Another day, another letter...

[Vermeil]

It’s becoming a rather dull tit-for-tat letter signing competition.
Today in the Graun we have a report on a fresh one, this time it has all the usual vague hand-waving, a total and utter failure to address the actual issues, and some slightly sickly ‘be kind’ style fluff. The list of signatories is incredibly predictable.

www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/30/more-than-200-writers-and-publishers-sign-letter-in-support-of-trans-and-non-binary-people

I wondered reading the first JKR letter list if it's average age was older than the second is. Lots of editorial assistant type people with 90s first names. It saddened me that the first might be dismissed as representing an older generation that doesn't get it, and bright young things people the second. Although yes, not many are high-profile. I was amused to see Juno Dawson signing a letter to support herself...

Have I read this wrong? Ostensibly seems like a nice gesture to support trans community; nothing wrong with that if that's what you want to do.

But it seems to tacitly suggest the death/rape threats JKR received were justified and not worth criticising. At all. Is this what people are really signing for? I feel like if these people work in the industry they'd be aware that it wasn't just a 'be nice to the trans community' letter?

I'm not a fan of Jeanette Winterson as a writer or as a person but, in fairness, that letter is pretty innocuous. Other than the TWAW bit, I would happily sign it myself.

@Jux

What if JKR herself was to sign that letter?

@Imnobody4

I only recognise a handful of the authors but there are loads of editors etc

The Second Shelf is intersectional, inclusive, and expansive in our use of the term women as we embrace the multidefinitionality of gender identity and expression. This is a crime against the English language.

Reading it in a Sean Connery voice helps

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow
You would? Even though this letter is in reply to the one condemning the unwarranted abuse levelled at JKR? You’re totally cool with the implications?

[quote Vermeil]@MissLucyEyelesbarrow
You would? Even though this letter is in reply to the one condemning the unwarranted abuse levelled at JKR? You’re totally cool with the implications?[/quote]
But did Winterson know that? My point is that, if you just read the text of the letter, it's innocuous and you wouldn't necessarily realise that it was a riposte to JKR.