Gender? Sex? Help me out please.

so her publisher was wrong
I think so too, a dinosaur as I said.
However, she didn't know then and could only take advice.

The other thing is, she had written a book of a different genre under a pseudonym so that it wouldn't be compared with the HP books and it would be odd now to change the name partway through.

Callistemon21

Difficult, though, if you had escaped from an abusive husband and had a restraining order against him you might well not want to keep his (Portuguese) name or draw particular to yourself. Particularly if you thought you could manage to earn a crust for you and your daughter by writing and selling a few children's books.
Who knew?

I don't deny that, there is no argument here. Times were different back then. I simply question her choice of using a male pseudonym now given that she regrets that in the past. Especially as her gender came out very quickly anyway so her publisher was wrong

Difficult, though, if you had escaped from an abusive husband and had a restraining order against him you might well not want to keep his (Portuguese) name or draw particular to yourself. Particularly if you thought you could manage to earn a crust for you and your daughter by writing and selling a few children's books.
Who knew?

Callistemon21

^Also her married name was... Murray I think?^

That doesn't sound Portuguese to me.

It's obvious you despise her because she says what she believes so anything she says or does will be suspect as far as you are concerned.

No that's not true, I don't despise anyone. I just don't like her very much and even then I've never told her that and I doubt she would care anyway so no harm done

trisher

I think it is concerning that staff are not given proper training in hospitals on how to deal with patients but I don't think that is the fault of transpeople.
Who on here has said lack of training was the fault of transpeople?
The fault belongs to the people who insist that a man displaying blatantly as a male in a place with vulnerable women cannot be moved because he says he is a woman.
And many of those saying that self ID is OK without qualification, are not trans unless there’s something trisher isn’t telling us.

Let’s blame the politicians who are afraid to admit the biological truth for fear of attack.
Let’s blame the shortage of funds in the NHS for lack of training
But we mustn’t blame those who support the transwomen using their claims to cheat in sport and jobs, and gain access to womens safe spaces.
Those tw and their supporters including some on GN who by their actions do more damage to the cause of transwomen than anyone else but who refuse to admit it.

Also her married name was... Murray I think?

That doesn't sound Portuguese to me.

It's obvious you despise her because she says what she believes so anything she says or does will be suspect as far as you are concerned.

That's odd Callistimon because she has said she disguised her gender and why in several interviews.

Also her married name was... Murray I think?

she could have changed her name without changing her gender so that's not logical as a reason, sad as it is

Given that, being told to not advertise herself as a woman so it wouldn't put boys off reading her books was so antifeminist in the past I am surprised she would do it again.

Well, I've never heard the like except in history and that is not wholly the true reason.
Although her agent suggested it might be better not to use her full name (is he a dinosaur?) it was mainly because she was concerned about her abusive ex-husband realising who she was as she had had to take out a restraining order against him.

First off I did meet a chap who was transitioning and driving a mini bus for the local care home (We were both held up while the local knacker pulled a dead horse out of a field, but that's another story) The elderly ladies in the minibus seemed very happy with him. I read about the problems he was having with abuse from some people in the local paper but I don't think continuing to grow a beard while wearing full make up may not have been helpful.

I love the Harry Potter books and the Strike books. I think JK is a brilliant story teller who creates believable characters and page turner plots. My daughter loved the Worst Witch books and we read them all but witches are all they have in common with Harry Potter. She's been accused of stealing stories from Tolkien but his stories were hardly original, he took them from existing mythologies.

I think it's the cover story created for the psuodonym that make me uncomfortable, that is dressing up in another form

She also did the same with Harry Potter on advice from her publishers so it's not a new thing. Given that, being told to not advertise herself as a woman so it wouldn't put boys off reading her books was so antifeminist in the past I am surprised she would do it again.

She also did not mean for this information to come out.

I think the threats are disgusting and would never affiliate myself with anyone willing to do that

Callistemon21

^Granygravy she is writing as a man because he feels more people will buy and read her books that way.^

J K Rowling

Violetsky
I doubt that that is the reason. It might have been 150 years ago when George Elliott (Mary Anne Evans) wrote her books as there was such prejudice against women becoming authors then.

Perhaps it might be that she wanted a pseudonym which was quite different from her own name as the genre was completely different?
I haven't read any of her books apart from The Casual Vacancy btw.

The bile and threats she has received are totally out of order; she is entitled to express her views and the reactions prove what kind of people they are who make these vile threats.

I think the reason she published as JK Rowling was because the publisher thought boys wouldn't read a book written by a woman.

I think it is concerning that staff are not given proper training in hospitals on how to deal with patients but I don't think that is the fault of transpeople. `My mum spent some time in a large ward for geriatric patients where the bays were for different sexes. The skill the staff showed in dealing with patients who had alzheimers and who wandered was incredible. They were followed, talked to and gently manoeuvred back to where they belonged. Surely staff in mental hospitals should have similar skills. Perhaps it is the result of cutting health services to the bone. So effectively those who won't vote Labour because of the woman issue will be voting for more cuts, less staff, less training and more incidents, because there will always be people who are difficult and who behave inappropriately. It isn't really a trans issue.

Granygravy she is writing as a man because he feels more people will buy and read her books that way.

J K Rowling

Violetsky
I doubt that that is the reason. It might have been 150 years ago when George Elliott (Mary Anne Evans) wrote her books as there was such prejudice against women becoming authors then.

Perhaps it might be that she wanted a pseudonym which was quite different from her own name as the genre was completely different?
I haven't read any of her books apart from The Casual Vacancy btw.

