My very dear GFPs, I am writing to you this week from the Isle of Skye, where the A[merican]B[eefcake] and I have been having a much-delayed honeymoon -- yes THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU ALL. (The AB maybe loves you a tiny bit less 😘)But I wanted to thank you so much for your many lovely, kind responses to last week's newsletter -- I'm afraid you made this grown woman cry all over again. But it wasn't a howl of despair this time. I'm still scared, but I do feel less alone; it meant a lot to me to know that my speaking up has made so many of you feel less alone too -- and to be reminded of how beautiful and powerful the GFP community is. It is quite overwhelming to hear how much this newsletter has meant to so many of you. So: thank you, my lovely GFPs. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and see you all next year.But first....

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Gender data gap of the week

GFPs, I regret to inform you that the researchers are [not] at it again...

Ashley Winter MD || Urologist @AshleyGWinter

Recent talk of #COVIDdick got me thinking- What is the effect of COVID on the clitoris? OH right. We have no idea.

2:23 AM ∙ Dec 6, 2021

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Meanwhile the penis...(TITLE OF YOUR SEX TAPE)

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This penis-prioritisation will come as no surprise to at least one GFP, who actually wrote to me about this about a month ago (GFPs are always ahead of the curve).

She was bored in bed with a mild case of Covid (mild because like all good GFPs she had already had her vaccine 💪) "...and my mind and hands wander…"

Now here’s the thing - nothing happens! 

I’ve read about Covid having various vascular effects so I immediately grab my phone to see if it’s a thing. I Google “Covid sexual dysfunction” and am greeted with pages of studies on the effects on, you guessed it, male erection and orgasm. 

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said no GFP ever upon hearing this news[/caption]

Undeterred, our GFP heroine tried adding "women" to the search term, but all she got back was a few studies on how often women had sex after Covid.

Finally, she tried "the more direct approach" and typed in “Covid clitoral dysfunction”, and....

nothing, zero, zilch about Covid’s effects on the primary female sexual organ."

How can we explain there being fourteen as many results of covid penis as for covid clitoris? I have my theories and they can be summed up in one handy gif:

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live-action footage of researchers reacting to the existence of the clitoris, apparently[/caption]

It is the only explanation.

Default male of the week

Still, at least we looked into the non default sex for this medication amirite ladies?

Inspectre Moseley @InspMoseley

Checking the side-effects of my meds... ah yes, the two sexes - Ordinary and Female. Cc: @CCriadoPerez #defaultMale #invisibleWomen

12:26 AM ∙ Feb 11, 2021

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so close and yet...rather like etc etc etc hahahaha I'm funny

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GFPs fixing it

This time of year I get a lot of this kind of thing in my social media mentions:

Vicky Thomas @LittleDoctorVic

I can never travel in snow without thinking of @CCriadoPerez #InvisibleWomen. Today I’m walking because I don’t feel safe cycling or driving in snow and ice.

8:22 AM ∙ Nov 29, 2021

So it was great to see Stephanie Callaghan MSP asking a question about active travel in winter at the Scottish Parliament Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, specifically mentioning the example of Sweden re-ordering their snow-clearing to prioritise pavements and local roads and how that specifically benefitted women. Someone has been reading her Invisible Women!

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A legend speaks[/caption]

In case anyone in Scottish government is subscribed to this newsletter and needs any more convincing, remember that the benefit isn't just to non default humans, it's also to the economy:

A five-year study in Skåne County uncovered the same trends – and found that the injuries cost money in healthcare and lost productivity. The estimated cost of all these pedestrian falls during just a single winter season was 36 million Kronor (around £3.2 million). (This is likely to be a conservative estimate: many injured pedestrians will visit hospitals that are not contributing to the national traffic accident register; some will visit doctors; and some will simply stay at home. As a result, both the healthcare and productivity costs are likely to be higher.)

But even with this conservative estimate, the cost of pedestrian accidents in icy conditions was about twice the cost of winter road maintenance. In Solna, near Stockholm, it was three times the cost, and some studies reveal it’s even higher. Whatever the exact disparity, it is clear that preventing injuries by prioritising pedestrians in the snow-clearing schedule makes economic sense. (Invisible Women, p.31)

Homework

TAKE THE REST OF THE YEAR OFF, GFPS, YOU'VE EARNED IT!

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Poppy pic of the week

A few to keep us all going into 2022...

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Poppy gazing heroically from the Point of Sleat over to the Isle of Rùm [/caption] [caption align="alignnone" width="980"]

I call this: "WTF Are You Doing"[/caption] [caption align="alignnone" width="980"]

And this: "Are You Giving Me Any of Your Sandwich?"[/caption] [caption align="alignnone" width="980"]

and just Poppy looking beautiful and adorable against a stunning backdrop[/caption]

That's it my dear GFPs, have an excellent break. See you on the other side xoxoxo

PS: Get your vaccine!