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Original poster

New women's book shop

59 replies

ChristinaXYZ · 07/07/2021 16:35

Rare Birds Books have announced they will be opening as a bookshop in Edinburgh selling new books. The tweet says they will be "entirely dedicated to women's writing" but in answer to the inevitable, 'Will you be trans inclusive? Would appreciate an explicit statement on this!' they say, 'Yes, definitely!'.

Whilst this is neither a 'rights aren't pie' moment as presumably they will stock thousands of books so there should be plenty of room for all. It is also not a safe-guarding issue like single sex spaces often are. So why am I bothered I am asking myself?

It think the crux is these two questions that I would ask them on twitter if I was not on there under my work/real name:

  1. Will this mean including transwomen, or transmen or both. Because, 'transmen are men', no? What will you be doing about writers who lived very much like a man and you may call trans now, important writers like Radcliffe Hall. Will RH be excluded? If not, is that not transphobic?

  2. Will you stock the works of brave crusaders for women's rights (might wait for a hopeful 'yes' on that before continuing) like Selina Todd, Kathleen Stock, Helen Joyce, Jane Harris, JK Rowling, etc?

And finally - I think in the end the whole thing is disputable - a mis-described trade.

If anyone on twitter does tax them over it, I would love to see the responses.

twitter.com/rarebirdsbooks/status/1412477317176336387

OP posts:
PaleBlueMoonlight · 07/07/2021 19:42

Are there many women authors who identify as men or claim a non-binary identity? I have someone at the back of my mind but I cannot pin them down.

Would be lovely if the book shop stocked women authors of al stripes, including those who choose to disassociate from their sex.

Original poster
ChristinaXYZ · 07/07/2021 19:32

They absolutely have the right to open any kind of (legal) shop they like and booksellers can stock what they want but why can't they say they stock books by women and transwomen or women and gender theorists, or women, gender theorists and transwomen.

Otherwise a bookshop, which still has gravitas attached as a concept, is pushing a meaning of the word woman that many don't accept. Many of us are fighting for a better use of the word woman and I don't think this shop is a little thing.

I also think that though I have sympathy with any small business person not wanting to stir the mob that you can't, you really can't start a women's bookshop and not know this, which means they don't give a proverbial about the word woman. We know it is a few small steps from that to transwomen in woman's loos, prisons and doing 'single sex' personal care. And I hope someone in a position to do so safely flaming well tells them. They have no right to expect people not to be cross, politely cross, but cross.

OP posts:
Precipice · 07/07/2021 18:20

I would think it best not to engage with those sorts of questions, though it's inevitable one of them'll come into the shop and ask in person.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 07/07/2021 17:48

Anything that appears to be for women is going to get asked that question pretty quickly. It's a test.

If you're fully on board with the whole thing then great, you passed the test.

If you've not really thought about it (where have you been?) you might say "yes of course" and hope that calls off the mob and you can quietly get on with things.

It would take big swinging ovaries to answer "no" to that question as you'd unleash all sorts upon your business.

NonnyMouse1337 · 07/07/2021 17:37

@vivariumvivariumsvivaria

I think the market for hypersensitive woke bookshops is fairly saturated in Edinburgh.
This. 😬

Anyway it's their business. Their choice.

I would rather support a bookshop that was unashamedly by women and for women. Not the dick pandering types.

People are free to open whatever kind of bookshop they like. As long as the gender zealots wind their necks in when GC / pro-women businesses are opened up as well.

If the gender zealots are sooooo sure that they are on the right side of history, then they don't need to harass and intimidate GC businesses and their customers into closing down. Surely it will happen eventually as everyone rushes to the dick pandering ones. I suspect deep in their rainbow glitter hearts the gender zealots know this isn't the case. Smile

Original poster
ChristinaXYZ · 07/07/2021 17:18

I understand @MrsOvertonsWindow though if they were at all sensitive to the situation they would not open such a bookshop at the moment if they were either gender critical or open at least to the issue without being prepared to be belligerent about your views. I can only assume that their views, probably highly inconsistently applied (because it is a rabbit's hole of a mess), are very woke, or they would not have strayed into such a controversial area.

OP posts:
MrsOvertonsWindow · 07/07/2021 17:11

While I fully understand your position ChristinaXYZ if they were to dare to insist on women only stock, their business would be targeted relentlessly by the mob. They're a new small business and they'd be harassed, threatened with violence and intimidation, picketed and all the things that happen to women these days who dare to speak truthfully.

It's miserable and depressing but I understand their position - unless they refuse to stock work by women who speak the truth about all this. Then I'd ignore them.

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 07/07/2021 17:07

I think the market for hypersensitive woke bookshops is fairly saturated in Edinburgh.

thinkingaboutLangCleg · 07/07/2021 17:05

Sad news. I’l keep my money for causes that support women.