<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Distance]]></title><description><![CDATA[A politically homeless encampment.]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png</url><title>The Distance</title><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 13:23:16 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[LGB United]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[thedistance@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[thedistance@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[thedistance@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[thedistance@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[How The Trump Administration Is Shutting Down The Pediatric Sex Rejection Clinics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Listen now | An interview with Dr. Travis Morell of Do No Harm]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-the-trump-administration-is-shutting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-the-trump-administration-is-shutting</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:00:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/211084934/dcf1d6521d455a5623af3c1c6a418461.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dr. Travis Morrell is a senior fellow at Do No Harm, an organization that defends evidence-based medicine from identity politics. We discussed the new report from the Department of Health and Human Services, &#8220;Wolves in White Coats&#8221;, the Trump administration campaign against fraud in gender medicine, and a new strategy for getting the politics out of the American Medical Association.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-the-trump-administration-is-shutting?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-the-trump-administration-is-shutting?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>You can find Dr. Travis Morrell <a href="https://x.com/MorrellMDmph">on X here</a>.</p><p>The Do No Harm <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/">website is here</a>.</p><div class="paywall-jump" data-component-name="PaywallToDOM"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA['A Case Of Transphobia': Crybullies Campaign Against The Rights Of Women In Brazil]]></title><description><![CDATA[A documentary on the derangements of gender identity]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/a-case-of-transphobia-crybullies</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/a-case-of-transphobia-crybullies</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:03:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg" width="1280" height="720" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:720,&quot;width&quot;:1280,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Isabella Cepa - The Australian&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Isabella Cepa - The Australian" title="Isabella Cepa - The Australian" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yMJI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad057e42-9e2c-4f2e-920b-b496d609455e_1280x720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>In 2025, Brazilian feminist activist and graphic designer Isabella C&#234;pa received political asylum in Europe because she faced years in prison for online comments that offended transgender politician &#201;rika Hilton. C&#234;pa became the world&#8217;s first gender critical political refugee and an embarrassment to Brazil, which had proudly overcome its authoritarian past. </p><p>C&#234;pa was officially charged with &#8220;racism&#8221; for &#8220;misgendering&#8221; Hilton, a representative of Brazil&#8217;s wokest political party, the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL). Like abusive men worldwide who use gender identity as grounds for legal harassment, Hilton was riding a wave of <a href="https://www.compactmag.com/article/how-brazils-anti-misgendering-law-created-a-political-refugee/">well-meaning</a> legislation and court rulings from a self-satisfied political class.</p><blockquote><p><span>In 2019, the Brazilian judiciary </span><a href="https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/brazils-top-court-uses-anti-racism-legislation-to-make-discrimination-against-lgbt-people-a-criminal-offence/?ref=compactmag.com#:~:text=In%20June%202019%2C%20Brazil's%20Supreme%20Federal%20Court,hotels%20*%20Inciting%20discrimination%20through%20social%20media">reinterpreted</a><span> homophobia and transphobia as forms of racism under the country&#8217;s 1989 Lei do Racismo. Then, in 2023, the court </span><a href="https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/08/24/brazils-supreme-court-rules-anti-homosexual-slurs-are-punishable-by-prison/?ref=compactmag.com">criminalized</a><span> slurs against gays and trans individuals, with some prosecutors also deeming misgendering to be a slur. Fearing prosecution on these grounds, publications thereafter referred to trans Brazilians by their preferred pronouns.</span></p></blockquote><p>The same Brazilian supreme court (STF) ruled in C&#234;pa&#8217;s favor in September 2025, dismissing the case against her in what was seen as a landmark victory for free speech. However, at least one woman that C&#234;pa retweeted still faces trial in Para&#237;ba for what she posted on X. She is not the only woman in Brazil now being criminalized for calling a man a man. It is becoming far too common, anymore, despite the STF ruling.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/a-case-of-transphobia-crybullies?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/a-case-of-transphobia-crybullies?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>C&#234;pa&#8217;s story is told in the new documentary, <em>On Whose Behalf? Women and Gender Policy in Brazil</em>. Created by MATRIA, the Associa&#231;&#227;o de Mulheres, M&#227;es e Trabalhadoras do Brasil (Association of Women, Mothers and Workers of Brazil), it is a comprehensive reveal on the crybully campaign against women&#8217;s rights in that country. </p><p>Karen Mizuno, who was investigated for making a joke about archaeologists determining sex from bone structure, is another example of a woman&#8217;s human right to speak being crushed by the Brazilian state. Isadora Borges, a veterinary student, has also been charged criminally for 2020 social media posts stating that transwomen are male &#8212; again, at the behest of &#201;rika Hilton. </p><p>Last week, Bianca Barreto was sentenced to two years of house arrest for using male pronouns in reference to transgender politician Duda Salabert. What these cases all have in common is that they involve crybully men punishing women for saying words that make those men feel bad. They are exactly like regular abusive men who hate women, but they wear lipstick.</p><div id="youtube2-vURAL2nOmmg" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;vURAL2nOmmg&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vURAL2nOmmg?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p><em>On Whose Behalf?</em> contains the familiar litany of abuses. Men use their putative gender identities to barge their way into women&#8217;s sports and spaces. Male prisoners identify their way into women&#8217;s prisons. Men identify as women to commit men&#8217;s crimes and get counted as women in statistics. Transgender advocacy has a disturbing focus on children and restroom access. Detransitioners are treated as pariahs, their existence denied. </p><p>Because their building was planned without women in mind at all, the Brazilian Senate only constructed a women&#8217;s restroom inside the plenary chamber a decade ago, after 55 years. Aside from this notable example of the local conditions, the rest of the documentary feels very familiar &#8212; because it is all so very familiar to anyone who has paid attention to the impositions and demands of &#8216;gender identity&#8217; for the last decade.</p><p>Well-meaning Brazilian politicians and judges have provided tools that transgender identity politicians have weaponized against women. Silencing and punishing women is a feature of their agenda, not a bug. For it is only by crushing the dissent of women that these men can impose themselves on every woman in Brazil, wherever they want, in every way they want. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;6b66462f-05fd-4982-860c-3414540a8fe8&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Everyone can stop talking about &#8216;gender dysphoria&#8217; now. The term is largely irrelevant to questions about kids and puberty blockers and hormones, anymore, because hardly anyone is actually billing for coverage under that diagnosis.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Forget 'Gender Dysphoria': Almost All The Hormonal 'Gender Medicine' Is Billing Fraud&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-20T11:00:49.808Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/forget-gender-dysphoria-almost-all&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:206949184,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:35,&quot;comment_count&quot;:1,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Ritchie Herron Survived His Gender Identity And Lived To Talk About It]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch now | An interview with a survivor of transgender medicalization in the UK]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-ritchie-herron-survived-his-gender</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-ritchie-herron-survived-his-gender</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 11:02:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/209859428/30221c8194648757f13f6407e40b35d5.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ritchie Herron spent years living as &#8216;Abbie&#8217;. He took the cross-sex hormones and underwent a devastating genital surgery. Now detransitioned, Ritchie is a critic of the &#8216;gender affirming&#8217; care model. He has a lawsuit pending against the British National Health Service. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-ritchie-herron-survived-his-gender?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-ritchie-herron-survived-his-gender?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Not only was Ritchie pushed into surgery, he says that his clinicians went out of their way to deny that he was experiencing regret. Ritchie shares his harrowing tale of alleged medical abuse and the lifetime of recovery after.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/TullipR">You can find Ritchie on X here.</a></p><p>His Substack is here. </p><div class="embedded-publication-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:809738,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Ritchie Herron&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uVM_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7094b842-76f9-4c80-b2e8-5006a0d857d6_470x470.png&quot;,&quot;base_url&quot;:&quot;https://tullipr.substack.com&quot;,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;Writer, Advocate and Speaker&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;@TullipR / Ritchie&quot;,&quot;show_subscribe&quot;:true,&quot;logo_bg_color&quot;:&quot;#f5f5f5&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPublicationToDOMWithSubscribe"><div class="embedded-publication show-subscribe"><a class="embedded-publication-link-part" native="true" href="https://tullipr.substack.com?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=publication_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=945289"><img class="embedded-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uVM_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7094b842-76f9-4c80-b2e8-5006a0d857d6_470x470.png" width="56" height="56" style="background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);"><span class="embedded-publication-name">Ritchie Herron</span><div class="embedded-publication-hero-text">Writer, Advocate and Speaker</div><div class="embedded-publication-author-name">By @TullipR / Ritchie</div></a><form class="embedded-publication-subscribe" method="GET" action="https://tullipr.substack.com/subscribe?embedding_publication_id=945289"><input type="hidden" name="source" value="publication-embed"><input type="hidden" name="autoSubmit" value="true"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email..."><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"></form></div></div><div class="paywall-jump" data-component-name="PaywallToDOM"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sophie Cunningham Is Pointing To The Death Of The Irony That Is Men In Women's Sports]]></title><description><![CDATA[Notes on the WNBA controversy and the historical process of ideological collapse]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-success-of-sophie-cunningham</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-success-of-sophie-cunningham</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:03:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f3206419-59d5-4fd8-b315-e5cfa403fb28_1500x1000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg" width="524" height="393" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:504,&quot;width&quot;:672,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:524,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Gabrielle Ludwig, transgender college basketball player, pushes boundaries  | LAist&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Gabrielle Ludwig, transgender college basketball player, pushes boundaries  | LAist" title="Gabrielle Ludwig, transgender college basketball player, pushes boundaries  | LAist" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xA8R!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe762e09e-e839-4f00-892e-e50e013eaf3b_672x504.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">2012-2014: Gabrielle Ludwig was in his 50s when he took estrogen and played college hoops against 19 and 20-year-old junior college girls to feel like a woman. It was a second college basketball career to go with Ludwig&#8217;s second childhood</figcaption></figure></div><p>&#8220;The problem is that the grown-ups in the room have turned into cowards, and they are all running away from the fantasists&#8221;, Sir Trevor Phillips said <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/3bb99f2c67b69196">in an interview</a> with <em>The Telegraph</em> last week. &#8220;When I was a student, one of the things we fought for was that women could operate independently of men. Now, according to this new fantasy world, the one thing women cannot do is decide when they want to be separate from men. It&#8217;s not just outrageous, it&#8217;s insane.&#8221; Or: ironic.</p><p>Fantasists have indeed run amok with &#8216;gender identity&#8217; and &#8216;self-ID&#8217;, inflicting a form of insanity on western societies for more than a decade. Male fantasists have treated these putative human rights as an excuse to cheat at female sports. Self-described liberal feminists excuse and even promote this travesty in the name of &#8216;inclusion&#8217;, an historical irony that the Women&#8217;s National Basketball League exemplifies by failing to define the word &#8216;woman&#8217; in its eligibility rules. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-success-of-sophie-cunningham?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-success-of-sophie-cunningham?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>The WNBA is the wokest professional sports league in America. It also would not exist without the financial support of the all-male NBA, a second layer of irony. When Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, both retired NBA players, declared themselves WNBA prospects last week, they were calling a bluff that the league had spent a week making in its dispute with Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham. </p><p>Too many layers of irony have collapsed the supporting pillars of cognitive rationalization. If &#8216;trans women are women&#8217; and gender is fluid, then Royce White can indeed be &#8220;transgender&#8221; if he says so. &#8220;I&#8217;m a woman&#8221; is all he needs to say, and he has said it. &#8220;I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball, professional basketball.&#8221; According to the reigning ideology of trans-ness, that is enough.</p><p>The WNBA says that only &#8220;players who are women&#8221; are eligible, but the league also maintains a political pretense that some men can be women if they say so. Royce White says he is so. Stunning! Brave! Anyone who calls him a troll is clearly a racist white supremacist policing black and brown bodies.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg" width="1289" height="878" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:878,&quot;width&quot;:1289,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:176669,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Royce White&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Royce White" title="Royce White" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kkgc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dd89d30-0cf9-4a16-bb23-7e88adac08aa_1289x878.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Ironically, Royce White&#8217;s brief NBA career coincided with Gabrielle Ludwig&#8217;s second college hoops career as a &#8216;woman&#8217; and now he is the same age</figcaption></figure></div><p>Admittedly, it has been fun on social media. We get to turn all the idiotic language of woke inclusivity gibberish back on those who enforced it, before now. We get to mock their book of rules by holding them to it. This is the moment that too many layers of irony are too heavy for ideological structures to support, so that all the arguments that were made in favor of men in women&#8217;s sports over the previous decade collapse upon themselves. </p><p>Enes Freedom has not mocked anyone. He has instead argued that if self-identification is enough to meet the league eligibility rule, then it applies just as easily to himself <em>as herself</em> as it does to anyone in the world. Needless to say, advocates of &#8216;transgender sports inclusion&#8217; are aghast that their own rule is being used this way. Mr. Freedom is however a brown man, so they are policing &#8216;her&#8217; body, according to their own book of rules, now. </p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/Highway_30/status/2086316310309347564&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;It came y'all... My 1st wig! Tomorrow I test it on the court. This is my feminine era glow up, did I slay? If y'all don't \&quot;yassss queen\&quot; you're transphobic. I really don't understand all the hatred, I just want to play some hoops with my fellow ladies. &#128133;&#127997;\n\nRoyce White for U.S. &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;Highway_30&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Royce White &#127482;&#127480;&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1626595767308931076/b4f7kkg7_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-08-09T04:59:04.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/media/HPQVnyxWEAARTIW.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/I98XCP6TFh&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:559,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:626,&quot;like_count&quot;:6551,&quot;impression_count&quot;:53381,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>Adding one more layer of irony, the WNBA is chartered in New York City, where the law lets these men sue if they are denied. In a Friday memorandum obtained by the Associated Press and other outlets, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told league clubs that a task force of team presidents and general managers will discuss the issue this week. Because the eligibility rules are set by collective bargaining, the entire league must agree to any new policy clarifying <em>what is a woman</em>, the perennial ironic question that &#8216;gender identity&#8217; advocates refuse to answer.  </p><p>&#8216;History as irony&#8217; is the dominant modern historiographical and cultural predicament. We have adopted a self-aware, skeptical stance that dissolves earlier na&#239;ve confidence in coherent plots or objective meaning, leaving us guided by relativism, often in a satirical or pessimistic tone. According to historian Hayden White, it is when that ironic apprehension reaches its fullest, most complete expression that we are able to break with irony and return to a story that has earnest meaning.</p><p>I have no crystal ball. However, the WNBA is poised to follow the Women&#8217;s Tennis Association, the International Olympic Committee, and 27 Republican-controlled state legislatures in protecting the female category this week. Maybe. If that happens, it will mark the collapse of this ironic era of elite silencing of dissent and the beginning of a meaningful society-wide dialogue about female sports categories. In a word, it would be historic.</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Helen Joyce Has A Long And Weary Road To Victory In The Dumbest Culture War Ever]]></title><description><![CDATA[Listen now | An interview with the journalist behind the definitive history book]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/helen-joyce-has-a-long-and-weary</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/helen-joyce-has-a-long-and-weary</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:03:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/208998777/0e01104bb0b5f6b6f104b2d59f1a16fb.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Are you tired? Helen Joyce is tired. Campaigning to enforce the laws and rights of women to single-sex spaces, sports, and prisons is exhausting. Five years after she published a book to &#8220;pre-but&#8221; the case for transgender &#8216;inclusion&#8217;, she has yet to hear any debate opponent make an original argument for it. