The Godless Spellchecker Podcast

This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) is joined by Katy Montgomerie (@KatyMontgomerie) and Debbie Hayton (@DebbieHayton). Katy is an LGBT and atheist activist and Debbie is a journalist and physics teacher. They are both are transgender women; however they have very different opinions on the major talking points related to gender and trans rights. 0:00 Intro 1:11 What is a woman? Is there an objective definition? Should we be invoking intersex people in this argument? 21:34 Is sex binary? 23:20 Is Katy male or female? 29:06 What rights would trans people lose if they identified as ‘gender non-confirming’ instead of the opposite sex?   31:47 Why does this conversation always focus on women? Are women justified to fear an encroachment on their rights? What are the safeguarding concerns? 37:27 Can you change your sex? 40:12 The problem of men talking about what it means to be female 41:02 Is it mostly men that have concerns with self-ID/trans issues? 43:34 The WDI declaration and use of women’s spaces. 50:52 India Willoughby, misgendering and the chilling effect on free speech. 1:02:53 Final questions to each other Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.    

This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss all the big topics. 0:00 Intro 0:16 The Weather…. 1:38 The Russian invasion of Ukraine 9:36 Jussie Smollett sentenced for hate crime hoax 16:28 Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas winning competitions 30:05 Maajid Nawaz continues down the conspiracy rabbit hole with Ukrainian ‘crisis actors’ tweet. 41:35 Ofsted downgrades school for too much of a focus on ‘social justice’. 44:59 The New York Times podcast series on the Islamist ‘trojan horse’ school controversy in the UK. 55:13 Ofcom banning Russia Today in the UK Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.

This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes Dr. Sohom Das (@Dr_S_Das). Sohom is a Consultant forensic psychiatrist. They talk about mental illness and ideology. 0:00 Intro 0:22 What does Sohom do? 1:30 What is schizophrenia? 3:07 Can people recover from schizophrenia? 4:08 The difference between psychologist and psychiatrist. 5:50 Psychiatry as a science and its dark past 8:17 Society’s attitudes to mental illness 11:25 Why pursue this type of career? 14:11 Religious ‘delusion’ and mental illness. 16:33 Mental illness and suicide bombing. 19:52 How does our understanding of mental illness inform concepts of ‘free will’? 25:42 Spice: Drug use and mental health 28:36 Cannabis and mental health issues. 36:04 The ‘insanity please’. 39:40 Personal safety when assessing patients 45:03 What is the notorious Broadmoor Hospital like? 46:46 Conspiracy theorists 49:28 Soham’s upcoming book ‘In Two Minds’. Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/ gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify. Order ‘In Two Minds’ book: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/dr-sohom-das/in-two-minds/9780751583786/ Dr Sohom Das’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPR1k3dnTWhSfezRnDHEJKg  

This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes Zara Kay (@ZaraKayk). Zara is an Australian, ex-Muslim human rights activist. In 2020, she was detained in her birth country of Tanzania for seemingly political reasons. 0:00 Intro 0:22 London Pride 2020 and a foiled terror attack. 2:31 Is it getting more difficult to have public conversations? 4:17 About Zara Kay and her relationship to Islam 8:24 When did Zara start questioning Islam? 13:22 Why speak out against Islam? 18:08 Has the modern feminist movement gone missing on the issue of Islamic patriarchy? 21:45 How does Zara view western progressives and ‘woke’ activists? 26:20 Why did Zara get arrested in Tanzania? 36:10 How long was Zara in Jail? What were the conditions like? 42:27 How did Zara get out of Tanzania? 43:19 Why were the Australian authorities so unhelpful? 45:31 Can Zara ever return to Tanzania? 46:22 What was the infighting amongst ex-Muslims all about? 55:21 About ‘Faithless Hijabi’. Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Faithless Hijabi Website: https://www.faithlesshijabi.org/     Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.

  This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss the big topics. 0:00 Intro 0:59 Reporting from the Covid related protests in London 5:22 Vaccines becoming part of the culture war 10:53 Alleged lockdown Tory drinks ‘parties’. 19:19 Harry Miller legal victory over ‘transphobic tweets’ and ‘non-crime hate incidents’. 25:37 The gender debate and the impact on free speech 32:18 Edward Colston statue toppling court verdict 43:34 Maajid Nawaz gets fired from LBC Radio 51:23 How can you tell if people are playing to their audience rather than being objective? 55:06 Handling a sudden increase in audience size 1:00:00 Angela Rayner playing the ‘working-class northerner’ card. 1:13:00 Texas synagogue hostage taker was from Blackburn, UK Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.  

