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.

Who benefits from turfing me out into the dark for the crime of accepting that I am not entirely female?

You seem to have mixed up sex (biological, ie you have a vagina = biologically female) and gender (socialised roles based on biology). The word "female" in the sentence Ive quoted from your post should be replaced with "feminine."

And I doubt there's a woman in the world who feels entirely "feminine." And most women want to be accepted for "who they are."

It's called feminism.

Jack I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd have a problem with me posting the clip being discussed. I've never been on telly, I didn't mean to upset you with it.

I'm not sure I catch your meaning though - which views have evolved?

(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!)

I don't do things by halves. Solitary confinement.

I have a question about trans people.
How can someone say that they are a transmen (transwoman) whilst still wanting to keep the very sexual function of the original sex?
By that I mean a transman that wants to be pregnant and have a child or have periods.
A transwoman who still has fully functioning penis and wants to use it as such, be a father etc...

For me, as a woman, periods and being pregnant etc is a big part of being a woman sexually. I would have thought that a transman would have ated their period s as it is such a strong reminder that they are phusically a woman not a man.
And as a transwoman, I would have thought they would have hated having an erection for the same reason.
How are those two things compatible? (Genuine question btw!)

You seem to have mixed up sex (biological, ie you have a vagina = biologically female) and gender (socialised roles based on biology). The word "female" in the sentence Ive quoted from your post should be replaced with "feminine."

Er, nope.

I would have thought that a transman would have ated their period s as it is such a strong reminder that they are phusically a woman not a man

I can't speak for anyone else but my periods stopped a while ago.

But you had a child which is in the domain of women (sexually)

It's ok Crayon, i'm not upset by it. Just a bit frustrated with myself for the interview. It wasn't my finest moment.

MammouthTask: But you had a child which is in the domain of women (sexually).

Most women. And yes I did. And it wasn't a walk in the park, psychologically. I wrote about it for the Guardian.

I thought Julia was bang out of order for labelling every transwoman as a rapist in disguise on national television

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

If Julia Long labelled every transwoman a rapist in the green room then by all means call her out on it but defining 'the green room' as 'national television' is not appropriate. She did not even come close to saying every transwomen is a rapist on national television. She said male violence against women is a global pandemic (it is) which creates a demand for safe spaces for women (it does) and allowing men to self identify as woman and therefore access womens safe spaces has serious implications (it does. It has already).

Jack, isn't it a pain in the arse always having to defend yourself?

that would do my nut in.

I'm interested when you say your views have changed since that interview, what is your view now?

You must have one, surely?

Bloody journos, if they are effectively closing down this discussion then that's shit

If you said 'adult human female' - could they really make a headline out of that? The MSM? Really?

This thread has been such an education, I keep dipping into it when I get a few minutes. Thanks!

Can I ask, are there any aspects of being a woman that you like/liked? Which in particular do you reject? Apologies if I've been clumsy in my wording.

Thanks for answering my question. I'm sorry you've had trouble with Ta and glad you receive d mostly good responses. One of my concerns is 'no platforming' women and I'm sick of women being told to shut up for speaking out transactivism. If we can accept that women will always be treated badly for their sex and not for their gender I think we'd all be a lot more respectful of each other.

Of course they would crayon. Adult human female implies jack is directly insulting xyz because she thinks they are 'men in dresses'. So we have headline - "jack thinks tw are men in dresses"

Of course that wouldn't actually be the same thing, or anywhere near what she actually said, but it sells papers...

Yes I'm aware not all women do or want to have a child :)
It's more that I thought you would have avoided it like the plague iyswim.

Interesting to see you found it hard (well in a 'I'm not that surprised about it' type of way).
What was the driver for you to still go ahead with a pregnancy then, knowing it would be particularly hard?

Thank you Jack for taking the time to do this "unofficial" webchat.

One of the things that makes me saddest about this whole thing is that it really seems very much to me like most gender-critical or radical feminists and a lot (maybe also most?) trans/nonbinary people actually feel very similar - that gender is restrictive bullshit and everybody is "nonbinary" because to arrange personality traits on a binary scale and claim that people must be one or the other is patent nonsense in the first place.

So this is a bit of a philosophical question I suppose, but if you feel like answering it (I think others are a bit more pressing):

Do you have any thoughts on how the two groups can see more common ground and understand each other? If you feel like you're on a "side" (and perhaps you don't) what is the thing you'd most like the other group to understand or think about?

Sorry - it took me ages to type that while doing various other things and the discussion has moved on somewhat.

Please feel free to ignore if already asked/no longer relevant.

Can I ask, are there any aspects of being a woman that you like/liked?

Wanking.

Good question Bertie.

One of the things that makes me saddest about this whole thing is that it really seems very much to me like most gender-critical or radical feminists and a lot (maybe also most?) trans/nonbinary people actually feel very similar - that gender is restrictive bullshit and everybody is "nonbinary" because to arrange personality traits on a binary scale and claim that people must be one or the other is patent nonsense in the first place.

YES. THIS. EXACTLY THIS.

So this is a bit of a philosophical question I suppose, but if you feel like answering it (I think others are a bit more pressing): Do you have any thoughts on how the two groups can see more common ground and understand each other? If you feel like you're on a "side" (and perhaps you don't) what is the thing you'd most like the other group to understand or think about

Long discussion, and will delve into it. I know I still have some questions to answer and I also have some paid work to finish which I am aware I have shelved for this (very important) discussion but really need to do!

Apologies if you have already answered this before.
One thing that strikes me about that video is how unfeminine Julia Long is. So I would like to ask you -what makes you feel less of a woman compared to other women?
I think most of us feel uneasy about fitting into the gender role of Woman™ in some way.

Bertie

I agree. I have two teenage sons and it has opened my eyes to just how much we (me, society) tends to gender-stereotype. If I had had a girl and a boy, I am pretty sure i wouldn't have been able to avoid ascribing their differences to their sex.

They are, in fact, as unalike as any two children could be, but that's down to their personality, and the order they were born in and the parenting they had as a result.

As a result, it's really important to me that children are allowed to be the variety of boy or girl that they are.