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/helen-joyce-has-a-long-and-weary?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/helen-joyce-has-a-long-and-weary?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>In this conversation, we discuss the long and lonely road to victory in what we agree is the dumbest culture war ever waged. Helen Joyce is politically homeless, isolated by the media establishment, and out-funded by orders of magnitude compared to the legacy activist organizations that push insane &#8216;self-ID&#8217; policies. She will fight until she wins. How long that will take, and how much of her, remains to be seen.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p><a href="https://sex-matters.org/">The Sex Matters website is here</a>.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/HJoyceGender">Helen Joyce&#8217;s X account is here</a>.</p><p>This is her Substack.</p><div class="embedded-publication-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:2872563,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Helen Joyce&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m2xy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ea51a59-f96a-4921-99ef-d4eb8b92168f_400x400.png&quot;,&quot;base_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thehelenjoyce.com&quot;,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;I&#8217;m a journalist, women&#8217;s rights campaigner and author of &#8220;Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality&#8221;. &#8220;Incisive, compassionate and nuanced&#8221; &#8211; Louise Perry; &#8220;Utterly unintimidated by extremist orthodoxy&#8221; &#8211; Lionel Shriver; &#8220;A sane, humane book&#8221; &#8211; Daniel Dennett&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;Helen Joyce&quot;,&quot;show_subscribe&quot;:true,&quot;logo_bg_color&quot;:&quot;#ffffff&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPublicationToDOMWithSubscribe"><div class="embedded-publication show-subscribe"><a class="embedded-publication-link-part" native="true" href="https://www.thehelenjoyce.com?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=publication_embed&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;embedding_publication_id=945289"><img class="embedded-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m2xy!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ea51a59-f96a-4921-99ef-d4eb8b92168f_400x400.png" width="56" height="56" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="embedded-publication-name">Helen Joyce</span><div class="embedded-publication-hero-text">I&#8217;m a journalist, women&#8217;s rights campaigner and author of &#8220;Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality&#8221;. &#8220;Incisive, compassionate and nuanced&#8221; &#8211; Louise Perry; &#8220;Utterly unintimidated by extremist orthodoxy&#8221; &#8211; Lionel Shriver; &#8220;A sane, humane book&#8221; &#8211; Daniel Dennett</div></a><form class="embedded-publication-subscribe" method="GET" action="https://www.thehelenjoyce.com/subscribe?embedding_publication_id=945289"><input type="hidden" name="source" value="publication-embed"><input type="hidden" name="autoSubmit" value="true"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email..."><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"></form></div></div><div class="paywall-jump" data-component-name="PaywallToDOM"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Swann Marcus Wants Democrats To Be Normal Again]]></title><description><![CDATA[Listen now | An exclusive interview with the anonymous social media critic]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/swann-marcus-wants-democrats-to-be</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/swann-marcus-wants-democrats-to-be</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:03:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/208677313/71d7caa2dae58b165e5d52c010186cdb.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Swann Marcus&#8221; is the X handle of &#8220;Jon&#8221;, an anonymous app user who attracted a large following before the 2024 election. Then he walked away from social media for eight months after Donald Trump won. </p><p>In this exclusive interview, Jon analyzes his own blind spots and complains that fringe candidates are becoming the face of the Democratic Party, further alienating voters outside of deeply-blue, highly-educated, liberal urban bubbles. He is a vocal critic of the socialist DSA wing and candidates like Graham Platner.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/swann-marcus-wants-democrats-to-be?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/swann-marcus-wants-democrats-to-be?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Jon agrees that identity politics have been a disaster for both parties. Republicans lose when they pander to Black voters and win when they are just normal Republicans who serve Black constituents well. Democrats on the other hand have slowly lost Black men by pandering to anti-police activism. </p><p>Then I asked Jon to analyze the party&#8217;s adherence to gender ideology, and we found our point of disagreement. He has not been radicalized on the issue (&#8216;peak trans&#8217;). He still believes that &#8220;actual transgender people&#8221; need special rights. And like many Democrats, he discounts the valence of social issues at election-time.</p><p>However, Jon acknowledged that, like unrestricted immigration or consumer inflation, gender ideology can have deleterious long-term effects on the Democratic coalition that are hard to see in polling data. He admits that Democrats have a hard time being normal &#8212; and he is pessimistic about the future of the party. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p><a href="https://x.com/SwannMarcus89">Jon&#8217;s X account is here.</a></p><div class="paywall-jump" data-component-name="PaywallToDOM"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Oregon Has So Many Kids On Hormones]]></title><description><![CDATA[State law, policy, and priorities are all rigged to affirm the children]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-oregon-has-so-many-kids-on-hormones</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-oregon-has-so-many-kids-on-hormones</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:02:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e167ecb2-a82f-4912-bed5-762d00db05ba_1168x784.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg" width="667" height="460" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:460,&quot;width&quot;:667,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Parents who experience social ostracism and pressure to conform to their child's announced gender demands have descried the feeling of being inside a horror film&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Parents who experience social ostracism and pressure to conform to their child's announced gender demands have descried the feeling of being inside a horror film" title="Parents who experience social ostracism and pressure to conform to their child's announced gender demands have descried the feeling of being inside a horror film" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!EdrD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ffab6ce-7ba8-4ce9-a6cf-88d5e7d02a1d_667x460.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Parents who have experienced social ostracism and pressure to conform to their children&#8217;s gender demands have described the sensation of being in a horror film</figcaption></figure></div><p>Oregon&#8217;s Intermountain Education Service District fired social worker Roderick E. Theis II in November 2023 for the crime of displaying the books <em>He is He</em>, <em>She is She</em>, and <em>Johnny the Walrus</em> in his La Grande Middle School office. Last week, a divided federal appeals court ruled that Theis was not protected by the First Amendment when he showed the books to students who asked to see them.</p><p>Judge Lawrence VanDyke <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/oregon-school-social-worker-fired-for-displaying-transphobic-books-loses-free-speech-lawsuit/">noted</a> the majority ruling is &#8220;irreconcilable with Supreme Court precedent.&#8221; Other school system employees have been allowed to display contentious symbols, such as Pride flags. A &#8220;free and open American society appropriately recoils at the prospect of public school teachers becoming involuntarily conscripted apparatchiks of any administration&#8217;s particular orthodoxy&#8221;, VanDyke, a Trump appointee, wrote.</p><p>The two-judge majority, which was appointed by Presidents Obama and Biden, ruled that a lower court judge had &#8220;acted appropriately &#8216;given the robust body of precedent holding that educators speak as government employees when they convey messages to students within the four walls of a school.&#8217;&#8221; A single staff member had complained that the books were &#8220;transphobic&#8221;. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-oregon-has-so-many-kids-on-hormones?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-oregon-has-so-many-kids-on-hormones?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Despite the indoctrination of the federal judiciary that is evident in the 9th Circuit ruling, the original judge in the case made a ruling that is entirely consistent with the gender-affirming character of the state government and its constituent school systems. Oregon has systematically inscribed politics on the bodies of children for over a decade, overriding parental rights at the slightest sign of resistance to medicalization.</p><p>Social pressure against the non-affirming parent would be bad enough without state pressure. Oregon is now the leading state in sex rejection medicalization of young people because the state adopted &#8216;affirmation&#8217; as official policy in 2014 when the  Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) decided to cover sex rejection for adults and minors under the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid). </p><p>HERC based this decision on the 2012 &#8216;Standards of Care&#8217; published by WPATH, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries are all considered &#8220;medically necessary&#8221; in Oregon because WPATH says so. This alleged necessity has empowered children to circumvent or overcome <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/oregon-transgender-puberty-blocker-hormones">parental guidance</a> at scale.</p><p>The numbers are telling. &#8220;According to a new <a href="https://academic.oup.com/rescon/article/1/2/vmag049/8657075">study</a> published in Research Connections, at age 17, roughly 1 in every 240 girls and 1 in every 630 boys in Oregon received cross-sex hormones for &#8220;gender dysphoria&#8221; between 2016 and 2023&#8221;, Leor Sapir and Paul Terdal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/oregon-is-pumping-children-full-of-hormones-3c163356">recently revealed</a>. </p><p>&#8220;These figures are triple and double the national average for girls and boys, respectively.&#8221; The children subject to indoctrination the longest are the most at-risk, in Oregon. &#8220;For younger children the disparity is even greater: Cross-sex hormone use in the study was four to five times the national rate among 14- and 15-year-olds, and puberty-blocker use was more than five times the national rate at age 14.&#8221; </p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Vibe Shift Is Real]]></title><description><![CDATA[For trans times, they are a-changing]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-vibe-shift-is-real</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-vibe-shift-is-real</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:02:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/208190901/1c790b6c3c007b5bf20b0da6dbb8378f.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules&#8221;, Saul Alinsky advised. Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas made American Bar Association (ABA) President Michelle A. Behnke live up to her own set of rules in a House Oversight Committee hearing, &#8220;The Future of DEI in Law School Accreditation and the Legal Profession&#8221;, yesterday. </p><p>Gill&#8217;s enemy is the intersectional oppression hierarchy. He is adept at twisting its administrators into pretzels with leftist logic.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-vibe-shift-is-real?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-vibe-shift-is-real?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Rep. Gill started with an examination on the subject of &#8216;implicit bias&#8217;, which the ABA website exists in all of us like original sin. Gill challenged Behnke to name her implicit biases. She filibustered instead. Then he switched topics.</p><p>&#8220;Do you think it&#8217;s important that the next Supreme Court justice be transgender?&#8221; Gill asked. Then, over Behnke&#8217;s filibustering, he continued to ask questions over her. </p><p>&#8220;Have transgenders been included on the US Supreme Court?&#8221; Gill asked, establishing that in fact not one of the 116 justices in the history of the Court has been transgender.</p><p>&#8220;Do you think that it&#8217;s a problem the transgender community has never had representation on the Supreme Court?&#8221; he asked. </p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m asking you about diversity, equity, and inclusion&#8221;, he said over her boilerplate non-responses. &#8220;I&#8217;m asking you about the transgender community. You&#8217;re refusing to answer my question.&#8221;</p><p>Finally: &#8220;You&#8217;re not answering in a straightforward way. Is it because of your own implicit bias? Do you have implicit transphobia?&#8221; Cue the rimshot. </p><p><em><strong>Implicit transphobia</strong></em> is a pathologizing term that plays to the behavioral demands of transgender ideology. Failure to use pronouns in your email signature is implicit transphobia. Women&#8217;s shelters that exclude men are guilty of implicit transphobia. </p><p>Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham took questions about her &#8216;implicit transphobia&#8217; yesterday. Reporters wanted to know what she <em>really</em> meant when she said she supports fair and safe sports for girls. </p><p>Was it implicit transphobia? &#8220;I said what I said&#8221;, she replied. </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;795b7df1-bca7-4db2-95e5-ab53be7475c8&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Ms. Cunningham was asked to accept responsibility for any &#8220;targeting&#8221; of the world&#8217;s most marginalized community. Isn&#8217;t it possible that she has somehow <em><strong>implied</strong></em> the transes should be targeted? &#8220;I don&#8217;t dislike anyone&#8221;, she replied. &#8220;I think there&#8217;s room for everyone here.&#8221; </p><p>She maintained that &#8220;biological women&#8221; have &#8220;rights to be protected&#8221;. She stood on her &#8220;morals&#8221; and &#8220;beliefs&#8221; without apology. &#8220;Never once said that I hated the trans community&#8221;, Cunningham concluded. </p><p>This is what &#8216;implied transphobia&#8217; always meant. The new thing in the world is that Sophie Cunningham is not afraid to stick to her guns and the attempted mob crucifixion is not leaving Bluesky, so far.</p><p>Is the tide turning? Is the spell breaking? Something has changed. Here is David Remnick of <em>The New Yorker </em>sparring with 2028 Democratic hopeful Rahm Emanuel. Remnick tried to hold the former White House chief of staff and Chicago mayor accountable for soft support of transgender &#8220;rights&#8221;. </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;05cb9a27-e379-40bf-b58d-dbd5eb636210&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Emanuel maintained that &#8220;bathrooms&#8221; are a distraction from the crisis in American public education. &#8220;Our reading and math scores are in the tank,&#8221; he said. &#8220;50 percent of our kids cannot read or do math at grade level. And we&#8217;re gonna talk about bathroom access?&#8221;</p><p>Remnick pushed back. Why can&#8217;t the transes have their demands met immediately, he asked? After all, there were &#8220;other groups that didn&#8217;t have their rights&#8221; that were told to wait, before, and that was unjust. </p><p>Thus the desire of autogynephilic men to be in women&#8217;s restrooms perfectly compares to Martin Luther King&#8217;s &#8220;Letter From Birmingham Jail&#8221;, according to David Remnick, who speaks for our betters in American society.</p><p>Rahm Emanuel would not let the discussion &#8220;distract&#8221; him from reading scores, math skills, or graduation rates. He has signed a &#8216;bathroom bill&#8217; into law, so like Remnick, he is quite willing to support the agenda now, and in the future. </p><p>Unlike Remnick, however, Emanuel wants to win elections more than he wants to let the curious boys into the girls&#8217; restroom at school right away. He understands that moral scolding from <em>New Yorker</em> columnists has no resonance with most voters. </p><p>People who are not very-online, who prefer sports to social elitist struggle sessions among the Elect, are just not into trans rights like the Democratic Party is. Emanuel is unlikely to be the party nominee, but he is being allowed to speak heresy.</p><p>Conversational dams are breaking and dialectical tides are turning. The vibe shift is real. That does not mean this particular culture war is over. We are far from finished. A long-delayed conversation has finally begun.  </p><p>Fully a decade after &#8216;no debate&#8217; took command of the dialogue, the silence is breaking. Let freedom ring. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;cdc37e1a-4e4a-4703-b9ab-352d85d57a22&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Gerald Posner is a journalist and author of several books. We recently had a wide-ranging discussion about Nazi gender experiments, puberty blocker experiments, the great conspiracy theories of our age, and why the Jews always get blamed for everything.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Which Conspiracy Theories Are Worth Believing? An Interview With Gerald Posner&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100},{&quot;id&quot;:5813475,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Gerald Posner&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Award-winning investigative journalist, 13 books, including NY Times bestsellers Case Closed, Why America Slept, and God&#8217;s Bankers. Pulitzer finalist. Chicago Tribune says &#8220;a merciless pit bull of an investigator.&#8221; Affiliate, Peterson Academy.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5c6a059e-c3a5-4164-8e9f-9a8155717580_920x922.png&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:true,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null,&quot;primaryPublicationSubscribeUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.justthefacts.media/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationUrl&quot;:&quot;https://www.justthefacts.media&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationName&quot;:&quot;Just the Facts with Gerald Posner&quot;,&quot;primaryPublicationId&quot;:574667}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-21T11:00:35.739Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/994d2e28-17d0-4795-9e5f-cee1654019f5_1140x798.webp&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/which-conspiracy-theories-are-worth&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:&quot;63728fd0-edde-475f-ab5e-049093b7a9ad&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:207243208,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:2,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Which Conspiracy Theories Are Worth Believing? An Interview With Gerald Posner]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch now | The JFK assassination, gender medicine, 9/11, Motown, and more]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/which-conspiracy-theories-are-worth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/which-conspiracy-theories-are-worth</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:00:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/207243208/43a3bf6aef81fe96b16bd517c648b012.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gerald Posner is a journalist and author of several books. We recently had a wide-ranging discussion about Nazi gender experiments, puberty blocker experiments, the great conspiracy theories of our age, and why the Jews always get blamed for everything. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/which-conspiracy-theories-are-worth?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/which-conspiracy-theories-are-worth?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p>You can find Gerald Posner&#8217;s <a href="https://x.com/geraldposner">X account here</a>.</p><p>His books are available <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gerald-Posner/author/B000APXB10">at this Amazon link</a>.</p><p>Here is his Substack. </p><div class="embedded-publication-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;id&quot;:574667,&quot;embedding_publication_id&quot;:null,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Just the Facts with Gerald Posner&quot;,&quot;logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bftu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed9aced3-aee6-4be1-a77f-7c6ac3992f10_878x878.png&quot;,&quot;base_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.justthefacts.media&quot;,&quot;hero_text&quot;:&quot;News and fact-driven analysis from a bestselling author and award-winning investigative reporter the Chicago Tribune described as &#8220;a merciless pit bull of an investigator.&#8221;&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;Gerald Posner&quot;,&quot;show_subscribe&quot;:true,&quot;logo_bg_color&quot;:&quot;#ffffff&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="EmbeddedPublicationToDOMWithSubscribe"><div class="embedded-publication show-subscribe"><a class="embedded-publication-link-part" native="true" href="https://www.justthefacts.media?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_campaign=publication_embed&amp;utm_medium=web"><img class="embedded-publication-logo" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bftu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fed9aced3-aee6-4be1-a77f-7c6ac3992f10_878x878.png" width="56" height="56" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="embedded-publication-name">Just the Facts with Gerald Posner</span><div class="embedded-publication-hero-text">News and fact-driven analysis from a bestselling author and award-winning investigative reporter the Chicago Tribune described as &#8220;a merciless pit bull of an investigator.&#8221;</div></a><form class="embedded-publication-subscribe" method="GET" action="https://www.justthefacts.media/subscribe?"><input type="hidden" name="source" value="publication-embed"><input type="hidden" name="autoSubmit" value="true"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email..."><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"></form></div></div><div class="paywall-jump" data-component-name="PaywallToDOM"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Forget 'Gender Dysphoria': Almost All The Hormonal 'Gender Medicine' Is Billing Fraud]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why the old arguments are becoming irrelevant to the outcome]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/forget-gender-dysphoria-almost-all</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/forget-gender-dysphoria-almost-all</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:00:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg" width="1168" height="784" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5uAG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9adcabfe-e41b-4a1c-972e-ab610ff9d8d9_1168x784.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Everyone can stop talking about &#8216;gender dysphoria&#8217; now. The term is largely irrelevant to questions about kids and puberty blockers and hormones, anymore, because hardly anyone is actually billing for coverage under that diagnosis.</p><p>For example, Texas Children&#8217;s Hospital recently <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-landmark-resolution-end-pediatric-gender-affirming-care-and">settled litigation</a> with the Department of Justice that alleged billing fraud for pediatric sex rejection medicalization in the amount of $10 million. </p><p>However, a database maintained by Stop the Harm indicates that Texas Children&#8217;s <a href="https://stoptheharmdatabase.com/state/texas/">only billed $11,000</a> over five years to &#8216;treat&#8217; gender dysphoria. </p><p>Instead of billing for the diagnosis found in DSM-V, the standard diagnostic reference published by the American Psychiatric Association, Texas Children&#8217;s submitted false claims for nonexistent endocrine disorders.</p><p>Damages are tripled under the False Claims Act. For every dollar in claims the hospital submitted for medicalized treatments for gender dysphoria, they submitted approximately $300 in fraudulent claims for &#8216;endocrine disorders&#8217;.</p><h3><span>This is not happening at just a few facilities. </span></h3><div><hr></div><p><span>Medical watchdog Do No Harm found just 22 annual </span><a href="https://rockymountainvoice.com/2026/07/07/childrens-hospital-colorado-insurance-data-tells-one-story-its-testimony-another/">insurance claims</a><span> for puberty blockers or hormones for minors from 2019-2023 at the Children&#8217;s Hospital Colorado&#8217;s TRUE Center for Gender Diversity. </span></p><p>In court testimony, on the other hand, the TRUE Center admits treating 1,140 patients under 18 in 2025 alone.</p><p>Fraud explains the entire difference. Children&#8217;s Hospital Colorado, Texas Children&#8217;s Hospital, and the Cleveland Clinic have all settled with the Department of Justice over charges of submitting false insurance codes in pediatric sex rejection cases. Similar cases are playing out elsewhere.</p><p>This is what the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, WPATH, actively advised clinicians to do. As a result, the entire industry of sex rejection medicalization is almost certainly completely rife with potential fraud claims awaiting slam-dunk prosecutions based on black-letter law.</p><p>Arguments about transgender identification become moot under the federal False Claims Act. WPATH allegedly told American sex rejection providers to break the law, and they did. </p><p>This was not like leaving an exhaust port on the Death Star. This is like leaving a big, fat bullseye on a Death Star exhaust port that is a mile wide. This was hubris by an activist organization pretending to do scientific medicine when what they were really doing was fraud, all along.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/forget-gender-dysphoria-almost-all?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/forget-gender-dysphoria-almost-all?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><h3>This was happening from the start.</h3><div><hr></div><p>WPATH exists at all because gender doctors wanted insurance coverage for their patients. As attested by internal documents from the organization, there was never a preliminary scientific evidential stage to anything they have ever done. WPATH is an industry advocacy organization. </p><p>The WPATH organization expanded their patient pool to include children in 2008. To justify the change, WPATH declared it was &#8220;medically necessary&#8221; for children to realize their &#8220;embodiment goals&#8221; as future adults, so that they would be happier as adults. </p><p>This exactly mirrored the approach of the so-called Dutch protocol developed by Peggy-Cohen-Kettenis and Louis Gooren. Altogether, during the 1990s, 12 of 105 adult male patients in their vaginoplasty program committed suicide, while a staggering 70 percent <a href="https://genspect.substack.com/p/peggy-cohen-kettenis-the-dutch-architect">were lost to follow-up</a>. </p><p>The clinicians still presented their findings in a positive light, saying that because so many patients had declared they were satisfied immediately after the procedure, the results were good, actually. Regret never registered on their scales. </p><p>Rather than stop and think, Gooren and Cohen-Kettenis reasoned that if they started earlier, in pre-pubertal males, the cosmetic results would be more pleasing. The unhappy boys would be a happier as transgender &#8216;women&#8217;, they said, because they would be more pleasing &#8216;women&#8217; in the eyes of adult men.</p><p>While the industry peddled sex rejection as &#8216;giving kids time to think&#8217;, the actual results of puberty blockade were a fast track to medicalization with cross-sex hormones and surgeries. </p><p>In the years to come, parents across the western world were extorted with the imminent suicide of their children unless drastic endocrine disruption began immediately. </p><p>There was never an evidence basis for this claim. It is instead the rationalization of Gooren and Cohen-Kettenis for the world&#8217;s first experiment in blockading nonprecocious puberty. It remains the official justification for following WPATH guidelines to medicalize a sex-rejecting child.</p><p>Questions about brain development, body development, sexual development, and the ability of a minor child to effectively consent to future iatrogenic health effects were pushed aside at every stage. </p><p>The medical-scientific world pretended that everything it knew about the evolved human life-cycle had been disproven by &#8216; settled science&#8217;. </p><p>In the United States, however, there was an important snag in health care coverage. WPATH found that insurers were never suspicious about &#8216;endocrine disorders&#8217;, whereas gender dysphoria diagnoses required lots of paperwork. </p><p>Being careful did not pay. Getting paid was easier if they just lied, so WPATH did, and told providers to do it. This put them on the wrong side of the law years ago. Such petty concerns were easily swept aside by the urgency of turning boys into better-looking women, so they would not take their own lives, later.</p><h3>Activists in lab coats invented the &#8216;trans kids&#8217;.</h3><div><hr></div><p>Dr. Norman Spack, the man who brought pediatric sex rejection medicalization to the United States from the Netherlands, gave a TED Talk in 2014 that ought to have raised red flags. Instead, it was celebrated at the time. </p><p>Spack presented Jackie Green, transgendered son of former Mermaids CEO Susie Green, as a case study. Spack crowed about his decision to start Jackie on estrogen early, to fuse his growth plates faster, so that &#8220;she&#8221; would not be over six feet tall. </p><p>In this video, Spack wants us to focus on Jackie Green&#8217;s &#8220;normal breast size.&#8221; He shows a photo of Jackie in a beauty pageant representing Mermaids. Spack is similarly effusive about twin boys, &#8216;Nicole&#8217; and Jonas, that diverge in appearance thanks to his endocrine interventions.</p><p>My dissection of the Spack TED talk video is the highest-performing post in the history of <em>The Distance</em>. It is preserved here for the historical record as well as the potential criminal and civil court record. </p><div><hr></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;cc451d1f-1b94-460b-a8b9-eb59da9af296&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Dr. Norman Spack, a pediatric endocrinologist at Boston Children&#8217;s Hospital, told a TED Talk audience in 2014 of &#8220;cases in which there are mismatches in the externals, or between the externals and the internals, and we literally have to figure out what is the description of your sex.&#8221; These patients were &#8216;born in the wrong body&#8217;, in other words.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Norman Spack Was Focused On Cosmetic Results In 'Trans Kids' From The Start&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-08-18T14:02:38.477Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/171090212/6ad24339-e114-4126-8d82-9f439a81fa46/transcoded-78725.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/norman-spack-was-focused-on-cosmetic&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:&quot;6ad24339-e114-4126-8d82-9f439a81fa46&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:171090212,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:2407,&quot;comment_count&quot;:2,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div><hr></div><p>The evident satisfaction that Dr. Spack takes in achieving adult &#8220;embodiment goals&#8221; by altering the body of a minor child to fit the sexual tastes of adult men in the future is disturbing. </p><p>He thinks of himself as a good person, of course. Spack does not live with the damage, years later. None of them do, these gender quacks.</p><p>Jonni Skinner, who appeared in a podcast for <em>The Distance</em> earlier this week, had the same early hormonal interventions as Jackie Green. His puberty was blocked at 13 and his bone growth plates were locked at 14. </p><p>Just like Dr. Spack, they said it would make him better able to attract a husband. </p><p>Today, Jonni Skinner is a young gay man trapped in a boy&#8217;s body, unable to have a fulfilling adult relationship with anyone. He is anorgasmic despite being in his 20s.</p><p>Jonni&#8217;s &#8216;care&#8217; was charged to his insurance coverage as an endocrine disorder, even though he was dysphoric. </p><p>Curing dysphoria was never the point. Meeting embodiment goals was always the point. It was impressed on him from the beginning of his medicalizeed sex rejection.</p><p>Doctors made Jonni &#8220;very distressed about my height&#8221;, he tells <em>The Distance</em> in a recent exclusive podcast interview. </p><p>One of them went out of his way to convince Jonni that he needed his growth plates locked. &#8220;I remember him specifically pulling up a chair because he was very short. He pulled up a chair and climbed in the chair to measure me just to make me feel like I was freakishly tall.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;And it worked because I was 14.&#8221; Jonni had normal adolescent anxieties on top of other issues. &#8220;Being made to feel like I was so much taller than a grown man&#8221; was &#8220;very distressing for me.&#8221; </p><div><hr></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;8be6b096-70bf-4b3f-bb99-a53e190d8e45&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;At 13, Jonni Skinner&#8217;s puberty was blocked. Then his growth plates were locked with estrogen to prevent him from growing too tall. His doctors said this would make him happier as an adult, for he would be more able to attract a husband. Rather than turn a gay boy into a girl, however, they made Jonni Skinner into a young gay man with a lifetime of regret ahead of him.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Boy, Interrupted: The Life Of Jonni Skinner, From Damage To Detransition&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-14T11:01:58.114Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f8c90c65-8f5f-4aae-8a30-c9979f0648b3_1320x743.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/boy-interrupted-the-life-of-jonni&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:&quot;64fa9bb2-cb71-463c-b07a-8aab995b774b&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:206976196,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;podcast&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:14,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div><hr></div><p>In another twisted turn, the boom in pediatric sex rejection medicalization saw a complete demographic flip. Today, girls are medicalized at a far higher rate than boys, with serious long-term health implications. </p><p>Jonni was the intended target of the Dutch protocol and WPATH standards. He does not expect personal justice, sadly, but the justice system is moving, and its wheels grind exceedingly fine. A reckoning is here.</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/forget-gender-dysphoria-almost-all">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dear Maine Democrats, Please Nominate Ashley Webb To Replace Graham Platner]]></title><description><![CDATA[Look in the mirror and see what other people see]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-democrats-this-is-what-you-all</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-democrats-this-is-what-you-all</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:01:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/207432683/7f8db82535b1084f7c1193b908e67150.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ashley J. Webb is the author of the self-published memoir <em>I Am Ashley</em>. He has self-produced four albums. Twice a candidate for the New Hampshire State House in 2012 and 2020, Webb has never had significant donors in any of his various vanity campaigns. </p><p>He is running to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic Party nominee for the state&#8217;s US Senate seat currently held by Republican Susan Collins. He put himself forward and stands above the rest, literally. He is actually the tallest of the candidates on the News Center Maine &#8220;Voice the Voter&#8221; debate stage.</p><p>I genuinely hope that Maine Democrats see fit to make this man their nominee. &#8220;I&#8217;m just an angry citizen now, and if I got elected, I&#8217;d be an angry Senator&#8221;, he says, which describes the current-day Democratic Party at large. I believe in representation, you see. Democrats are uniformly supportive of all things transgender. Surely if this man can identify as a woman, he can identify as a Senator, too. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-democrats-this-is-what-you-all?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-democrats-this-is-what-you-all?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Webb claims to be intersex as well as transgender. I don&#8217;t believe him. I also don&#8217;t believe Democrats when they say they really believe this man is a woman. They know he is not. Lying about that is required to be a Democrat, however, which means the party is already seen as Ashley Webb by half the country. He might as well be its national face, at this point. And let&#8217;s be honest, if it was this guy or Susan Collins, the Democrats of Maine would vote for this guy. </p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/SwipeWright/status/2078123020103581706&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;NEWS: Maine Democrat Ashley Webb, who said he would not \&quot;lie\&quot; or \&quot;deceive\&quot; people, claims in Reddit posts that he \&quot;ovulates\&quot; and has a monthly period, but because he has \&quot;external male parts\&quot; instead of \&quot;the proper hole,\&quot; the period blood comes out of his anus.\n\nDespite being &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;SwipeWright&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Colin Wright&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1520907012602839041/ux2O3s7b_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-17T14:21:52.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/media/HNb494aXEAEhWAf.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/L2sr3U4Fs2&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:4,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:5,&quot;like_count&quot;:22,&quot;impression_count&quot;:673,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>Webb would make a perfect Democratic nominee for anything, mumu dress and all. He is what every Democrat looks like when they talk about the totalizing demands of gender identity as if they were an objective moral good. &#8220;What&#8217;s going on with ICE?&#8221; he asks. Viewers wonder what is going on with his evident boundary issues. Perfect. 10/10, no notes.</p><p>Webb has two albums titled <em>Out Of The Closet: Killing Them Softly With Her Vibes</em> and <em>Out Of The Closet: Rage Against The System</em>. A brief pass through <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPc52niMtTr4fmL9kRDvWwQ">his YouTube channel</a> reveals an AI &#8220;assisted&#8221; songwriter working in eclectic styles to produce pedantic lyrics in voices that are clearly not his own. </p><p>Something else is unsettling about Webb. It&#8217;s not the lazy eye, but the vacancy in his eyes. Looking at him makes me think of James Shupe, the world&#8217;s first &#8216;nonbinary&#8217; person, who took his own life after a long battle with autogynephilia. Shupe did not belong in women&#8217;s restrooms, and neither does Webb. </p><p>Paige Ashley Loud, the actual woman standing second from the left on the debate stage, is a social worker with a master&#8217;s degree from the University of Maine. She emphasizes affordable housing, universal healthcare, food access, and support for working families as well as rural communities. A member of the Cherokee Nation, a renter, and a first-generation college graduate, Loud is the perfect intersectional candidate. </p><p>Democrats were disappointed that Graham Platner turned out to be a rapey sort of guy. They have a chance to redeem themselves by running a woman. Ashley Webb, however, is the superior &#8216;woman&#8217; because he has had to &#8216;become&#8217; a woman rather than being born female, like Paige Loud, who has cisprivilege. This is how transgender ideology works, Maine Democrats. I don&#8217;t make the rules.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;89eb08df-e731-430a-9910-ca40f6fec087&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;A venerable human rights organization that has beclowned itself in gender madness has offered to become an object lesson in how human rights actually work.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Dear Amnesty International, I Too Am 'Anti-Rights' That You Made Up Just Five Seconds Ago&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-13T11:02:25.633Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-amnesty-international-i-too&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:206754097,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:50,&quot;comment_count&quot;:3,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Boy, Interrupted: The Life Of Jonni Skinner, From Damage To Detransition]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch now | A survivor of pediatric sex rejection medicalization reveals his lifelong scars]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/boy-interrupted-the-life-of-jonni</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/boy-interrupted-the-life-of-jonni</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:01:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/206976196/ad0a91f18b00bc3fcf9d47458361fb13.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>At 13, Jonni Skinner&#8217;s puberty was blocked. Then his growth plates were locked with estrogen to prevent him from growing too tall. His doctors said this would make him happier as an adult, for he would be more able to attract a husband. Rather than turn a gay boy into a girl, however, they made Jonni Skinner into a young gay man with a lifetime of regret ahead of him.