A race for the Texas Supreme Court has an eight-year incumbent with the backing of the Republican establishment battling John Devine, an anti-abortion activist and frequent political candidate known for his fight to keep the Ten Commandments displayed in his Houston courtroom.
Despite past criticism, Devine has not shrunk from making his anti-abortion ideology a prominent part of his judicial campaign. At a June rally in Fort Worth, he described his convictions as being “forged in the crucibles” of the anti-abortion movement and told the crowd he had been arrested 37 times while protesting abortion clinics.
A campaign video relates a decision to continue a high-risk pregnancy, his wife Nubia’s seventh, which they said was likely to end in the deaths of both mother and child. Nubia Devine survived the birth. Their daughter lived for an hour after she was born.
Read the full article. Devine last appeared him 2017 when he issued a minority opinion against same-sex spousal benefits for Texas residents because marriage is meant for “procreation.” During his above cited 2012 campaign for the Texas Supreme Court, Devine alleged declared that he chose the district he ran in because “I can beat somebody with a Mexican name.” The incumbent was then-Justice David Medina. Devine is up for reelection in 2024.
John Devine, one of the TX Supreme Court judges that issued an order preventing a pregnant woman whose unborn child has a fatal defect from getting an abortion, was arrested several times for blocking abortion clinics. His wife carried a risky pregnancy to term. The child died. pic.twitter.com/l2UsHAkDe5
Like I said yesterday: The Texas Supreme Court wouldn’t have issued the stay if their intent wasn’t to force this poor woman to carry this doomed pregnancy to term, even if it kills her. Controlling and punishing women, including for “failing” to bring a fetus to term, is the entire point.
I’m hoping that this case is, at the very least, on an expedited calendar, as time is truly of the essence. Otherwise, this poor woman has to get the hell out of Tek-Zis to seek the medical care she needs. How fucking deplorable.
That’s what gets me about this: The pregnancy is doomed. The genetic tests are conclusive. This trisomy condition WILL result in a dead baby, guaranteed. On ultrasound, it’s already seen not to have the major organs needed to survive. This woman has already had two previous c-sections, and each subsequent one reduces her chances to have another child successfully—which she says she wants very much. But trying to carry a trisomy fetus to term is itself inherently risky because the fetus can pretty much die at any time or miscarry, risking lethal sepsis infection.
Yet these Rethug motherfuckers don’t care about any of that. They want to inflict unnecessary and potentially lethal harm and suffering on this woman. Why? No reason other to ensure that no woman, girl, or transperson can escape a pregnancy, wanted or unwanted, that might kill them. Put in these terms, the intent is clear.
Why? Yes, I agree. But it’s also a message to ALL women — you are just a vessel for the child, and your life and health, not to mention your needs and wants, are of minimal consequence.
Sweet Jesus I rant through all these arguments TWENTY years ago now in the marriage equality “debates” – these people hold no coherent postions, they just hate gay people and women.
Logic has no place in their debates. Only their feelings matter. Nobody else’s feelings are relevant. Pregnancy not viable? Mother and baby likely to die? So what? It’s was jesus would want.
You identified those I call ‘The Feelers’. They’re the ones who’re most easily swayed by conspiracy theories, loudmouth narcissists, screaming evangelicals, the ‘voice’ of authority’. etc. Whenever they experience fear they ‘know’ that they’re wrong and have to repent, grovel or humiliate themselves publicly.
The Feelers dominate the GQP and they’re extremely dangerous since anything can trigger them… literally. They pull a trigger whenever they get sufficiently riled up.
Hell, how many Christianistas view an unintended pregnancy as a just punishment for sex outside of marriage, insisting the woman carry it full term, and then denigrating the innocent child as “a bastard.”
