At the moment, JK Rowling is feeling very hard done by due to the backlash against her transphobia. Those who support her, and support a transphobic agenda, are particularly butthurt that they are being called bigots. Tough. That is exactly what they are. The very definition of a bigot is: a person who is obstinately… Read more Bigotry without Bigots
My son is transgender. He was born a female, but his identity is male. He’s also a fan, as so many kids his age are, of the Harry Potter series. That’s why it’s extra-painful that the author of that series, JK Rowling, has outed herself as a TERF — a trans-exclusionary radical feminist. My son,… Read more Jo “Karen” Rowling v/s My Transgender Son
Edward II was crowned king on 25 February 1308, and nothing much went well for him after that. Why do some historians and authors of popular history write such scathing and distorted reports of Edward II? Why do even some academics overlook facts to concentrate of salacious might-have-beens? Homophobia, pure and simple. It doesn’t have… Read more The Fear and Loathing of Edward II
Not much is known about the early life of Cuba Cornwallis, one of the most famous Caribbean healers in 18th and 19th century. She might have been born into slavery, or she might have been captured in Africa and sold into slavery as an older child or adult. What is known is that at some… Read more The Amazing Life of Cuba Cornwallis
There were four major “fire” festivals for the ancient Celts marking the turn of the seasons — Beltane, Lughnasadh, Samhain, and Imbolc. These were the holy-days that fell halfway between the a solstice and an equinox. Imbolc falls between the winter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Easter/Lady Day), around 1 February in the Latin calendar, and it marked the Celtic… Read more Happy Imbolc and St. Brigid’s Day to You
Anne Boleyn miscarried a male fetus on 29 January 1536. This also happened to be the day of Katherina of Aragon’s insultingly small funeral. One wonders what the superstitious Tudors made of that? Henry’s queen was most likely into the second trimester when the fetus spontaneously aborted. In spite of continued speculation to the contrary,… Read more Miscarried of Her Savior
Sometime in January of 1502, Arthur Tudor and his bride, Katherina of Aragon, arrived at Ludlow Castle. There the young prince was to begin learning kingship by governing Wales, and to officially have some time to honeymoon with his spouse. But did Arthur consummate his marriage while they were together? According to Katherina, he did… Read more Did Arthur Tudor Consummate his Marriage?
The Mari Lwyd is a traditional folk custom that managed to survive in South Wales, particularly around the area of Glamorgan. It involves a hobby horse, which is a horse’s skull mounted on a pole with glass eyes, being carried by a person hidden under a large sheet of decorated white cloth, and it can freak… Read more Mari Lwyd Rides in the Vale of Glamorgan
Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester, 3rd Lord of Glamorgan, 9th Lord of Clare, was a terrible person, greedy and heartless to the point of psychopathy … so he did very well in the Middle Ages. (Psychopaths do well for themselves in almost any era, really.) He was known as… Read more Gilbert de Clare, The Red Earl
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales was laid to rest on 19 November 1817, and it can truly be said that the entire nation mourned. The 21 year old princess, second in line to the throne, had died of childbirth complications on 6 November, to the dismay of the kingdom. A royal death wouldn’t create such grief again… Read more The Funeral of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales