Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Anthony Horowitz retweeted GC video!

31 replies

HelenaRavenclaw · 26/02/2023 05:27

Horowitz is the bestselling author of Alex Rider, Magpie Murders, Hawthorne etc. and has often spoken out against cancel culture. Now he has retweeted a gender critical account's video of a detransitioner (screenshot attached). Wonder if the woke mob are going to come after him now...

Anthony Horowitz retweeted GC video!
OP posts:
Natsku · 26/02/2023 06:16

Well that's exciting!

2Rebecca · 26/02/2023 06:45

I think he's another one who's too big to cancel. I'm pleased he has always opposed cancel culture and am amazed so many in the publishing world went along with the whole fiction genre destroying " you can only write about people who look like you" stuff. He and Lionel Shriver have been amongst the few opposing it and gender woo.
The head of the society of authors has been appalling at actually standing up for the interests of authors in opposing the narrowness, rigidity and ridiculousness of the censorious "right think" group although the activists in most trade unions are more captured by this nonsense than their members as a whole so it's maybe not surprising this union isn't an exception.

Original poster
HelenaRavenclaw · 26/02/2023 07:54

Horowitz has been speaking up a lot about freedom of authors to write whatever they want without fear of censorship, but I don't think he has previously weighed in on the gender debate or clearly endorsed GC views like this though.

OP posts:
KatMcBundleFace · 26/02/2023 07:58

Courage calls to courage.

WarriorN · 26/02/2023 08:43

Fab.

I think it's also v hard to dismiss the experiences of detransitioners. For many they've been what's made people sit up and query the ideology. It's hard to be slated as a bigot when you point out these issues.

Of course TRAs dismiss them as rare, but that's definitely becoming harder

Holdmypint · 26/02/2023 09:29

Excellent. Children's publishing has been very anti GC views (JKR excepted) - good to hear someone of Horowitz's stature getting involved.

Original poster
HelenaRavenclaw · 26/02/2023 15:54

Surprisingly, he hasn't received any backlash yet on Twitter! I wonder if it has to do with the fact that he's a man not a woman...

OP posts:
Xenia · 26/02/2023 15:56

It is very important to see peopole prepared to stand up about this as there is a grou pof people in the UK who think there is one right view on cancel culture . We seem to have lost the liberal left and instead have the illiberal (or woke) left today.

EmpressaurusOfCats · 26/02/2023 15:56

I just hope they don’t force him to change his mind.

cariadlet · 26/02/2023 16:03

Brilliant!

I love his books and have listened to a lot of interviews with him on book podcasts. He's always come across as someone who is very thoughtful.

I'm sure he will be aware that he could have a hate campaign waged against him because of this but also knows that he is successful enough for it not to make a huge difference to his sales or income. He is too big an earner for his publisher to disown him.

Original poster
HelenaRavenclaw · 26/02/2023 16:39

EmpressaurusOfCats · 26/02/2023 15:56

I just hope they don’t force him to change his mind.

No, that he won't do, I am sure. He has been speaking out against cancel culture consistently and it would be highly uncharacteristic of him to do a u-turn at this stage.

OP posts:
WomenShouldStillWinWomensSports · 26/02/2023 16:41

I met him once at a book signing in the late 2000s. I always thought he was a very astute writer who didn't get caught up in "trends". Really pleased to see he's on the right side of this debate.

nepeta · 26/02/2023 17:14

HelenaRavenclaw · 26/02/2023 15:54

Surprisingly, he hasn't received any backlash yet on Twitter! I wonder if it has to do with the fact that he's a man not a woman...

Probably the case as it has been for most male gender critical commenters in social media. The different treatment of men and women in this debate is often very stark, beginning how it is only the female sex which is erased from language, not the male sex. And then the lesser rage aimed at most men who question the gender identity ideology when compared to what GC women receive.

EmpressaurusOfCats · 26/02/2023 17:29

WomenShouldStillWinWomensSports · 26/02/2023 16:41

I met him once at a book signing in the late 2000s. I always thought he was a very astute writer who didn't get caught up in "trends". Really pleased to see he's on the right side of this debate.

I’d only heard of him vaguely until recently, then I came across the Hawthorne & Horowitz series & I'm really enjoying them.

Sunnysunbun · 26/02/2023 17:31

He’s a Tory. His son is a senior advisor for Sunak.
I’m not sure if this is relevant but…

LakeTiticaca · 26/02/2023 17:48

Sunnysunbun · 26/02/2023 17:31

He’s a Tory. His son is a senior advisor for Sunak.
I’m not sure if this is relevant but…

Maybe relevant in that if he was a senior Labour member he'd probably be getting bounced.
Sins of the father and all that......

Whatsnewpussyhat · 26/02/2023 18:16

Sunnysunbun · 26/02/2023 17:31

He’s a Tory. His son is a senior advisor for Sunak.
I’m not sure if this is relevant but…

Being critical of gender identity ideology is a perfectly normal rational thing.
The vast majority, regardless of political standpoint, know humans can't change sex.

Being a 'tory' has fuck all to do with it.

ClaphamSouth · 26/02/2023 18:27

Remember when JK Rowling donated £1m to the Labour Party? I don't know if this is relevant but ...

www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/sep/20/labourconference.jkrowling

BluebellBlueballs · 26/02/2023 18:31

nepeta · 26/02/2023 17:14

Probably the case as it has been for most male gender critical commenters in social media. The different treatment of men and women in this debate is often very stark, beginning how it is only the female sex which is erased from language, not the male sex. And then the lesser rage aimed at most men who question the gender identity ideology when compared to what GC women receive.

Show quote history

It's almost as if there is some immutable, inherent difference between two very different types of hunan beings.....

WhisperingAutistic · 26/02/2023 18:38

He signed the letter in support of JK in 2020 and he's always been supportive of her views.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/02/06/writer-anthony-horowitz-hits-cancel-culture-saying-novelists/

Anthony Horowitz retweeted GC video!
cariadlet · 26/02/2023 19:19

I think that he has been an instinctive Tory but definitely more of an old fashioned, One Nation Tory than a supporter of recent Tory governments.

He has talked in a couple of podcasts about getting more radical as he gets older.

I think he's an intelligent man who takes a nuanced approach to things and doesn't blindly follow a party line.

ArabellaScott · 26/02/2023 21:03

Good for him.

HopRockers · 26/02/2023 21:17

Excellent
He's pretty untouchable (& has the penis shield 🙄) & has a huge audience

MissLawls · 27/02/2023 14:38

Horowitz is one of my author heroes. I'm delighted he retweeted that. As to his politics a recent interview with him he said he wasn't sure about his views anymore. Seems to be a wavering Tory. A Conservative at heart, perhaps One Nation/old school as others have said. It makes no difference to me. I'm just glad he's taken a stand. He's also a very very good writer. I highly recommend his Hawthorne series. I have them on audible, read by Rory Kinnear. Just wonderful if you like mystery/thriller stories.

Abra1t · 27/02/2023 14:46

The Hawthorne series is great. So is the Magpie Murders (?) series.

Well done to him.