What’s Current: SNP MSP Joan McAlpine defends Meghan Murphy invitation to speak on gender identity in Parliament

  • In response to Glasgow Councillor Rhiannon Spear’s opposition to Scottish National Party MSP Joan McAlpine’s inviting Meghan Murphy to speak about gender identity in Edinburgh Parliament, McAlpine stands behind the invitation, saying:

“Meghan Murphy is a socialist and feminist who is admired around the world for her bravery in speaking up for women. Parliament is a place which values freedom of speech and I am delighted that Meghan is coming to discuss the Canadian experience of allowing males to self-identify as women and access single sex spaces and services.”

  • Hundreds of female hockey stars say they will not play in any North American league next season as part of a boycott to pressure the NHL to establish a pro women’s league with viable financial and infrastructural resources.
  • Alabama lawmakers nearly unanimously pass a bill that suggests a near-complete ban on abortion, with no exceptions for rape and incest survivors. The “Human Life Protection Act” declares abortion services done at any point during a pregnancy a felony.
  • A report released by the Pentagon shows  an increase in sexual assault within all branches of the U.S. military. CNN reports:

“The report which surveyed both men and women from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines estimated that 20,500 members of those services experienced “unwanted sexual contact” in 2018, a significant increase from 14,900 when the military last conducted a similar survey in 2016.”

Meghan McCarty

Meghan McCarty is an undergraduate student and aspiring journalist living in the United States.