Elie Mystal was saying during an interview the other day, that if anyone is thinking about sitting out the 2024 election or if they believe that a second Trump presidency won’t be so disastrous, just shout “ABORTION… ABORTION… ABORTION !!” A Trump regime will insure that abortion (at least for the 99%) is an impossibility. As we’ve seen, these insane & unmercifully cruel zealots & misogynists don’t care about women and whether they live or die, as long as their draconian ideology prevails
The co-founder of Mom’s for Liberty which is fighting to remove the LGBTQIA from all aspects of society, schools, libraries, movies, and even in private businesses was having lesbian sex with a woman that her family values republican husband was having three-way sex trysts with. You know, the very people pushing the family values biblical model of marriage and sex only were violating what they want to mandate for everyone else but enjoying sex out of marriage, having same sex relations, having sex with a woman not your wife. Hypocrites and dangerous ones. When the wife was not available to have sex, the second woman wanted to wait until she was. That is when the married man raped her, because a white Christian man shall not be denied the right to have sex when and where he demands it. And in his mind, women have no right to complain or say no. Hugs. Scottie
Christian Ziegler with his wife Bridget at Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration.
The sexual battery investigation of Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler began with a 911 call from a friend of the alleged victim who was worried about her well-being, according to a recording of the call obtained by the Florida Trident.
The 911 call, made on October 4 at 2:46 p.m., reveals the caller was concerned about the mental health of the woman, who isn’t being identified due to the nature of the investigation.
“I was hoping to do a wellness on a friend of mine,” the caller began. “She hasn’t shown up for work the past two days and I just got off the phone with her and she sounds drunk and I know she has pain medication on her and she told me that she doesn’t think she can do it anymore.”
The dispatcher then asked questions about the victim’s address, which was redacted, before the caller said the alleged victim had been struggling with addiction that had “gotten worse and worse the last couple of months.” Then she relayed the information that kicked off a criminal investigation that is ongoing.
“She won’t answer anyone else at work except for me but she told me she was raped yesterday and that she’s scared to leave her house,” said the caller. “… She’s saying she’s scared that — the person that raped her came to her house — that she’s scared to leave.”
The caller then told the dispatcher, “I’m worried about her right now.”
“I have units en route,” said the dispatcher.
The alleged perpetrator is Ziegler, who has yet to publicly comment on the investigation first reported by the Trident on Thursday morning. His attorney, Derek Byrd, said in a written statement Ziegler would be fully exonerated in the investigation.
Sources close to the investigation told the Trident that Ziegler and his wife, Sarasota County School Board Member Bridget Ziegler, who is also an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis and cofounder of the right-wing group Moms For Liberty, had a three-way sexual relationship with the woman prior to the alleged October 2 sexual assault.
A copy of the search warrant involved in the case was released late Friday that substantiated much of the Trident’s earlier reporting and added a wealth of new information.
Ziegler, according to the affidavit, had known the woman for 20 years and they had agreed to a tryst at the woman’s home on October 2 with Ziegler’s wife. When Bridget Ziegler wasn’t able to make it, the woman canceled via text to Christian Ziegler, writing that she had been “more in for her,” meaning Bridget. She told police that Christian Ziegler came to her home anyway and entered uninvited as she opened the door to walk her dog. Inside, she said he raped her.
In an interview with detectives attended by his attorney, Christian Ziegler admitted he had sex with her that day but said it was consensual sex with the woman. He also admitted that he shot video of the incident, which he said he initially deleted, but later uploaded to a Google Drive. When the affidavit was filed with the court on November 15, police had yet located the video. The contents of the Google Drive was among items seized by police under the warrant, along with his Gmail and iPhone.
According to the affidavit, Bridget Ziegler told detectives she was involved in a sexual encounter with her husband and the woman once over a year ago.
News of the criminal investigation led DeSantis to publicly call for Ziegler to step down from his role at the top of Florida’s Republican Party shortly after the presidential candidate’s debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday night on the Fox News Channel.
“I don’t see how he can continue with that investigation ongoing, given the gravity of those situations,” DeSantis told reporters. “And so, I think he should step aside. I think he should tend to that. He’s innocent until proven guilty, but we just can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny. And so, I hope that — I hope the charges aren’t true. I’ve known him, I’ve known Bridget; they’ve been friends. But the mission is more important,”
The criminal investigation, which sources tell the Trident involves video recordings and the seizure of Christian Ziegler’s phone, is ongoing.
