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Despite delays, multiple bids, and fierce local opposition, Falmouth-based leisure centre Ships & Castles has now closed its doors for the last time.

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LGBT persecution continues in the UK, as new figures show a steady rise in hate crimes

LGBT hate crimes have been steadily rising in the UK since 2011. 

LGBT charity Stonewall has warned of the negative effects these hate crimes can have on LGBT people’s mental health.

In 1967, the UK government officially decriminalized homosexuality, with the passing of the Sexual Offences Act. This Act set the age of consent much higher for gay people, and was more restrictive about where homosexuality was permitted. Age of consent equality was only attained in 2000. Same-sex marriage in the UK tailed much further behind, only becoming legalized in 2013. In 2004, under the Gender Recognition Act, transgender people were allowed to legally change their gender in the UK. Non-binary genders were only formally recognized in 2016. 

LGBT equality has made massive strides in the UK in recent decades, but this doesn’t mean that LGBT people don’t still face discrimination in their everyday lives. Hate crimes in the UK have been steadily increasing over the past decade. 

A survey by LGBT charity Stonewall found that 1 in 5 LGBT people had experienced a hate crime in the past 12 months. More alarmingly, 4 in 5 LGBT people who had experienced a hate crime said they did not report it to the police. In regards to sexual orientation, most of these incidents happened offline, with only 1 in 10 LGB people reporting online harassment or abuse. Trans people, however, face much more abuse online, with 1 in 4 reporting explicitly transphobic abuse online. 

Government statistics for LGBT hate crime in the UK show a disappointing rise in LGBT hate crimes. Since 2011, there has been a 645% increase in transgender hate crimes in the UK, and a 233% increase in sexual orientation hate crimes in the UK. 

These statistics, however, only account for the hate crimes that have been reported to the police. As the Stonewall study suggests, it is likely that the actual statistics for hate crimes in the UK are, sadly, much higher. 

Many attempts by the UK government to tackle ignorance and intolerance have been met with opposition. A 2019 initiative to teach primary age children about LGBT people and relationships was met with fierce resistance by the majority Islamic parent cohort. One Birmingham school, Anderton Park, even had to call the police after anti-LGBT protestors began throwing eggs at other parents and their children who were tying rainbow ribbons on the school gate in support of the lessons. 

Trans youth in the UK face discrimination by design in the UK, with new laws being introduced to make it harder to access healthcare. In 2020, the only youth Gender Identity Clinic stopped taking new referrals after a High Court ruling blocked trans people under 18 from being prescribed puberty blockers. TERF (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist) lobbyist groups such as Women's Place UK have put increasing pressure on the UK government to cut funding to already struggling and inadequate trans healthcare.

[lachlanwrites]

Practicing book cover mockups!

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UK Government Announces Plans To Stop Transgender Youth From Transitioning

On April 22nd, Liz Truss announced that the Government will review the Gender Recognition Act, a 2004 bill that allows transgender people in the UK to be legally recognised as their true gender. Liz Truss is currently the UK’s Minister for Women and Equalities, meaning that she has overall responsibility for policy on sexual orientation and transgender equality.

In an Independent article reporting on her announcement, she says “I believe very strongly that adults should have the freedom to lead their lives as they see fit, but I think it’s very important that while people are still developing their decision making capabilities that we protect them from making these irreversible decisions.”

Source: https://www.indy100.com/article/transgender-liz-truss-activists-lgbt-trans-gender-recognition-act-gra-9480326

Simply put, any reforms made by Liz Truss to the Gender Recognition Act will most likely eliminate or severely hinder young trans people’s abilities to transition. Currently in the UK, under 18s are allowed to undergo surgery with parental consent, however long waiting lists (up to 5 years for some NHS clinics) mean that realistically teens will not even have the opportunity to medically transition anyway. Factoring in a mandatory 2 year wait time, a review from a specialist panel and multiple therapy appointments, Truss’s recommendations come across as wholly unnecessary, and demonizes trans youth who may already be struggling with their identity.

Another deeply concerning aspect of Truss’s announcement is the mention that the reforms will ‘preserve the protection of single-sex spaces to which only women have access.’  

