Sunday was Transgender Visibility Day. In talks with the team on how we were going to observe this day, we discussed first the landscape of hate and fear which pervades the media. Then we contemplated a spotlight on trans joy, an antidote to the hostility trans people unjustly face everyday. We realised we were talking in extremes: love, hate, joy, fear. What about trans mundanity?

Trans people are all around us, and they always have been. They're not villains, or superheroes (normally), but just plain old people like you and I.

Here's the message we landed on 🏳️⚧️💗

QUICK FIRE NEWS 🧨

😤 US state bans drag performers reading to children

👩❤️💋👩 Thai parliament passes same-sex marriage bill

😓 EU to crack down on unpaid internships

🤑 Number of billionaires is rising amid growing poverty

🤰 Pregnant woman wins workplace discrimination case

LET'S GET INTO IT 🤓

A law against hate crime is...controversial?

What's the law? Scotland have introduced a new hate crime law to further combat the "stirring up [of] hatred" relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex. These additions build on existing law against stirring up racial hatred, which has been in place across the UK since 1986.

So, what's the problem? Unfortunately, there are people who begrudge any protection of trans rights or safety - among them, gender-critical feminists. They contend that free speech is under attack, and fear their transphobic views will be targeted by this new legislation. J K Rowling, notorious anti-trans commentator, has challenged the police to arrest her for misgendering. Police Scotland have confirmed this does not amount to a crime.

In response to claims the bill impinges on free speech, Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown has been clear: the purpose is here to protect, not restrict, and there is a "very, very high threshold for criminality." Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf defends the new hate crime law as appropriate action against growing hatred in our society.

The impact of calling girls "cute"

New global study from the LEGO Group found that "pressure of perfection" and everyday vocab used to describe girls impedes creative aspirations.

Gendered descriptions Girls are described as: “sweet” “pretty” “cute” “beautiful” While boys are more often called: “brave” “cool” “genius” “innovative”

Why does it matter? LEGO conducted a global survey, studying children aged 5-12 years old across 36 countries. They found that girls as young as five were having their creative ambitions "stifled" by societal expectations. They reported a fear of failure and therefore were less likely to share their ideas, or develop them further. This reinforces sexist gender roles and perpetuates systemic inequalities.

What can we do? Call out and correct the bias. Focus less on critiquing the end product of creativity, and appreciate the process - progress over perfection. Reflect on your instinctual language with girls: instead of "cute" or "sweet", try "‘imaginative", "brave", "inspiring."

Men finding joy in wearing skirts 💗

Clothing is not gendered - or at least it shouldn't be. There is a false idea of "women's clothes" and "men's clothes," but to what purpose? It only serves to perpetuate a gender binary and stifle self-expression and creativity.

A bit about the history Crossdressing laws made it a criminal act for women to wear trousers. As children, boys and girls alike wore long gowns, and the graduation of boy to man was symbolised by trousers. When an early campaign called Bloomerism in the 1850s saw some working class women don a baggy, Turkish style of trousers underneath their skirts, they were seen as a threat to the distinction of sexes, harassed and ridiculed. Not until after WWII did we see a breakthrough in the normalisation of women's trousers, though widespread adoption came with the popularity of capri pants in the late 1950s.

And now? Now, it would seem absurd to question whether women should wear trousers. But the same cannot be said of men wearing skirts or dresses. Though it has become more commonplace today, at least in cities, the stigma still exists.

Read about four men's joyful experiences wearing a skirt.

THIS WEEK WE'RE LOVING ✨

🇫🇷 France slows fast fashion

📲 A community-driven app to identify accessible places

🛍️ A better experience for autistic shoppers