Florida Center for Government Accountability public access director Michael Barfield contributed to the reporting of this story.
About the Author: Bob Norman is an award-winning investigative reporter who serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Trident and journalism program director for the Florida Center for Government Accountability. He can be reached at journalism@flcga.org or by phone at 954-632-4343.
Breaking news: 911 tape released in criminal investigation of Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler. “She told me she was raped yesterday and she’s scared to leave her house.” #DefendDemocracyhttps://t.co/IdkLS4nGKD
— Florida Center for Government Accountability (@FLCTRGA) December 1, 2023
Florida GOP Chair Accused of Sexually Assaulting Threesome Partner
Police are investigating Christian Ziegler, husband of Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, over accusations that he sexually assaulted the couple's alleged partner.
I hope the unidentified victim gets the help and support she needs, and I also hope Zeigler ends up serving time, and I especially hope the whole Mom’s for Liberty crumbles as it’s revealed what kind of fraud group they really are
The “alleged” rapist Zeigler demeaned a gay school board member after he departed the meeting under baseless accusations of being a groomer. Zeigler’s bisexual wife, chair of the board, did nothing to stop the abuse. In the “alleged” rapist Zeigler’s own words: “He may not like the public being informed and being held accountable, but both are on the way.”
That 911 call is wrenching. The woman she was talking about was obviously made to suffer horribly. I’m glad that she didn’t end her life or hurt herself over the unbearable pain that was inflicted on her. I hope she can return to some semblance of a normal life with sufficient time.
The virulent homophobes are closeted self hating gays in denial who need someone else punished for what they’ve been told and buy into what they’ve been told is wrong about themselves.
She’ll do a “redemption” tour in which she explains that the Devil possessed her husband and he forced her into terrible, sinful situations. She, as a loving Christian woman, struggled with how to serve him and do her wifely duties and remain true to her faith. Either they’ll get divorced and she’ll become a RW cause celeb, or they’ll stay married, he will “repent” and they will continue the grift together.
I hope the victim gets the help she needs, not just for the attack on her but the hate coming her way from “loving” Christians angry that she dared to blow the whistle on them.
Again because people were not paying attention, the religious fanatics moved into positions of power. Now they want to enforce their own personal way of life on everyone and are willing to destroy democracy to do it. The public should take these people as a warning of how they want to erase our personal liberties to eased their religious fears. Think of it, if you read both this post and the article you see that he is claiming that his god will not give good things to our country, which to be honest has really been so far his god giving good things to white people, but will now be mean to … again white people because the very people Mike Johnson thinks are bad have gained more equality in the cis hetero world. He really thinks we are inventing new ways to be “evil”. Hell’s bells and my dogs that love gravy how weird is this guy to think that people only started to do bad stuff now that gays have the right to marry and kids can come out at school? Really what about slavery, what about the atrocities all through history including the Holocaust and the dark ages, Spanish Inquisition, and the horrible things Columbus and his people did. But gay kids are where his god draws the line???? Think of the things being done in Gaza, but his god is more upset that a boy finds another boy sexually attractive so that is why he will destroy the country? Think about where and why these people focus on. Worth the read for both. Hugs
Talking to pastor Jim Garlow on a broadcast of the World Prayer Network, Johnson spoke ominously of America facing a “civilizational moment.” He said, “The only question is: Is God going to allow our nation to enter a time of judgment for our collective sins? Or is he going to give us one more chance to restore the foundations and return to Him?”
The segment was filmed Oct. 3, just weeks before Johnson’s unexpected rise to become speaker of the House. Garlow pressed the clean-cut Louisiana congressman to say “more about this ‘time of judgment’ for America.” Johnson replied: “The culture is so dark and depraved that it almost seems irredeemable.” He cited, as supposed evidence, the decline of national church attendance and the rise of LGBTQ youth — the fact, Johnson lamented, that “one-in-four high school students identifies as something other than straight.”
