Jess de Wahls

[Mollyollydolly]

The Royal Academy have removed Jess' work from their shop due to a handful of complaints that she's 'transphobic'. If you want to support Jess her website is here.
www.jessdewahls.com
So sick of these utterly craven organisations. I hope she has a legal case against them for discrimination.

There didn't seem to be any thought, did there.

8 complaints and a "yes we'll take your word for it and remove Jess from the shop".

Did nobody think that there might be negative consequences? Were they not expecting a reaction?

I sincerely hope that the RA, along with any other institutions just learn to say NO.

Art galleries exhibit art, publishers publish books, food companies sell food, beer companies sell beer.

The commercial suicide of trying to appease political viewpoints across-the-board, when they will all conflict is astonishing to me.

The RA has fucked this right up. Now people are drawing attention to the misogyny and crimes of all their artists, thereby exposing their rank hypocrisy in cancelling de Wahls.

It's always going to be lose/lose.

Just say NO.

Suzanne Moore has written a blistering update in Letters from Suzanne. I recommend signing up if you don't already subscribe

The other side of this is that the TRAs never ever learn, The majority response to this is outage on Jess's behalf. Thousands of people are fed up with it.

@toffeebutterpopcorn

Is Jess’s dad trans? I read that somewhere.

From Jess's brilliant essay, I understood that her dad is gender non-conforming - ie. widening the bandwidth of what it is to be male, not female. www.jessdewahls.com/blog/2019/8/5/somewhere-over-the-rainbow-something-went-terribly-wrong Stonewall would obviously put him right under the trans umbrella though, and maybe in the category of 'people who are trans without knowing it' or whatever offensive way they think they're allowed to label other people.

No one could read her essay and conclude she is a pearl-clutching bigot, though of course, no one who makes those accusations will bother to read her essay.

You’d think the RA would have quickly got a handle on this, apologised and reinstated Jess’ work in the shop.

What are they doing? Their silence just makes the whole thing more embarrassing for them.

So with wonderful irony the Royal Academy tweeted today: “Draw something you would think but not say.” Women have replied…: twitter.com/royalacademy/status/1405174592856113154?s=21

The sex matters letter is succinctly perfect.

I will also be supporting JdW as an artist at the earliest opportunity.

I went on her website and bought something from her (fabulous) shop in solidarity

There's a petition too. (Not sure if this has been mentioned upthread - sorry if it has!)

I found it by googling. It's on ipetition and could do with more support.

Does anyone have a share token for the Times article?

I've made a thread on the petitions board

Jess de Wahls - petition asking for her work to be reinstated at the RA www.mumsnet.com/Talk/petitions_noticeboard/4273996-jess-de-wahls-petition-asking-for-her-work-to-be-reinstated-at-the-ra

@Clymene

Suzanne Moore has written a blistering update in Letters from Suzanne. I recommend signing up if you don't already subscribe

Very good letter, I agree.

“ Women who stitch ideas together are never to be trusted”

Sharp little needles are mighty weapons in the right hands.

And here's the Times link

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jess-de-wahls-royal-academy-shop-ditches-work-by-artist-accused-of-transphobia-xdlzkf0l7?shareToken=af3a85fb3810870e7298facdf83f9a89

Thanks Errol!

I see from the comments that there is a petition about this. (Easily found by googling key words.)

@LizzieSiddal

You’d think the RA would have quickly got a handle on this, apologised and reinstated Jess’ work in the shop.

What are they doing? Their silence just makes the whole thing more embarrassing for them.

I know. What is taking them so long? This is the kind of thing they should have sorted last night and hit a statement out first thing this morning. Idiots

Nothing other than a full and unreserved apology is appropriate.

@LizzieSiddal

You’d think the RA would have quickly got a handle on this, apologised and reinstated Jess’ work in the shop.

What are they doing? Their silence just makes the whole thing more embarrassing for them.

I'm astonished that they haven't. Apart from the issue of common decency and respect for women stating basic biological and cultural facts, it's going to absolutely fuck them up when it comes to staging future exhibitions from dead and living artists because who is going to pass a purity test, if 8 instagram comments from random strangers or whatever it was can make them 'cancel' an artist? And how will they look back on their famous exhibitions of the recent past - that giant Myra Hindley head, for instance, or the work and horrible statements made by the Chapman brothers? One of the last things I saw there pre-lockdown was Klimt/Schiele - the latter was a paedophile and some of his work - including a drawing included in the RA show - shows it quite clearly.

Maybe Jess has sold out of everything so they can't restock?

I can’t get over the juxtaposition of “we appreciate you holding us to account” with de Wahls’ account of growing up with the Stasi in East Germany.

Well I've emailed a complaint. Sat for 40mins on hold but can't get through and will keep trying.

I have managed to purchase some of the beautiful designs from Jess's website.

This has been the kick up the bum I needed to set up a regular donation to Sex Matters as well sex-matters.org/take-action/donate/

Thank you Errol!

Suzanne Moore

suzannemoore.substack.com/p/the-inquisition-jess-de-whals

@Datun

I sincerely hope that the RA, along with any other institutions just learn to say NO.

Art galleries exhibit art, publishers publish books, food companies sell food, beer companies sell beer.

The commercial suicide of trying to appease political viewpoints across-the-board, when they will all conflict is astonishing to me.

The RA has fucked this right up. Now people are drawing attention to the misogyny and crimes of all their artists, thereby exposing their rank hypocrisy in cancelling de Wahls.

It's always going to be lose/lose.

Just say NO.

I agree. It is beyond ridiculous .