This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens (@AMHitchens). Alexander is a Lecturer in terrorism at King's College London and the author of ‘Incitement: Anwar al-Awlaki's Western Jihad'. They discuss radicalisation, terrorism, and the influence of al-Awlaki on modern Islamic extremism. 0:00 Start 0:35 About Alexander 1:51 The approach and style choice when writing about Anwar Al-Awlaki 5:35 Who was Anwar Al-Awlaki? 11:09 Foreign policy versus religious ideology? 19:08 Is the doctrine of Islam a special case when it comes to extremism? 26:33 Should Islamist and Jihadi sermons remain on platforms such as YouTube? What role do digital platforms play in radicalisation? 34:27 The government response to the killing of UK politician David Amess at the hands of a suspected Jihadist. 39:39 Are counter-terror organisations better prepared than our politicians? 45:58 The public opposition to linking Islam with violent extremism 52:05 The ‘reactionary wave’: Similarities between salafi-Jihadists and white supremacists. Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.  

This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes James Esses (@JamesEsses). James was a trainee psychotherapist and children’s counsellor until he was expelled for publicly expressing his opinions on gender ideology and transitioning. James is now taking legal action against his former place of study on grounds of discrimination. 0:00 Start 0:17 About James and his background 1:41 What is Childline? 3:26 Where was James studying before being expelled? 4:41 When did James first start taking an interest in the issue of gender dysphoria? 6:59 What is ‘gender dysphoria’ 8:07 Gender dysphoria vs. social contagion 13:02 Parents with ‘trans babies’. 16:51 How do we separate the bigots from the genuine concerns? 20:25 James’s online petition to the UK government. 24:56 ‘Conversion therapy’ in the context of transgenderism 27:33 ‘Watchful waiting’: Do most people with gender dysphoria ‘desist’ if given time? 28:43 Getting expelled from his psychotherapy course. 30:59 Has academia been captured by gender ideology? 34:38 Taking legal action 38:02 Updates on the legal action 39:46 James’s relationship with his employer 41:26 Any precedents that provide hope for successful legal action? 43:47 Legal action as a last resort Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify. James’s article in Quillette: https://quillette.com/2021/03/11/replacing-one-kind-of-conversion-therapy-with-another/ Support James’s legal action: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/expelled-university-free-speech/

This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss the big topics. 0:00 Intro 0:24 Omicron and the NHS 4:17 Is it even possible to vaccinate the planet to a sufficient degree? 5:30 Jeremy Sleath wins unfair dismissal case after being fired for anti-Islam Facebook post 12:56 New Zealand Professor Garth Cooper faces disciplinary action for refusing to teach Māori creation myths in Science class. 16:47 The weird worship of Jacinda Ardern 17:41 Rod Liddle’s Durham university controversy and the cowardice of leaders in Academia 26:26 J.K.Rowling and Scotland to log rapes as committed by women if the male perpetrator identifies as a woman. 35:09 The erasure of the word ‘woman’. 40:25 Remembering Christopher Hitchens 45:05 Jussie Smollett found guilty of a hate crime hoax 52:09 Audience Question: Is the BBC downplaying religion in reporting on extremism? 53:36: Audience Question: Why do people love some animals but are ok with eating others? 57:16 Audience Question: Any Aslan contenders for the end of 2021? 01:00:11 Christmas plans 01:02:21 Christmas movie choices Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.  

This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes physics teacher and journalist Debbie Heyton (@DebbieHayton). Debbie transitioned in her 40s and talks about why she opposes the popular narrative on transgenderism and gender ideology. You can watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AAlJdE377t8 0:09 Start of interview 0:17 About Debbie Hayton 2:00 Debbie’s transition 4:43 Affirmation versus treatment. Is transitioning always the solution? 7:19 Are transgender rights the new gay rights struggle? 12:51 Why has defining sex become taboo? How do we define it? 18:17 LGBT & Stonewall: Should gay and trans issues be contained under the same umbrella? 24:26 Are Stonewall damaging the conversation on trans rights? 29:04 The diversity of thought within the transgender population. 30:38 What are your political leanings? 34:22 Misgendering and the importance of pronouns 40:24 Statistics on trans suicide and murder 46:35 Are trans people being presented as dangerous by default? 54:48 Is support for Self-ID a big problem for Labour’s election chances? Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify. Debbie’s writing can be found at www.debbiehayton.com  

This week on Taking The Myth, Stephen Knight (@GSpellchecker) and Iram Ramzan of sedaa.org (@Iram_Ramzan) discuss the big topics. 0:00 Intro 0:26 Food! 3:03 The attempted terrorist bombing at a Liverpool hospital 16:40 Plans to make vaccination compulsory for NHS staff in the UK 27:19 Jeremy Corbyn takes legal action against Conservative Councillor for a satirical Twitter image. 33:59 The Kyle Rittenhouse Trial and Verdict 50:12 Audience Questions 52:12 Stonewall and the changing tide on the gender ID debate 1:00:10 Ghostbusters Afterlife Review (no spoilers) & the 2016 reboot controversy 1:05:02 Iram talks about Ricky Gervais’s ‘Afterlife’. Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify.