Authors Drew Davies, Fox Fisher and Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir have all quit Blair Partnership, a London-based Literary Agency, over the agency’s perceived complacency in fellow author JK Rowling‘s criticism of transgender rights. At least one other author has quit the group as well, though wishes to remain anonymous at this time.
Davies, Fisher and Jónsdóttir released a joint statement criticizing Rowling and Blair Partnership. The group initially called on Blair to “reaffirm their commitment to transgender rights and equality.” Unfortunately, the agency didn’t meet their standards.
“After our talks with them, we felt that they were unable to commit to any action that we thought was appropriate and meaningful,” they said in their statement. “Freedom of speech can only be upheld if the structural inequalities that hinder equal opportunities for underrepresented groups are challenged and changed.
Related: J.K. Rowling unleashes string of anti-trans tweets
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“Affirmations to support LGBTQIA people as a whole need to be followed up by meaningful and impactful action, both internally and publicly. As LGBTQIA writers ourselves we feel strongly about having an agency that supports our rights at all avenues, and does not endorse views that go against our values and principles.”
The group also included words of solidarity: “Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid.”
After months of Twitter activity which leveled criticism at transgender rights, JK Rowling released a more than 3,000-word essay decrying the transgender rights movement and criticizing transgender people who use bathrooms that correlate to their gender identity.
“When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman – and, as I’ve said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones – then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth,” Rowling wrote.
The essay invited hot and fast backlash, with a number of stars of the Harry Potter film series–including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Eddie Redmayne, Bonnie Wright, Katie Leung, and Evanna Lynch all denouncing Rowling’s remarks.
CurtisIsTheOne
If “it” walks like a duck and “it” acts like a duck, then, girlfriend, it’s certainly FOUL.
Jared MacBride
Not really an agent’s function to insist its authors maintain an ideology of any sort. Besides, Rowling has made millions for this agency. The four authors who left have made thousands. Some decisions aren’t difficult.
ThinkPlease
I tend to agree. If the agency had said it, then the agency needs to apologize. They didn’t. JK did, and needs to apologize (please take note of that statement before ignoring it and lobbing nasty comments, kthxbai).
This smells more like not-at-all-famous-authors I’ve never heard of trying to drum up some popularity by saying “I don’t agree with FAMOUS AUTHOR JK ROWLING…ALSO, LOOK AT ME!!!” Which a recent video seemed to denounce but now some seem to be fans of.
(Yeah, I’m not big on hypocrisy, either).
jsmu
Because of course $$$$$ is all that matters. Not really your place to attempt snark/Rapeublic*nt snottiness on the authors who followed their principles; you’re too stupid and inept at it.
@dusyk
Pish posh
Invader7
Another insecure KRUNT !!! Envious and jealous that probably better looking trans people are getting dates/men ..More than JK will ever get..With her fame & $$$ she’s turned out to be a BITTER old hag who has insecurity issues.. Go get some major psychiatric help JK..You’re long over due for therapy-cause girrrlllll…you have issues !!!
LumpyPillows
Some one really does need psychological help…
Alex_S
I’ve never heard of them. They would be probably dumped by the agency anyway, so good riddance.
leo1008
This isn’t a very popular opinion to express at this point in time, but the topics of gender and sex are in fact open to debate. And it could and should be quite an interesting debate. Rowling is discussing topics such as how (male or female) sex and biology intersect. My own understanding, and I could be wrong, is that the extreme left discounts any role for biology in determining one’s sex. I think they see biological sex as well as gender as open to interpretation. And they’re entitled to their opinion. But those who disagree should not be ostracized. The way to respond is not through twitter mobs (or mass resignations) or other such procedures that in the past were the tactics adopted by thought police. Rather, do some actual research on the topic and reply in a thoughtful manner. And even then we’ll still all probably need to agree to disagree without attempting to turn each other into social pariahs, ruin each other’s careers, or any of those other tactics that have become so unfortunately common in this internet age.
ThinkPlease
“And they’re entitled to their opinion.”
Quite, but the far ends of the spectrum on both sides would rather scream, shout, and ruin one’s career and/or life rather than listen to anything they disagree with. It’s simply an aspect of being a radical of any stripe. I’ve had both radical fundamentalists and radical feminists up in my face because of three simple words: “Please present proof.” Or just by presenting countering factual information or a cohesive argument to the contrary. Neither particularly care to have their worldview disturbed, or are particularly pleasant about it. And frankly, neither are particularly coherent in their worldview in the first place, but that tends to be true of anybody who’s a radical, for obvious reasons. They do tend to be poorly balanced creatures.
However, JK does seem to be taking it a bit over the line of simple argument into her own little shoebox where those who were born with penises can never become female and the definition cannot possibly apply, no matter what, so I’m not going to pronounce her innocent of radicalism either. I should hope we’ve learned better and certainly a simple search of good old Google will show that science certainly agrees that things are not so cut and dried.
jayceecook
“Freedom of speech can only be upheld if the structural inequalities that hinder equal opportunities for underrepresented groups are challenged and changed.”
