Royal Academy have apologised!

[bastardmonkfisher]

Just dropped

I hope they have tweeted their apology too.

Good. I'd also imagine their legal advisors gave them a stern talking to. I hope they'll review their incompetent commas team now.

It's a reasonable apology, and seems to adjust their position to a good place. Took their time mind you; they waited until there had been editorial statement in the Standard, articles in the Times, Telegraph, BBC, widespread condemnation on social media. But it seems like a satisfactory move in the right direction. The RA's still at the bottom of my 'to visit' list though, I'll wait to see how this manifests.

@GoingGently

Good! Apart from the absence of an immediate restocking of her wares without hesitation.

I imagine they will need to speak to Jess about whether she actually wants her work sold by them before they do that

I would have liked to see them retract their statement that she was transphobic.

I actually think this is pretty good. It's a pretty robust admission of not just wrongdoing, but betraying their core values in doing so.

Maybe we should start a collection of these, starting with this and the University of Essex's apology?

Wooo! Women’s Hour are also talking about Lauren Hubbard now (approx 10.12am)

Emma is grilling the contributor and asking all the right questions.

This all feels like a massive ray of sunlight.

Not a bad apology. It's a start, businesses and organisations need to make it clear their line of business is X, they do not discriminate but they will not be drawn into political arguments.

One can only imagine the backlash they're going to get from TRA's now, it my well make them wish they'd ignored the previous 8 complaints.

I think that's a pretty good statement. It reasserts the basic principle that they rely on, and briefly forgot, so hopefully they will make sure that underlies everything they do now. For me this is as much about clawing back the principles we need to maintain this pluralist society, as it is about getting sensible policy decisions on sex and gender.

Maya's win means that pretty much all lawful beliefs are protected by the EA. As long as they are coherent enough to meet the grainger criteria to count as a belief, they will almost always pass grainger 5. There's differing opinion on whether JdW's relationship with the RA was covered by the EA but I think from now on organisations will have to take more care in balancing the rights of other ppl to hold and express their beliefs, with the organisations right to have its own values and beliefs. This is the beginning of an adjustment ( I hope). It really needs to happen in the arts and publishing.

It's got their lawyers and their PR all over it but, all things considered, I think it's pretty decent and I'm very pleased for Jess. It doesn't address the reputational damage she'll continue to suffer because for evermore some people will now associate her with transphobia without reading about what actually happened, let alone what she actually wrote.

And I'm very disappointed in all those big name self identified free thinking artists who utterly failed to support her. I'll make allowances for Tracey Emin because of her health but where were the others?

I'm in no doubt this wouldn't have turned out the way it has without Maya Forstater's case. We owe that woman and we owe her big time,

I couldn't find it from their Home Page, though.....

If passing or visiting an exhibition, let's all go into the shop and enquire about Jess's wares.

Saves them having to consider the REALLY shocking behaviour of Eric Gill, Gaugin, Picasso etc.

I agree with NoToast that there should have been an express retraction of the allegation of transphobia. All they have said is that they shouldn’t have judged her views on social media.

Also quite sick of seeing authoritarian impulses to shut down (women’s) freedom of expression framed as “hurt”. It’s rarely “hurt” driving the sort of behaviour that Jess has experienced.

Have they put it on their insta account yet ?

As that is where the6 put their first message

I think it's a pretty good statement. It could have been better - they should have withdrawn the allegation of transphobia - but I imagine the reason it's taken them so long is that there were big fights going on internally between the wokesters and the grown-ups. So that's why the statement isn't as full-throated as it could have been. But at least it's a proper apology and not a "sorry if you were upset" non-apology.

Shame they didnt mention their calling her transphobic.

Shame they have not said that this is a good time to review the accusations made regarding other artists and whether or not it is reasonable to represent paedophiles in this manner.

It doesn't address the reputational damage she'll continue to suffer because for evermore some people will now associate her with transphobia without reading about what actually happened, let alone what she actually wrote.

True - but you know what? For every person who thinks, "Jess de Wahls is a terrible person guilty of transphobia" there are another 10 who think she's absolutely fucking brilliant. So the net effect is to enhance her reputation not damage it.

It’s a good start. Nobody’s name attached to it of course. I would like to see the chief exec put his money where his mouth is and do some interviews, but I won’t hold my breath.

That's a good point and I hope so RoyalCorgi - I've read her saying that she's having to think about employing staff to deal with all the orders which made me smile.

Quote from Jess in article in the Times today:

“People are buying my art like crazy. Now I need to get people to help me do the logistics of packing and sending it. All this has caused a spiral that has led from me being a sole trader, doing art and supporting myself with hairdressing, to the point where I’m going to have to start employing people. I’ve lived on very little money for a very long time, which I no longer have to now thanks to these idiots. It’s been life-changing.”

If those 8 complainants were hoping this would be the end of Jess's career, it has backfired very badly on them

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jess-de-wahls-death-wishes-and-fear-after-the-royal-academy-cancelled-me-qb885c0p3?shareToken=19820f4007e11e60cde88492b7453f6f

Link to the article

@InspiralCoalescenceRingdown

I actually think this is pretty good. It's a pretty robust admission of not just wrongdoing, but betraying their core values in doing so.

Maybe we should start a collection of these, starting with this and the University of Essex's apology?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have such statements from the Women"s Equality Party, Fawcett, Newnham College and all the hundreds of other women-focussed organisations who sold us down the river as soon as a transwoman applied to join them/ sit on their management committee?

It's not a hood enough apology.

Jess's name should be in the heading. We shouldn't need to download a link of a vague 'press release' to read it. They should state Jess is not Transphobic and her views are protected in law.

They also originally trashed on Instagram where most visual artists hang out. They need to post it there.

*originally trashed Jess

Excellent news on a sunny morning!