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Jess de Wahls

870 replies

Mollyollydolly · 16/06/2021 23:34

The Royal Academy have removed Jess' work from their shop due to a handful of complaints that she's 'transphobic'. If you want to support Jess her website is here.
www.jessdewahls.com
So sick of these utterly craven organisations. I hope she has a legal case against them for discrimination.

Jess de Wahls
OP posts:
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30
EmbarrassingAdmissions · 20/06/2021 12:06

That took my breath away

Captures it so well.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 20/06/2021 12:02

@JustcameoutGC

I can't believe the top brass have been silent on this. 8 tweets and they call an artist transphobic and remove her art from the shop.

Multiple pretty critical broad sheet articles, that incredible twitter thread, hundreds of complaints and nothing. Zilch. Nada.

That it happened to begin with, bad enough, how they have handled it is totally shocking.

Hopefully this means that they are going to come out with a comprehensive, considered statement. A knee jerk reaction didn't serve them well initially - maybe they have learned from that.
TrainedByCats · 20/06/2021 11:46

[quote MiladyBerserko]This is brilliant

mobile.twitter.com/kelly_white_2/status/1406362571469361154[/quote]
That took my breath away

JustcameoutGC · 20/06/2021 10:03

I can't believe the top brass have been silent on this. 8 tweets and they call an artist transphobic and remove her art from the shop.

Multiple pretty critical broad sheet articles, that incredible twitter thread, hundreds of complaints and nothing. Zilch. Nada.

That it happened to begin with, bad enough, how they have handled it is totally shocking.

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 20/06/2021 09:45

@MiladyBerserko

The rest of the RA thread I posted is a thing of beauty.

Read it before it is deleted

I've just read it. Amazing. Some great images on there too.
MiladyBerserko · 20/06/2021 09:14

The rest of the RA thread I posted is a thing of beauty.

Read it before it is deleted

highame · 20/06/2021 09:08

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

MiladyBerserko · 20/06/2021 08:52

This is brilliant

mobile.twitter.com/kelly_white_2/status/1406362571469361154

littlbrowndog · 20/06/2021 08:42

From Twitter.

Jess de Wahls
EmbarrassingAdmissions · 20/06/2021 08:33

[quote HPFA]It's interesting how, as with the Chimananda essay, people who were fence sitters now seem to be coming more to one side. I'm not sure whether it's down to these individual artists or evidence of a wider change.

twitter.com/SophieRunning/status/1406207978471145476[/quote]
She always knew this issue wouldn't go away - her choice was that she took the WEP on the path of appeasement and left it to those would would continue that after she resigned.

Cowbells · 20/06/2021 07:58

The Times article is OK. Bit bland. It doesn't highlight the rank hypocrisy of them happily stocking actively violent misogynist artists while trashing the career of a not especially well-known feminist with an opinion.

PearPickingPorky · 20/06/2021 07:20

[quote Igneococcus]Another article in the Sunday Times today:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5ecea0d0-d111-11eb-8afd-f729c1c2ffd0?shareToken=0a7e650b9394b1bdb97f73c7e248a413[/quote]
This is a really good report!

Thank you.

PearPickingPorky · 20/06/2021 07:16

Sophie has been off the fence for about 2 years now.

HPFA · 20/06/2021 07:03

It's interesting how, as with the Chimananda essay, people who were fence sitters now seem to be coming more to one side. I'm not sure whether it's down to these individual artists or evidence of a wider change.

twitter.com/SophieRunning/status/1406207978471145476

Igneococcus · 20/06/2021 06:37

Another article in the Sunday Times today:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5ecea0d0-d111-11eb-8afd-f729c1c2ffd0?shareToken=0a7e650b9394b1bdb97f73c7e248a413

Novelusername · 19/06/2021 23:48

@Imnobody4

Here's an interview with him.in which he says “Now everything is up for interpretation and emotion. People can say ‘well, I just don’t believe you’. Whether the earth is round is not actually something that you believe, or not. It’s a physical fact. We seem to be regressing back to Galileo, almost, not believing him and still saying the earth is flat.”

