I'm Jack Monroe. Ask me anything.

[MxJackMonroe]

Hi Mumsnet.

It seems every time I am in the news, a MN thread about all things transgender crops up. I didn't see the last one (yesterday?) as I don't come on here very often these days - people who eavesdrop etc etc. I was cooking in a tent in a muddy field all day, having a ball, not googling myself on the internet!

The thread was deleted - which was nothing to do with me, nor my lawyer. The day I call him about a MN thread is the day I pack everything in for good. So far only the Mail and Hopkins have had legal action taken against them, and both for quite serious statements. I'm not rich enough nor quite bothered enough to call him every time someone says mean words on the internets.

ANYWAY. Threads about me tend to get deleted. So here's a new one. Because there are clearly some questions that keep coming up, criticisms that I could answer, speculation I could clarify and untruths that could do with correction.

So I'm taking questions. I'm an adult and I take an awful lot of criticism and unkindness online, on the chin. I am pretty mentally stable right now, and feel this could be a constructive discussion.

In order to stop this descending into pandemonium, using general 'chair' rules, to start with I'll take one question from each user - if it's quiet and everything gets answered, feel free to add follow up questions.

It doesn't have to be about boobs, dresses, hormones. Literally ask me anything.

MN - please don't delete this thread. I think people have valid things to say and I'm here with my big girl/boy pants on to hear them.

Over to you.

I think it's a real shame (and a cop out) to suddenly get very cagey about the wider issues here.

Take disability as an example - I can live my disability and talk about issues which affect me. However if I was a disabled person in the public eye I could reasonably be expected to have an opinion about disability and issues which affect disabled people in general.

To refuse to address the wider context is a real shame and a missed opportunity.

To sometimes express wider-context views but then refuse to be drawn on them and to close the debate down to "my and my experience" seems like having your cake and eating it.

I have another question, can you recommend any good cooking pans? Long lasting ones

Sainsburys Cooks Collection are excellent.

Julia long did not say that, in any way. As you note, the media take an isolated comment and spin it into being one extreme or the other: I think that's a bit like what you're doing with Long's comments.

doing and lesley

We cross posted. I'm not getting cagey about the wider issues. I didn't expect to be held personally responsible for the entire trans community, including the interlopers.

Jack have you heard of Schrodinger's Rapist?

geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger's_Rapist

No-one thinks all transwomen are rapists

seek With respect, I was in the green room with her, and you weren't.

Jack if you don't want to "lose a day" answering questions, then don't. You started this thread and invited questions - nobody dragged you here.

But I am glad you did start this thread. A middle ground is desperately what we need - permission to talk about nuance, disagree, have differing opinions without being told we are evil second-wave-loving hate-mongering TERFS who need to go die in a fire, or have people ring up our bosses trying to have us sacked. (Which is what the usual outcome of any of us trying to have this conversation anywhere other than Mumsnet is.)

We need conversations on this.

Julia Long was measured, polite and reasonable on Newsnight. Did she behave differently off camera? She didn't even remotely imply what you say she did.

Jack, on your post on Twitter, there are followers of you calling the women here "TERFs". Do you have an opinion on this - used as an insult - phrase?

mobile.twitter.com/MxJackMonroe/status/757623630117400581

If these are the rules, they're fucking reductive. And inconsistent

Of course the 'rules' are inconsistent. How can they not be when they are based on complete bollocks? A woman is anyone who feels like a woman so anyone who feels like a woman can access women only spaces, regardless of biological reality. You don't 'feel' like a woman or identify as woman, but you still 'entitled' to access women only spaces based on the biological reality that the 'I feel like a woman therefore I am one' people say is 'anti-science' and reductionist.

It is not the fault of gender critical feminists that the 'rules' are crap. We aren't the ones who have decided that words no longer have definitions.

Exactly Annie

I think it's great you've come on here Jack - you're engaging with the issue more than Miller or Tatchell or any other trans activists are. Even admitting there is an issue seems beyond the pale to certain people at the moment.

It's very telling that answering the question 'what is a woman?' is such a risky thing to do nowadays.