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lgbt-gender-government-liz-truss-transgender-rights-consultation-a9478901.html

While safe spaces for women are obviously vital, including these comments in an announcement about transgender rights is steeped in transmisogyny. It also echoes the debates around HB2, the controversial American bathroom bills that aimed to present trans people from using the bathroom of their true gender. This led to both trans and gender nonconforming cisgender people being insulted and harassed. Transgender people, and especially trans women, have faced harassment from transphobes, and especially TERF’s, who say that they do not belong in single-sex spaces. While this is often framed as an attempt to keep predatory men out of women’s spaces, conservatives are quick to jump on rare examples of this happening to demonize the entire transgender population.

UK based LGBT+ charity Stonewall have put out an announcement criticizing Truss’s recommendations, requesting to meet with the minister to clarify what the reforms to the Gender Recognition Act will mean for trans youth and transgender people across the UK. In a blog post on their website, Stonewall said that these reforms echoed the language of Section 28. This was the famously homophobic bill passed by Margaret Thatcher that stated authorities “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28

Truss has previously come under fire in 2018 for supporting Mumsnet, the conservative parenting forum known for a high number of TERF users. At the time, Mumsnet moderators faced accusations of allowing users to continually post hate speech, and calling for ‘a new Section 28 targeting trans people,’ as well as stirring conspiracy theories blaming transgender people for a mass shooting and comparing transgender rights activists and groups to paedophiles.

Source: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/04/23/cabinet-minister-liz-truss-backs-mumsnet-in-transgender-row-as-users-call-for-new-section-28/.

Truss praised the website for allowing ‘free speech’.

The official reforms to the Gender Recognition act will not be released until the summer. Until then, trans youth can continue to access proper healthcare and resources. A petition to stop the planned reforms has also been started on change.org

(https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-liz-truss-threatens-the-future-of-young-transgender-individuals-this-needs-to-be-stopped)

Currently, access to transgender healthcare in the UK is a slow and drawn out process, but overall attitudes are positive. These reforms may do irreparable damage to trans people in the UK, both overtly through removing access to healthcare and covertly, by indirectly promoting transphobic attitudes and allowing transphobic rhetoric to exist in official legislature. Hopefully these changes will not be as severe as anticipated and trans youth in the UK will still be able to access resources they desperately need

[lachlanwrites]

Black market hormones: How red tape is forcing a trans generation to self-medicate

 HORMONE THERAPY: Treatment for trans people in the UK is woefully inadequate, forcing many to consider risky alternatives

Lachlan Mykura reports on the difficulties of treatment for transgender people, documenting his own experiences and the bureaucracy surrounding them.

Transgender issues have long been a source of controversy and debate. In recent years, these issues have come under the spotlight. Younger generations are more able to explore their gender, and the concept of a strict binary is being slowly replaced with a far more fluid and flexible umbrella.

Not everyone who is transgender will transition medically, but for those who do it can be an arduous process bogged down by bureaucracy. While it is important to note that those who choose not to transition, or have no desire to transition, are valid, this article will specifically focus on the people that do.

I am Lachlan Mykura, and I am FTM - female to male transgender. My transition has been marked by wait times, delays, gatekeeping and uncertainty, so I did what a growing number of transgender people are doing. I decided to start taking hormones without a prescription.

To understand why I, and many other trans people do this, we need to look at the system and its failures. There are currently seven NHS gender identity clinics (GIC’s) in the UK, with plans for three more in Manchester, London and Merseyside. In 2015 there were 1,408 referrals to these clinics. In 2020 there were 2,728. With only seven clinics for thousands of referrals, wait times for NHS GIC’s have skyrocketed, and many clinics no longer publish their times, estimated to be years. Indeed, many of them seem to have completely ground to a halt.

One such clinic, The Laurels in Exeter, has 2,592 people currently on its waiting list, and yet saw only 2 people in 2020. One patient has been on the list for nearly 6 years, 17 times the NHS legal guideline of 18 weeks.

Many GP’s are uneducated or unused to trans issues, and don’t know the proper procedures for referring patients on to a GIC. I found this myself when I was beginning to consider medical transition, with one GP outright telling me they didn’t know how to help me.

Nearly a year later I managed to get a referral, and my waiting game began.

These wait times add to an already time sensitive process. Transgender people under 18 cannot go to most GIC’s. Tavistock is currently the only GIC that will see underage patients, and even getting to this clinic before you become 18 is a struggle.