Translation: “Fire J.K., take back the money you’ve given her and redistribute it to trans and NB authors, then give us the same or better contracts and advances you gave her. If you don’t we will leave and smear your agency all over shite media.”
Agree or disagree with the crap Rowling has tweeted, liked, RTed, and written about on this topic but don’t but the blame on the publisher. They didn’t say it. They didn’t support it. They didn’t publish a book of hers wherein she bashes trans and NB people. To demand that they give your community reparations for something SHE has done is absurd. And highly suspect. And gross.
“We can also exercise our own free speech rights by voicing our objections to forms of expression that we don’t like. Justice Louis Brandeis’ advice that the remedy for messages we disagree with or dislike in art, entertainment or politics is “more speech, not enforced silence,” is as true today as it was when given in 1927.”
ScottOnEarth
I’ll never understand why JK Rowing obliterated her legacy by sharing unnecessary, unsolicited and blatantly reckless comments about a community to which she has no true connection. She now sounds like an old, hateful, ignorant, out-of-touch conservative, afraid of upending archaic norms. Unfortunately, her voice has a worldwide reach and she has legitimately threatened the safety and well-being of many trans people. What a bitch.
Heywood Jablowme
You should click on the link and see what she actually writes about this (and WHY she started to get interested in these issues). She is quite sane and reasonable.
LumpyPillows
Scott, I really doubt you read a word she has said on the topic beyond the cherry-picked sentence.
jsmu
@Heywood Jablowme and @LumpyPillows: Nothing about Joke Terfling’s tweetstorm of bitchy, overprivileged hate is ‘sane’ or ‘reasonable.’ She’s just another aging, now irrelevant harpy desperate to regain her fifteen minutes of fame. And Lumps? Sweetums? Clearly you read NONE of her tweets, or for that matter her incompetent, badly researched, sexist, racist novels whose central schtick is completely RIPPED OFF from the great Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Trilogy.
DuMaurier
@jsmu, I don’t see much value in tweets, and I’ve never been tempted to read Rowling’s books, but I did slog all the way through her very long blog post clarifying her position. I won’t say I “agree” with her, but I do feel she’s coming from a place subtler and more thoughtful than some Fundie Xtian who says trans women are just men in dresses defying God’s will so they can sneak into women’s restrooms to rape everyone.
“Where” she’s coming from, as I say, I’m not certain about; but I do know there are women (a very progressive Lesbian friend of mine, for one) who think she’s airing important thoughts and considerations related to issues specific TO women. Whether she (or my friend) are “right” in their analysis is debatable; what seems clear to me is that they’re not coming from a right-wing place of hate, and they shouldn’t be characterized that way.
controversial2019
People have started using the word “phobia” to mean “contradictory to what the subject community want or believe as a whole” and that’s not what it means. It means fear or extreme prejudice against. That’s not the same as “a negative opinion”.
If I said “gays shouldn’t be allowed to marry” (of course they should!), people would scream homophobia. That’s incorrect though. Discrimination? Yes. But does that express hatred? No. Does it show extreme prejudice? No. Therefore it’s not homophobic.
Likewise, being concerned over a law that allows any person to change their gender without evaluation, discussions, any plan of action going forward, isn’t transphobic. JKs essay makes it very clear she supports trans rights. Equality for trans. Safety for trans. Having A concern about A piece of legislation which would make it easy for fraudsters (and we cannot be naive and ignore fraudsters; in EVERY part of life their are fraudsters) to game the system is not expressing any form of phobia.
jayceecook
Not necessarily true. If you said that gays shouldn’t be married you’d rightfully be asked why. Depending on what your answer it could very well be homophobic. People just can’t make a statement and have it be free of reasoning. How you came to that conclusion, that gays shouldn’t marry, is very much more important than the belief itself.
In my opinion Rowling has veered into transphobic territory in some of what she has said and supported on social media. However, other times she brings up valid points that need more discourse. Both by trans and non-trans folk. The problem is as a society we have forgone discourse. There was a time when it was not just okay but encouraged to ask questions or have a dialogue about an issue or an idea. Unfortunately all the safe spaces that were created to foster those kinds of discussions have become authoritarian mob rule. You either support or denounce something or you’re a horrible human being who needs to be shamed and punished in the most public ways possible.
There’s A LOT of things I don’t agree with that Rowling has said or supported. However there are a few points that she has brought up that need to be talked about more not silenced. But it’s never going to happen.
ducdebrabant
They’re not “fleeing” it. They tried to muscle it into condemning one of its own authors, it declined to so so, and now, having threatened to leave, they have to put up or shut up. They are not being pursued, and there’s nothing to flee. They can seek other representation any time they wish. Hail, farewell, and buh-bye.
JamJewel
I have homosexual male friends – including an ex-boyfriend – who have the same opinion about trans folk as her so I’m quite accustomed to their and her rhetoric, including all those who still question the ‘T’ in the acronym. [Even RuPaul’s show postulates that trans women are not women but men in drag and no one is up in arms about that.] Am just glad I never spent a dime on her books.
Cam
@JamJewel
You said – “Even RuPaul’s show postulates that trans women are not women but men in drag and no one is up in arms about that”
______________________________________________________________
Considering Queens like Peppermint Gia Gunn, Monica Beverly Hills, etc. were openly trans on the show and Gia thanked the show for allowing her to come on as herself a woman, and participate, please explain your comment.