“People think, ‘As long as I believe it, it’s my truth and that’s as valid as your truth’.

“It’s a complicated mix of things. But it’s leading to rather objectionable behaviour in public life and, particularly, the service industry is at the receiving end of this. I hope that eventually, maybe the tide will turn. Or that a new kind of focus on manners might arise again.”

blooloop.com/museum/in-depth/royal-academy-axel-ruger/
Not sure what he makes of this.

That's a very promising statement, and with that in mind he'd have to be a massive hypocrite or just a raving misogynist - yes, there are disappointingly lots of them revealing themselves on this issue - to not support Jess de Wahls on the basis of freedom of speech and just basically stating reality. I don't bother with Twitter, but a quick google shows me his email is: [email protected] so I think I'll send him a message.
lalamo · 19/06/2021 23:20

For what it's worth I work in a large company and anything negative that reaches our CEO is acted on fast.

Imnobody4 · 19/06/2021 23:07

Here's an interview with him.in which he says
“Now everything is up for interpretation and emotion. People can say ‘well, I just don’t believe you’. Whether the earth is round is not actually something that you believe, or not. It’s a physical fact. We seem to be regressing back to Galileo, almost, not believing him and still saying the earth is flat.”

“People think, ‘As long as I believe it, it’s my truth and that’s as valid as your truth’.

“It’s a complicated mix of things. But it’s leading to rather objectionable behaviour in public life and, particularly, the service industry is at the receiving end of this. I hope that eventually, maybe the tide will turn. Or that a new kind of focus on manners might arise again.”

blooloop.com/museum/in-depth/royal-academy-axel-ruger/
Not sure what he makes of this.

lalamo · 19/06/2021 22:46

I'm thinking of tweeting the CEO Axel Ruger @axelruger

He seems to be fairly active on Twitter so there's a chance he will see the message.

doublemonkey · 19/06/2021 22:32

Her badges are absolutely beautiful! I'll be buying some when I can make up my mind.

GreenTeaPingPong · 19/06/2021 21:25

@FlyPassed

This is disgusting but not surprising.

Online contact form, here;
www.royalacademy.org.uk/contact-us

I have asked when the artist audit will begin and suggested they start with Eric Gill. Looking forward to seeing the list of acceptable artists.

Thanks for the link, I have written to them too.
YellowFish12 · 19/06/2021 21:11

@JustcameoutGC

If they double down on this I am writing to the charity commission. They are clearly not meeting their charitable objectives. And Jess, I would buy lots of your art to help fund the legal if you want to sue the arse off them.
Same

I can’t believe it’s taking so long to give their heads a wobble and issue a grovelling apology

CardinalLolzy · 19/06/2021 21:03

On the plus side, at least one of my lefty male acquaintances has spoken up about how ridiculous this is, particularly the double standards.

HereticFanjo · 19/06/2021 19:44

I spent £50 in her shop and I am truly delighted that the RA won't see a penny of it. And that cancellation acceptance, they really are craven aren't they? Doubling down instead of saying, 'Okay. Our blue-haired 20-something year old social media warrior called this one wrong and we're very sorry. We appreciate that the optics of stocking a rapist paedophile's art in our shop are way worse than stocking a woman stating biological reality. Our bad.'

YouSetTheTone · 19/06/2021 18:10

I’ve complained to the RA and have now, in a fit of both anger (at the RA) and awe at her amazing art, bought a BSO bracelet, a breathe in/ out print and a flower patch.

I’m looking forward to receiving compliments on the flower patch and saying ‘let me tell you what recently happened to this artist…’

Wasn’t brave enough for the BSO necklace but I think the bracelet will help me feel a little bit bolder when I wear it.

How DARE the RA shame and professionally punish a woman for stating that sex is binary and immutable. How fucking dare they. How many artists do they stock who hold misogynist views?

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