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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Philippa Gregory thinks that two sexes, male and female, is a "myth"

142 replies

Fenlandia · 30/10/2023 17:33

According to journalist Susan Dalgety's Substack (a good read), the author Philippa Gregory, who has sold gazillions of historical fiction novels, thinks there are more sexes than we first thought!

https://susandalgety.substack.com/p/philippa-gregory-may-be-a-bestselling

Here is the quote from Dalgety:

"Philippa Gregory, who prides herself as a feminist, does not believe in the “myth of two sexes.” She writes glowingly of a modern world where it is impossible to divide humans into two categories, male and female. “It is as fictional as a sorting hat – we are more diverse than and more varied, and more changeable over time, in a richer multiple word than the binary model…” And she points out that in the 1990s, American sexologist, Anne Fausto-Sterling, counted five sexes (male, female, merm, ferm and herm), while French scientist Eric Vilain suggested an “infinite number of biological genders.” It was at this point I dropped my coffee cup."

And yet again with the tedious trope that in order for people to be interesting and the world to be diverse, we must dispense with the fact of the sex binary by which every single human has been produced, ever.

Philippa Gregory may be a bestselling historical novelist, but facts still matter

Author of Normal Women believes that two sexes, male and female, is a "myth"

https://susandalgety.substack.com/p/philippa-gregory-may-be-a-bestselling

OP posts:
spookehtooth · 30/10/2023 21:25

ErrolTheDragon · 30/10/2023 18:54

Why do supposedly intelligent people get confused by something as simple as the difference between sex (two, biological, dimorphic, non-interchangeable in mammals) and 'gender' (as many as you want, culturally variable etc).?

Gender is too intertwined with sex, carrying sexist baggage with it. The concepts require full separation. Even people that see them clearly as separate are inclined to few attributes of different genders more commonly associated with one sex or the other

PermanentTemporary · 30/10/2023 21:25

"Very few men abuse and attack women unknown to them"

Enough to affect our lives though...

"Rape is a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear" Susan Brownmiller. Remember that one Philippa?

BurbleBumleBleep · 30/10/2023 21:15

Clearly explaining gender not sex. We all get the variety of human nature. There are many ways to express male and female.

Equally our biology is undeniably two sex.

Really the difference needs to be better understood. I remember having this conversation with sexist males growing up. Like rugby. Women aren’t as fast or strong as men but if we play against other women it’s still the same level of competition. Sex says we aren’t up to men. Gender says we can play excellent rugby.

Rightsraptor · 30/10/2023 21:08

I'm not buying her latest book then. Fuck it.

FeckArseIndusty · 30/10/2023 21:01

Oh my gawd I read that, I thought it was a male writer. It was soooo bad!

Bobtheamazinggingerdog · 30/10/2023 21:00

Oh for fuck sake. Joanne Harris and Philippa Gregory used to be two of my favourite writers but they are both vacuous idiots on this subject. I tried reading JH's last book and gave up when the leader of the female running club was oops! Secretly trans and nobody knew! Dickheads.

tobee · 30/10/2023 20:57

What the hell is that book?

GrumpyPanda · 30/10/2023 20:46

ValancyRedfern · 30/10/2023 20:06

From her latest book:

"Very few men abuse and attack women unknown to them."

Is she on glue? Or part of the tiny, tiny blessed minority who've never come across street harassment?

EmpressaurusOfCats · 30/10/2023 20:41

So how did they decide that Henry VIII got to be King & his older sister Margaret had to go to Scotland & marry James IV?

Maybe they tossed a coin.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 30/10/2023 20:39

Yes exactly @Froodwithatowel but perhaps Philippa thinks we're living in more enlightened times now. If only that option had been open!

Froodwithatowel · 30/10/2023 20:31

Stand on your head for the good girl cookies Phil.

<slow clap>

<wonders if Anne Boleyn and Kate Howard could have identified as men, had their marriages annulled and left their psychopathic bastard husband before he murdered them>

Donkeyseason · 30/10/2023 20:29

RaininginDarling · 30/10/2023 18:36

And yet every person that exists has been created via a male and female parent. What an extraordinary coincidence eye roll

Yeah, they never manage to explain that away, do they?

Boiledbeetle · 30/10/2023 20:21

This reply has been deleted

Withdrawn at poster's request

Christ!

real housewives of new york city wtf GIF
Precipice · 30/10/2023 20:15

ValancyRedfern · 30/10/2023 20:06

From her latest book:

Ah, yes, in 2019, there were no cases of 'trans woman' prisoners attacking women, since fortunately the case of Karen White came to light in 2018.

WickedSerious · 30/10/2023 20:07

Stupid woman.

Tinysoxxx · 30/10/2023 20:06

ErrolTheDragon · 30/10/2023 19:59

Oddly enough it appears she used to live on a farm in the North York Moors. You'd imagine she'd know there was a distinct difference between the sexes, there's no mistaking a ram for an ewe!

That is odd. Maybe she is like some religious people who see humans as distinct from the rest of the animal kingdom?

ValancyRedfern · 30/10/2023 20:06

From her latest book:

Philippa Gregory thinks that two sexes, male and female, is a "myth"
ErrolTheDragon · 30/10/2023 19:59

Tinysoxxx · 30/10/2023 19:51

I’d prescribe a long dose of living on farm and a gcse biology text book for her.

Oddly enough it appears she used to live on a farm in the North York Moors. You'd imagine she'd know there was a distinct difference between the sexes, there's no mistaking a ram for an ewe!

ErrolTheDragon · 30/10/2023 19:55

NitroNine · 30/10/2023 19:45

Perhaps she could branch out into writing fantasy ....

I thought she pretty much had. Just with a disappointing absence of dragons. (I like to think that in the future all books will come with the option to insert dragons & thus force a change in the narrative 😄)

Excellent idea, so long as books which already have dragons don't have an option to remove them.Grin

Delphinium20 · 30/10/2023 19:54

My only thought is she's being fed some Twitter science by a trans niece or something.

I did enjoy Tidelands, but it has one female character who has a lot of sexy sex with a dashing priest and then, despite having 2 children already, is surprised to find out she's pregnant. Maybe that was PG own confusion on how babies are made?

Tinysoxxx · 30/10/2023 19:51

I’d prescribe a long dose of living on farm and a gcse biology text book for her.

NitroNine · 30/10/2023 19:45

Perhaps she could branch out into writing fantasy ....

I thought she pretty much had. Just with a disappointing absence of dragons. (I like to think that in the future all books will come with the option to insert dragons & thus force a change in the narrative 😄)

FreddysSquishyBollock · 30/10/2023 19:43

Silly sausage.

How does she think babies are made?

tobee · 30/10/2023 19:40

Correction vacuous not vapid

tobee · 30/10/2023 19:39

What an absolute load of hogwash borne of a mind that has absolutely no worries and concerns that ordinary people have; needing to be in touch with any kind of reality.

What privilege! I'm so fed up with people getting any oxygen with this totally vapid and dangerous cult.

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