Kate Tempest - new name, new pronouns and a haircut

[MarSeeAh]

I was listening to Jo Wiley’s show earlier and she announced that Kate Tempest, singer/poet, has announced that she is non-binary, now to be known as Kate, changed her pronouns to they ....

To be honest, I didn’t even know what Kate Tempest looked like, and the only song of hers which I know is “Peoples’ Faces” which Jo had just played - otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue who she was talking about.

www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/06/kate-tempest-announces-they-are-non-binary-changes-name-to-kae

Going by images of Kate/Kae online, she had long hair until recently.

I grew up in the ‘70s and 80s when hair length was no indication at all of sex - because it isn’t!

Now, every time I see a girl or young woman get her long hair cut short, I’m waiting for the new name and pronouns to be announced.

Why this fixation on the superficial?

Storm in a teacup.

I have no idea who they are, but they sound like a pretentious dick.

I have never seen a definition of non binary that suggests anything to me other than gender non-conforming, which is nothing new or special.

How boring...

I have no idea who Kate Tempest is, or the point of your point really.

I love love love KT: KT is not one for superficiality on any plane; on the contrary, KT writes rich, raw bordering on enlightened poetry which cuts deep to the heart of the human experience. I wonder if this is KT's way of expressing being 'gender-free', a reflection of the universal sexless experience of essential being, in the Zen sense. If not, I'm stumped.

Oh yes, I heard a snippet of this on the radio. My first thought was "who?" and my second was "that's nice".

I find non binary confusing. I don't feel I fit societal expectations of women either. But I don't conclude that I am therefore not a woman, I conclude that society should shut the hell up about what a woman should be.

Are there any young lesbians left?

I feel that soon, it'll save time if we can just have announcements from those who don't need to declare gender identity changes/pronouns, etc. There'll be fewer, surely.

Is this person about to release a new album? I expect it's on the horizon and will be full of tortured songs.

It seems so convoluted and superfluous ( as well as self indulgent) to go through this big public rigmarole and announcement, rather than just cutting your hair and getting on with being yourself. When did people ever need this much external validation before?

I'm thinking it is the cultural product of the blend between consumerism ( select your own identity) and social media ( public announcements).

I've heard a couple of Kate Tempest songs on 6 Music and been impressed. This nonsense though ...... so tedious ......

@Extraction20

How boring...

On the contrary, they must be very, very special and not like all the other boring, conventional people who stick rigidly to their assigned gender roles.

I would like to say bravo or brava to them, but sadly am not sufficiently proficient in Italian or wokeness to know what the gender neutral equivalent would be.

i just heard that incredible piece of art/poetry/song of 'peoples faces' on radio 2 and was blown away by her talent.

and then heard the announcement.
im not impressed.

Glad they've dropped Tempest.
Was Dreary at best.

I wonder if this is KT's way of expressing being 'gender-free', a reflection of the universal sexless experience of essential being, in the Zen sense. If not, I'm stumped

I'm sure it is.....but at the end of the day she still has a body - because that is part of the human condition. We're all non binary.

she is supremely talented, political, passionate and an awesome wordsmith.

i love the name kay too. but compelled speech? fuck off.

I guess she is just trying to be herself through the available channels of expression for unconventional people of her generation.

The problem is, that these days it is not just a matter of being a goth or an Emo, or wearing DM's and dying your hair purple..it could lead to hormones and surgery. Also it involves the mangling of the language, plus the totalitarian tendencies of enforced speech.

@WarmthAndDepth

I love love love KT: KT is not one for superficiality on any plane; on the contrary, KT writes rich, raw bordering on enlightened poetry which cuts deep to the heart of the human experience. I wonder if this is KT's way of expressing being 'gender-free', a reflection of the universal sexless experience of essential being, in the Zen sense. If not, I'm stumped.

Do human beings have an essential being apart from their bodies?

If it's a matter of identifying with the One Reality or something, wouldn't it be better to make like Prince and choose some sort of un-name?

Oh for God's sake.

So Tempest wishes us to know she's not like other girls'. Ok. Duly noted.

This is somehow not massively surprising.

She is very talented and has a wonderful way with words.
However this does not preclude her from also being pretentious and tediously self indulgent.
In fact it is often part of the poet stereotype!

I mean I love Prince, but he changed his name into an unpronouncable symbol and had some very strange ideas (didn't believe in time?) Can't get more pretentious than that!

It is all so attention seeking.

”Now, every time I see a girl or young woman get her long hair cut short, I’m waiting for the new name and pronouns to be announced.“

Oh bugger - I had my hair cut short today - do I have to rename myself and use different pronouns now? Is there no way I can be an adult, human female with short hair?

I've been waiting for ages for KT to come out as non-binary simply because it's the kind of thing they'd do. I'm pleased that KT is as boringly predictable as I'd expected.

I love her music too.

But “they”?

So 2018.