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.

The Sunday Times chimes in:
www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/john-boyne-writes-off-online-critics-with-strong-early-sales-3qlsnjc3d

I don't know how to provide a share token. Perhaps someone else can, or instruct me.

Arrrggghh.

[Deadnaming] ‘wouldn’t have been down by a transgender author.’

... Becuse upholding some bizarre linguistic charade is more important to a transgender author than clarity of story? Pretty shit author then.

In other news, look out for my ‘Rags to riches’ semi-autobiographical fiction where I maintain, throughout, that I was only actually ever poor through the eyes of society and I was actually born with the essence of an Arabian princess.

Moral of the Story:

In the creative arts, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Some brilliant comments underneath.

^ YES! John Boyne himself has commented and so people are speaking directly to him!
Pass the popcorn!

Has anyone got a share token for the article ?

He's meant to be on Graham Norton on radio 2 this Saturday, talking about the book.

He's just started on Ryan Tubridy's show on RTE Radio 1

I've just listened to the podcast. podcast.rasset.ie/podcasts/audio/2019/0423/20190423_rteradio1-ryantubridy-johnboyne_c21543769_21543988_232_.mp3 They were both tying themselves in knots to display their wokeness. Sometimes I wish I'd never become aware of this issue, it consumes way too much of my thoughts but once your eyes are opened to this, there's really no way to shut them again!

@ludog just listened too & agree. Sick of the incredibly brave narrative. That’s 18 minutes of my life I won’t get back.

It wasn't helped by neither of them understanding the issues with the word cis, the level and scope of activism by TRAs, the lunacy and fall out of self-ID legislation (not even mentioned), the issues around children being encouraged to transition (surely key given the age range in the book) ... I could go on.

I did quite like JB's rant / kickback against the use of the term "cis male privilege". But it wasn't a kickback against the concept of cis. Just how it applied to him.

So yes, they were definitely two men determined to be on the right side of history, and the right side of anything happening today (no need to wait for history!).

Some seriously woke folk on the Rick o’ Shea Facebook group. Aidan comferford saying his usual stuff. Circular arguments. Shouts of trans phobia.

Some seriously woke folk on the Rick o’ Shea Facebook group

They rolled out quickly and in force didn't they. And that particularly disgusting argument that JB only got a few hours of abuse compared to all the terrible things done to transpeople ever. You wouldn't accept that justification of shitty behaviour from a child in the playground (someone was mean to me so now I can be mean to anyone I feel like) and yet these are adult "trans allies" saying just that.

Most oppressed, sex not binary, intersex blah blah. Leave your critical thinking skills at the door .

I'm in that group on fb and honestly I have to sit on my hands😠 AC is a prize pain in the hole, isn't he? Christ on a bike!!!

@ludog I’m stepping away from it. AC is full of it.

Hi, it's John Boyne, the author of My Brother's Name is Jessica here! I just got around to reading all these comments, which were very interesting. Thanks to all of you who appreciated the intentions behind the novel and have been supportive of it, it's much appreciated.
all the best,
John

Hi John! Great to see you on here. I just read 'The Heart's Invisible Furies', loved it!

Good to see you here John. If you're read the comments I hope your take-away is that people here have a wide variety of views which generally come from a place of having thought about the issues. The next time you hear "Ahh, Mumsnet, the home of the bigot" I hope you'll have your own perspective on that.

Thanks to all of you who appreciated the intentions behind the novel and have been supportive of it, it's much appreciated.

Um....

Hi John!

Have you watched the Megan Murphy/Jesse Singal interview?

(Reposting the link: m.youtube.com/watch?v=nJj5b_dAvRs )

We’re frequently somewhat giddy with schadenfreude round these parts, so keep that it mind when it comes to the less flattering comments on this thread (see today’s commentary on the Labour Party for an example: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3624021-Straight-Man-elected-as-Labour-LGBT-Officer).

Most of us have been where you are, albeit in a more low-key not-famous fashion - we thought we were in favour of trans rights (who wouldn’t want equal rights for all?) and were doing our little bits to forward that agenda. Then we said the wrong thing, perhaps it was,

‘lesbians don’t have penises’ or
‘Gender Dysphoria is a mental illness’ or ‘
sex isn’t a spectrum because there are only two kinds of gametes’, or
‘Women’s sporting categories should be reserved for biological women’ (y’know, the kind of stuff that was completely accepted as fact a few short of years ago) and then we got called transphobes and some really angry, mostly male people tried to get us fired and/or kicked out of a political party/academic institution.

So now you are also part of Terfclub, you might as well pull up a chair, have a and do some light background reading...
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3145470-Break-it-down-for-me

John
I saw you on Twitter when you were completely vile to Glinner. The bit where you said that you didn't agree with him about 'ONE SINGLE THING'.
Glinner has been a great support to women, at huge cost to himself. He has stuck up for women's rights to our safe spaces, sports, shortlists and even the right to our own words, all in the face of violent threats from trans activists.
I see you on here now trying to promote your book. Hope it fails. This is a cynical attempt to boost your sales and - if you don't agree with Glinner about ANYTHING - you couldn't give a shit about women.
Hope no one else falls for this.
I'd be ruder, but I don't want to be banned.

Hi John, I really appreciate your coming on here. I know that some of what is written in this thread is very brutal, but please bear in mind that people are really upset and angry at this point, due to having been demonised for so long for having perfectly normal opinions.

I'm wondering if you have explored the other side at all at this point?

This by Helen Joyce is a very good comprehensive introduction (sorry its quillette, but gender critical people find it hard to get published in most mainstream places) quillette.com/2018/12/04/the-new-patriarchy-how-trans-radicalism-hurts-women-children-and-trans-people-themselves/

Several people I know found this video of a speech by a transwomen called Kristina Harrison really helpful

Wibble -

Why don't we try giving him the benefit of the doubt in the first instance? People make mistakes. He didn't have to come on here and it isn't really going to make much difference to his sales.

I don't know what to make of John Boyne. How did he not know what the trans activists were like? Why was he so vile to glinner? I wish he should give full disclosure about the arc of this book, it could be so helpful to do many people who are trying to navigate trans world with decency, compassion and appropriate boundaries

I am really glad that you came here and read the thread. As others have said, there were a range of reactions but not one of us was rude to another poster or questioned their right to express their views.