The bile and threats she has received are totally out of order; she is entitled to express her views and the reactions prove what kind of people they are who make these vile threats.

Janejudge with you on common sense lol

GrannyGravy13

I would like to know what trisher and Gagajo think of the folks that enjoy her books?

Do you look down on folks who deviate from so called literary giants ?

I think they're readers. ? As are the people that read Tolstoy or Jackie Collins.

Chip meet shoulder.

Another discussion where criticism of JKR on every conceivable level is somehow central to any discussion on trans

Thanks Doodle, Far North, Mollygo and others for the patient, well informed and balanced responses here. SueDonim and JaneJudge raise significant points based on experience. None of the trans activist support posters seem able to respond to these real lived experience. The only lived experience given credence is that of trans women.

VioletSky

Janejudge I understand and I did address that in my reply

I hate that there are men who will use this to masquerade a women, I just can't discriminate against trans people going into care work for that reason. Especially as men can and do do those jobs and do them with great grace and care. I worked in care before retraining..

I think there needs to be more stringent safeguarding and checks across the board honestly as well as security that ensures people are always watched as I have heard too many stories about vulnerable people being mistreated.

seriously, I have no problem with trans people working in care. I do have issues with people having common sense though!

WRT DBS checks all previous names/sexes need to be checked though.

JaneJudge
I am not bothered about the people in your last sentence Violetsky, I am worried about 'people' (men) abusing the law to gain access to vulnerable women for their own sexual gratification/pleasure. I know lots of people do not have to think about this but I do. My dd with a severe disability is percentage wise at MUCH higher risk of sexual abuse, any abuse and the care crisis isn't helping either sad.
Lets not pretend people wont abuse any legislation or law.
Suedonim I feel for your friend. My relative who was in a mental health ward along with other traumatised women was faced with a blatantly male man in an open gown who staff were afraid to move because he said he was a woman. Being traumatised or
My relative complained, both to the newspaper and on the radio. The case was highly publicised at the time. As my relative said, being nice-polar doesn’t mean you are thick and can be ignored.

am not bothered about the people in your last sentence Violetsky, I am worried about 'people' (men) abusing the law to gain access to vulnerable women for their own sexual gratification/pleasure. I know lots of people do not have to think about this but I do. My dd with a severe disability is percentage wise at MUCH higher risk of sexual abuse, any abuse and the care crisis isn't helping either sad

Lets not pretend people wont abuse any legislation or law

As happened to my friend who went for an intimate exam at her surgery and was confronted by a 6ft+ person with a beard and deep voice, dressed in a nurse’s frock, who assured her they were a woman. They then tried aggressively to trap my friend in the room . It was very traumatising to an already traumatised woman and her official complaint was upheld.

There was a news article this week about a school in London. They were teaching the students that there were now 64 (not a typo) different genders. Absolutely ridiculous.

Deedaa

Violetsky the man who dresses as a woman is a tiny part of Troubled Blood and is hardly likely to convince anyone that every transwoman they meet has got bodies hidden under the floorboards. If you read The Silkworm she write very sympathetically about a trans woman and has Robin pull Strike up short about his typical male reaction to the girl

Although that wasn't the main point, thank you for the information

Janejudge I understand and I did address that in my reply

I hate that there are men who will use this to masquerade a women, I just can't discriminate against trans people going into care work for that reason. Especially as men can and do do those jobs and do them with great grace and care. I worked in care before retraining..

I think there needs to be more stringent safeguarding and checks across the board honestly as well as security that ensures people are always watched as I have heard too many stories about vulnerable people being mistreated.

Violetsky the man who dresses as a woman is a tiny part of Troubled Blood and is hardly likely to convince anyone that every transwoman they meet has got bodies hidden under the floorboards. If you read The Silkworm she write very sympathetically about a trans woman and has Robin pull Strike up short about his typical male reaction to the girl

VioletSky

JaneJudge

That person has some concerns about how changes in sex and gender law could have consequences for women and girls

Yup women with disability who under current law can specify female only personal care

Why are people not concerned about changes that affect other vulnerable female born groups?

It isn't being transphobic it is being sensible. Safeguarding shouldn't be affected by changes to law surrounding this issue imo

Janejudge I share those concerns but safeguarding and DBS checks should apply to all. We can't imply that women are always safe in situations looking after children or vulnerable people or those rules would not exists.

We can't deny someone a job in a profession where they may see multiple clients on the basis they are trans, we don't do that on basis of their birth gender so why would we change that?

I've had male doctors examine me and male nurses attend me and male midwives present. I had to have a word with myself about it because, these are qualified people who have passed relevant checks and training and in the end, it was fine.

Now in a situation where someone is vulnerable and states their needs clearly, I'm sure that they can state they do not want a man or a trans woman and its down to the common sense of those involved to respect that, in a time of fear or vulnerability, this is what is needed.

I haven't seen any male or trans person, in any profession say it should be otherwise and I wouldn't agree with them if they did.

I am not bothered about the people in your last sentence Violetsky, I am worried about 'people' (men) abusing the law to gain access to vulnerable women for their own sexual gratification/pleasure. I know lots of people do not have to think about this but I do. My dd with a severe disability is percentage wise at MUCH higher risk of sexual abuse, any abuse and the care crisis isn't helping either

Lets not pretend people wont abuse any legislation or law

Jk Rowling' whole twitter feed has several times, become one giant pile on against... women...

If everyone here accepted trans women as women imagine how angry about that we would be