Rine Vieth

@rinewithoutacat

move with care • fan of balcony gardens and parks • socio-legal researcher on migration, law, religion, anti-gender movements • multilingual, mixed-methods • personal acct and I cite my sources • often MTL they (EN) // iel (FR) www.rinevieth.com

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Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· 23d

Montréal friends: consider a mask outside (reading from 6 pm on Saturday, July 18 to timestamp it!)

Montréal reading on IQAir reading 152 AQI. Biggest pollutant is PM2.5.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· 26d

Bumping this brilliant piece on the amazing @script.health on barriers to HRT, surgeries, and other clinical care for trans people in Canada. This bit makes me incandescently angry—any GP can refer for surgery or prescribe HRT, but many simply refuse! www.script.health/article/trai...

In theory, patients shouldn’t have to wait: across the province, and nationwide, any primary care provider can offer prescriptions for HRT, or referrals for gender-affirming surgeries, says Sil Hernando, director at RHO. The same is true for puberty blockers, the medications given to trans youth in order to delay the onset of puberty. But in practice, it’s up to individual providers to decide whether to offer care.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· 29d

I understand why paywalls exist and I'm angry immigration violence is so common, AND I appreciate that this is understood to be essential local info. (They've also just been doing really, really great work.)

pressherald.com

Part of the Maine Trust for Local News

This story has been made free to access as a public service to our Maine communities.

Subscriber support is how we continue to expand our coverage and access of essential public information.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jul 12

So this is an *invited* op-ed that appears to be mostly one guy, and they (he?) gives a shout out to someone known for arguing trans women are inherently predatory.

Author Contributions
Conceptualisation: All authors. Visualisation: Tim Janicke. Project administration: Tim Janicke. Writing – original draft preparation: Tim Janicke. Writing – review and editing: All authors. Final approval: All authors.

Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Peter Thrall for the invitation to write this Viewpoint and Greg Grether for handling our manuscript. We also thank four reviewers, including Jerry Coyne, for their thoughtful comments, and Katharina Bóth for her assistance in preparing the figure. Open access publication funding provided by COUPERIN CY26.

Sex as binary
edit
On December 29, 2024, Coyne wrote an article for the website of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) which argued that sex is biological and binary and that trans women were more sexually predatory than other women.[31] The FFRF's presidents removed the article one day later, describing its publication as an error of judgement on their part.[32] Coyne resigned from the board of honorary members in response.[33] His resignation was followed by those of Steven Pinker and Richard Dawkins, after which the FFRF dissolved the honorary board.[32][34]

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jul 11

This is just wild.

Jentleson says lawmakers can be reluctant to give up life in Congress. Lawmakers have staff to drive them around, plan their travel and bring their meals, as well as an attending physician down the hall and intellectual stimulation on interesting topics.

"It mimics a lot of the aspects of a senior living facility, so it is hard to walk away from," Jentleson says.

This term, five members of Congress died in office. In an extreme example, the office of then-Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, did not disclose her move to an actual senior living facility. Her son told the Dallas Morning News in 2024 shortly before she retired that she had been experiencing "dementia issues."

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jul 7

In the waning moments of my 11 year Montréalaversary and 26 weeks in a row of lifting weights and my divorce is now fully finalized per the federal government, and while the future has more uncertainty for me than I'd like, perhaps all hope is not lost.* *(got ice cream today)

A photo of someone holding an ice cream cone. The person is white and is holding a two scoop (coconut and chocolate) sugar cone against a brick background.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jul 6

FIFA refs could do something. In this game, as in many others, they've chosen not to.

If these explanations hold true, the repeated sanctions — from without and within — only serve as firewood. The prospect of playing future games without crowds seems only to be a minor disincentive, too. FIFA referees can abandon matches if discriminatory chanting is persistent, having followed its three-step protocol (pause, suspend, abandon play) but that has yet to happen to Mexico.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jul 2

This is a correct classification of Canadian architecture, see Montréal's Palais de justice Image source: imtl.org/edifices/Pal...

A photo of a brutalist building with windows on one side, looking very dark and foreboding

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jul 2

This, from the schism social media guy is killing me. As someone who grew up very, very Catholic—yeah bud, what did you think would happen when you start making your own bishops and saying the Vatican is wrong?

"For us, this excommunication extended to the faithful is brutal. It’s not what we expect from a father to whom we refer every day,” he told The Associated Press. “We are told, ‘You claim to have the truth.’ Fine. I’m just saying that we certainly have our flaws, but our main flaw today is having a leader who doesn’t want to communicate with us. And that’s terrible.”

