Mick Hartley

The latest on the Royal Academy trans debacle:

An artist whose work was withdrawn from a gift shop at London’s Royal Academy of Arts after she was accused of transphobia has said she could pursue legal action if she is not given an apology.

Jess de Wahls said she noticed “a mob” being “mounted against” her on social media after comments she made about sex and gender in a blog in 2019.

In a post on her website, she wrote: “I have no issue with somebody who feels more comfortable expressing themselves as if they are the other sex (or in whatever way they please for that matter).

“However, I cannot accept people’s unsubstantiated assertions that they are in fact the opposite sex to when they were born and deserve to be extended the same rights as if they were born as such.”…

Asked if she would pursue a recourse in law if she did not get an apology, she said: “I might do. But, to be honest with you, right now, I have the feeling that there is a hope within that institution, which is mind-boggling to me, that this just will go away . . . my inbox and the feedback I’ve been getting from the general public is quite the opposite.

“This isn’t going away. This is a conversation that needs to happen, it needs to happen in public. They will have to talk eventually.”

It may be, as de Wahls suggests, that the Royal Academy are just keeping their heads down and hoping the whole business will quickly blow over. But it would have been so easy for them to offer a swift apology and admit they reacted in haste and made a poor judgement. The fact that they haven't done so suggests to me that there are elements within the RA who are holding out, and actually believe – still believe, after all the negative reaction – that they did the right thing. It'd be fascinating to listen in to their internal debate.

Let's hope Jess de Wahls stays firm. I'm sure she will.

Update: Radio 4 interview.