JamJewel
We typically think of ‘drag’ as emulating the opposite sex, n’est-ce pas? [If ‘drag’ has a new interpretation, please elucidate!] So how can a trans woman… who IS a woman… be emulating the opposite sex in the context of a male drag race? Or is she emulating a drag queen? It’s ends up being a woman competing against drag queens, does it not? How can trans advocates be comfortable with that? ‘Allowing” and ‘participating’ does not change that dynamic. A show with competing drag queens and women is no longer a ‘drag race!’
jayceecook
@JamJewel Now you’re just flat out contradicting yourself. In your original comment you said, “Even RuPaul’s show postulates that trans women are not women but men in drag and no one is up in arms about that.”
Then when you got called out and corrected you switch the script and say you’re not wrong and provide a completely different argument as if it were the same as your original one quoted above. Pick a point and stick to it. Either you think Ru doesn’t believe trans women are real women or Ru doesn’t think trans women can be drag queens. Those are two very different and opposing arguments.
JamJewel
Her statement that “…gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones” is misleading since the Gender Recognition Certificate, as allowed for under the UK’s 2004 Gender Recognition Act, requires validation of gender dysphoria which is why it has no bearing on “surgery or hormones.” Trans men having children is an example of how complicated ‘gender dysphoria’ can be in an individual’s life.
jayceecook
Except she’s referring to the proposed GRA reforms not the GRA Act itself. Under those being championed it would do away with the requirement to provide medical evidence to support your gender identity and allow for self-determination or self-ID.
JamJewel
It was the government of Theresa May and her cohorts that initially ‘suggested” trans people should be able to self-identify, but their LGBTQ survey revealed that cost and privacy intrusion were the biggest deterrents to accessing the system.
It is my understanding that the proposed changes are not to public policy but for the Registrar General to issue the Certificate rather than the Gender Recognition Panel as per the current process, and to reduce the time where someone has to live in their acquired gender from 24 months to 6 months.
Even though self-identity is on the LGBTQ agenda, there is yet no evidence that it has been accepted as part of the government’s proposed revisions.
jayceecook
Except everything you just outlined hasn’t been confirmed and at this point is just media reports on what the current government plans to do. Yes, there are reports that Boris Johnson might scrap those reforms that were developed under his predecessor. However those are very, very recent reports and I doubt were known publicly when Rowling wrote her explanation essay. Therefore it’s safe to assume that she was operating under the belief that the current government would keep the original reforms to the GRA.
Cam
Whenever I hear a somebody use “The Bathrooms” as an argument against any group in the LGBTQ community I know they’re done.
Just what goes on in Rowling’s bathrooms that she thinks trans women are going to ruin? Any transwomen I know want to get in to the bathroom for the same reason anybody else does. to go to the bathroom, get out and go on with their day.
But if Rowling is SO concerned, here’s an idea, do what airports in places like Denmark do, have small bathroom stalls that are private and lockable, and then the sinks are in the open.
End of problem.
LumpyPillows
LumpyPillows
I do find the bathroom issue to be fear mongering, especially when applied to adult spaces. This gets murkier with children. I love the idea of private bathrooms. I have always hated communal stalls, I think all of us do. If trans people are the impetus to remodeling all public bathrooms into private spaces I will thank each and every trans person.
As for JK’s point, we have always sexually segregated boys and girls, for good reasons. Throwing a trans girl with a penis into a girls locker room does have implications that need to be thought through. Throwing a trans boy into a boys locker room would be nuts. I know we all hope our little monsters would be more evolved than we were, but they aren’t.
LumpyPillows
JK is not transphobic. She supports trans people. I support trans people. Should not matter in the workplace or in healthcare or housing, etc. However, trans people are different. The DEMAND that we say a trans woman is 100% a woman is just not factual, and sets off a lot of people in opposition. There are fundamental biological and emotional differences. By denying this we will lose the battle to respectfully integrate trans people into society as a whole. There is a simple reality that I have faced when someone asked me if I was interested in dating a trans man. I was, but you can only imagine all the questions I had about the reality of that situation. Those facts matter, and it is different. Had I not known those facts prior I would have felt misled. Add to this the Gestapo like tactics employed by some people who character assassinate anyone who does not agree with them 100% is appalling. JK is rich enough not to have to care. That’s why she speaks up.
JamJewel
Just because [the global] you have an emotional and {probably} sexual definition of MALE that would eliminate a trans man doesn’t give you the right to impose your biases on the rest of us. [Sorry ’bout my “Gestapo like tactics!”]
It is disingenuous to suggest that one “supports trans people” when ones argument centers around children. in bathrooms, and not even your “fundamental biological and emotional differences” ones.
jsmu
Ahhhhhh yes. Your own biases are the way, the truth, and the light because YOU SAY THEY ARE (‘fundamental emotional differences?’ wow, way to vomit up Neanderthal biological-determinist recycled excrement!) Look in the mirror for your ‘Gestapo,’ sweetiepie!