Jack you and others highlighting trans issues do need to talk about MtF because you're all 'under the trans umbrella ' as I keep reading it. all of your actions as a trans person do affect how we see mtf and how we react legally which is the most important thing. You can' ignore that

You're right, I'm sure she said all kinds of nasty things secretly in the green room, and just appeared to be well informed and courteous when the cameras were rolling....

Jack, on your post on Twitter, there are followers of you calling the women here "TERFs". Do you have an opinion on this - used as an insult - phrase?

I think any label used to describe someone who hasn't explicitly used it to describe themselves is name-calling, which teeters uncomfortably close to bullying. The same for 'cis' but also for 'man in a dress' 'ladyboy' and other terms of insult.

If only we could all live bloody respectfully without the need to throw names around.

I hadn't seen this on Twitter by the way. I frequently ask my followers not to be rude or abusive in my name. I try to keep debate respectful and engaging (I am imperfect and do lose my temper sometimes, but I try my best.)

It's very telling that answering the question 'what is a woman?' is such a risky thing to do nowadays.

Yes. Hence the missed calls from journalists this morning.

Has the clip in question been posted? Here it is if not:

Jack if you don't want to "lose a day" answering questions, then don't. You started this thread and invited questions - nobody dragged you here.

I didn't expect it to go quite so well.

Just catching up on this thread and wanted to commend thedogstinks' post at 6:05 this morning. Everything she wrote is bang on.

Jack, this is an interesting and frustrating thread. I get that you now only want to answer questions relevant to your experience but hopefully you are reading every post and seeing that there are real, valid concerns with the transactivist agenda and the impact to women and girls. This is why trans threads get so much attention on MN, there are a lot of worried wpmen and this is one of the only safe spaces in which to discuss them.

I just hope this thread doesn't end up as done crap article on Vice.

Jack can I ask you for a really honest answer please? Easy question.

You are being watched by media right now and you've said you've been 'slaughtered ' by mn before.. but you're here talking to us which means we're not that scary really.

How do you feel as a trans person about trans activism are you concerned about saying the 'wrong' thing? I know tw who say they are far more afraid of trans activists than transphobic people.

Crayon

Yep, and I was unprepared, newly out, lied to by newsnight, and reacted emotionally. Views evolve over time. That clip is a snapshot of one moment in time. I'm sure we all say things and regret them later or think of better answers, but I suppose 99% of people don't have to be reminded with TV footage later on.

I'm in no way "holding you responsible", I'm just interested in your views

Thank you very much for the pan recommendation. I have to say though, Julia Long didn't say all transwomen are rapists. I watched that debate.

Saddened to hear this thread is being stalked by bloody journalists (looking at you Daily Fail) and I understand your posts must have to be so carefully stated to avoid giving them ammunition that you're posting effectively with both hands tied behind your back. Journalists hanging around here to exploit destroy the ability to have the genuine conversation we could have done.

I admire the time, the effort and the stress you have put into this thread, under the circumstances many people would not dare to try. (And your cookery work is bloody marvellous.)

Jack, why is your baba ghanouch recipe so devoid of spice? Is it the expense of the spices?

That's off-topic, I know. But where I do believe there are trans issues that need a serious discussion (such as where proposed mtf trans rights would encroach upon women's rights), I don't believe the way you conduct yourself feeds into those issues. Crack on with being who you are. (Though I admit, I'm extremely curious about where you'd expect/want to serve time in the extremely unlikely event that you were sent to prison!)

How do you feel as a trans person about trans activism are you concerned about saying the 'wrong' thing?

I am concerned about speaking out of turn about others experiences.

I am concerned about misrepresenting either side of the debate when I don't fit into either camp, with an ironic eyeroll about being non bloody binary here too.

I am glad to be here and part of a mostly reasonable discussion and to try to interject where I can. I have had a lot of messages from people saying how useful they have found it, so, i'm pleased I did it.

I have had no real terrible experiences with trans activists. A small group of trans women verbally kicked the shit out of me when I did the newsnight debate for daring to talk about trans women but THE MAJORITY of them were thankful that I had tried.