Discussing the risk of divine retribution, Johnson invoked Sodom, the Old Testament city destroyed by God for its wickedness with a rain of burning sulfur. Johnson is a polished orator, but in a closing prayer with Garlow he grew tearful. Johnson intoned, “We repent for our sins individually and collectively. And we ask that You not give us the judgment that we clearly deserve.”
Read the full article. Longtime JMG readers may recall that Jim Garlow appeared here many times starting around 15 years ago, usually for “gays are satanic” type rants.
In 2010, Garlow declared that God passed Proposition 8 in California because Christians nationwide had fasted against same-sex marriage.
In 2017, we heard from Garlow when he called for a national tax to be given to churches for them to provide healthcare to congregants, as “health is God’s issue.”
In 2021, Garlow led a group of evangelicals in marching around the Georgia Capitol building seven times to prevent Democrats from winning.
Garlow is the co-author of the so-called Manhattan Declaration, which calls on Christians to disobey all pro-LGBTQ ordinances and laws.
"We’re violating His commands. We’re inventing new ways to do evil.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson: “Depraved” America Deserves God’s Wrath
PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Pastor Jim Garlow calls for an armed uprising against the nation’s LGBTQ people. Pastor Jim Garlow claims that Christians who hate homosexuals will be rewarded with an eternal celestial orgy when they reach heaven. Pastor Jim Garlow says Satan is a gay activist. Pastor Jim Garlow says God has forgiven Newt Gingrich for his serial adultery.
I cannot emphasize enough that that man is dangerous. He believes that he has been placed there by God to claim the united states government for his narrow radical view of Christianity. Him + Trump represent an existential threat to the republic.
In its early days, our “Christian” nation wiped out most of the indigenous people and brutally enslaved millions of Africans. More recently, it fabricated excuses to start two bloody and futile wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which untold innocent civilians and children died.
If those and other atrocities didn’t piss off the Christian god, then he either doesn’t exist or has very warped priorities.
These people are gleefully watching whats happening in Israel because, to them, it means Baby Jesus is returning any day now so he’s trying to “save” as many Americans as possible before the end.
Absolutely. Their doctrine says the Jerusalem Temple must be rebuilt before Jesus can return. And when he does, all Jews who have not accepted him as Savior will be obliterated. Which is all of them.
What’s appallingly cynical is that while most Jews probably don’t know this, the Israeli government certainly does, and is happy to accept evangelicals’ support even knowing what’s supposed to happen to them.
This guy’s really dangerous. They really managed to sneak the guy in there without any proper due diligence, didn’t they? I recall that screaming shrew shouting down the reporter who asked the question about election denial. “How *dare* you apply scrutiny to us?!!”
Every Republican supported him, and none of those Republicans are facing angry constituents calling for their removal from office any time soon… so this is apparently what Republican voters want from DC.
I fully expect the dark money’d interests already knew how twisted and perverted this miserable piece of shit is before they insisted on his installation.
It’s right there in the book of Ezekiel: Sodom and Gomorrah were not destroyed due to gay people living in them. They were destroyed because violent residents violated their cultural guest laws, harassing and robbing visitors and migrants asking for help.
You can always tell what kind of Xtian you’re dealing with depending whether they actually understand the lesson in their own book or if they simply apply whatever interpretations they want in order to justify their own appalling, hateful behavior.
Lot offered his own four daughters to appease the soldiers to prevent them from killing the two angels he was saving in his house. For his protection from the angry mob and the soldiers, the angles made everyone who protest to become blind. This made the soldiers angry, and they raped Lot as punishment for protecting those angels, which was commonly done to control their victims. Angels then told Lot to run away with his daughters because they were going to destroy those two mythical cities for their inhospitality and cruelty. For one thing, there is no ancient archeological evidence that Sodom and Gomorrah ever existed. They are not on any ancient maps. As typical with most Biblical stories, they are parables to learn from except for those Christian apologists who take everything out of context to justify their bigotry and ignorance.
