Kate Tempest - new name, new pronouns and a haircut

Can't stand her or her music, not hugely surprised at this move.

Well if hair length is linked to how you express yourself, there’s a hell of a lot of men, never mind women, that have went none binary during lockdown. I still haven’t been to the hairdresser, so I’m obviously womening with the best if them. I am planning on getting my hair cut short, so I’ll let you all know how to address me in a couple of weeks. You’ll know when it happens, as I’ll just change my name to ‘Bland’, which would actually be very appropriate.

I'm a fan of KT and was really saddened by this announcement, same path that many other young lesbians I know; mind you instead of 'journey' KT said 'process'. Same old, same old.

My only hope is that it will be like the Tiresias myth in one of the poems KT wrote and we have the chance to regain a wonderful and exceptional young woman rather than a follow the crowd NB.

On fans FBK everyone is applauding and you can see the buckets of glitter and sparkle. Hopefully, KT can keep working on her words and reflections and see the tree for the wood in a not to faraway future.

Ahhhh! the people that say they have to sculpture themselves into an opposite sex version to be themselves!! At least KT is a young adult.

This has really make me think about whether there is more to trans that I can see, but still feel in my guts this is bullshit and a concession to patriarchy.

I really like her. First thought - I'm really, really, really disappointed. Second thought - if I were doing a job like that.... Perhaps non binary is a way of trying to be left alone. By both the common or garden misogynists and the rainbow misogynists. Not every one is able to do what JKR is doing. Or perhaps they truly thought the only options were cis, trans or NB. If I truly thought that I'd be NB too.

(Obviously I am NB because almost everyone is NB)

Okay.... Back in my day you just shaved your head, your mum cried and you popped some DMs on and all was cool.

Now it's all a brave new tortured identity and all the rest.

OldCrone I know that there are new non binary versions of pronouns in French though I can't be bothered to check what they are. I assume it's the same in other languages.

I would like to say bravo or brava to them, but sadly am not sufficiently proficient in Italian or wokeness to know what the gender neutral equivalent would be.

That got me thinking - how are non-binary people referred to in Italy, or France or Spain or anywhere else that doesn't have gender neutral pronouns?

I actually saw this on twitter as a Guardian article. The article was so nonsensical talking about they and them. It actually affects the comprehensibilty of language significantly.

What was lovely long hair is now a more masculine cut to go along with the new identity because not looking like a woman means looking like a man I suppose I'm not surprised but I would have hoped KT was clever enough to have the sense to reject the whole idea of gender instead of this nonsense.

What I don't get is why it is of interest to anyone other than the individual themselves. Non-binary, gender non conforming, agender... I don't understand how sticking those labels on yourself makes any difference to your day to day life. If you want short hair and to not wear mini skirts, fine. Does anyone care? I don't understand why everyone needs to know.
It feels like such a step backwards for a female artist who doesn't conform to the sterotype to have to 'other' themselves. Did punk and Patti Smith, Sinead O'Connor, Kate Bush all the grunge and riot girl movement I grew up with, and all the other take no shit artists like Nina Simone, KD Lang and Prince... did they never happen?

I'm a bit disappointed that they hasn't died their hair blue. I thought it was de rigueur

Everyone else just says they got their hair cut because the hairdressers are open again.

It does make me wonder how much spare time people have in their hands these days to contemplate their essence of being etc. Most of us are just cracking on with life and trying to make sure the family are fed (an increasingly demanding task with teenagers and fitness dad).

I love her music too.

But “they”?

So 2018.

I've been waiting for ages for KT to come out as non-binary simply because it's the kind of thing they'd do. I'm pleased that KT is as boringly predictable as I'd expected.

”Now, every time I see a girl or young woman get her long hair cut short, I’m waiting for the new name and pronouns to be announced.“

Oh bugger - I had my hair cut short today - do I have to rename myself and use different pronouns now? Is there no way I can be an adult, human female with short hair?

It is all so attention seeking.

I mean I love Prince, but he changed his name into an unpronouncable symbol and had some very strange ideas (didn't believe in time?) Can't get more pretentious than that!

This is somehow not massively surprising.

She is very talented and has a wonderful way with words.
However this does not preclude her from also being pretentious and tediously self indulgent.
In fact it is often part of the poet stereotype!

Oh for God's sake.

So Tempest wishes us to know she's not like other girls'. Ok. Duly noted.

If it's a matter of identifying with the One Reality or something, wouldn't it be better to make like Prince and choose some sort of un-name?

I guess she is just trying to be herself through the available channels of expression for unconventional people of her generation.

The problem is, that these days it is not just a matter of being a goth or an Emo, or wearing DM's and dying your hair purple..it could lead to hormones and surgery. Also it involves the mangling of the language, plus the totalitarian tendencies of enforced speech.

she is supremely talented, political, passionate and an awesome wordsmith.

i love the name kay too. but compelled speech? fuck off.

I wonder if this is KT's way of expressing being 'gender-free', a reflection of the universal sexless experience of essential being, in the Zen sense. If not, I'm stumped

I'm sure it is.....but at the end of the day she still has a body - because that is part of the human condition. We're all non binary.