Although transition can be successful at any age, the younger you start medical transition, the better the results are likely to be, especially for male to female (MTF) patients. By the time you can start hormones on the NHS, you will likely have gone through puberty entirely, and will have the sex characteristics of your assigned gender at birth (AGAB).

The NHS is a clumsy beast when it comes to gender care, and with the rapidly rising number of referrals, it may fall even further behind.

The NHS is also not currently very supportive of non-binary people looking to transition. A diagnosis of gender dysphoria is necessary to start hormones, and while the NHS has become more accepting of non-binary identities in recent years, some non-binary people may struggle to meet the criteria.

If you don’t want to wait for NHS treatment then there is the option for private treatment. In the UK this comes in the form of two providers, Gendercare and GenderGP.

Gendercare is a private network of doctors, and is staffed by some of the most experienced gender specialists in the UK. Unfortunately, this means it also has a price tag to match. Each of the doctors working at Gendercare set their own prices, but most tend to be around £300 for an initial appointment, and then £150 for follow ups, which are necessary to start on hormones.

GenderGP is a cheaper alternative, although the quality of treatment they offer is arguably worse. They are a telemedicine service, working on a system of ‘informed consent’. This means that during their consultations, they will tell you about any possible risks and effects of the treatment, but the end choice to start hormones is down to you. They don’t require any formal diagnoses. On paper, this sounds like an excellent choice, and I originally decided to go with them, paying my £65 initial appointment fee and talking to one of their psychologists.

However, GenderGP is not the most reputable service. Doctors Helen and Mike Webberly, the couple who started the service, have both been struck off by the GMC for providing hormones and puberty blockers to those under 18. This gave me cause for concern, but having seen firsthand the politicization of trans treatments, especially for those under 18, I thought that this wasn’t enough for me to stop using their services. The nail in the coffin for GenderGP came in October 2020, when their pharmacy, ClearChemist, said that they would no longer be working with GenderGP. This put GenderGP’s ability to prescribe hormones in jeopardy. Even though their services were cheaper, faster and accessible online, I didn’t know if they could fulfil what they promised. I decided to switch to Gendercare instead.

“The NHS is a clumsy beast when it comes to gender”

TESTOGEL: One of the forms of hormone treatment available to FTM transgender people.

I contacted two of the doctors working for Gendercare, who I thought would have the shortest wait times. One of them said that he could not accept me as a patient, and the other said that he could offer me an initial appointment in January 2021. Progress.

This January appointment would be followed up by another appointment or two with one of Gendercare’s endocrinologists. I would have paid around £1000 without even being sure I could get a prescription. As a student, I had more important things to spend money on, like instant ramen and rent.

I was sitting with friends one evening and the topic came onto hormones. I was lamenting the trials and tribulations of transgender treatment in the UK when one of the friends I was with, another trans man, piped up “I could give you my spare bottle.”

 Bingo.

 I thought about the prospect for a while, I knew people who took testosterone without a prescription and their transitions were going well. However, I was really nervous about it, I had no way of knowing my hormone levels, I wouldn’t have a consistent supply and, well, it just wasn’t a very good idea.

I did it anyway.

A few weeks of soul searching later I realised that I had known I was trans since I was a young teenager. I had been sitting on these feelings, hoping they would ‘go away’ or second guessing myself as to whether or not I was ‘really trans. But they hadn’t. They had stuck like toilet paper on a shoe throughout my teenage years and into my twenties. My excuses of waiting until I was an adult had no weight, after all, I was an adult now. Years of waiting, doctors appointments, and questioning and now here I was, being offered hormones on a silver platter over a glass of wine. I had to take it.

I contacted two of the doctors working for Gendercare, who I thought would have the shortest wait times. One of them said that he could not accept me as a patient, and the other said that he could offer me an initial appointment in January 2021. Progress.

This January appointment would be followed up by another appointment or two with one of Gendercare’s endocrinologists. I would have paid around £1000 without even being sure I could get a prescription. As a student, I had more important things to spend this money on, like instant ramen and rent.

I had no way of knowing my hormone levels, I wouldn’t have a consistent supply and, well, it just wasn’t a very good idea. I did it anyway.

Gel is, in my opinion, the easiest and best way to take testosterone, the other popular one being injection. Gel is a daily application which means that your hormone levels don’t suffer from the same rises and falls that weekly injection causes. However, with these smaller doses comes slower changes, on average.