Christians ignore what the Bible actually says about Sodom and Gomorrah. We weren’t the cause, we were the punishment, at least the first level of punishment.
Frankly, it’s pretty insulting, but the way THEY act is what’s raising the threat level…
Looking back, if I had a safe and supportive environment when first realized I was Trans at age 15 I believe my life would have been much easier. Not perfect but easier.
This religious fanatic needs to mind his own freaking business.
And that is why it is so important that all trans and non-binary come out. To find each other so they can comfort and support each other and show that this is ok and part of normal life. That’s the reason christStains are so against any kind of equality and normalization of all genders. Because it goes against their hate and deludes opportunities to grift money. The only reason growing up trans was hard for you and growing up gay was hard for me is because of hateful religion.
Johnson is quite delusional and hiding a deep dark secret about himself, as we’re all quite aware. NO ONE ever goes that deep into how to ‘eliminate’ our clan than those who are deep DEEEEPPPP in a violent and sad closet.
Yeah, there’s seriously something off about this guy, beyond the usual bigotry. The prissy zealotry is extremely creepy. (Along with those other signs like the weird youthful adoption and the porn monitoring with his son.)
Some of them just seem ignorant, blind cultists. But this guy is full-on creepster culty since he’s clearly intelligent enough, or should be, to have some grounding in the real world. If I had children, I wouldn’t let him anywhere near them. He gives off serious pervy vibes.
Why is one of the default babble verses against LGBTQI+ always include the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? Interesting that the post script to those verses was the daughters of Lot getting him drunk and having sex with him to supposedly make sure the world didn’t die with no survivors.
And I ALWAYS have the counterweight babble verses to this. Why was sodom and gomorrah destroyed? Because they did things that was against the traditions of the peoples in those lands at that time. And these traditions are timeless so it also applies to us in this time an place.
Ezekiel 16:48-50
•As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done. “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. (NIV)
Interesting that the post script to those verses was the daughters of Lot getting him drunk and having sex with him to supposedly make sure the world didn’t die with no survivors.
And likely what really happened was Daddy got loopy, knocking up the daughters, then blaiming them. Imagine the two boys that were birthed. He was their father AND grandfather their mom’s were their half-sisters, and each mom was the aunt to the other’s kid. And it, apparently, was all A-OK with the big sky fairy.
Sounds a lot like the arrogant, overfed and unconcerned congress critters not helping the poor, the sick etc better reread that part of the Bible quickly.
I have long said that if God hates gay people, then He fucked up royally when He had a hand in our creation. He is supposed to know all the past, the present, and the future. So how did we slip through? The answer we always get from the “religious ones” is that we “choose” to be gay. Stop choosing and you’ll be OK. See?
Homosexuality is a natural and a normal expression of human sexuality. It always has been, it always will be, and after all of us, here, are dead – and our existence forgotten – there will still be gay-oriented babies being born on every continent, in every country, and in every culture
Same as it ever was
That’s a little piece of truth they left out of both the Old and the New Testicles.
First, they never think deeply about that and they became str8 the first time they got excited when they caught a glimpse of her panties or her bra straps or big tits, etc.I actually asked a coworker that once, and that is the paraphrased answer he gave me. He became str8 when he first got hot over a girl. It’s so easy. I realized that the thinking was so shallow that further discussion was useless.
So God sat back as gave a 👍🏼 to more than years of slavery and lynchings but he’s super pissed and losing his shit over young LGBTQ kids living their lives? M’kay.
Justice Clarence Thomas borrowed more than a quarter of a million dollars from a wealthy friend to buy a 40-foot luxury RV, did not repay it, and had the loan forgiven.
