted for the 2023 British Book Awards book of the year in the Discover category.
My latest book, Small Town Joy, is a celebration of queer influences on and queer artists in Scots music and is out now.
I’m also a contributor to the excellent anthology Fierce Salvage, which is also out now.