I wasn’t too worried about this, since I didn’t really want incredibly quick changes when I had no access to a specialist to help monitor my levels. Injections are also cheaper than gel, but I didn’t need to worry about that, after all, I was getting mine for free. Besides, even if I didn’t hate needles, I wasn’t about to go injecting myself with drugs unless a doctor had told me to.

In order for trans men to do their injections, they need to be shown how to by a nurse, generally at their first appointment. If done wrong, injecting testosterone can cause pain, swelling, and infection.

The gel I use is called Testogel. Testogel dosage is measured by pumps, the bottle is designed so that each pump will give the exact same amount of gel. I started on one pump, since I wanted to stretch out the amount of gel I had for as long as I could. I didn’t know if I would be able to get another one on time, and I was fully aware that I was relying only on the generosity of my friend.

The changes have, as expected, come rather slowly. I have been on testosterone for around a month and a half now, and, unfortunately, I’m no closer to resembling Chris Hemsworth or Zac Effron than I was when I started. All in good time. What I have noticed is that my voice has dropped, and I’m plagued by embarrassing voice cracks at the worst of times. Every man has to go through them at some point and I’m no exception. God help me when I get stuck trying to grow a beard.

None of my fears about making a mistake have come to pass. I have been happy with all the changes, which is not something I could ever say about going through my first puberty.

The reasons that people choose to self-prescribe hormones are vast, not least because of the cost and time that goes into getting a prescription legally. The reasons, however, run much deeper than just personal cost.

Transgender treatment is a subject of fierce debate worldwide, and the UK is no exception. Recently, a lawsuit was brought against the Tavistock GIC by a woman who started taking puberty blockers when she was a teenager, and then detransitioned at 23. She believes that the NHS did not take enough precautions before prescribing her puberty blockers - which are fully reversible.

As a result of this, under 16’s in the UK may now no longer be able to give informed consent to start taking puberty blockers before they start on hormones at 18. While people who detransition are facing a very difficult time in their lives and deserve support, the backlash falls on actual trans people.

TERF groups (trans exclusionary radical feminists) see these detransitoners as martyrs who have been brainwashed and victimized by ‘the trans cult’. As a result, actual trans people face not only increased waiting times and inaccessible appointments but also increased media scrutiny and online vitriol.

Trans issues are in the limelight. Recently, Elliot Paige, who plays Vanya in The Umbrella Academy, came out as FTM, becoming one of the most high-profile celebrities to come out transmasculine. Trans men are often left out of public conversation, as trans women are more often the focus of transphobic tabloid media and TERF rhetoric. With more and more people coming out, either as transgender, or in support of transgender rights, trans treatment should hopefully become more and more accessible.

Written December 2020 By Lachlan Mykura

[lachlanwrites]

The Tall Ships Race

The Tall Ships Race is an annual long haul race covering 1900 nautical miles. It consists of four classes of ships, A though D. A class ships are the largest, all over 40 feet and all square rigged, such as brigs. These will be the most imposing ships on the water for any tourists and sightseers at the event. B class ships are traditionally rigged vessels less than 40 meters, such as schooners. C and D class ships are modern rigged vessels less than 40 meters long. 

With so many ships on the water, there will be something for everyone, and it is important to recognize the history of not only the vessels taking part, but of the race itself. Started in 1956, the race aimed to revitalize the culture of sailing vessels after World War II. 

This year, Falmouth will be hosting the Tall Ship Race, from the 17th to the 19th of August, before the fleet begins the first leg of the race. All participating ships will be moored in Carrick Roads harbour so the public can admire them. Sadly, people will not be permitted to go aboard the ships this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, visitors will be able to enjoy various events in and around the area, including daily boat trips into the harbour for a closer view of the ships. This will be the 6th time that Falmouth has hosted the race, with the first time being in 1966. 

Sail Training International, which runs the Tall Ships Race, is supported by a number of local charities that aim to boost involvement, especially among young people. I talked to Rosamund, a volunteer for one of these charities known as The Rona Sailing Project. 

The Project runs all along the south coast of England, and caters primarily to two groups. The first, of 14-16 year olds, runs small local voyages to introduce people to the ships. The second group, 16-25, does longer voyages, going to countries such as France on 6-day expeditions.  

