John Boyne's new book 'My brother's name is Jessica'.

[Helmetbymidnight]

John Boyne (author of boy in the striped pajamas) is bringing out a book called My brother's name is Jessica, and this is simply not acceptable, apparently.

He's written an article here:

www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/john-boyne-why-i-support-trans-rights-but-reject-the-word-cis-1.3843005?fbclid=IwAR0WqWp2a3dIu-4pxDKS7k9XQO5lZR4PCKh_AFhAeTRoZMm0TmuiCBvoUjQ

Doc and co are going nuts at him. Not as nuts as they would if it was written by a straight woman, I imagine, but even so.

It's about time the world of books got stuck into this debate. They've been very slow on this one.

One Tweet goes ...and instead of standing up for the trans community, prominent Irish people who should really know better started sending out "poor John" tweets, re-vilifying and already vilified community, and playing into the false narrative that this is some nasty, intolerant group...

But there are loads, Helmetbymidnight. One responder to the torrent says they're moved to tears by his allyship.

Comerford was ranting on Twitter and Glinner just said "Bet that's the funniest thing you've ever written, mate"

Definitely some jealousy and spite from Comerford.

@Sackrifice

So people wanting to literally live in a fictional world are disallowing people who write fiction to write fiction that they haven't 'lived', thereby changing the definition of 'fiction' to 'fact' whilst simultaneously redefining what most people think of as 'fact' into fiction.

This is an utterly brilliant analysis that sums up the situation perfectly. It's madness.

Why has The Guardian not covered this story? John Boyne is one of their go-to authors for features as a rule.

Oh, hang on...

... and now Pink News is misgendering in exactly the way John Boyle did. Will there be a backlash?

"My Brother’s Name is Jessica is written from the perspective of Sam Waver, whose older brother is transitioning into a woman."

TRANSPHOBES!

They know that John isn’t a ‘woman’? Tsk tsk tsk

Haha pink news. You fucking bell ends

I'm reading the Goodreads reviews and they're absolutely painful to get through. So much 'cissing' of everyone. And this gem:

"I acquired an advance copy of this book, and I’m here to tell you to pass it by. Before I go further, let’s be clear: I am a straight cis woman. If trans people say that my review is wrong, please listen to them."

I'm sure she doesn't mean that if a trans person says the book is actually fine and you should read it, they're right. It's pre-emptive self-flagellation in case someone disagrees with her wording or something even though she's totally toeing the TRA line. That woman needs feminism.

The objections are also bewildering. I have a brother. He's always been my brother. If he suddenly decided he was trans, I'd still think of him as my brother, even though I'd call him by his new name if he wanted me to. That's a transphobic thought crime now?

This is messed up.

The book is from the POV of the non-trans sibling - not the transperson. So even if there was an argument about representation, we’d have to ask trans-siblings if it was a fair assessment. (Also, it’s not)...

Secondly, this is not a text book. It’s a work of fiction. It’s a human interest story - it’s not didactic.

When did people get so stupid about books?

I might actually buy his book tomorrow now... and then leave a glowing review.

Are we allowed to say brother or sister when a baby is born. If brother or sister is dependant in the inner gender and or the sex how can you possibly know before they declare their gender?

The book is from the POV of the non-trans sibling - not the transperson.

Now now, you must realise that nobody NOBODY must outshine the trans person. Nobody must have a point of view, an opinion, an experience that does a trans person out of being the very centre of the known universe. So hush now.

sackrifice The irony would be totally lost on them if the book was totally devoted to how stunning and brave they were.

has stuck up for him. [[https://www.thebookseller.com/news/puffin-defends-john-boyne-s-ya-novel-about-transgender-teen-992776]]

Not sure what happened there! Puffin has stuck up for him - Bookseller link

(ok, I got the link and my description the wrong way round)

It's pre-emptive self-flagellation in case someone disagrees with her wording or something even though she's totally toeing the TRA line. That woman needs feminism.

She could start by reading this.

www.reddit.com/r/TrueOffMyChest/comments/bdzjn0/i_cant_keep_up_with_transactivism_the_community/

John Boyne would probably benefit from reading it as well.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3562108-Fantastic-reddit-rant

Puffin has learnt the language: "My Brother’s Name is Jessica follows twelve-year-old narrator Sam and his relationship with his sister Jessica, a transgender teenager who transitions throughout the course of the novel. The story reflects a family’s journey from a place of ignorance to one of acceptance and celebration although we understand this is not every trans person or family’s experience.”

Jay Hulme is right about the 'unhelpful stereotypes' the adult characters represent. The 'focus on Jessica's genitals', however, is from the narrator, who is 12, and there specifically so that Jessica can say that 'what's in her pants' is irrelevant, especially for any of her future girlfriends. Which is total trans orthodoxy - no?

Are we allowed to say brother or sister when a baby is born. If brother or sister is dependant in the inner gender and or hmm the sex how can you possibly know before they declare their gender?

Oh @guyliner have you not heard of theybies? The woke thing for new parents to do is not to reveal the sex of their babies. The baby can decide themself at a later date which gender they are. Thus you don't have a baby, you have a theybe.

The story reflects a family’s journey from a place of ignorance to one of acceptance and celebration

Not so long ago, people who were transsexual suffered from a medical condition of gender dysphoria. This made them feel that they had the 'wrong' body, and the only solution for some of these people was to take medication for life in the form of cross sex hormones, and have major surgery. Most of us would be sympathetic that anyone had to go through such things.

How did we get from there, to somewhere in which being transgender is something to celebrate? Whilst simultaneously having to see such people as the most oppressed on the planet.

To put it another way, how can those of us who are not transgender be considered as the most privileged, whilst also viewing trans people as having a condition which should be 'celebrated'? If we're supposed to celebrate their condition, doesn't that make them the most privileged - the lucky ones? And if they're less privileged, isn't 'celebrating' their gender dysphoria a bit like celebrating because someone has epilepsy, or diabetes, or anorexia?

It's a twisted logic; contradictions abound. Such as the assertion that Transwomen are Women even if they still have a penis, and surgery is not necessary: and yet children who say they are the opposite sex MUST have their body manipulated to align with their "gender".
So which is it -- does the body matter, or doesn't it? Do genitals have to align with "gender", or don't they?

This is being discussed on RTE1 now.

Macareaux

He says he is a gay man. Mr Boyne, if you are reading this, please ask yourself whether you'd accept a pre-op transman as a sexual partner because if the answer is no then you do not really believe TWAW or TMAM

And we all know what his answer to that would be. My predominant experience of gay men is that they are so very woke and supportive to transwomen but barely acknowledge the existence of transmen let alone welcome them as one of their own.

I won't be reading this book because the outcome, acceptance and celebration, show me that it is politicised to pander to the transactivists.
But I have a few questions: how old is Jessica?
And most importantly: what happens next?
Does Jessica plan to go on to hormone blockers, then cross sex hormones, then surgery?
That, for me, is not something applaudable.

The book is not on sale and already has 2 reviews on Amazon uk, one five, one one star.
The Kindle price is more than the paperback, a publishing strategy I'm really tired of. It's to boost hard copy sales.

I thought it was a fairly good article until I got to the part about Glinner
He's right that we don't need a man to do a job for us but having support from others while we do the job is a different thing altogether and Glinner does that well IMO.