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jul 1

Funniest part of this from @trahan.house.gov 's office is that I use"Dr," but they change it to "Ms"...finally updated my honorific at the top, but misgendered immediately after (do they drop the "Dr" for cis men?). Most depressing is that it's factually wrong and is very not thought-out. Excerpts:

June 3, 2025

Mx. Rine E. Vieth

Redacted address

Dear Ms. Vieth,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. I appreciate hearing from you on this matter.

First, let’s break down the issue. On one side, folks concerned about this topic point to cases where transgender women possess physical advantages over their teammates and opponents. Those examples are real, and particularly in cases where fellow athletes are injured because of those advantages, it’s imperative that the relevant sports governing bodies review their rules to make sure they are doing everything possible to ensure player safety.

Too often in this debate, people tend to fall into one camp or the other, disregarding the legitimate concerns about safety and fairness that both sides, despite their differing perspectives, fundamentally share. Many in our country worry about the safety of women athletes who, in rare instances may compete against a transgender opponent.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 29

The UK Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration just (June 25) published a report on asylum decision-makers, showing poor morale, bad decisions, understaffing, and more. From Free Movement's overview (report linked in + below): freemovement.org.uk/borders-insp... www.gov.uk/government/p...

For example, either 54% or 62% of asylum decisions in the 12 months to October 2025 achieved a “satisfactory” quality score from the Home Office.

Why the “either/or”? Because inspectors calculated 54% but the Home Office had thought it was 62%.

The target was 75%. That target had not been met “for some years”.

In a sample of cases from August and September 2025 where asylum was granted, inspectors found that 79% “contained insufficient evidence on which to make a decision and were therefore likely to be incorrect.”

Interviews also had problems, with “inadequate exploration of material facts, inappropriate interview techniques and practices, and poor recording and assessment of relevant facts in reaching a decision.” Informal, unofficial interview question scripts were being used at some locations and inspectors found evidence that AI applications like Copilot and ChatGPT had been used “inappropriately” in asylum decision letters and interviews.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 29

The number of appeals—alongside stuff like really questionable refusal letters (I have STORIES about LGBTQ+ refusals), bad interviews, and the like—is something researchers have pointed to: the issue is that the Home Office is making bad initial decisions. theconversation.com/interviews-w...

Back in Uganda, I was forced to marry. I had no choice because if I had refused then my sexuality would have been suspected. But when I came here they said I was not a lesbian because I had been married. The letter made it sound so simple, you had a husband back in Uganda, therefore it is not credible that you are a lesbian.

Although Masani was later granted asylum on appeal, this story shows that those claiming asylum on the basis of sexual identity are often expected to present a fixed identity, in which the complexities of life must be set aside.

Similarly, Abasi, a 28-year-old Egyptian refugee, told me how although he felt that queer identity “is more than just being gay or lesbian … it’s a spectrum”, he felt he had to simplify things for the Home Office. To them, he “just kept it standard”. On the advice of lawyers, he pretended to be “straightforwardly” gay because he was warned that demonstrating sexual fluidity would mean his claim was seen as inauthentic.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 28

I'd really encourage scrolling through this CTV story, which highlights a massive disparity in how different countries' fans are facing very different barriers in attending the World Cup in Canada. www.ctvnews.ca/canada/artic...

Approved and refused World Cup visitor applications
Number of approved and refused temporary resident visa (TRV) applications and electronic travel authorizations (eTA) for FIFA World Cup fans by country of citizenship between Nov. 14, 2025 and March 31, 2026.

ApprovedRefused
0
500
1,000
1,500
Ghana
1,725
Colombia
1,630
Pakistan
1,250
India
1,225
Panama
910
Nigeria
785
China
680
Haiti
610
Egypt
550
Mexico
470
Ecuador
400
Democratic Republic of Congo
385
Brazil
355
Australia
345
Bangladesh
285
Venezuela
245
Algeria
245
British
230
Kenya
225
Jordan
215
Turkey
185
Germany
170
Senegal
170
Guatemala

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 28

For those who don't know, "angine de poitrine" is "angina" in English (yes, the clinical condition), which means that auto-translators suggested uhhh a very different kind of evening 😅

A Reddit screenshot that says

Angine de poitrine ce soir gratuit au Festival du Jazz

A Reddit screenshot that says:

Chest pain this evening free at the Jazz Festival

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 28

City of freaks (complimentary)—this is only a small bit of the crowd, and I know dozens of local friends who were here for microphones and papier-mâché costumes. 🖤 🤍

A photo of a very full crowd, with people also hanging off balconies they scaled

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 27

So for those at #FAccT2026 watching this happen in Canada, to do an "everything is gender," I think it's worth going back to the Canadian fed budget. The big beneficiaries of federal AI programs are overwhelmingly estimated to be...men with money! From p454 + 464 budget.canada.ca/2025/report-...