Rosamund explained that the goal of these groups is to not only introduce young people to sailing, but also encourage them to meet and work with new people. Although pairs are accepted, larger groups are generally discouraged. This way, Rosamund explained, people are more likely to interact with each other rather than staying to pre-formed cliques. Teamwork is essential on these voyages, and The Rona Project wants people to get as far out of their comfort zone as possible. 

At the end of each of the voyages, awards are handed out. These awards are given to people who gave it their all, rather than being merit based. No matter how much you actually contributed, as long as you’re bringing your best you can get an award, Rosamund explains. 

Anyone who receives one of these awards is then invited to come on the next Tall Ships Race. This means that someone who has had as little as 6 days on a boat previously could be eligible to sail on a trans-atlantic voyage. They may also be invited back to become afterguards for the project. The afterguard are mentors and crew that help keep the ship running smoothly. 

As well as Sail Training voyages, The Project also runs experiences for school and youth groups, and run therapeutic voyages for the disabled or vulnerable. Although participants in these voyages may not necessarily go on to join a Tall Ships Race, these more relaxed experiences can be incredibly helpful as a therapy tool. The Rona Project works with both physically and mentally disabled clients, as well as those suffering from PTSD or substance abuse issues. 

Rosamund began her journey on the Tall Ships races through The Rona Sailing Project, and won one of the awards to come back to do the Race. She signed up to do the girls leg of a trans-atlantic voyage, from Tenerife to Bermuda. Midway through the voyage they hit an area of high pressure, and many of the larger boats had to turn back or risk becoming becalmed. Nonetheless, Rosamund said that it was one of the best experiences of her life, and she even had her 17th birthday on the ship. 

“One of the things that the Tall Ships Race does really well is parties and parades.” She said

“You get to meet loads of different people from all over the world. Some of the really big Navy training ships do it, really big square riggers full of, like, Russian Navy cadets. Just people with different experiences and so many different backgrounds, it’s great.” 

[lachlanwrites]

Mask mandates and autism - a match made in hell?

On the 24th of July 2020, the UK government announced that face coverings would now be mandatory in all enclosed spaces such as shops and on public transport. 

Police were also given new powers to hand out fines of up to £100 for anyone not complying. These measures aimed to stop the rapid rise of Coronavirus cases in the UK, and protect societies most vulnerable from the disease. 

But what about the people who couldn’t comply? The National Autistic Society estimates there to be around 700,000 autistic adults in the UK. Many autistic people face complex sensory challenges that neurotypical people do not. 

One challenge autistic people face is something called sensory overload. Most autistic people will have had some experience of this in their life, although neurotypical people can also experience it. 

This occurs when you receive more stimuli than your brain can process, for example too many people talking at once, or bright lights and music at a party. As a result, your brain enters a kind of panic mode, and temporarily ‘shuts down.’ This can cause extreme anxiety, discomfort, irritability, and elevated levels of sensitivity to textures. For many autistic people, the sensation of a mask on their face can trigger this sensory overload. 

Many autistic people have struggled with the mask mandates as a result of this and, unfortunately, it can stop them from going out to places that they normally would be able to go. They face a catch-22 situation where, if they go out without a mask they risk being denied service, or abused, but if they do wear one they risk triggering sensory overload. Mask exemptions for things such as autism are allowed, however in the current political climate many people may not be understanding of an individual's exemption. This recognition is, and has been, a problem for people with invisible disabilities since long before the spread of Coronavirus. 

A scheme has been introduced by Hidden Disabilities to help people recognize someone with a hidden disability. The Sunflower symbol was launched in 2016 in partnership with London Gatwick Airport, and aims to recognize people with a disability that may not be immediately obvious. By wearing a sunflower lanyard, people can show that they might require extra support, and that they have a disability. 

Originally, the scheme was aimed at airports, however it has grown in popularity and is now recognized by businesses across the UK. As masks become mandatory, this scheme is an excellent way for anyone with an exemption, such as autistic people, to show that they have a right not to wear a mask. 

Unfortunately, the Sunflower scheme is not 100% effective in stopping autistic people from facing discrimination. 

Many ‘anti-maskers’ have taken advantage of these accommodations for disabled people in order to refuse to wear a mask without a proper exemption. As these groups become more aggressive in their tactics, the backlash often falls on the most vulnerable. One autistic man, Corey Wood, described his experience of trying to board a bus without a mask to the Metro newspaper.