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/boy-interrupted-the-life-of-jonni?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/boy-interrupted-the-life-of-jonni?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Jonni Skinner&#8217;s <a href="https://x.com/JonniSkinner">X account is here</a>.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dear Amnesty International, I Too Am 'Anti-Rights' That You Made Up Just Five Seconds Ago]]></title><description><![CDATA[Totalitarian demands on other people are not actual human rights]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-amnesty-international-i-too</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-amnesty-international-i-too</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:02:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg" width="1080" height="608" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/faff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:608,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Amnesty International Defiant In Face Of Russian Designation As  'Undesirable Organization'&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Amnesty International Defiant In Face Of Russian Designation As  'Undesirable Organization'" title="Amnesty International Defiant In Face Of Russian Designation As  'Undesirable Organization'" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WInW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffaff545f-a195-485e-817b-5171cc3a388e_1080x608.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>A venerable human rights organization that has beclowned itself in gender madness has offered to become an object lesson in how human rights actually work. </p><p>Amnesty International UK, which used to complain about regimes torturing and murdering dissidents, issued a report last week on the growing threat of an &#8220; anti-rights movement targeting the rights of women and LGBT+ people in the UK&#8221;. </p><p>A theme emerges in this document. &#8220;Over 60% of the organisations mapped have emerged since 2017, the vast majority gender critical organisations.&#8221; </p><p>Indeed, the counter-movement to gender ideology has only existed since the overweening and totalizing demands of gender identity law and policy have been imposed on western societies by their elites. </p><p>Effect, meet Cause; Cause, this is Effect. Introductions are over.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-amnesty-international-i-too?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/dear-amnesty-international-i-too?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Amnesty International withdrew the report from publication nearly the same day they published it. Over the weekend, gender critical organizers issued legal letters demanding explanations, apologies, retractions, and meetings. Both Amnesty and their gender critical campaigner targets are government-registered charities. This will get very British, very complicated, and take time to sort out.</p><p>The report is misleading throughout. Sex Matters, Genspect, and Gay Men&#8217;s Network are part of a vast right wing conspiracy of &#8220;formal and informal groups, individuals, private and state actors whose aim is to restrict human rights by undermining human rights protections in law and practice&#8221;. There is deliberate confusion and conflation from the beginning. </p><blockquote><p>Some of these groups describe themselves as &#8216;anti-gender&#8217; because they visibly oppose the rights and equality of women and LGBT+ people. However, by targeting women and LGBT+ people, they also challenge a fundamental human rights principle: that human rights belong to everyone equally. Human rights are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. When the rights of one group are restricted, protections for others can also be weakened, even where the effects are not immediately visible.</p></blockquote><p>Only men can be &#8216;trans women&#8217;. Because &#8216;trans women are women&#8217;, however, opposing men in women&#8217;s change rooms, rape shelters, and sports is &#8216;anti-women&#8217;, which makes For Women Scotland anti-women&#8217;s rights. See how that works? </p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/JohnCleese/status/2075934916550766677&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;I was once a major fund-raiser for Amnesty\n\nBut in those days it was about preventing torture\n\nNot about sexual identity\n\nI disown them&quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;JohnCleese&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;John Cleese&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2622284361/1emzqsaz3t5glbyndf66_normal.jpeg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-11T13:27:07.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;Oh this is priceless!! @amnesty a clownshow with the gravitas and respect of a three ringed circus 'bravely has a go' at ACTUAL Human Rights charities and organisations and then bottles it!! &#129315;&#129315;&#129315;&#129315;&#129315;&#129315;&#129315;&#129315;&quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;TracyEdwardsMBE&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Tracy Edwards&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/1540397254783139852/Vt73y1Tn_normal.jpg&quot;},&quot;reply_count&quot;:423,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:3751,&quot;like_count&quot;:28954,&quot;impression_count&quot;:603557,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>Let us do the math here: these anti-rights groups are &#8220;targeting women and LGBT+ people&#8221;, which makes the transgenders and the mysterious plus sign just two of six total identity categories supposedly targeted by this anti-rights campaign. </p><p>Imagine your creepy male neighbor and a man in a dress standing behind three homosexuals and a woman. Now imagine the two of them say they speak for this entire group, which is your neighborhood Homeowners Association.</p><p>Now imagine that they claim to have newly-minted rights that apply to your fence, your home security alarm system, your workout, your bathroom, and your children. If you oppose their demands, then you are at least a bigot, probably a criminal. </p><p>This is &#8216;trans rights&#8217;. The pushback was ordained in the undemocratic way these unpopular &#8216;rights&#8217; were impressed on the British people in the first place, through political fiat, without a debate, much less a popular vote. </p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Does This Thing That Never Or Hardly Ever Happens Keep Happening All The Time?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Transgenderism and the inmates running western society as an asylum]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-does-this-thing-that-never-or</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-does-this-thing-that-never-or</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:06:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg" width="728" height="450.7228525121556" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:382,&quot;width&quot;:617,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:728,&quot;bytes&quot;:60996,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Allison Howlett in a jail uniform during a court appearance.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Allison Howlett in a jail uniform during a court appearance." title="Allison Howlett in a jail uniform during a court appearance." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GSlQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff048fb0c-d621-46a6-8e98-78431bbeb378_617x382.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Screengrab from Allison Howlett&#8217;s bond hearing video stream</figcaption></figure></div><p>Allison Howlett, a 36-year-old man, was arrested last weekend before he could carry out a threatened mass shooting. </p><p>When police encountered Howlett on 27 June in the parking garage of the Sunset Station casino, he reportedly refused to exit the vehicle on command. </p><p>Police used his request for a drink of water to grab the transgender-identified male through the open car window and arrest him. </p><p>Howlett was charged with terroristic threats, assault with a deadly weapon, auto theft, gun theft and other offenses.</p><p>Howlett allegedly stole a vehicle belonging to his partner, a gun seller named Julie Howlett, while it was loaded with firearms prepared for sale. </p><p>Police found Howlett blasting music in the car while sitting on a handgun. An MP5 submachine gun was in the back seat. Altogether, 24 guns were found in the car along with ammunition. </p><p>Another 30 firearms were found in the home the couple shared. Julie Howlett says the guns all belong to her. </p><p>Judge Barbara Schifalacqua set bail for Howlett at $500,000 in a hearing last Wednesday. </p><p>Howlett is listed as a male in the Clark County, Nevada Detention Center because he has intact genitalia. However, news outlets are using female pronouns and refer to Howlett as a &#8220;woman.&#8221;</p><p>At <em>The New York Post</em>, reporter Ben Chapman <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/01/us-news/trans-gunman-was-allegedly-plotting-vegas-mass-shooting/">writes that</a> &#8220;investigators are still searching for a motive.&#8221; </p><p>According to a statement <a href="https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/documents-suspect-had-been-making-mass-shooting-threats-for-several-years/">by his partner</a>, though, Howlett had &#8220;made numerous threats to commit mass shootings when [he] would get angry between January 2024 and January 2025&#8221;. </p><p>Howlett&#8217;s behavior &#8220;normalized&#8221; until he &#8220;began to act erratically again&#8221; on 21 June, six days before the incident. Here is video coverage of the news story that uses female pronouns for Mr. Howlett.</p><div id="youtube2-3hgnGIb9x1g" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;3hgnGIb9x1g&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/3hgnGIb9x1g?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Yesterday was the third day of the preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk. Prosecutors presented evidence of probable cause to the court, a procedural step in criminal cases.</p><p>Agent Brian Davis of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation testified that Robinson turned himself in for the murder. He also described the search of Robinson&#8217;s home, which he shared with his transgender lover Lance Twiggs, as well as the Robinson family home.</p><p>Most of the court&#8217;s time yesterday afternoon was spent on legal wrangling over an interview video of Twiggs. A redacted version of the video will be aired in court today. </p><p>Twiggs, who has received full immunity, is expected to confirm that Robinson confessed to killing Kirk over transgender politics. Kirk was shot right after saying the word &#8220;transgender&#8221;.</p><p>Twiggs is described as Robinson&#8217;s roommate and romantic partner, a &#8220;male transitioning to female&#8221;, but every press outlet I have seen so far uses masculine pronouns for Twiggs. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-does-this-thing-that-never-or?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-does-this-thing-that-never-or?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>According to the Colorado state All Payer Claims Database, the number of minors who received sex rejection services increased fifteen times over between 2016 and 2021. </p><p>Colorado was the first American state to require insurance companies cover &#8220;gender affirming care&#8221; in a 2021 decision by the state&#8217;s Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services. Colorado Democrats passed legislation in 2025 to make it law.</p><p>However, a discrepancy emerges in the billing codes. </p><p>Medical watchdog Do No Harm has found just 22 annual <a href="https://rockymountainvoice.com/2026/07/07/childrens-hospital-colorado-insurance-data-tells-one-story-its-testimony-another/">insurance claims</a> for puberty blockers or hormones for minors from 2019-2023 at the Children&#8217;s Hospital Colorado&#8217;s TRUE Center for Gender Diversity. </p><p>This was enough for DNH to put the facility on their &#8220;Dirty Dozen&#8221; list. In court testimony, on the other hand, the TRUE Center admits treating 1,140 patients under 18 in 2025 alone, down from 1,203 patients in 2024. </p><p>Fraud explains the difference. Both Texas Children&#8217;s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic have settled with the Department of Justice over charges of submitting false insurance codes in pediatric sex rejection cases.</p><p>As the Federal Trade Commission has charged in new litigation against WPATH, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health specifically encouraged this illegal activity. </p><p>A mental disorder, &#8216;gender dysphoria&#8217;, was treated as an &#8216;endocrine disorder&#8217;. I first encountered progressive activists discussing this form of fraud in 2018. It has been intrinsic to the practice of &#8216;gender medicine&#8217; in kids.</p><p>Children&#8217;s Hospital suspended the &#8216;treatments&#8217; in January 2026. The Colorado supreme court ruled 5-2 that the hospital must resume the &#8220;medically necessary&#8221; chemical castration of children, but doctors have refused, citing concerns they could be criminally charged.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png" width="928" height="705" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:705,&quot;width&quot;:928,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NDW3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5860f8e2-be11-4826-b5b0-d09ebab852c9_928x705.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">This thing that hardly ever happens was happening thousands of times a year in just one of the 50 states. This is not a civil rights movement, this is market creation</figcaption></figure></div><p>Outsports, a website that cheers for men in women&#8217;s sports, <a href="https://www.outsports.com/2024/12/6/22948400/transgender-trans-athlete-championship-national-world-title/">has a list</a> of &#8220;over two dozen out trans women who have won national or international competitions&#8221;. </p><p>&#8220;Off the top of my head I could name several trans athletes who had won major championships&#8221;, Cyd Zeigler writes. &#8220;And some digging has found over two dozen trans women (updated to May 2025) who have earned national or international victories.&#8221;</p><p>There are zero &#8216;trans men&#8217; on the list, of course, because trans men are women, and women cannot compete at men&#8217;s sports. The sporting benefits of cross-sex identification accrue entirely to one of the two sexes, which is patent sexism.</p><p>Ziegler is undercounting. &#8220;There have been at least 160 men and boys pretending to be women and girls who have won state, national, or international titles in women's sports&#8221;, says <a href="https://x.com/hecheateddotorg/status/2075053988391629098">HeCheated.org</a> on X. </p><p>&#8220;If we include DSD males and other boys who do not identify as &#8220;trans,&#8221; that number jumps to over 220.&#8221;</p><blockquote><p>If we add in boys and men who have won &#8220;female&#8221; regional and league championship titles, those numbers jump to at least:</p><p>360 &#8220;trans&#8221;-identified males and 547 males total who have won a major championship title.</p></blockquote><p>These things that never happen, or hardly ever happen, that happen all the time, always manage to happen in only one direction. </p><p>Far from a &#8216;marginalized community&#8217;, transgenderism is a favored identity category that receives special considerations in every domain. Normal rules never apply to the transgender person, let alone the demands they make on systems and people. </p><p>Normal rules of evidence are not required to support the political claims of transgender activists. They are instead taken at face value, no matter how absurd the claim or how weak the evidence is.</p><p>The Labour government, <a href="https://archive.ph/djDRR#selection-3363.15-3363.150">for example</a>, has &#8220;been accused of significantly overestimating the number of people falling victim to conversion therapy to justify banning the practice.&#8221;</p><p>Labour ministers made the hysterical claim that 75,000 to 93,000 people every year are subject to &#8216;conversion therapy&#8217; in England and Wales. According to Baroness Cash, however, &#8220;the figure was based on a Stonewall survey that had also found that 10 per cent of LGBT people had undergone an exorcism, which would indicate 24,600 exorcisms occurred each year.&#8221;</p><p>The claim is &#8220;preposterous, incredible&#8221;, says the Baroness. Whereas the government has said that 10-15,000 people a year call an official anti-conversion therapy hotline, the charity that runs it can only highlight 195 cases in three years.</p><p>&#8220;Over a third of cases involved things that happened 5 or more years earlier&#8221;, Sex Matters.org <a href="https://x.com/SexMattersOrg/status/2070184501594972445">explains on X</a>. &#8220;Much of it was not abuse or else involved acts that are already illegal.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Many of the cases involve interpersonal relationships that cannot be subject to the law, especially if the individuals are adults.&#8221;</p><p>In <a href="https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/the-360000-helpline-that-didnt-ring/">a report on</a> &#8220;the &#163;360,000 helpline that didn&#8217;t ring&#8221;, Sex Matters found &#8220;not a single example of the historical practices involving electric shocks or aversion techniques that most people understand by &#8216;conversion therapy&#8217;.&#8221;</p><p>By contrast, of course, detransition never happens or hardly ever happens, which we know because nobody has ever measured it. </p><p>Things that never happen, happen all the time, in the magical world of gender identity, while things that happen all the time are not even happening at all. </p><p>Olivia Bailey, the minister for equalities, has clarified that the proposed Conversion Practices Bill would send parents to jail for &#8220;abuse&#8221; if they try to &#8220;change&#8221; their child&#8217;s &#8220;gender identity&#8221;, a thing that is not even happening.</p><p>The threshold for criminal charges for &#8220;abuse&#8221; are up to the purported victim. Was there &#8220;serious harm&#8221;, according to a child indoctrinated into the notion that the word &#8216;no&#8217; is harmful? </p><p>I have read or heard dozens of stories about a family or parent&#8217;s experience with American child protective services over a declaration of gender identity from a minor child. </p><p>In every case, &#8220;serious harm&#8221; to the &#8220;mental or physical health&#8221; was defined down to absurdity. Words become supposed bullets, literally murdering children. </p><p>Suicide threats serve as evidence of &#8220;serious alarm and distress&#8221; that can tear a family apart forever. Taking the internet away from a child being groomed online has &#8220;a substantial adverse impact on their usual day-to-day activities&#8221;. </p><p>MP Bailey uses <a href="https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/no-carve-out-parents-lgbt-conversion-practices-ban-minister-confirms">all of these same happy phrases</a> when she talks about the &#8220;abuse&#8221; that her Conversion Practices Bill would punish through the usual processes.</p><p>Use the pronouns or go to jail, mom and dad. Stop being parents.</p><p>Use the pronouns or die, college speakers. Stop being right.</p><p>Ignore all the patent medical fraud, or else.</p><p>Cheer for the sports cheat, or else.</p><p>We have to do it all, otherwise some random &#8216;transwoman&#8217; might explode in &#8220;her&#8221; anger, which will be righteous and justified because &#8220;she&#8221; is loving and gentle but lives in such a transphobic world. See? It&#8217;s your fault. You have to do better.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;fd745291-a227-4cc6-990f-8a78a697c450&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Teha Delaruelle has been publicly repudiated by a Democratic Socialist running for Congress in Wisconsin after calling for a &#8220;trans jihad&#8221; against Republicans.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The Things That Never Or Hardly Ever Happen That Keep Happening All The Time, Now&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-03T21:41:36.006Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aVrz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F366a1e2e-89ea-4d1f-a449-7694c4178430_668x456.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-things-that-never-or-hardly-ever&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:197702613,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:121,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Will It Take For Democrats To Give Up On Woke? A Conversation With Ruy Teixeira]]></title><description><![CDATA[A progressive political scientist speaks on the decline of the progressive left]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/what-will-it-take-for-democrats-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/what-will-it-take-for-democrats-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:03:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/205709123/5b2c871bb6311b97ffd58bf2b6b78d79.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>How did Democrats become so disconnected from the concerns of everyday, normal Americans? What will it take to make them a &#8220;party of the people&#8221; again? Will they ever stop pushing unpopular ideas like transgenderism, open borders, climate crisis, and DEI that annoy voters? </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/what-will-it-take-for-democrats-to?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/what-will-it-take-for-democrats-to?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Political scientist Ruy Teixeira has co-authored two books on the changing Democratic Party in the 21st century. He witnessed the wokening of progressive political spaces. He tried to help Democrats see reason, but they did not want to listen.</p><p>In this interview, Teixeira explains how political geography and a &#8220;shadow party&#8221; of ideological extremists have transformed the Democrats within, so that the party no longer connects with Americans outside of its own culture. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="paywall-jump" data-component-name="PaywallToDOM"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Things That Never Or Hardly Ever Happen That Keep Happening All The Time, Now]]></title><description><![CDATA[From Queers For Palestine to the Trans Jihad: a natural ideological progression]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-things-that-never-or-hardly-ever</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-things-that-never-or-hardly-ever</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 21:41:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aVrz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F366a1e2e-89ea-4d1f-a449-7694c4178430_668x456.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aVrz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F366a1e2e-89ea-4d1f-a449-7694c4178430_668x456.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aVrz!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F366a1e2e-89ea-4d1f-a449-7694c4178430_668x456.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aVrz!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F366a1e2e-89ea-4d1f-a449-7694c4178430_668x456.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aVrz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F366a1e2e-89ea-4d1f-a449-7694c4178430_668x456.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aVrz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F366a1e2e-89ea-4d1f-a449-7694c4178430_668x456.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Teha Delaruelle has been publicly repudiated by a Democratic Socialist running for Congress in Wisconsin after calling for a &#8220;trans jihad&#8221; against Republicans. </p><p>Delaruelle posted a selfie video in front of a whiteboard background reading &#8220;Kill Your Local Republican&#8221;. He wanted his social media followers to make mass murder of political opponents the &#8220;moderate position&#8221; in Wisconsin during July. </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;bbe112cb-4260-42f3-952d-e59853fb388b&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>As if inspired by the end of Pridemadan, Delaruelle posted a second video calling for &#8220;trans jihad&#8221; throughout the month of July.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s about making the oppressor, the bigots, the animals that make up MAGA, for example, right? So for decades, everyone else, all the marginalized, minorities, we&#8217;ve had to be the ones that walk down the streets with anxiety, with fear, but no, no more, no, no, no, no, no, no more, folks.&#8221;</p><p>In the recording, Delaruelle uses an image of a transgender flag with a Hamas-style rifle logo. He refers to Republicans as &#8220;animals&#8221; and &#8220;bigots&#8221; who must be kept in a state of permanent fear. Like Spartan helots, but with floggings for mispronouning someone.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;165977be-e705-4deb-866c-1534c5a2e974&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Delaruelle, who identifies as transgender, had been a campaign volunteer for Katrina deVille, who is also transgender, in the Aug. 11 primary to run against MAGA Republican Rep. Tony Wied. DeVille <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/02/us-news/fired-trans-dem-campaigner-calls-on-followers-to-kill-your-local-republican-and-vows-trans-jihad/">has disowned</a> Delaruelle and distanced the campaign from him. </p><p>&#8220;Reached by email Thursday morning, deVille said Delaruelle was a campaign volunteer for a [very short while] but was removed when it became apparent they were [deeply troubled,&#8217; and later blocked from all of her accounts and pages &#8216;because they were actively creating a dangerous situation around my campaign&#8217;&#8221;, deVille said in <a href="https://heartlandpost.com/activist-who-urged-followers-to-kill-your-local-republican-fired-by-dem-congressional-campaign/">a statement</a>.</p><p>Delaruelle had echoed his called for &#8220;Trans Jihad&#8221; (capitalized) in a Substack post that described opposition to transgenderism as &#8220;genocide&#8221;. This &#8220;existential struggle&#8221; supposedly legitimates violence against political opposition. </p><p>&#8220;Society desires nothing less than our total extermination, therefore we must destroy their society. We must answer this call to a [sic] existential struggle, our jihad, our Trans Jihad.&#8221; </p><p>Police had reportedly tried to contact Delaruelle. Last night, he posted an hour-long TikTok stream in which he <a href="https://x.com/GrageDustin/status/2072666603762683933">complained</a> that his &#8216;community&#8217; is leaving him to &#8220;get cooked&#8221; for saying things that they agree with in private. A clip:</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;f49d80d1-f161-425f-b3d7-3559a68c18aa&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>In fact, Delaruelle belongs to a &#8216;community&#8217; that does engage in symbolic and verbal abuse, as well as <a href="https://terfisaslur.com/">eliminationist</a> language, towards its perceived or real opponents all the time. And thanks to the wave of gender medicalization in the last decade, there are more men like him than ever before.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-things-that-never-or-hardly-ever?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-things-that-never-or-hardly-ever?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>&#8220;Whatever your views on gender identity, and Americans hold strong, sincere views on all sides of this, I think most people agree that every human being in crisis deserves intervention before tragedy strikes,&#8221; retired FBI agent Jason Pack <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/whats-driving-increase-violent-incidents-involving-transgender-individuals-expert-weighs">said in February</a> after a man with transgender identity killed his ex-wife and son at a hockey game.</p><p>Pack stressed that individual behaviors, such as a history of violence or warning signs of violence, matter more than identity. </p><blockquote><p>According to Pack, investigators often uncover missed opportunities for intervention: warning comments that went unreported, mental health contacts that weren&#8217;t followed up, family members unsure where to turn, or school flags that stalled inside bureaucratic systems.</p></blockquote><p>Imagine an ideology that is designed to circumvent mental health screening, that has such social approval that families and teachers fear to speak up. That ideology exists; it is transgenderism. </p><p>What matters is not the demographic of &#8216;trans&#8217;, Pack said, &#8220;but what failed them and what failed the public before they ever picked up a weapon.&#8221; Coddled by a system that embraces their authentic selves, deeply narcissistic and violent men are set up to fail, and take us all down with them. </p><p>That does not describe every man who identifies as transgender. It describes the effect that social affirmation produces in men who are prone to violence. The ideology tells them they are endangered, therefore their violent impulses are justified. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg" width="448" height="597.3333333333334" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1440,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:448,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RgxB!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ce2ec8b-e1ae-4302-8ad6-5aa09418e4e9_1080x1440.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Much the transgender discourse is QAnon-level conspiracy gibberish</figcaption></figure></div><p>The transgender Jonestown is a slow historical event because it is individuated, but we can already see it is real. Some men will act. Most will be like Delaruelle and merely speak of acting. More to the point, right now the impetus to such talk, and such actions, is strong because things are not going well in transgender world. </p><p>Supreme Court decisions are epistemic events in this ideology. If Becky Pepper-Jackson can&#8217;t be a &#8216;real girl&#8217; on the track, or in the locker room, or the restroom, then transition becomes less attractive as an option for boys who feel like failures as boys. </p><p>The &#8216;social economy&#8217; of transgenderism decreases in value according to the special rights conferred on this special class of special boys. Transgender activists oversold the world on &#8216;inclusion&#8217;, and now they cannot keep their promises. </p><p>Some young men with transgender identities are naturally going to act out as they perceive the loss of social status. The more medicalized they are, the more committed, and potentially violent, they will be.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg" width="606" height="433.11176470588236" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:486,&quot;width&quot;:680,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:606,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sBsG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43ef8485-0e77-48ab-b97a-a0756053b10e_680x486.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">The people pushing this madness have the most to lose as its social value declines</figcaption></figure></div><p>&#8220;At 12 [Becky] started hormone replacement therapy, which brought about a typical female puberty&#8221;, Masha Gessen wrote in an op-ed responding to the Court decisions this week to let states ban boys from competing against girls. </p><p>That is an incredible sentence, meaning not credible. The fact Gessen wrote it, and <em>The New York Times</em> printed it, is an example of the deep ideological capture that prevails among America&#8217;s cultural elites, holding back the sensible conversation that we need to have about young men and a violent ideology.</p><p>People who demand that everyone pretend that imaginary things are real, and that we order society around those imaginary things, belong to two classes: the mentally ill, and the religious convert. </p><p>Transgenderism offers the hormone convert a jihad, as well as an <em>umma</em>, or community, that constantly affirms the delusion of &#8216;trans genocide&#8217;. Our institutions are captured by these ideas themselves, so we can hardly expect them to alert us to danger.</p><p>Wisconsin reportedly has a serious problem with &#8216;trantifa&#8217; militants. I will keep an eye on the story of Teha Delaruelle. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;a9c83bca-cd8e-4bf7-ab87-a0d29e9abffb&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;No, I will not be nice about this. We are many years past &#8216;nice&#8217;. Nor will I exhaust myself with scientific argument against unscientific arguments.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Blasphemers! SCOTUS Protects Sports For Girls During The Holy Month Of Pridemadan&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-07-01T22:00:46.142Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGsL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/blasphemers-scotus-protects-sports&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:204462748,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:106,&quot;comment_count&quot;:2,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Blasphemers! SCOTUS Protects Sports For Girls During The Holy Month Of Pridemadan]]></title><description><![CDATA[Democrats, legacy media demand we sympathize with a cheating boy]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/blasphemers-scotus-protects-sports</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/blasphemers-scotus-protects-sports</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 22:00:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGsL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" 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1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGsL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGsL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg" width="1440" height="960" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:960,&quot;width&quot;:1440,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGsL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGsL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGsL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGsL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bfc65d-da32-41be-95ae-c3fb2a9c2b1a_1440x960.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Dude is already taller than his mom and Washington Post thinks he&#8217;s a real girl</figcaption></figure></div><p>No, I will not be nice about this. We are many years past &#8216;nice&#8217;. Nor will I exhaust myself with scientific argument against unscientific arguments.</p><p>A boy demanded to compete against girls and pushed that demand all the way to the Supreme Court. Becky Pepper-Jackson thought that he was different from the other boys because of the way he feels about himself. </p><p>The girls had to put up with it. There was nothing nice about that. It was mean. A majority of the Court said &#8216;no&#8217; to this unfair demand. I refuse to feel sorry for the poor tyke because he doesn&#8217;t get to beat the girls, anymore.</p><p>&#8216;Becky&#8217; is presented to me now as an angel-baby Aladdin-boy, stealing bread by cheating at sports to feed his starving glitter family. Reactions from the captured legacy media and Democrats have been shrill. </p><p>To rub salt in their sore wound, the Warren Court long ago set a tradition of ending their term &#8212; and releasing important decisions &#8212; right around the same day as the last day of the holy month of Pridemadan. <em>Sacrilege! </em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png" width="520" height="357.94037940379405" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DLwp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e7f7c40-d9eb-4610-8518-6b0deefdc40d_738x508.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Remember when he tried to speak for women&#8217;s sports and got hammered?</figcaption></figure></div><p>It is all gaslighting, and I reject it. Angrily. Anger is a perfectly legitimate emotional reaction to this travesty of a fake civil rights movement, anymore. No, I will not be nice.</p><p>We tried &#8216;nice&#8217;. J.K. Rowling has been nothing but nice, yet somehow she was a literal Nazi the last seven years. Everyone who said &#8216;no&#8217; to <em>po&#8217; widdle Becky, the vewy speshul boi</em>, was a bigot, no matter how nicely they spoke. So I will not be nice.</p><p>According to opinion polls, a supermajority of Americans &#8212; and about half of Democratic voters &#8212; are all bigots because they disagree, however nicely, with the campaign to sell them on Becky.</p><p>Six of the nine justices are still terrible, no-good, racist fascist Nazi white supremacist cisheteropatriarchal bigots today for saying &#8216;no&#8217; to <em>Becky, who is soooo special.</em></p><p>Of course I am furious. No matter how nice, rational, judicious, and accommodating the &#8216;no&#8217; is, it is always hate speech from a bigot. </p><p>Since this will always be the case, then the answer from now on cannot simply be &#8216;no&#8217;, but <em><strong>hell no</strong> </em>to poor little Becky-boy. He is not special. His earnest desire to cheat girls out of their sports is not a reason to let him. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/blasphemers-scotus-protects-sports?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/blasphemers-scotus-protects-sports?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>&#8216;Becky&#8217; outthrew the nearest actual girl by two feet in this spring&#8217;s West Virginia state high school track and field shot put competition. He was allowed to get away with this while the Supreme Court considered his case.</p><p>It was supposedly justified because his puberty was blocked in Tanner Stage II, making him weaker than other boys. This does not in fact make him &#8216;weak like a girl&#8217;, however, because sex differences show up in athletic performance <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/japplphysiol.00615.2024">before Tanner Stage II</a>. </p><p>Becky is not a girl. He is a stunted boy. The furious reactions are all fired by this one flame.</p><h3>Chemical controversy</h3><div><hr></div><p>The Court considered two cases side by side, <em>B.J.P. v West Virginia</em> and <em>Hecox v Little</em>. Going back to the original complaint in the latter case, we find that puberty blockers were very much on the minds of the ACLU litigators. So was hormone &#8216;therapy&#8217;.</p><p>The existing Idaho school sports policy that allowed men to cheat at women&#8217;s NCAA sports after one year of hormone replacement, a regime that hardly removes the advantages of a male body shaped by testosterone, was preferable to the ACLU. </p><p>Policy capture through unaccountable, non-democratic, state bureaucratic and administrative entities is always preferable to any public debate, for the ACLU. </p><p>In both of these cases, the American Civil Liberties Union sought to establish endocrinal exceptions to the rule that males must compete in their own sex category. </p><p>The Court has rejected this argument. Puberty blockade does not transform a boy into a girl. Estrogen does not turn a man into a woman. </p><p>This explains the keening, the wailing, the gnashing of teeth today. The Supreme Court has declared that sex difference exists, and remains immutable, despite absurd arguments to the contrary.</p><p>This is a disaster, of course. If Becky is not a real girl, then he is just a stunted boy &#8212; a moral catastrophe, for the cult of the trans child. </p><p>Society was supposed to re-order itself around the salvation of this new, medically-created person. For society to refuse is unacceptable. </p><p>We are <em>literally killing</em> poor &#8216;Becky&#8217; by not letting him cheat at sports. <em>Literal murder! Literal genocide! </em>These refrains have been used on me for a decade, so they mean nothing to me, anymore. </p><p>&#8220;Hecox and B.P.J. were biological males suing to strike down bans&#8221;, Gerald Posner <a href="https://x.com/geraldposner/status/2072013128762585424">explained on X</a> in reaction to the decision. </p><p>&#8220;There was no plaintiff in either case arguing the opposite &#8212; that a state's choice to allow trans athletes violates the rights of female athletes, or that the Constitution affirmatively compels exclusion nationwide.&#8221;</p><p>Of all the cases nationwide, Posner says, <em>Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools</em> &#8220;is the furthest along and the one to watch closely&#8221;. </p><p>The case &#8220;has literally been on ice waiting for exactly the ruling that came down today&#8221;, which means that even blue states would be forced to comply with reality-based sporting categories if this Court decides the case.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg" width="678" height="452" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:452,&quot;width&quot;:678,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;I am a women's track and field champion. Here's why I continue to fight for  the future of women's sports | Fox News&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="I am a women's track and field champion. Here's why I continue to fight for  the future of women's sports | Fox News" title="I am a women's track and field champion. Here's why I continue to fight for  the future of women's sports | Fox News" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5b4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f322600-9c55-43dd-a7ee-7e72ac2c7b67_678x452.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Selina Soule. At least one of the three Supreme Court decisions that are apparently necessary to protect women&#8217;s sports ought to have the name of an actual girl</figcaption></figure></div><h3>Policy capture and consequences</h3><div><hr></div><p>Everyone who has been in this culture war trench for any length of time already knows what to expect as <em>Soule</em>, or a case like it, winds its way to the Court. </p><p>We will be told that Selina Soule, Chelsea Mitchell, Alanna Smith, and Ashley Nicolett, the litigants, are just hateful people who should have trained harder. </p><p>We will be told that Andraya Yearwood, whose puberty was blocked, and Terry Miller, who was on estrogen &#8220;treatment&#8221; for his gender dysphoria, are not boys at all, but &#8220;transgender girls&#8221;, a special kind of girl that is born in a boy&#8217;s body.</p><p>If Yearwood and Miller are not &#8216;affirmed&#8217; in this belief, goes the argument &#8212; if they are not allowed to cheat girls out of their sports &#8212; then they not real girls, after all, but stunted boys.