Can’t wait for all the “students should pay their loans” conservatives to condemn him. https://t.co/jFx3rGspCt
This shows just how stupid the anti-trans movement has become. In the republican debate last night, one of the republican governors was asked why he signed an anti-trans in sports bill when there was not one trans student in the state on a sports team or wanting to be on one. He was asked if it was a cause fishing for a reason to be. These anti-trans people have gone from saying men by simply being born male are superior just for that. Now it goes to saying that people born males are superior mentally simply by being born male. Misogyny anyone? All the science says by the end of one year of transitioning males lose most if not all of the advantages they may have had and by two years they are actually at a disadvantage. The famous case the anti-trans women in female sports people like to cite is Lia Thomas and the terf signature anti-trans victim Riley Gaines. Gaines went on every right wing media to say she was cheated out of her titles by Thomas, a trans woman. What those right wing media did not tell the viewers is that both tied for fifth and were beaten by four other cisgender women. But she wouldn’t have gotten fame for hating on the four women who beat her so she had to attack the one trans-woman in the swim meet. This is more of the same stupidity. Hugs
Last week, FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), the international chess governing body, introduced new regulations that, among other things, essentially ban trans women from FIDE-sanctioned women’s tournaments and jeopardize the safety of all trans chess players. The news wasn’t widely reported until yesterday, shocking many notable chess players across the globe.
In their regulation posting, FIDE (pronounced FEE-day) wrote that the participation of transgender players is “an evolving issue in chess” and these new regulations may be changed in the future “in line with research evidence” (it’s not really clear what this is supposed to mean, however.)
I’m gonna walk y’all through how absurd and unnecessary this all comes across to competitive chess players, but because I understand there’s very little context for folks who don’t play competitive chess, it would be wise to answer some of the questions I’m sure have come to mind for those unfamiliar.
For example, I’m sure y’all are wondering: why are there women’s tournaments?
Competitive chess is notorious for being a predominantly-male world. This is not because boys and men are naturally better at chess. It’s primarily because competitive chess has historically excluded and otherwise marginalized women and girls. It wasn’t until the past few decades that sexism in the culture of competitive chess was confronted, and even now, problems persist.
One of those problems is sexual harassment and assault. This year, prominent U.S. grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez was finally investigated after he was accused of assaulting more than half a dozen women and girls, with incidents going back to 2016.
Action was only taken after the insistent advocacy of Jennifer Shahade, a two-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion and one of the most well-known chess celebrities in the United States.
Ms. Shahade had been sounding the alarm for years, and even with her considerable influence, chess authorities (virtually all men) were reluctant to take action.
And yet, this is still a problem! This week, Chess.com (the world’s leading website for chess competition and news) announced it would be cutting ties with the St. Louis Chess Club after it failed to investigate Ms. Shahade’s claims back in 2020.
St. Louis Chess Club in Missouri is widely considered the nation’s preeminent club after philanthropist Rex Sinquefield started poured tens of millions of dollars back in 2007 and successfully lobbied to get the World Chess Hall of Fame moved to the area. It’s also where Ramirez has primarily spent his professional career, as both a coach and grandmaster-in-residence.
Essentially, for the world of chess, this situation would be like ESPN cutting ties with the New York Yankees after the club failed to investigate numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against the team captain.
Again and again, the message to women and girls in chess has been they are not as welcome as their male colleagues and do not deserve equal support.
Back in March of this year, there was significant controversy at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix after several players withdrew, in part, because of an astonishing lack of organization by tournament organizers, something that would never occur at a tournament predominantly played by male elite players.
There’s another reason that the world of competitive chess is predominantly male: as with so many other areas of life, women are far less likely to participate due to time-consuming labor such as caregiving. It’s very common to see fathers of school-age children play competitive chess; it’s rare to see mothers in tournaments.
All of this amounts to a competitive playing environment that is far more accessible to boys and men, and it shows. In 2020, FIDE stated that just under 10 percent of its members are girls and women, the vast majority of them being girls under 18.
Ms. Shahade, who has built a sterling reputation in the chess world over the past two decades, has emphasized that girls in chess typically stop playing around 12 or 13 because of the lack of social or parental support.