Enhancing the Scientific Research and
Experimental Development Tax Incentives
● Men
▲ Income
Prosperity 293
Seizing the Full Potential of Artificial Intelligence ● Men
▲ Income
Prosperity 126
Artificial Intelligence and Technology
Measurement Program
◯ All demographics Prosperity
Good Governance

Enhancing the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentives
This measure would modify the Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax incentive
program by increasing, from $4.5 to $6 million, the expenditure limit on which the program’s
enhanced 35-per-cent tax credit can be earned.
This measure would benefit businesses that perform research and development (R&D). Owners and
shareholders of businesses tend to be men, older, and have higher incomes. Workers in industries
and occupations where business R&D is more prevalent, who are also more likely to be men and
have higher income, could also indirectly benefit. However, as technological and scientific
advancements could diffuse throughout the economy and generate productivity gains, benefits
could spread to all Canadians.
Seizing the Full Potential of Artificial Intelligence
Funding to support large-scale sovereign public artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure that will
boost AI compute availability and support access to sovereign AI compute capacity.
This measure will primarily benefit highly educated men in the regions of British Columbia, Alberta,
Ontario, and Québec where the majority of the AI ecosystem is concentrated. Approximately 70 per
cent of AI workers are men with tertiary/advanced degrees. Around 50 per cent of AI jobs are
classified as ‘well paying’ with annual salaries in the range of $82,000 or more. This measure will
also indirectly support Canadian industry and academia and provide additional benefits to the
Canadian AI ecosystem, such as increasing productivity.
Artificial Intelligence and Technology Measurement Program
Funding to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Technology Measurement Program (TechStat), to
support data and insights to measure how AI is used by organisations and understand its impact on
Canadian society, the labour force, and the economy.
This measure will benefit all Canadians by providing policy makers…

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 24

What is going on in his brain

In response, Burke, who appeared via video link from Castlerea Prison, said that the “only relevant period of calculation” was the “four long years that the court had remained silent” on his claim that he could not address a transgender pupil by their preferred pronoun due to his religious beliefs.

“We’ve come through three summers, four winters, and five long periods of imprisonment for me,” he told the court.

Judge Cregan told Burke that he had plenty of opportunities to bring a case about his religious beliefs but had yet to do so.

“I keep saying to you, if you want to bring a constitutional case, bring a constitutional case and the court will reply to that,” the judge said.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 24

I keep thinking about how I spent an hour on Sunday at a party talking about how I was freaked out by a few former students' Islamophobic and anti-feminist writing (not at Lethbridge). And, I keep thinking about how young men being pushed right is too common. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The University of Lethbridge has confirmed that the shooter was a student at the school.

In a statement, the university condemned the violence and said it is co-operating "fully with appropriate authorities" and would not comment further due to the ongoing investigation.

"The university also strongly condemns the views and ideologies that have been attributed to the shooter in media reports,” the statement says.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 22

Sharing this again, but for Montréal reasons—I'm already seeing speculation circulate, please check (and cite!!) sources.

BREAKING NEWS CONSUMER'S HANDBOOK

1. In the immediate aftermath, news outlets will get it wrong.

2. Don't trust anonymous sources.

3. Don't trust stories that cite another news outlet as the source of the information.

4. There's almost never a second shooter.

5. Pay attention to the language the media uses.

"We are getting reports"... could mean anything.

"We are seeking confirmation".. means they don't have it.

• "[News outlet] has learned".. means it has a scoop or is going out on limb.

6. Look for news outlets close to the incident.

7. Compare multiple sources.

8. Big news brings out the fakers. And photoshoppers.

9. Beware reflexive retweeting. Some of this is on you.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 22

Somehow we're doing discourse about straight trans women by omission here (after a few days of doing so by really bad history + theory). This is weird writing, and also just...where was the editor? What is going on here??

Some theorize that women are inherently sexually fluid, capable of sexual and romantic feelings for men and women, and that binary sexual orientation is a man thing. Moreover, “women” is itself a category in some degree of flux and sometimes deemed exclusionary. People assigned female at birth are now more likely than those assigned male to medically transition as adolescents. And more people—in Gen Z, mainly uterus-having sorts—now identify as nonbinary. Together, this means that there are fewer people inhabiting that bit of the Venn diagram where “straight” meets “woman.”

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 22

This reads like strawmanning second wave feminism to the point I think it's actually worth defending second wave feminism more than this, because what is going on.