</p><p>That would be a moral catastrophe. To prevent it, Democrats will return to power and carry out their threats to impeach six justices, pack the court, and give puberty blockers to all the 6th graders. </p><p>It seems they will double-down on the &#8216;trans kids&#8217;, again and again, forever, no matter what. Sports is not separate from the larger project of &#8216;trans kids&#8217;, it is essential.</p><p>The advocates of sex rejection medicine in children will not be nice about this. Civility will not be reciprocated. Brutal honesty is required now because so many lies were told on the way to the Supreme Court, and Democrats will not stop telling lies to the end. </p><p>For now, a majority &#8212; on the Court, as well as the public &#8212; sees through those lies. If Democrats get their way, the lies will become law, and remain law wherever Democrats rule, no matter what the people think.</p><p>They have to be totalitarians about this issue because the alternative is a moral catastrophe for the left, for the media, for the people who were so progressive. They brought this moral catastrophe on America, now they whine about culture wars. </p><p>My empathy is exhausted. I will save it for the girls who are actually girls. They have been through enough, and now they have to go all the way to the Supreme Court. They deserved better, so I will not be nice.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;1a3aa5f1-cdb6-4a4d-9f82-df3040252a6c&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;An investigation by the US Department of Education has found that &#8220;San Jos&#233; State University knowingly recruited a male student athlete&#8221; for the women's indoor volleyball team &#8220;with the intent of gaining a competitive advantage over other teams&#8221; in April 2022.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Trans Cheating: SJSU Recruited Male Player For 'Competitive Advantage' In Women's Volleyball&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-06-09T18:01:43.060Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6Vv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe3d2f88a-9a7b-4f96-8a6f-8bf5c0f93737_1280x722.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/trans-cheating-sjsu-recruited-male&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:201041577,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:78,&quot;comment_count&quot;:2,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Cluster B Clique Just Got Famous For An 'Assault' In Seattle That Does Not Add Up]]></title><description><![CDATA[Was the incident stupid, or sinister? Either way, it was not detransition activism]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-cluster-b-clique-just-got-famous</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-cluster-b-clique-just-got-famous</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 22:02:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png" width="1003" height="556" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:556,&quot;width&quot;:1003,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:798507,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/i/203047954?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SN_L!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ed84bea-3b67-492c-9865-c8003939b619_1003x556.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">L to R: Arianna Laureano, Erica Moise, Leta Boylan</figcaption></figure></div><p>Three subjects of our previous reporting have released video of an altercation in a Seattle Park, framing themselves as victims of an unprovoked attack on detransitioners. The incident took place at a location that is famous for antifa organizing.</p><p>However, video evidence, timelines, and their own statements raise serious questions about provocation, suggesting they may have intended to document the event for public consumption and self-promotion.</p><p>Two of the individuals, Arianna Laureano and Erica &#8216;Hendrix&#8217; Moise, are being described as &#8220;detransitioners&#8221; in coverage of the incident. Aside from electrolysis, neither individual has taken any legal or medical steps to reverse their cross-sex identification. </p><p>A third member of the group, Leta Boylan, was also present during the altercation. As<em> The Distance</em> explained in our original coverage of the &#8216;Cluster B Clique&#8217; during March, all three individuals have been rejected by organizers in the detransition advocacy space due to their volatile behavior. </p><p><em>The Distance</em> has previously reported on Mr. Laureano&#8217;s messages expressing his desire to harm a female detransitioner by &#8220;smash[ing] all of her fucking teeth on a curb&#8221;. </p><p>We have also reported on Ms. Moise&#8217;s role in a police report we assess was fabricated to harm the reputations of two actual detransitioners. We have additionally reported on Ms. Boylan&#8217;s &#8220;insane&#8221; pressure campaign on organizers using that smear. </p><p>We now assess the alleged assault in Cal Anderson Park during the evening of 24 June was likely orchestrated to garner social credit and media attention so that the trio could present themselves to the world as courageous opponents of medical transition. </p><p>However, Arianna Laureano, Erica &#8216;Hendrix&#8217; Moise, and Leta Boylan are not the activists they pretend to be. Their actions in Seattle <em><strong>discredit</strong></em> detransition advocacy. </p><p>While there does seem to have been aggressive behavior by the crowd in the park, we assess that the Cluster B Clique intentionally provoked the physical response for a &#8216;viral video&#8217;, and that Moise was the first to get physical.</p><p>At least one of the three, possibly two, also carried pistols into the park, apparently anticipating a confrontation. </p><p>We detect embellishment in their post-incident reporting and public statements. &#8220;If it weren&#8217;t for the police showing up I would be very dead&#8221;, Moise has posted on X. We assess this is another of her overt exaggerations.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-cluster-b-clique-just-got-famous?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/the-cluster-b-clique-just-got-famous?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><h3>The red hat trick</h3><div><hr></div><p>Mr. Laureano wore a red hat to the park with the words &#8220;MAKE COMMON SENSE GREAT AGAIN&#8221; printed on it. This hat is from the online merchandise shop of Brandi Kruse, host of the UnDivided podcast. </p><p>Mr. Laureano made sure to explain this connection to the police officer as he was giving a statement after the incident. </p><p>In fact, he managed to keep <em><strong>himself</strong></em> in frame <em><strong>the entire time</strong></em> without ever once capturing the face of any assailant. </p><p>We suggest that Laureano&#8217;s attention was on himself because his performance on camera was self-promotional.</p><p>The red hat appears to have worked as bait. An unnamed man allegedly took Mr. Laureano&#8217;s hat during the altercation. On the video, Laureano can be heard demanding the return of his hat.</p><p>Laureano&#8217;s video caught the attention of Brandi Kruse, which is what we assess he intended. She <a href="https://x.com/BrandiKruse/status/2070268884813545919">amplified the video</a>, incorrectly referring to Laureano and Moise as &#8220;well-known detransitioners&#8221;. </p><p>Police arrested one man at the scene. That man reportedly told police he had smoked methamphetamine two hours before the incident. He was taken to the King County Jail on assault charges, but the booking was declined. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg" width="624" height="410.18823529411765" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:447,&quot;width&quot;:680,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:624,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bXtd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe55c5697-1cca-4fbc-b46f-24928f812d89_680x447.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Moise did not advertise herself as a lesbian in the park, so we are not sure how the assailant was supposed to know she had protected characteristics</figcaption></figure></div><p>We might dismiss that as average policework in Seattle, a city where crime is basically legal at this point, if not for other discrepancies we discovered. We suspect the Seattle Police Department finds the whole affair as sketchy as we do.</p><p>We have what appears to be <a href="https://www.uscrimeradar.com/m/45933_1782438084_gnedvwlg?pd=0OGp79Ea&amp;lang=en_US&amp;s=i0&amp;_f=app_share&amp;send_time=1782441688&amp;gen_by=ios&amp;fp=article">the 911 dispatch audio</a>. &#8220;Apparently the victim here was in Cal Anderson taking pictures and videos from some sort of crime scene that happened in the park yesterday, right?&#8221; an officer explains at the 0:29.0 mark. &#8220;He was confronted by a group who demanded that he stop doing that.&#8221;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png" width="1200" height="661.8131868131868" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:false,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;large&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:803,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:1200,&quot;bytes&quot;:507767,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/i/203047954?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:&quot;center&quot;,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-large" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SoJc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F022a9cc7-8464-47bf-9b46-4c0a99895577_1564x863.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Screen capture of the Seattle Police Department 7-day reporting data website</figcaption></figure></div><p>According to public records from Seattle PD, an aggravated assault case was investigated at 9:32 PM and the report was taken at 12:00 AM in the area of a Felafelville around the corner from Cal Anderson Park. (The website only shows reports for the previous 7 days, so <a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/6ee2574e047d4cdb9cb5ad287b76d091/page/Crime-Data-(7-Days)">check it out now</a>).</p><h3>Evidence of prior planning, preparation, and instigation</h3><div><hr></div><p>Mr. Laureano has stated that the trio was &#8220;peacefully&#8221; vaping on a bench together while he recorded a selfie video. In his selfie video, Laureano asks the other two individuals about a lighter, presumably to share a joint, which is legal in Seattle. They do not discuss a crime scene from the previous day.</p><p>Contrary to Laureano&#8217;s version of events, third-party video shows that Moise was acting aggressively as they sat on a bench. &#8220;I&#8217;m from Detroit, bitches! You guys are from nothing!&#8221; Moise yelled. This was moments before the first scuffle. It was not included in Mr. Laureano&#8217;s self-recorded video that Kruse amplified. </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;7a5a2f81-11b6-47c7-b108-7b8484873cba&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Ms. Moise was belligerent when the alleged assault transpired, and then the trio did not disclose the full context of the assault. Furthermore, video from other people at the scene shows that <em><strong>Moise was the aggressor. </strong></em></p><p>We assess that this image below shows the trio just before the incident. Not only is Mr. Laureano wearing a red, &#8220;MAGA-style&#8221; hat, Ms. Moise is wearing an &#8220;OCCUPY MARS&#8221; shirt associated with Elon Musk. Ms. Boylan appears to be holding a sign or placard with Brian Griffin, the erudite dog from <em>Family Guy</em>. We understand that it had a message about LGB identities on it. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg" width="1080" height="901" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:901,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UIJ8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42469f22-6052-41cc-a53e-8963ddf99fed_1080x901.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The obvious implication is that the Cluster B Clique was trying to have an altercation with transgender people or supporters that they could record for social media clout. We assess that two of the three traveled to Seattle on the day of the incident intending to visit Cal Anderson Park together that evening.</p><p>Boylan lives in Wisconsin. Moise lives in Michigan. Only Mr. Laureano lives in the Seattle area. Sources close to Boylan tell <em>The Distance </em>that she left for Washington state on Wednesday morning. Before she left, Boylan told her partner of ten years that she was going to appear at &#8220;an event&#8221;. </p><p>Not a conference, or a gathering, but &#8220;an event&#8221;.</p><p>Ms. Moise announced her plans to travel to Seattle and visit Mr. Laureano a month ago. On Tuesday, 23 June, the day before flying to Seattle, Ms. Moise posted on X that she was planning on &#8220;Pissing off trans people&#8221;. We note that Moise posted about her intentions with an airplane emoji, indicating that she was flying somewhere to carry out this provocation.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg" width="484" height="696.0898876404494" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2048,&quot;width&quot;:1424,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:484,&quot;bytes&quot;:236131,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/i/203047954?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!wOUF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1456d7c7-7528-409c-92e2-cb64413c6c8b_1424x2048.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>&#8220;It was wild. My very first day in Seattle&#8221;, Moise posted on X after the incident. We submit this timing was not a coincidence. Ms. Moise wanted to use the balance of her time in Seattle amplifying her own version of the incident.</p><p>We further assess that Laureano and possibly Boylan carried firearms in an effort to control the situation they were creating. Mr. Laureano has frequently mentioned his habit of carrying a firearm in Seattle and he has posted images of his gun whenever he feels threatened by someone telling the truth about him online. We used one of those images in our very first reporting on the Cluster B Clique:</p><div><hr></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;839f5e9f-298e-4f03-8655-8f34d90379aa&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Arianna Laureano is a Seattle area man who allegedly turns 35 next month. While he describes himself as a homosexual transsexual (HSTS) in some forums, on various platforms like GroobyGirls, Shemalez, and TrannyDemonTV, Mr. Laureano identifies as bisexual and transgender instead.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Arianna Laureano And The 'Cluster B Clique' That Wants To Destroy Detransition Advocacy&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-26T12:02:46.481Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NMR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94cbcbf2-e779-4e12-8e6e-dc4c76418858_1254x776.jpeg&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/arianna-laureano-and-the-cluster&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:191233572,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:49,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div><hr></div><h3>Armed confrontation?</h3><div><hr></div><p>According to Mr. Laureano, the attack began with someone throwing water on him. This is reasonable, since there is a water feature close at hand.</p><p>In this video, however, we can clearly see that Ms. Moise escalated the physical altercation when she jumped off the bench to attack the long-haired individual in response to the water. Ms. Boylan responded only very slowly, whereas Mr. Laureano got up a few seconds later and stood by, watching. (The video jumps a bit because we have clipped it to keep the action continuously in-frame with this aspect ratio.)</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e287f71f-acf2-4e4d-9c37-34ce5fb36bc1&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Moments later, video shows Ms. Boylan choking the long-haired person from behind while they are grappling with Moise. In audio of this clip, someone, possibly Ms. Moise, is making a strange noise, a kind of &#8220;Wooo!&#8221; battle cry while this is happening. We assess that this video was likely recorded by the person in the orange shirt standing behind the bench.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;1a4a96b1-666e-4156-8e2c-ecce5aa07841&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>After Moise breaks contact with the long-haired person, someone, possibly Moise, seems to yell &#8220;She has a gun!&#8221;, perhaps in order to de-escalate through escalation. (<a href="https://x.com/Emily_Mckenzie/status/2070882420182634571?s=20">Credit to this person</a> for the slowed-down video clip). </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;8df746cb-902a-4cc6-afa8-61961cd1f81c&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>We assess from this next video that Ms. Moise continued to be the aggressor, and took a tumble face-first onto the concrete stairs in front of the Gatehouse. Moise&#8217;s eye injury may have taken place at this time. We have widened this video out from the version that was on social media in order to get a better view. Note that the man in the maroon pants, the one that Moise goes after and then misses, falling face-first, is the man who got arrested.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;ed19be14-781c-4504-9dab-b00c584fc024&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>While this scuffle is going on, Laureano is already taunting people. He does not seem to fear for his life. Also, note that Ms. Boylan appears to reach under her skirt in the video above. As explained below, we assess she may have been furtively reaching for a pistol in a thigh holster.</p><p>A gap exists in the video coverage, so that we are missing what happened between two different scuffles. After the first altercation seen above, the trio apparently moved around the Gatehouse, from the southeastern side to the western side, where Mr. Laureano was knocked down in a second scrum.</p><p>In this video, Ms. Moise is on her feet defending Laureano, who is shouting &#8220;Leave me alone!&#8221; Moise appears to engage in a kicking contest with the long-haired individual with whom Boylan was wrestling earlier.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;8025f883-8154-4e0c-9991-eea1c4b75c31&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Ms. Boylan was then recorded holding what appears to be a pistol. On X, Moise has claimed &#8220;That&#8217;s a phone&#8221; in Ms. Boylan&#8217;s hand, but it sure looks like a gun on the video. If true, she might have risked committing a gross misdemeanor, here, because she was in no immediate danger that we can see.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png" width="1273" height="908" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:908,&quot;width&quot;:1273,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:638779,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/i/203047954?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1n0M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1f36c1c5-4854-4815-bcd5-267ba966591b_1273x908.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption"><a href="https://x.com/windupgemma/status/2070441630063018283/">Source</a> - Still image of Boylan with the alleged gun. Moise has apparently returned to the bench and may be tending to her eye, here</figcaption></figure></div><p>We have slowed down this video clip to 1/4 speed. We observe Ms. Boylan reaching under her skirt for what appears to possibly be a handgun. The video is from a local LGBTQ+ activist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/throughthestatic_/?hl=en">Instagram channel</a>. We assess that if it was a gun, then her earlier furtive gesture, reaching under her skirt, was an act of armed indecision during the first scrum. </p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;a457cbfa-7d6c-482a-92aa-728d3e3e63b3&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Of course, we could be wrong, and Boylan was perhaps really holding a camera in this clip. However, while we are aware of commercial thigh holsters <a href="https://elegantandarmed.com/blogs/news/thigh-holsters-for-women-the-best-holster-for-skirts-and-dresses">for handguns</a>, they are unusual for cameras.</p><p>A witness reported seeing a magazine containing hollow point bullets. Mr. Laureano <a href="https://x.com/Transphobe01/status/2070552847788523633">has admitted</a> carrying such ammunition as well. We see nothing unusual about that in itself. Hollow point rounds are <a href="https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/hollow-points-or-full-metal-jacket-for-concealed-carry/">entirely normal</a> in concealed carry. (Ms. Boylan may have erred by forgetting how the &#8216;concealed&#8217; part works.)</p><p>The unusual part is that at least one, possibly two of these three people appear to have possibly brought guns to an event where they apparently intended to provoke, or at least risk, physical confrontations that they could record on camera for social media likes and shares. </p><p>According to the &#8220;community&#8221; in question, both Boylan and Moise were &#8220;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaDNumkx8nu/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">grabbing and pinning</a>&#8221; people, who then used pepper spray in response. All three complained of receiving defensive spray in the face. &#8220;I was maced [sic] by like 6 different trans identified males, beaten all over, kicked in the face multiple times, and was completely blinded by being maced [sic] so many times in a row&#8221;, Moise <a href="https://x.com/legaltweetz/status/2070242940258251029">posted on X</a>. </p><p>We have no doubt this experience was painful and humiliating. However, it does not amount to being &#8220;almost murdered&#8221;, as Ms. Moise has maintained since the incident.