Because chess is an intense, skill-based discipline, it almost always takes many years to reach the highest levels of competition, and it’s nearly impossible for adults to pick up the game and reach that level. Starting young is essential, and if girls aren’t supported or are sexually harassed or otherwise feel unwelcome, they leave the world of competitive chess, and we lose yet another potential future champion.
Thus, tournaments that are restricted to girls and women have become essential spaces for the development of great players. It doesn’t mean girls and women don’t play in open tournaments (meaning, tournaments open to all genders)—nearly every girl or woman in competitive chess does—but gender-restricted spaces offer safety and dignity and community to learn and grow in the discipline.
This is the same reason for women-only titles. What are titles? Y’all have heard of “grandmaster,” right? That’s a title. It’s earned through a complicated system based on consistent excellence in competitive play. Most chess players will never come close to earning a title. It is exceedingly difficult.
There are four “open” titles (open to all genders), descending in order of difficulty to obtain: grandmaster (GM), international master (IM), FIDE master (FM), and candidate master (CM).
There are also four titles restricted to girls and women: woman grandmaster (WGM), woman international master (WIM), woman FIDE master (WFM), and woman candidate master (WCM).
Gender-restricted titles were introduced to encourage girls and women to stick with competitive chess and recognizing that girls and women face unfair obstacles in their development that are not experienced by men.
It’s important to emphasize that women and girls can earn any of these titles, and some girls and women choose to only earn the open titles and reject the gender-restricted titles. On the other hand, many prominent women players, including Ms. Shahade, a WGM, have encouraged their use to motivate girls to stay with the game.
While it’s understandable that some feminists would be incredulous that there are woman-only titles, it needs to be understood, again, that the world of competitive chess has been historically hostile to girls and women to the point that gender-restricted titles have sustained some participation.
An unfortunate byproduct of this system is that outsiders who are already under the false impression that males have a biological advantage in chess ability perceive the gender-restricted titles and tournaments as confirmation of their perception.
To be clear: there is no evidence that boys and men have a biological advantage in chess. None. Zilch. The belief that girls and women can’t compete with boys and men in chess is deeply rooted in sexism. It holds no water.
I repeat: the reason girls and women are rare at the most elite level of competitive chess is not because of biological aptitude but because of very low rates of participation due to a lack of social support.
I have been playing competitive chess (tournament chess), off and on, since I was a 12 year-old in 6th grade. I won probably a dozen or so tournaments when I was a kid, including a state championship. I am also a trans woman, and I’m telling y’all: trans women do not enjoy a particular advantage in chess ability.
I have played in three women-only tournaments: the 2019 and 2021 U.S. Women’s Opens and the 2021 World Open Women’s Championship. I got my ass kicked in all three tournaments. Soundly. I lost nearly 70 percent of my games. I never came close to even being within shouting distance of placing or winning a prize.
Compare that with my win rate of just over 50 percent of games in open tournaments; I have literally had far more success in tournaments that included men than in tournaments restricted to women.
I am not a bad player. I’m not an amazing player, but I’m decent. I can typically hold my own with a good opponent. But the cisgender girls and women who beat me at these tournaments—including a 9 year-old who didn’t break a sweat—were quite simply better players.
Beyond being transphobic, it is deeply sexist to claim that any person assigned male at birth has a natural aptitude in chess over any player assigned female at birth. The overwhelming majority of chess players understand that chess ability isn’t based on biology, which is why this strikes us as bonkers.
Here’s the kicker, and this is something you’re not going to see in any new reports about this: no trans woman has ever won a FIDE-sanctioned women’s tournament.
It has never happened. This is a “problem” that not only lacks merit but whose premise has never existed.
And there are trans women who do compete at a professional level in women-only tournaments. For example, Yoshe Iglesias of France is a FIDE Master; she’s also the highest rated trans player in the world. She has never won a women’s tournament.
Natalia Vives of Spain (another FIDE Master) and Morgen Mills of Canada (a Woman FIDE Master) represented their countries in the 2008 and 2022 Women Olympiads, respectively. Neither of their teams made it into the Top 10, but moreover, neither of these women had great performances.
