Disappointed to read author was pressurised to add a trans woman character to The Power

[BKingso]

The Power is a great feminist novel from a few years ago. I was looking forward to the tv series and I am enjoying it so far. Disappointed to see the author was apparently pressurised to add a trans woman to a story about teenage girls getting super powers.

www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-power-author-talks-adding-a-transgender-character-to-her-story-and-introducing-more-diversity-into-the-series

I'm also curious whether Sister Maria the kindly nun gets The Power in the adaptation or do they just hint that the character is trans and leave open whether they have The Power? In other words, the lip service given by the adaptation doesn't extend much beyond "gender blind" casting?

I feel the LGBT may actually be overrepresented on TV by this point (in comparison to society in real life). Meanwhile some other minorities are hardly ever seen.

I loved that book - so stark and thought-provoking.

Not going to bother with the series.

I'm really disappointed that she's gone all twaw, it completely undermines the whole premise of her book.
I wonder if this will backfire on her. The only people who I know have read this are classic, old school feminists and their husbands. All teddy terf terfs.
I don't know much about viewing habits but wonder if it's really going to attract enough viewers to replace those it has alienated. Although I suppose they are counting on viewers not to question it or notice, but in a venn diagram I would imagine women who enjoyed the power and women who are concerned about the erosion of women's rights to have a strong overlap.
Although she's tagged herself onto a men's rights movement I just can't see the incels enjoying this one.

Disappointing, but understandable I guess. She's either stupid (unlikely, but clever people do have blind spots) scared,.or a closet MRA.
I'm going with scared, but she's a fool if she thinks this will keep the tr activists off her back. If they read the ACTUAL book it's practically the terfs manifesto and not a girl penis in sight.
You'd also think anyone looking at the way the wind is blowing at the moment would have the sense to fencesit at the very least.
Such a shame because if the series bombs they will put it down to lack of appetite for feminist television and that's not the case. At least Atwood has the sense not to have any trans handmaids,. presumably because she wants to make money more than virtue signal.

Agree.

I won't bother watching the film, although I read the book years ago and thought it would make a good film.

I've been avoiding watching as I suspected this would be the case. I'm just not going to give views to something that kowtows to this nonsense. On the rare occasion that I do get sucked into watching something that is going all in on gender ideology, (last year I couldn't look away from the car crash of And Just Like That) I watch it in a way that my views don't count.

I don't think NA was saying she was pressurised- I think she's fairly obviously pretending to be thrilled that fans pointed out she "forgot" to include a transwoman, and isn't it jolly she's now added one, hurrah and by the way TWAW!!! It reads to me like she was terrified of getting the JK Rowling treatment.

Yup. Any author only has to look at Gillian Philip and Gareth Roberts to realise that it really is career suicide to say anything against TW. Best to include one in your screen adaptation if you don't want to have to retrain as a lorry driver (Philip)

I've felt that on three separate occasions whilst watching recent dramas on TV.

All of these TW looked fabulous in photos when I googled them, but somehow still didn't pass on screen. All their characters were just "women", and I didn't know the actors in advance.

Urgh that was meant to be a reply to @FuckNuggets
Mumsnet is glitching all over the shop for me recently

I won’t be watching any more after reading this and that’s a shame as I was enjoying it.

I agree with pp that there does seem to be an over representation of only certain minority groups in the media.

The nun character is so ridiculous and doesn't work. There was a whole convoluted scene to explain the character was trans. It was awkward and didn't flow.

Such a tiny minority and yet everywhere.

I read a Guardian interview with her recently. She came across as a bit of a fence-sitter/don't scare the horses TWAW-lite. here

I'm surprised Naomi Alderman agreed to add a transperson to her novel! The Power is about women, period!

It's so frigging typical though, if a book/film etc is about women must shoehorn a transwoman in there

Where is the outcry that there are no trans people in Jack Reacher books/films?

Everywhere?

This character is one that has chosen to live in an all female single sex space.

Is that really as positive and progressive as it appears?

Why not a transwomen in another ordinary role in life? Nope it's a special shelter which offers shelter and protection exclusively for women and girls. Not as part of general society.

You could argue it's a representation that says transwomen seek out women's spaces deliberately, which may not be the representation that some would be so keen to encourage.

If this is pandering to wokeness, it's potentially putting in an unintended stereotype. It's interesting to see where we are getting trans characters and the jobs / roles that are being written for them. We aren't seeing transwomen being written in as senior CEOs at huge companies for example.

I actually think this is worth keeping track of as it will reflect public understanding/ perceptions.

If they read the ACTUAL book it's practically the terfs manifesto and not a girl penis in sight.

Girls do not have penises. HTH

Well yes, that was kinda my point

Animalsoffartingwood The only people who I know have read this are classic, old school feminists and their husbands. All teddy terf terfs.

My DD aged 41 read The Power and is the opposite of a teddy terf, terf! Am sure she'll be pleased a transperson has been included in the TV show. I, OTOH, are what you call 'classic old school feminist' and haven't read the book but am watching the show out of interest.

Someone mentioned VOX - it had been optioned and a screenplay had been drafted, but it won't be made because... yes they did it there too and Christina Dalcher said No.

https://twitter.com/CV_Dalcher/status/1641076739458711553?s=20

I loved that book. But Naomi Alderman is pathetic for not standing up for her concept and creation. Why couldn't she have pointed out that it makes no sense? There are more interesting stories they could have included instead, e.g. would a transman still want to be a man if she had the power? How would a TW deal with not having the power? She could have been inclusive without ruining the premise of her own story.

It's hard to have respect for people like that, tbh. When other women have risked and lost way more to speak the truth.

That's why she's a fucking hero whose books will be remembered and celebrated in the future.

Pretty sure NA has always been fairly TWAW, despite her awesome novel. I remember being disappointed about realising this about her quite some time ago, so I suspect she really was delighted to add a trans character, despite the fact it rather undermines things.

Great respect for Christina Dalcher.