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg" width="750" height="175" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:175,&quot;width&quot;:750,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0Zdr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20b6dcea-c9b0-45f5-b8a7-6f1eb84d61ad_750x175.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>Embellishment and exaggeration</h3><div><hr></div><p>&#8220;They knew Ari,&#8221; Moise said later through her X account. &#8220;I jumped in front of him and that&#8217;s how it started.&#8221; From the available evidence, that does not appear to be true. Rather than report the facts like the lawyer she is supposed to be, Ms. Moise has speculated on what &#8220;almost fucking&#8221; happened.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg" width="523" height="498.418152350081" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1176,&quot;width&quot;:1234,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:523,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9iA5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad76609c-4afb-4916-92f7-fb981fd6f43b_1234x1176.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Ms. Moise posted a video of her black eye on TikTok. We assess that this injury far more likely resulted from a punch than a kick, and that it probably occurred during the initial brawl at the bench.</p><p>We have seen some speculation about the object in Moise&#8217;s hand here being a <a href="https://x.com/turnintoabat/status/2070633582419460134">makeup</a> brush, but that is incorrect. Mr. Laureano recorded Moise giving him an iPad stylus at the airport and she seems to be holding that object. We assess the injury to Moise&#8217;s eye was real enough.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png" width="614" height="531.0904458598726" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:679,&quot;width&quot;:785,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:614,&quot;bytes&quot;:611167,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/i/203047954?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!tEL6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2c28157e-5243-4b23-a659-e8e3bccc5165_785x679.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">The object in Moise&#8217;s fingers is an iPad stylus</figcaption></figure></div><p>Ms. Moise has already returned to the park with the other two individuals to <a href="https://x.com/StUziRoRo/status/2070996926724784174">shoot more video</a> because she clearly wants to make the most she can out of this. On social media, critics are asking why Moise went back to the park at all. Moise has answered by claiming that she had to walk through the park to get to the police station. We find this explanation unconvincing, as the park has streets on all sides.</p><p>Ms. Moise says she was &#8220;maced [sic] and beaten&#8221; and &#8220;hit in every way possible&#8221; during the altercations, though they did not last long enough for anyone to be truly creative in their assaults. She says her vape pen was stolen. </p><p>Also, she really, seriously wants people charged with attempted murder for it.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg" width="679" height="308" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:308,&quot;width&quot;:679,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Image&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Image" title="Image" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bJrG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6ce8f62-32ff-4511-90dd-c413e0eeeab6_679x308.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Under Washington state law as we understand it, a single kick or punch that results in a black eye is almost never enough by itself to establish intent to kill. Courts and prosecutors view such an act as evidence of intent to assault or injure, not to commit murder. </p><p>A black eye does not constitute a &#8220;substantial step&#8221; towards homicide, either. We are not attorneys, but Ms. Moise is one, so she will understand better than we do that her demand for an attempted murder charge is ridiculous.</p><p>We expect a professional prosecutor to turn her down, and we expect her to shout about it when that happens. Just like the false police report in Boston, Ms. Moise is not really pursuing justice, here. She is using a criminal reporting process to promote herself through social media. </p><p>She shares this character trait with Mr. Laureano, who also says his vape pen was taken along with his hat, glasses, iPhone, and selfie stick. He further reported the attempted theft of his own firearm during this &#8220;heinous attack&#8221; by &#8220;trans&#8221;, which left his knees hurting and tore the fabric of his pants. </p><p>Here are Laureano&#8217;s words. We have added emphasis:</p><blockquote><p>Last night, while peacefully recording video footage in a public space, we were subjected to a vicious, unprovoked physical assault by a group of masked Antifa agitators&#8230; One individual delivered a forceful kick directly to Hendrix&#8217;s face&#8230; Law enforcement personnel who responded&#8230; informed me that <em><strong>individuals perceived as critical of transgender ideology&#8230; are routinely targeted for severe violence in this area</strong></em>&#8230; Officers expanded by explaining there were cache&#8217;s of weapons hidden around the park. Officers explicitly warned that continued presence could lead to lethal retaliation. <em><strong>One officer expressed concern that they would be called one day to aide in the recovery of a deceased detransitioned gay man&#8217;s body from Cal Anderson Park.</strong></em></p></blockquote><p>This attempt to cast police as sympathetic with the detransition mission clashes with the King County Jail&#8217;s decision not to charge the suspect. </p><p>Further, it is quite odd for a police officer to express concern about such a specific scenario. A detransitioned gay man being murdered in a park that is famous for meth heads, antifa violence, and LGBTQ+ demonstrations does not sound like the thing police have in front of their minds.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png" width="668" height="284.88235294117646" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:319,&quot;width&quot;:748,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:668,&quot;bytes&quot;:39679,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/i/203047954?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BGR6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2d6b5288-8f41-43ee-9636-8bfd61e1eb4f_748x319.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Laureano has adopted the &#8220;attempted murder&#8221; narrative</figcaption></figure></div><p>We assess that Mr. Laureano, the one local member of the Cluster B trio, came up with this idea to provoke &#8216;trantifa&#8217; on video and convinced the other two individuals to take part in the scheme. At core, this was about becoming &#8216;famous detransitioners&#8217;, even though nobody wore a sign to let their assailants know this about themselves.</p><p>Here is the video that Brandi Kruse posted. We note that it is missing the seconds in which the altercation began. Watching just this video, one might think there was only one altercation instead of two. None of these videos show any of the three individuals saying the word &#8216;detransition&#8217; to anyone.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;377c8e97-2bac-430f-9757-90c34d687dd6&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>In our coverage, <em>The Distance</em> has exposed Boylan&#8217;s story of becoming a professional whistleblower as a wholesale fabrication. We have revealed her hidden motive for an untrue backstory in a massive unpaid child support bill. Ms. Boylan&#8217;s past attempts to disrupt detransition advocacy with Moise and Laureano discredit her as a detransition advocate. </p><p>Again, Arianna Laureano and Erica Moise have not undergone a medical detransition or altered their legal documents. A verbal declaration &#8212; &#8220;I am a detransitioner&#8221; &#8212; is the entirety of their commitment. Yet both of them simultaneously, and constantly, attack and undermine the detransition experiences of other people. </p><p>None of these three people is recognized by detransition advocacy organizations. <em><strong>In fact, all three of them have been rejected as unstable. </strong></em>That vetting has been vindicated. What they just did in Seattle was not detransition advocacy. They are not opposing medical transition. </p><p>They are promoting themselves at the expense of genuine detransition advocacy. Their disrepute should be their own to bear. We fear they are going to get someone seriously hurt.</p><h3>Legal threats from Erica Moise</h3><div><hr></div><p>In our previous coverage of the Cluster B Clique, we revealed that a Boston Police Department report they used to smear two detransitioners was flawed and incomplete from inception. Following the publication of our coverage, Moise made materially false public statements and legal threats against the editor of <em>The Distance</em>. It was a clear attempt to intimidate us from further reporting on her activities.</p><div class="twitter-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://x.com/OsborneInk/status/2057941462935822488&quot;,&quot;full_text&quot;:&quot;Erica, the law might give you 361 more days to play this LOLsuit game, but I will give you a cookie if you can complete a filing in the next 30 days and a glass of milk if it is free of defects. Fail and I will mock you endlessly. You misspelled my name again. Batting 1000 &quot;,&quot;username&quot;:&quot;OsborneInk&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;profile_image_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/profile_images/2022163503570989056/dZmBQ4ls_normal.jpg&quot;,&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-22T21:47:34.000Z&quot;,&quot;photos&quot;:[{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/media/HI9GahrWIAAklEm.png&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/6o1gARxUf9&quot;},{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/media/HI9Gc6uXsAAuGin.png&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/6o1gARxUf9&quot;},{&quot;img_url&quot;:&quot;https://pbs.substack.com/media/HI9GeyuWMAAtBd9.jpg&quot;,&quot;link_url&quot;:&quot;https://t.co/6o1gARxUf9&quot;}],&quot;quoted_tweet&quot;:{},&quot;reply_count&quot;:3,&quot;retweet_count&quot;:1,&quot;like_count&quot;:13,&quot;impression_count&quot;:987,&quot;expanded_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_url&quot;:null,&quot;video_preview_media_key&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true}" data-component-name="Twitter2ToDOM"></div><p>Ms. Moise falsely claimed that we had never reached out to her for comment in our stories on the Cluster B Clique. However, we have receipts of our attempts to reach her by email, as well as through a direct message on X. Moise blocked the account used to contact her after reading the message. She is quite simply not telling the truth about this matter. </p><p>We do not expect the promised lawsuit against <em>The Distance</em> to ever be filed. Moise has yet to even specify which of our claims about her are untrue. We stand by our reporting in its entirety. </p><p>Indeed, her latest crime report only deepens our suspicion that Erica Moise wants to make a habit of annoying police departments with false reports in order to amplify her public image as a crusader.</p><p>&#8220;Today I had to go back to the scene of the crime at Cal Anderson Park to give my official statement to the Seattle Police&#8221;, Moise posted <a href="https://x.com/legaltweetz/status/2071065079450308906?s=61">in a video</a> on her X account. &#8220;I will be pressing charges, and the King County Prosecutor&#8217;s Office has no idea how persistent I am.&#8221; </p><p>We are not holding our breath for a breakthrough in this investigation. Cal Anderson Park is famously part of the so-called CHOP/CHAZ zone, while Seattle is now known nationwide as a lawless city. We assess that the Cluster B Clique chose Cal Anderson Park as an anarchic location where their own actions would be unaccountable. </p><p>We assess that Erica Moise started the physical aggression. All three individuals experienced assault and pepper spraying. However, claims of &#8220;attempted murder&#8221; strain credulity past the breaking point. Moise was clearly spoiling for a fight, and found one.</p><p>We reached out to Ms. Boylan for comment and will update if she replies. We also reached out to Ms. Moise, who responded that her legal name is still &#8216;Hendrix&#8217; (because she has not detransitioned). &#8220;Go Fuck Yourself. Don&#8217;t ever contact me again unless it&#8217;s in response to litigation&#8221;, Moise replied.</p><p>Ms. Moise has had more than 30 days to carry out her risible threat of litigation against <em>The Distance</em>. We are not holding our breath waiting on her to follow through.</p><p>We will continue to monitor this story.</p><p><em>ADDING: As this story went to press, we learned that Arianna Laureano&#8217;s &#8220;</em>ApostateAri&#8221;<em> account had been suspended by X. His &#8220;</em>transphobe01<em>&#8221; account is still active.</em></p><p><em>UPDATE: New video has emerged that makes it very clear Erica &#8216;Hendrix&#8217; Moise was aggressive throughout the first scuffle during this incident. Mr. Laureano published this video to his Facebook, so it has not been altered by some third party.</em></p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;f222490b-0b66-4ccc-8903-f29c2d1b12ac&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p><em>Moise has posted a TikTok video with a week-old black eye. </em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jrhh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02364db3-df68-4b0c-ad32-28ce12624dcc_607x366.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" 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a serious crime by two detransitioners was a defective report from the outset.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;We Have The Cluster B Clique 'Police Report' And It is Not At All What They Claimed&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-20T20:01:26.679Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VHkk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e073206-97e5-46df-bc43-652fa8f612c1_1054x513.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/we-have-the-cluster-b-clique-police&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:198485174,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:17,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Member Of Zizians Transgender Vegan Death Cult Charged With Murder Of Her Parents]]></title><description><![CDATA[Michelle 'Jamie' Zajko did not act alone, prosecutor says]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/member-of-zizians-transgender-vegan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/member-of-zizians-transgender-vegan</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:04:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:819,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Michelle Zajko is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="Michelle Zajko is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026." title="Michelle Zajko is escorted into court for a pretrial hearing on trespassing, gun and drug charges in Cumberland, Md., Friday, Jan. 16, 2026." srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VOkQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef03313a-17f2-45fc-8e1b-f63238683476_2000x1125.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Michelle Zajko attends a competency hearing in February</figcaption></figure></div><p>Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse has charged Michelle &#8216;Jamie&#8217; Zajko in the New Years Eve murders of her mother and father, Rita and Richard Zajko. Both were shot to death in Michelle&#8217;s childhood bedroom.</p><p>Rouse says that the identity of Zajko&#8217;s co-conspirator has not been established yet. However, &#8220;we are very certain that Michelle Zajko was in the home and arranged for the death of her parents,&#8221; Rouse told a press conference.</p><p>After a years-long, exhaustive investigation, Rouse has been convinced by &#8220;phone analysis&#8221;. Out of habit, Zajko allegedly analyzed the &#8220;f**k-ups&#8221; the conspirators had committed during their crimes, leaving traces of the conspiracy Rouse can show a jury. </p><p>&#8220;This included not getting rid of the shell casings found at the scene. This included not getting rid of the ammunition that was later recovered from her Vermont home that matched &#8230; the shell casings found at the scene&#8221;, Rouse explained.  </p><p>The conspirators had failed to use a complex deception plan involving burner phones and fake text messages from a conspirator left behind at the scene. The evidence of a conspiracy was overwhelming. &#8220;We are finally at the point where we can say beyond any doubt that Michelle Zajko was at least in part responsible for the death of her parents.&#8221;</p><p>Rita and Richard Zajko were both shot in the head at close range, surrounded by Michelle&#8217;s childhood dolls and toys. A neighbor&#8217;s doorbell camera recorded two people arriving in a vehicle at the residence in Chester Heights, then voices shouting &#8220;Mom!&#8221; and &#8220;Oh my God! Oh, God, God!&#8221; </p><p>Zajko is already charged with providing the gun that her fellow cult member Theresa Youngblut used to kill a Border Patrol officer in a shootout on Inauguration Day in 2025. Another member of the group, Felix &#8216;Ophelia&#8217; Bauckholt, was killed in that shootout. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/member-of-zizians-transgender-vegan?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/member-of-zizians-transgender-vegan?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>According <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/victims-daughter-charged-unsolved-double-murder-rcna351534">to NBC News</a>, when Pennsylvania state troopers encountered Zajko ten days after the murders, she fled the scene, abandoning her vehicle and $40,000 stashed inside it. Troopers also encountered LaSota, who bizarrely played dead and escaped custody at the hospital hours later.</p><p>Zajko was finally arrested with Jack &#8216;Ziz&#8217; LaSota, the leader of the &#8216;Zizians&#8217; transgender vegan death cult, in February 2025. Both were initially charged with trespassing and weapons possession in Frostburg, Maryland. They have pleaded not guilty to all charges. </p><p>LaSota&#8217;s attorneys deny any such group as the &#8216;Zizians&#8217; exists. Zajko <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/24/us/zizians-group-michelle-zajko-charged-killings">has claimed</a> that she was arrested with LaSota to prevent the exoneration of Youngblut, who could face the death penalty. The Zizians do not want to be called &#8220;a cult&#8221;, but also insist there is a conspiracy against them as a group. </p><h3>Six homicides, one cult</h3><div><hr></div><p>&#8220;You, the public, are being lied to&#8221;, Zajko wrote in a 20-page handwritten &#8220;Open Letter to the World&#8221; that her attorney provided to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/zizians-border-patrol-shooting-jack-lasota-e268f640d94e11936c79832bc9d94bc0">Associated Press</a> in April 2026. &#8220;And while I don&#8217;t promise to answer all your questions, I think the truth about my friends and I will make a lot more sense than what you&#8217;ve been reading about in the papers.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;My friends and I are being described as like Satan&#8217;s lapdogs, the devil &amp; the Manson family all rolled into one,&#8221; she wrote, denying charges no one has levied against her. &#8220;These papers are flagrantly lying. For instance, there were no truck-fulls of guns, no machine gun, &amp; I didn&#8217;t murder my parents.&#8221;</p><p>Zajko denies any connection with Maximilian Snyder, who is charged with killing a witness against the group, their former landlord Curtis Lind, in California. Snyder had applied for a marriage license with Youngblut, who allegedly killed a Border Patrol officer in Vermont. </p><p>Zajko had been estranged from her family in the year before the murder of her parents. Her association with LaSota began in the Berkeley, California rationalist community. Breaking from that movement over the perceived doomsday of artificial intelligence, the Zizians tried living according to their libertarian ethos.</p><p><span>In 2017, he convinced some friends to help him buy the </span><em>Caleb</em><span>, a 94-foot tugboat, and sail her to the San Francisco Bay area. His plan was to live &#8216;anchor-out,&#8217; away from shore, rent-free, &#8220;escaping the burdens of society&#8221; while they </span><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/ziz-rationalist-killings-tugboat-20138991.php">pondered the saving of the planet</a> from the ravages of AI<span>. </span></p><div><hr></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;5c6285ad-c9b6-4a21-8441-2c8a869a9b09&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Jack Amadeus &#8216;Ziz&#8217; LaSota wanted to save the world, and he also hated paying rent, so he hatched a perfect plan. In 2017, he convinced some friends to help him buy the Caleb, a 94-foot tugboat, and sail her to the San Francisco Bay area. His plan was to live &#8216;anchor-out,&#8217; away from shore, rent-free, &#8220;escaping the burdens of society&#8221; while they&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;sm&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;All Aboard The Transgender Death Cult Tugboat, Destination Unknown&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2025-02-08T18:01:02.245Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AEpS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2ef8a463-e174-4fda-86a2-d1e3bea1b97a_1196x665.