New women's book shop

[ChristinaXYZ]

Rare Birds Books have announced they will be opening as a bookshop in Edinburgh selling new books. The tweet says they will be "entirely dedicated to women's writing" but in answer to the inevitable, 'Will you be trans inclusive? Would appreciate an explicit statement on this!' they say, 'Yes, definitely!'.

Whilst this is neither a 'rights aren't pie' moment as presumably they will stock thousands of books so there should be plenty of room for all. It is also not a safe-guarding issue like single sex spaces often are. So why am I bothered I am asking myself?

It think the crux is these two questions that I would ask them on twitter if I was not on there under my work/real name:

1. Will this mean including transwomen, or transmen or both. Because, 'transmen are men', no? What will you be doing about writers who lived very much like a man and you may call trans now, important writers like Radcliffe Hall. Will RH be excluded? If not, is that not transphobic?

2. Will you stock the works of brave crusaders for women's rights (might wait for a hopeful 'yes' on that before continuing) like Selina Todd, Kathleen Stock, Helen Joyce, Jane Harris, JK Rowling, etc?

And finally - I think in the end the whole thing is disputable - a mis-described trade.

If anyone on twitter does tax them over it, I would love to see the responses.

twitter.com/rarebirdsbooks/status/1412477317176336387

I agree KimikosNightmare. There's no need to separate males and females in terms of writing - there's no sex difference in writing ability.

This new book shop in Stockbridge is going to sell only fiction, that’s a huge oversight in my opinion.

I agree with beastley slumbar. I like my changing rooms to be women only but don't care that much about the sex of authors particularly if it's fiction. It seems to be limiting what you read for the sake of it. Women's bookshops were important in the Virago days when female authors were ignored by other book shops but they seem unnecessary now especially when businesses like Lighthouse show that a "women's " bookshop can be more likely to restrict which female authors it stock and which "type" of woman it wants as a customer than a mainstream bookshop where books are books.

Not sure - how many male authors get death the threats, cancelled book launched/offers, publishing house staff blackmailing their employers/flouncing off if she dares to voice an opinion They Don’t Like.

Maybe we need womans spaces more than ever now.

@toffeebutterpopcorn

Not sure - how many male authors get death the threats, cancelled book launched/offers, publishing house staff blackmailing their employers/flouncing off if she dares to voice an opinion They Don’t Like.

Maybe we need womans spaces more than ever now.

But this women's book shop is actually part of that same problem.

I'd love to see a 'cancelled' book shop, which stocked all the books that people have ever tried to ban.

@toffeebutterpopcorn

Not sure - how many male authors get death the threats, cancelled book launched/offers, publishing house staff blackmailing their employers/flouncing off if she dares to voice an opinion They Don’t Like.

Maybe we need womans spaces more than ever now.

I don't know about death threats but Jordan Peterson has had all of the others

Peterson doesn't need say a "conservative" bookshop or publisher - he needed and got a publisher that stood its ground. Obviously it helps that he's so profitable.

My local Waterstone's hasn't toned the Harry Potter memorabilia one whit. My local Toppings has JKR first editions on prominent display. Both have Abigail Shrier's book in stock for click and collect this afternoon if I want to buy it.

I hope Blair White publishes something- I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Lighthouse et al will self combust trying to justify banning a trans author.

I hope Blair White publishes something- I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Lighthouse et al will self combust trying to justify banning a trans author.

Ooh yes, I'm a big fan of Blair White (although not so much of Blaire's plans to become a 'mum') and that will make some people very confused

How long has it been since feminist theory in Waterstones was replaced by gender studies as a separate category? Looking at that section in the store, there is a few second wave feminist tracts mixed with a huge amount of gender studies. Which, given the number of sections dedicated to gender elsewhere in the store, seems a little much. Does gender studies really sell that much?

Now back in the day... when I was first a student I had two female lecturers who were very knowledgeable about feminism (the real type) and we’d often go off topic to discuss it.

Now the whole (what we now call) genderwoo was viewed as intellectual errrrr ‘self-love’ shall we say. Exercises in twisting words and meaning, exploring alleyways and seeing how far a theory could go - seen as pretty left field (like David Ike and his lizards). So safe to snigger at it, as it was very much a minority interest.

Who’d’ve think it, 40 years on, and this nonsense (probably the brainchild of some bad acid) has capture the imagination of the yoof?