“My explanations were refused, despite me showing my autism card and my disabled concessionary travel pass, and I was sternly told by the bus driver that I needed to wear a face mask - no matter what. This was upsetting because I didn’t want to cause any arguments.”

This case highlights the unfortunate reality that even when given proper evidence for a legal exemption, many people will not accept someone who cannot wear a mask. Another reason why many autistic people may find it difficult to wear a mask is the difficulties it causes when communicating. Many autistic people with some form of auditory processing difficulties rely on lip reading as someone speaks in order not to miss anything. With these mask mandates, autistic people may find it very challenging to properly communicate with other people, which can cause unnecessary stress, anxiety and miscommunications. 

So then what can be done to ensure that people with disabilities aren’t treated unfairly? With a vaccine for Coronavirus on the horizon, hopefully masks will soon become a thing of the past. 

However, ableism (discrimination against disabled people) runs far deeper than just a mask. Autism acceptance in the UK has a long way to go, but a good start is to be more understanding of other people’s sensory needs. 

Some cinemas, for example, have introduced autism friendly screenings, where the lights are kept on and the volume is turned down. In 2018, supermarket chain Morrisons introduced an ‘autism friendly hour’ between 9am and 10am, where the lights will be dimmed, music will be stopped and they will avoid the use of the tannoy. 

Outside of these corporate measures, autism acceptance starts with people. Educating yourself on the different needs of autistic friends, family and acquaintances goes a long way towards stopping discrimination against autistic people. Masks are only symbolic of the wider issues that autistic people face in society, but with time these prejudices can hopefully be eliminated entirely.

[lachlanwrites]

Is Newquay Airport still viable?

Newquay Airport in Cornwall has been hit hard by Coronavirus. 

It has been closed during the current lockdown but is expected to reopen on 7th December 2020, with flights to Teesside, Manchester and Leeds-Bradford. With the collapse of Flybe, their main service provider, the small airport has been looking for ways to remain viable. Bolstered by government grants, they are holding on as a vital connection to the rest of the U.K, and a boon to the Cornish economy. 

Simon Calder, senior travel editor for The Independent, believes Newquay Airport can survive the current crisis.

“Even in normal times, small regional airports…are typically loss making, but their wider economic value means that local and national governments tends to provide financial support in order to derive the economic and social benefits that an airport confers.”

Newquay Airport generates £60 million a year for the Cornish economy, but relies heavily on government funding to be viable. Currently, the government has earmarked a £5.6 million loan to help Newquay recover from the effects of Coronavirus. 

“A general rule of thumb is that an airport needs 1 million passengers a year to be viable. Even in the good times Newquay was well short of that”

Newquay handled 461,578 passengers in 2019, less than half of what they would need to be financially viable. In October 2020, Cornwall council  Finance Chief, Tracie Langley said , it ‘was not a viable company.’ Government spending cuts across the board puts these types of airports, reliant on grants and loans, in the crosshairs for closure. 

Calder disagrees.

“The concern must be that once recession hits and public spending is tightened, some UK airport closures will begin. Newquay’s location and absence of any nearby competition, though, makes it a prime candidate for survival.”

The collapse of Flybe in March 2020 meant that Newquay lost many of its passenger routes. This collapse came at a time when lockdown restrictions were beginning to tighten significantly, and dealt a big blow to the airport. However, Calder explained that Newquay could still easily bounce back.

“Viable routes are already being picked up by other airlines, and over time they will settle towards some kind of equilibrium that wont look too different to the Flybe Newquay network.”

Tim Jeans, Chairman of Cornwall Airport Ltd, said the Flybe collapse would have long term consequences.

“I do think the effects of the Flybe collapse will be felt for some years to come. Flybe operated routes such as Newquay – Birmingham, feeding around 20% of passengers onto their own network of domestic and European flights from Birmingham. Routes like this are very unlikely to reappear.” 

But Jeans was optimistic about Newquay’s viability, on the condition that the government could provide the support that they have promised to the aviation sector. 

“The government has sat back and watched the U.K’s connectivity with the rest of the world, and the employment that flows from air transport, almost disappear.”

“There are two measures that the government could, and should, take. The first would be an end to the double charging of APD (Air Passenger Duty) on domestic travel. At present, the government collects…a tax rate equivalent to 30% or more on some flights. Second would be the awarding of PSO status on around a dozen U.K domestic routes such as Newquay – Manchester or Norwich – Exeter. These services would not only keep important links open, but effectively subsidize airlines and airports in a targeted way without a heavy burden on the Exchequer.”