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/all-aboard-the-transgender-death&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:156631748,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:106,&quot;comment_count&quot;:1,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div><hr></div><p>San Mateo County Harbor District has already tried to sue LaSota, Danielson, and the other owners for as much as $100,000 in towing and cleaning fees for the abandoned tugboat. LaSota faked his own death in August 2022 by pretending to fall into San Francisco harbor.</p><p><span>When the </span><em>Caleb</em><span> had gotten too expensive, Danielson came up with the idea for &#8220;stealth RVs,&#8221; box trucks with solar panels on the roof, a tiny apartment inside, &#8220;plus extra items like a water-purification system, &#8216;yeast algae and bacteria bioreactors to create food&#8217; and &#8216;materials for aldehyde-stabilized cryopreservation.&#8217;&#8221; Group members allegedly walked around the storage lot nude.</span></p><p>Curtis Lind rented lot space to the Zizians to park their stealth RVs. When he evicted them for nonpayment, three members of the group allegedly ambushed and assaulted him with samurai swords. Lind was blinded in one eye and stabbed. </p><p>Using a pistol, Lind shot and killed Emir &#8216;Emma&#8217; Borhanian in self-defense. LaSota was found at the scene, supposedly dead. He was not arrested, as his involvement was not apparent at the time.</p><p>Lind also wounded Alexander &#8220;Somni Logencia&#8221; Leatham, who awaits trial for his role in Borhanian&#8217;s death. A second attack by Snyder, Youngblut&#8217;s prospective marriage partner, allegedly succeeded in killing Lind, who was set to testify against his attackers.</p><h3>Kill your family, save the planet</h3><div><hr></div><p>While veganism is not a violent dietary practice, an extreme diet was one of the control techniques Jack LaSota reportedly used as &#8216;Ziz&#8217;. He also used extreme sleep deprivation on the theory that a tired brain brought internal selves into creative conflict. The two techniques were reinforcing, as a malnourished brain is a vulnerable mind.</p><p>Through his blog, LaSota also taught his followers that transgender brains are especially gifted at hosting this conflict of the internal self. LaSota believed he was able to harness the dissonance for mental innovations that would save the world from AI. This is not a normal or usual belief among the trans-identified.</p><p>Furthermore, not everyone in the Zizians group identifies as transgender, though many do. Daniel Blank, who was arrested with LaSota and Zajko, does not seem to identify as transgender. The press refers to him with male pronouns. </p><p><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/zizians-parents-cult-20173477.php">Blank&#8217;s father</a> &#8220;noticed a change in his son when he visited that Thanksgiving [in 2022], recalling a rare disagreement during a shopping trip, when the father purchased non-vegan food.&#8221;</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;He was really looking down at me,&#8221; Alexander Blank said. &#8220;Not that he actually violently argued, but he said, &#8216;You shouldn&#8217;t do that, animals have the same rights as humans.&#8217;&#8221;</p></blockquote><p>The &#8216;cult&#8217; aspect in this story is Daniel Blank cutting off his family over veganism, not his private adoption of a vegan diet. Blank&#8217;s beliefs evidently led him to disapprove of his father&#8217;s morality and cut him off, behavior consistent with conversion to a cult. </p><p>In his &#8216;Sinceriously&#8217; blog, LaSota described &#8220;breaking up&#8221; with his family, which he denounced as a source of emotional and human attachments that were &#8220;not agentic&#8221;, conflicting with his desire for &#8220;strict consequentialist optimization&#8221;. The traditional, biological family was holding LaSota back from realizing his radical ideals.</p><p>Definitions are always contested in these stories. The media understandably wants to avoid sensationalizing the sensational, so headlines generally refer to the Zizians as &#8220;cult-like&#8221; rather than a cult. </p><p>The transgenderism in LaSota&#8217;s anti-family ideology also goes unexamined by press outlets. Helpfully, the Zizians are all different from one another, and the confusion makes it easier to dodge this implication.</p><h3>Pronoun rules</h3><div><hr></div><p>Blank and Zajko do not appear to have adopted a cross-sex identity, and the press consistently refers to them with correctly-sexed pronouns.</p><p>Tessa Berns, previously reported and even indicted as Suri Dao, was the third group member involved in the sword assault on Lind. Berns now identifies as &#8220;trans nonbinary&#8221; using they/them pronouns. The media landscape obliges her.</p><p>Maximilian Snyder, who allegedly murdered Curtis Lind, the sole witness to his own attempted murder in 2022, helpfully uses &#8220;any pronouns.&#8221; The media has defaulted to male ones.</p><p>Theresa &#8216;Milo&#8217; Youngblut, the woman arrested in the killing of Border Patrol Agent David Maland on Inauguration Day, is &#8220;she/her&#8221; in all press coverage despite having adopted a masculine name.</p><p>Borhanian, the man Lind killed in self-defense, and Bauckholt, the man killed in Vermont, both identified as transgender, and both have been awarded posthumous female pronouns by a compliant press. </p><p>Jack LaSota has grown large breasts, apparently due to hormones. Media outlets all use female pronouns for LaSota. </p><p>The upshot of all this confusion is that the role of transgender ideation gets minimized or ignored in most coverage of the story of the Zizians. Their coherence as a cult becomes questionable rather than clarified, so that the murders of Rita and Richard Zajko lose sense and meaning. </p><p>We need to talk about why these kids were not alright. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;3d926a5f-c862-4904-a8fa-2168cf3049c1&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;During February, we finally got to see the interrogation video of Julia Egler. She was interviewed wearing a Tyvek &#8216;paper suit&#8217; because her clothing had been taken for evidentiary analysis. Egler allegedly killed her mother and her mother&#8217;s boyfriend because she felt &#8220;misgendered&#8221;. No greater crime exists in the magical world of gender identity.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;How Does The Press Determine Which Pronouns To Use For A Transgender Killer? &quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. Recovering political scientist/internet opinionator. I will not recant my heresies. &quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F117a0bc0-f2dc-46a1-ab52-8dc4a1f5f564_288x288.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:100}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-14T17:00:50.261Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iI-N!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F94d39f8f-85b6-4ad2-8fd9-6c375e3f684f_1015x622.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/how-does-the-press-determine-which&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:188914566,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:30,&quot;comment_count&quot;:3,&quot;publication_id&quot;:945289,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Distance&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B4t1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F64862baf-c806-43c1-bedc-a9073218c8a9_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why British Politics Cannot Save British Children from Puberty Blockers]]></title><description><![CDATA[New government will oversee the Pathways trial]]></description><link>https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-british-politics-cannot-save</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-british-politics-cannot-save</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Osborne]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:01:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png" width="1007" height="675" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:675,&quot;width&quot;:1007,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1366803,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IE1v!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67cf8ff8-3537-4520-bf3b-3622e8ff1429_1007x675.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The United Kingdom is about to have a new prime minister. Andy Burnham is in the photo above. He is standing on stage with Sarah Wakefield, the Green Party candidate for the Makerfield by-election in Greater Manchester, along with a trash bin and a fox.</p><p>You may remember Wakefield for her recent viral moment when she <a href="https://www.osborneink.com/p/wages-are-low-and-the-rent-is-too">expressed surprise</a> that the laws of supply and demand apply to immigration and housing. Her corkscrewed face became famous. Wakefield <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2026/06/green-partys-manchester-mayoral-candidate-revealed">got 308 votes</a> in the actual election, about 0.7 percent of the final tally. </p><p>Burnham was the runaway winner. Now that Labour has forced out Keir Starmer, they seem ready to give Burnham a go at prime ministering. This bodes poorly for the stability of the office, but that seems to be the new normal in Britain.</p><p>Starmer was willing to say that a woman is an adult human female. He <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crldey0z00ro">welcomed</a> the April 2025 UK Supreme Court ruling clarifying that &#8220;woman&#8221; and &#8220;man&#8221; under the Equality Act refer to biological sex, even for those holding a Gender Recognition Certificate. </p><p>Burnham has made <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/05/22/keir-starmer-latest-andy-burnham-makerfield-election-labour/">similar statements</a> and he has walked back his earlier position on self-ID. There is <a href="https://unherd.com/newsroom/women-have-reasons-to-fear-a-burnham-premiership/">abiding distrust</a> on transgender issues, but a lurch back to the left is unnecessary now, for he has no left flank. Sarah Wakefield solved that problem for him. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-british-politics-cannot-save?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/p/why-british-politics-cannot-save?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p>Parliament did not waste the opportune moment of anarchy. With Starmer gone, and Burnham not yet in power, the Labour majority decided to allow an NHS puberty blocker study that should never have been proposed. Burnham did not want to spend political capital or take any risks, and now he will not have to.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png" width="550" height="652.8455284552846" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QqyX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09a2e4bd-9621-44dd-9ec8-4bc3fa73892d_738x876.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h3>Why this is happening</h3><div><hr></div><p>It is to the ultimate discredit of Dr. Hilary Cass that she even suggested a puberty blocker study should happen. </p><p>As important as the Cass Review has been in discrediting the manufactured consensus around gender medicalization in children, this poison pill was always written into her text. </p><p>&#8220;The evidence base underpinning medical and non-medical interventions in this clinical area must be improved&#8221;, Cass wrote in Recommendation 6. To that end, &#8220;a full programme of research be established.&#8221; We must do it for science.</p><blockquote><p>This should look at the characteristics, interventions and outcomes of every young person presenting to the NHS gender services. The puberty blocker trial should be part of a programme of research which also evaluates outcomes of psychosocial interventions and masculinising/feminising hormones. </p></blockquote><p>Dr. Cass is very concerned with &#8220;consent&#8221;, but no one under the age of 16 can legally consent to a medical experiment, while puberty blockers are most &#8216;useful&#8217; in children under 16. Parents will instead give this &#8220;consent&#8221; for kids as young as 11.</p><p>The study is unlikely to discover anything new, which is just one more <a href="https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2025/07/03/jme-2024-110613">ethical problem</a> in an objective risk-benefit analysis. From her public statements, Dr. Cass clearly believes that further testing is needed before we can be sure that blocking the human life-cycle is harmful to developing humans.</p><p>Recommendation 5, on the other hand, was supposed to supply <em><strong>existing</strong></em> data on puberty blockade. As part of the systematic review, Dr. Cass had requested &#8220;<span>a quantitative data linkage study&#8221; that would &#8220;fill some of the gaps in follow-up data for the approximately 9,000 young people who have been through GIDS&#8221;, the now-shuttered program at Tavistock. </span></p><p><span>&#8220;Despite efforts to encourage the participation of the NHS gender clinics, the necessary cooperation from GIDS and the NHS adult gender services had not been forthcoming.&#8221; </span></p><p><span>Now, </span>&#8220;NHS England &#8230; should direct the gender clinics to participate in the data linkage study within the lifetime of the current statutory instrument&#8221;, Dr. Cass recommended in 2024. </p><p>It has never happened. The NHS has yet to reveal the outcomes for thousands of children who have already had their adolescence delayed or blocked altogether before they do it with thousands more children. </p><p>NHS is ready and eager to start the new experiment, but they still have not shared the results of the previous experiment. That is to be expected, unfortunately.</p><h3>The gender quacks always hide the data</h3><div><hr></div><p>This is a disturbing pattern with pediatric sex rejection medicine. Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/science/puberty-blockers-olson-kennedy.html">buried study results</a> when they did not support the kind of risk assessment that she needed to continue blocking puberty in minor children. She is one of the pediatric gender clinicians now advocating for &#8220;embodiment goals&#8221; to replace terms like &#8216;medical necessity&#8217; in her industry. </p><p>WPATH, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, commissioned systematic reviews of their standards of care by Johns Hopkins University. When the results did not support WPATH practices, the organization buried the research. It was <a href="https://can-sg.org/2024/06/28/scandalous-suppression-of-research-on-transgender-health/">never published</a>. </p><p>This week, three Norwegian gender clinic researchers have been charged with <a href="https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/43REx9/tre-forskere-felt-for-vitenskapelig-uredelighet-i-forskning-paa-transpersoner">research misconduct</a> for two articles that the Integrity Committee wants withdrawn from publication, as well as two more articles declared &#8220;reprehensible&#8221; that are recommended for further action. </p><p>The researchers &#8220;have shown serious violations of recognized research ethics standards. The actions are grossly negligent.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;The whistleblowers are the Patient Organization for Gender Incongruence (PKI) and a statistics expert&#8221;, according to the committee report. If the &#8220;gender incongruent&#8221; fail to appreciate all this effort to commit scientific fraud on their behalf, that is because the side effects of this putative treatment for the supposed disease include lowered bone mineral density, reduced cognitive development, infertility, anorgasmia, weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. </p><p>The new experiment was paused in February, but approved in June. Now Labour has given it the green light. &#8220;PATHWAYS TRIAL is the first randomised controlled trial to explore the effects of puberty suppressing hormones among young people with gender incongruence&#8221;, reads the King&#8217;s College <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/pathways-trial">website</a>. </p><p>Children must be at least <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c892p2qdjjxo">11 years old</a> to have their puberty blocked to cure this deadly condition of &#8220;gender incongruence&#8221;. According to Parliament&#8217;s <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10596/">definition</a>, gender incongruence &#8220;occurs when a person&#8217;s gender identity markedly and persistently does not match their experienced gender and sex registered at birth.&#8221; </p><p>If not for NHS England&#8217;s longtime commitment to secrecy, we likely would already have evidence that Tavistock and the GIDS clinic did not achieve better results treating this so-called disease than Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, WPATH, or Norway&#8217;s National Treatment Service for Gender Incongruence for Children and Adolescents. </p><p>James Murray MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, reassured the House of Commons Monday night that NHS England is &#8220;committed to delivering the data linkage study.&#8221; The Cass Review was published in April 2024. Two years later, everyone is super duper double-dog committed to getting this one done, guys. </p><p>But the old data is too &#8220;limited&#8221; to be as useful as the new data, Murray insists. We need more data. Better data. We have to be absolutely sure the obvious harm is harmful before we stop harming children with it.</p><h3>The insane experiment proceeds</h3><div><hr></div><p>Tavistock GIDS patient data will reflect their scattershot approach, which varied by clinician. Dr. Cass found that the evidence base for puberty blockade is &#8220;remarkably weak&#8221;. We need more scientific results, goes the argument.</p><p>This argument came from Dr. Hilary Cass herself. There is no popular demand for the Pathways trial, not even inside the Labour Party. A survey by Whitestone Insight for Transgender Trend in December 2025 found that 63 percent of adults agree the trial <a href="https://www.transgendertrend.com/opinion-poll-stop-nhs-puberty-blocker-trial/">should be stopped</a>, while only 18 percent support the trial as planned. 59 percent of Labour supporters opposed the trial.</p><p>Andy Burnham will act as if he is powerless over Pathways because he probably is. Even if he wanted to stop the study, Burnham would find institutional resistance at NHS. Keir Starmer famously discovered that he could pull the levers of power and watch nothing happen. Burnham is not the man to fix that problem, either.</p><p>Hilary Cass oversaw the publication of an important, even historic document that ended the days of &#8216;no debate&#8217; in pediatric sex rejection medicine. Inchoate rage from some very-online voices on the &#8216;gender critical&#8217; side actually obscured this problem with the Cass Review right after it dropped. </p><p>Over time, Recommendation 6 and Pathways became a major focus of &#8216;gender critical&#8217; organizing in the UK. James Esses, Genspect, Sex Matters, Women&#8217;s Rights Network, LGB Alliance, Gay Men&#8217;s Network, Transgender Trend, and the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (CAN-SG) all tried to stop Pathways.</p><p>Dr. Cass now defends the Pathways trial as the only way to prevent uncontrolled private use of puberty blockers. No one is buying this &#8216;harm reduction&#8217; argument, however. &#8220;There is no safe option&#8221; for blockading puberty, Transgender Trend <a href="https://www.transgendertrend.com/pathways-trial-safety-concerns/">points out</a>. Harm is intrinsic to the experiment.</p><p>There was no guarantee that Pathways would happen, and there was time to stop it from happening, and there was an activist focus in time to stop it. The risks of the trial are clear while the proposed benefits are not. </p><p>Cass is ultimately the responsible medical figure, but Labour has chosen to let Pathways happen, inscribing politics on the bodies of children. They picked this perfect moment when no one has to be the face of political responsibility. What cowards.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thedistancemag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;fbef152d-d575-48e5-829e-af55e1757538&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Litigation filed this week promises to break the spell of protection that pediatric &#8216;gender medicine&#8217; has enjoyed in American discourse.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The Three Reasons Why The FTC Can Put WPATH On Trial For Fraud&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:1421192,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Matt Osborne&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Conflict historian, US Army SIGINT and signal veteran. 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