Vives won two games out of nine rounds in her Olympiad, and Mills won five games out of 11 rounds in hers.
Strangely, the Wikipedia article for Vives states that she was the runner-up in the 2008 Women’s Olympiad (this is false; Spain did not do well) and the runner-up in the 2008 Catalonia Women’s Championship (I was unable to find evidence for this).
So, there you have it: the closest any trans woman has come to winning a FIDE women-only tournament is a spurious claim that one of the few trans women competing at a high level was a runner-up in a tournament 15 years ago.
I am, of course, hurt over the intentional and unnecessary exclusion of trans women, but I also feel angry on the part of my cisgender sisters in chess who are being insulted by the men who run FIDE and never seem to miss an opportunity to denigrate the ability of women in chess.
There’s another issue here to point out: in these new regulations, FIDE reserves the right to inform tournament organizers that a player is transgender (outing them) and to intentionally mark a transgender player in the FIDE database (again, outing them).
So, for no good reason, if a player is transgender and doesn’t wish to be out, FIDE is essentially banning them from competitive chess. Transgender players, particularly girls and women, are being forced to decide between transgender and being a chess player.
Folks, this is all completely batshit. It is an intentional effort by the leadership of FIDE to marginalize transgender players in competition. I am already hearing from some trans players who are unsure if they’re going to continue with competitive chess, especially with the safety risk.
Ms. Iglesias is currently preparing for the French Women’s Championship, a FIDE-sanctioned tournament that begins tomorrow. FIDE did not give her notice of these new regulations, which go into effect on Monday. She’s not even sure she’ll be permitted to compete.
It’s worth noting that Ms. Shahade, who has been the single greatest advocate for women in chess in the United States, led the way in the U.S. Chess Federation adopting fully trans-inclusive policies back in 2018. No trans woman has ever won a USCF-sanctioned women’s tournament.
“FIDE’s transgender policy is ridiculous and dangerous,” she told me over text. “It’s obvious they didn’t consult with any transgender players in constructing it. It’s also sinister timing that this comes out just as chess is finally reckoning with sexual assault and harassment in chess highlighting the links between misogyny and transphobia is. I strongly urge FIDE to reverse course on this and start from scratch with better consultants.”
Amen.
Hi, I’m Charlotte Clymer, and this is Charlotte’s Web Thoughts, my Substack. It’s completely free to access and read, but it’s also how my bills! So, please do kindly consider upgrading to a paid subscription: just $7/month or save money with the $70/annual sub. You can also go way above and beyond by becoming a Lifetime Member at $250.
Hey everyone. I know I am late to the party as they say on a lot of posts, but as I work my way through the backlog of fellow posters whose content I love, Jill again made a post I want to share. Even if everyone already seen it, the cartoons are so spot on, Jill’s post deserves another viewing. Hugs
00:00 Austen Hartke’s Theological Struggles 1:07 Why did God create Transgender people? 4:12 Queering Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch 6:16 Jesus’ Teachings on Eunuchs 8:27 Other Gender Queer Biblical Figures 9:13 Roman Catholic Teaching on Transgenderism 9:40 Counterarguments 10:40 Is God Progressive?
During the Fall of 2020, my college course on the “Theologies of Gender and Identity” was forced to go virtual. This video is one of the pre-recorded lectures from that course that I would like to share with a larger audience. Feel free to respectfully comment and question and I will respond in kind.
This is the 18th lecture in the series. Today we reflect on the Theological arguments presented in Queer Theologian (and fellow YouTuber) Austen Hartke’s book, “Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians.” Next we reflect on the arguments presented in a 2019 Roman Catholic Document entitled “MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM” and explore the question whether God is Progressive.
Recommended Reading: “Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians” by Austen Hartke “Male and Female He Created Them: TOWARDS A PATH OF DIALOGUE ON THE QUESTION OF GENDER THEORY IN EDUCATION” by the Congregation for Catholic Education
Scottie's Playtime 