What is female heterosexuality, anyway? Is it a gender and sexual orientation combo like any other? Or is it a social role, one held by women with no great interest in men but who lack the courage or sense of adventure for other paths? At a moment when women are succeeding like never before in education and professional life, do men still hold any interest for women? Would all women be gay if they could, and if they say they can’t, what’s stopping them? Isn’t female sexuality fluid? Didn’t they do that study where women were equally aroused by hetero porn, lesbian porn, and monkey sex? Do women even desire men, or have we merely been socialized over millennia to put up with them?

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 19

I am curious about the new terms, but coming from that same NYT piece, it does look to me like there could have been (if timeline triangulation using other sources is right) an expanded military claim by Israel since the MOU? (Setting aside Ben Gvir's statements.) www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/w...

On Thursday, Israel released a map outlining what it called an expanded military zone of control in southern Lebanon and said that its military operations might not be confined to it. Israeli forces have pushed deeper into southern Lebanon in recent weeks and are now more than six miles inside Lebanese territory in some areas, dashing hopes that thousands of people displaced by the fighting could soon return to their homes.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 16

It's really surreal to double check who said ^this and realize that yup, the Minister for the Fight Against Racism is indeed arguing that there is no systemic racism in Québec.

Christopher Skeete
Député de Sainte-Rose
Coalition avenir Québec
Ministre des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie
Ministre responsable des Relations avec les Québécois d’expression anglaise
Ministre responsable de la Lutte contre le racisme

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 15

Incredible.

So you spent the last two hours fighting for your life trying to merge into aggressive traffic, avoid potholes, find the one open space in the parking garage near the T stop, and stay on your feet in a crammed Green Line train with no handholds, and now you’re going to sit your sorry ass in a rigid wooden seat for nine innings on a forty-fucking-degree night and watch your beloved team ground out into a double play more times than is even statistically imaginable.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fenway Park.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 15

This piece!!! Crucial in the conversations about religion, Québec, and what it means to be a pluralistic society. (I am also thinking about how Taylor's own views on the Bouchard-Taylor commission changed over time—his concerns about religious minorities especially.)

In 2019, the CAQ government passed Quebec’s Bill 21, banning public employees in positions of authority — public school teachers, police officers, judges and government lawyers — from wearing religious symbols while on the job.

In 2021, it replaced the high school Ethics and Religious Cultures course with one solely focusing on Quebec culture and citizenship. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with students learning about Quebec culture and how to be better citizens, it replaced a course whose sole aim was to expose students to other cultures and religions, better equipping them to navigate a pluralistic and multi-faith world.

Religious literacy as civic education helps counter polarization, social division and political fear-mongering by teaching us how to navigate a world in which people’s different beliefs shape our perspectives and our understanding of identity.

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 15

It's been a couple days, and I am still fascinated with the headline on CBC Montréal vs the article itself (as well as the categorization of "entertainment").

A UFC event will take place on the White House lawn Sunday. One fighter is from Quebec

Entertainment

Trump celebrates 80th birthday with White House cage fight

The $60-million US event has many detractors and faces a last-minute legal challenge

Kevin Maimann CBC News

Posted: Jun 12, 2026 5:00 AM ADT | Last Updated: June 14

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 14

Breaking news: a weekend holiday is good, actually.

Red fluffy flowers that are part of some kind of giant bush situation

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 13

I have been taken to oberve The Dartmouth Geese

Three geese, two young, are snoozing on some grass, with a pond and some ducks in the water behind them

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 11

At #CLSA / #ACDS still! Now, after lunch: learning about IPV.

3.b. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) (Location: Patterson Hall Room 107)
Brit Pulsifer-Hiltz: “Reducing the Barriers: Perpetrator Access to Intimate Partner Violence Programing
and Resources in Nova Scotia”
Julia Rowena Tolmie (University of Auckland): “Documenting Intimate Partner Violence Entrapment and
Imagining Alternatives”
Neela Hassan (Waterloo): “Stories of Precarity: Domestic Violence Experiences of Migrant Women in
Canada”
Rowan Helmer (Dal): “Turning the Tide, or Treading Water?: A Thematic Analysis of Gender-Based and
Intimate Partner Violence Policy in Nova Scotia since 2023”
Chair: Heather Tasker (Dal)

Rine Vieth@rinewithoutacat· Jun 11

I am very, very sad to be missing this panel I am no longer chairing (my panel got moved around!), but if you are interested in methods, this is at the same time. @xntl.info, Isabel Garrido Gomez, Meray Sadek, and Neela Hassan are wonderful interlocutors, it'll be great! #CLSA / #ACDS