With Newquay Airport’s limited reopening in December, Cornish passengers will at least have some flights available before Christmas. Airport staff are also optimistic that the new vaccination programme in 2021 will encourage more air travel and more options for growth at Newquay airport in the coming year.

[lachlanwrites]

The delay in endometriosis treatment is unacceptable. Why are women in the UK still suffering in silence?

On Christmas Day in 2012, I got my first period. At age 12, I didn’t realise that this would be the start of a five year struggle to get a diagnosis of endometriosis. Endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb is found elsewhere in the body can cause excruciating period pain, infertility, back pain and vomiting. For some sufferers, it can also cause depression. 

In my case, it meant that for four to seven days every month, I was often unable to get out of bed, unable to focus on work and unable to talk to friends and family. On some occasions I passed out. 

It took me nearly 2 years to realise that the level of pain I was feeling wasn’t normal. At age 14, I paid my first visit to the GP. The appointment took all of five minutes. The doctor poked my stomach and, since he could not feel any lumps, told me to keep taking painkillers, and to come back if it got worse. At this point I was taking well over the recommended daily limit of painkillers to simply be able to go about my day. But I was young. I had a blind faith in my GP to find out if something was wrong, and I didn’t have the medical knowledge to request a referral to a gynecologist instead. 

This dismissal of women's pain is not unique to my experience. In fact, it reflects an alarming trend in the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis in the UK. In the UK, on average, it takes around 7.5 years and 5 GP visits to get a formal diagnosis of endometriosis. These statistics come despite the fact that endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women in the UK. 

Diagnosis times for endometriosis are globally dismal. A 2019 article by Agarwal et al. estimated that while 4 million women in the US are currently diagnosed with endometriosis, 6 in 10 cases are not. There was also a wait time of between 4 to 11 years for a diagnosis. Endometriosis is a debilitating condition for a large number of women. So why is nothing being done about it? 

Historically, women have been sidelined in medical research. The associate professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago noted that researchers prefer single-sex animal testing groups, as “it reduces variability and makes it easier to detect the effect that you’re studying. The downside is that if there is a difference between male and female, you’re not going to know about it.” This scientific laziness extends to human trials as well. It was only in 1993 that the F.D.A lifted a ban on women in drug trials.

As a result of the lack of testing on women, knowledge on conditions only affecting women is scarce. Female pain is not taken as seriously as male pain. Historically it was dismissed as ‘hysteria’. Now this bias is shown in our pain relief, with women being prescribed sedatives and men being prescribed painkillers. It is shown in our A&E waiting times, where men wait an average of 49 minutes and women wait 65 to be seen. Endometriosis is no exception to this. 

Another hurdle that women face in getting their diagnosis is the attitude of GP’s. Half of women need to visit their GP 10 times before their diagnosis. Some were even told that it was ‘all in their head.’ 

GP’s, often the first trusted source for women experiencing pain, are letting their patients down tremendously. A nationwide lack of sympathy and specialist medical knowledge delays women from being referred to gynaecologists who could help them manage their pain. 

This lack of knowledge is not unique to medical professionals, however.  A study by Endometriosis UK, for Endometriosis Awareness Month, found that 33% of women and 74% of men were not aware of the condition. 

 In order to improve these waiting times and ensure that all women are getting the care they deserve, we need to increase overall awareness of the condition, and learn to recognise what the symptoms are. In my case, I believed for many years that my pain was a normal level that everyone else dealt with, and that I was simply being weak. 

Once women have managed to obtain a diagnosis, they are then told that “there is no cure for endometriosis, and it can be difficult to treat.” Apart from painkillers, many common treatments used for endometriosis are hormone based treatments, such as birth control, and surgery.  For many women birth control is unsuitable, as it can come with side effects like nausea, weight gain and headaches.

A 2016 study by Skovlund et al. also found links between hormonal birth control and depression. For those who can’t take hormonal birth control, and find that over-the-counter pain medication is not enough to manage their symptoms, surgery is another option. A laparoscopy is often done to diagnose endometriosis when an ultrasound scan cannot detect tissue. If necessary, this is followed by a minimally invasive laparoscopy to remove excess lining of the womb. In severe cases, a hysterectomy is performed instead.

 However, even these surgeries are only performed for pain management. They are not a cure. The trouble with tissue growing outside of your uterus is that removing the uterus itself does not always remove the tissue with it. 

However, attitudes towards women's pain are improving, driven by a push for better education around the condition. MP’s have begun an inquiry into the condition after a 13,500 strong study by the BBC. Some high-profile celebrities, such as American singer, Halsey, have come forward to speak about their experience with the condition, advocating for greater education and research into treatment. As society becomes more open about topics such as women’s health and menstruation, endometriosis sufferers are being taken more seriously, and their condition is being treated with more respect.

[lachlanwrites]

Cornish councillor Jayne Kirkham delivers press conference

Local councillor delivers press conference to students at Falmouth University, tackling issues such as homelessness and the snap election.

Jayne Kirkham came to Falmouth University on October 31st to take part in a press conference with first year Journalism students. Kirkham, who started her career as a trade union lawyer and teacher, took questions from students on a wide variety of issues.

Kirkham stated that Labour were in a good position to make a change to communities in Cornwall following the next election. She said that although the Conservatives maintained a majority in the area, they were not active and effective enough in securing funding and resources for Cornwall.

Part of the change that Labour are planning is to effectively utilize the cash boost major towns in the constituency will receive from the £3.6bn national Towns Fund. This will be used to create more affordable housing in the area, and tackle street homelessness. Cornwall is currently 5th in the country for street homelessness.

Kirkham also said that she would like to see more quality housing being built, so that people can live more efficiently, and be proud of their council house.

Kirkham also answered questions about Labours controversial new initiative to move homeless people in the area into unused second holiday homes. She said “I walk past so many houses with black windows every day...that no one lives in. But there are two men underneath them on the beach who are sleeping rough. That makes me so mad.”

This plan would, so far, be run on a voluntary basis, with landlords being asked to rent their properties short term at cheaper rates to those in need of housing.

The issue of Brexit was also brought up. Kirkham said that she felt MP’s, both locally and nationally, were blinded by Brexit at the expense of domestic issues. Local services and programs, such as care for the elderly and those with dementia, had been shelved for many years. Extra NHS funding for Treliske hospital, promised by Theresa May, had not been delivered on. Kirkham said that Labour would aim to bring the focus back to these issues that directly affect local communities.

Kirkham also said that she would be amenable to the idea of another Brexit vote, to give the public more control over what our eventual exit deal is, or else vote again to remain.

When asked why she stood down as an MP, Kirkham stated that she did not feel it would be possible to properly balance her personal and family life with the demands of being an MP

[lachlanwrites]

Students and locals unite amidst threats

A local group calling itself Falmouth Hates Students has, for the second year in a row, sent an anonymous letter to the Falmouth police threatening to ‘bombard’ students ‘so they no longer feel safe.’ 

The group, who started in 2018, showcase the growing tensions between local Falmouth residents and students. Although they represent the most extreme end of these tensions, there has been growing discontent amongst many residents as well as students. 

Since 2001, student population on campus has nearly tripled, reaching nearly 5,300 students. The population of Falmouth as a whole is only 21,800, meaning that students make up nearly a quarter of the town. In the same period, flat prices in the area have risen by 326 per cent. 

Many Falmouth residents feel that the town is not properly equipped to deal with this number of students, and that local services and amenities are being pushed out in favour of student focused areas. Traditional high street shops that previously functioned as a social area for older residents are being pushed out. Falmouth’s M&S, which closed down in February, is one such example of this. 

However, there is also support for the rising student population amongst locals. Falmouth’s economy relies heavily on tourism, the value of which is worth around 1 billion, and makes up around 25 per cent of employment. The student population can bolster the economy in the winter when tourism is lower, allowing smaller shops to thrive outside of the traditional tourism season. Student opinion of the local population also seems to be high. One student, Liam Gregory, stated 

“I've heard that the locals are rather hostile to students. I've seen it a few times but I've also seen the opposite: people saying hello and have a good day as I pass."

Although there may be obvious extremes of dissatisfaction coming from both students and locals, it seems generally the two factions are able to coexist. Falmouth is a vibrant town that benefits from a wide range of people and culture, and both students and locals are responsible for upholding that and making Falmouth a good place to be.