WITS Ireland doubling down on "problematic" "Invisible Woman" book

[334bu]

Their statement post book club meeting and their choice of books for next meeting

I'll definitely be buying it now!

It's a great book. Buy it for friends!

“Whipping girl”by Serrano is entirely about trans women, so isn’t very inclusive. Is anyone going to complain about that? And it’s not surprising they’ve picked “bad feminist” because it’s the most bland, watered down, choosy choice feminism I’ve ever read.

I'm going to buy it today.! Thanks TWITS!

They did admit in their tweet that it was an important book though, so a little comfort there maybe.

I've bought 5 copies of Invisible Women so far, it's essential reading

I can’t tell from their statement whether they’re easing the book or not. Sorry, teeny tiny print on my phone and on holiday and just woke up.

[Invisible Women] does not address the experiences of trans and non binary people.

Yes it does... the people within that cohort with FEMALE bodies! Why are transmen always being ignored and sidelined within that community? Ooh if only I could quite put my finger on why that is such a blindspot, like something about them could be said to be invisible.

My exceedingly woke teen ds is currently reading it - his uni recommended it as a pre-course text - so will be v interested to hear what he makes of it.

'Invisible Women' is about the fact that women's bodies and experiences are excluded from research, data analysis and public policy even when they are a MAJORITY.

Surely somebody else is best placed to write a completely different book about a minority group of which she is not a part?

So must our criteria for good reads now include the transwoman (but not transman, obv) experience? No more Austen, then. 🙄

Wait, there's that bit in P&P where Lydia regales her disapproving eldest sisters with an account of dressing 'little Denny', one of the officers quartered at Merryton, up as a woman and how he 'passed' with his commanding officer.

Who knew Austen was woke?!

Criado-Perez' Invisible Women is about data FFS. Data relating to the sex-based differences between women men. Things like body mass and conformation.

If this madness continues, we'll have years' worth of contaminated data on health, crime etc that will have to be junked as useless. It's already begun.

At least they are going to read it!

....(might learn something.)

Just bought it x

Im buying 10 copies thanks for the recs.

I notice in the statement that the book's title has been shortened to just 'Invisible' which is far too glaringly ironic to be accidental, surely?

What will WITS do when the TRAs come after their own W? Roll over and award their next umpteen accolades to transwomen (full or part-time) in STEM roles, or re-read their aims and find some backbone? We'll have to wait and see. I'm not hopeful, on their showing so far. 🙄

I've bought a copy on my lunch break.

I really hope that these decisions are being made by ignorant 20somethings (it was a 23-year-old student and activist who drew attention to the book's 'transphobic' nature in the first place) and not the accomplished women scientists that WITS profile as members.

Why bother having an organisation for women if you no longer believe women need it?

You couldnt get a more perfect example of irony

What a po- faced, humourless, miserable bunch they sound.

Although I'd need to be paid a large amount of money to read any of their chosen books.

'.....choosy choice feminism.....'

Love this description! I haven't read 'Bad Feminist' but I know exactly what you mean by those words that sort of shit gets on my nerves too!

Because 2 plus 2 equals five.

Lunacy.
It's a great book. I've given a copy to a friend and am thinking of buying another for myself as I lent mine to my mother in law and she's now passing it on. I best tell her to warn people it's not trans inclusive before they borrow it.
One of the claims in the book did get debunked on radio 4, on one of those fact check programmes. The author was on and took it all in very good grace. Frustratingly I can't remember which claim it was.

I don’t want to read books about transwomen actually. I think that’s fair enough 🤷‍♀️