Six of the Best 934

Helen Belcher writes an open letter to J.K. Rowling: "Trans women come under huge pressure to conform to gender stereotypes – driven by a fear of what might happen if we don’t.

So does Sophia Grace, who reckons she is the only professor of philosophy in the UK who is also transgender.

"Yes, in 1831 William did speak in the Commons in favour of compensation for slave owners. It was his first speech in the Commons and he was still in thrall to his father. By 1850, he was a changed man and in Parliament he described slavery as 'by far the foulest crime that taints the history of mankind in any Christian or pagan country.' Peter Francis and Charlie Gladstone defend the Grand Old Man's reputation.

Former England batsman Michael Carberry writes for the Daily Mail about the racism he suffered in cricket.

Martin George says bird watching is good for our mental health. "The modern world creates an unhappy, unhealthy environment for us of largely sedentary lifestyles; invisible threats such as financial worries; travel delays and looming meetings; working in an open plan office with large teams and our backs exposed." 

"Mara Keisling, now one of the nation’s most prominent transgender rights activists, was then an 11-year-old boy living in central Pennsylvania. And when she heard the song on the radio, she suddenly felt less alone in the world." Corky Siemaszko marks the 50th anniversary of The Kinks' Lola.