Mick Hartley

Another tale on gender woo, and its grip on the arts world. This time it's bookselling and publishing – but there's a twist. Nina Welsch at The Critic:

Sound the klaxon, another woman has lost her job thanks to the gender wars. But in a major twist, the casualty this time was not someone from the gender-critical camp. Tilly Fitzgerald, an influencer and senior bookseller at Waterstones, was sacked by the bookshop because of a vicious tweet she directed at the bestselling author Christina Dalcher.

Dalcher had, in civil terms, defended SEEN In Publishing (a new network for those in the publishing world who “recognise the material reality of sex, and support freedom of expression”) against one of many hostile reactions from other publishing figures. Fitzgerald weighed in, assuring Dalcher: “Ooh, I’ll enjoy tearing up your books and popping them in the bin today. Thanks for the heads up.”

In response, Dalcher quoted Fitzgerald’s tweet to highlight the Fahrenheit 451 approach that such bookselling bloggers take towards those in publishing who refuse to conform to gender woo-woo. Fitzgerald’s account was her professional one as well as personal, and Waterstones parted company with her.

This has come as a welcome surprise for many women (and men) scarred by mistreatment and ostracism by gender identitarians in their professional life — especially the arts where connections and reputation are everything.

Simultaneously, it has come as a horrible shock for radical progressives and their #BeKind allies, who’ve never previously had to entertain the idea that they might face consequences for their political opinions bringing their workplace into disrepute.

Amongst gender ideology’s dissidents, there is some forgivable schadenfreude as well as disgust at the hypocrisy of those amongst Fitzgerald’s defenders, who have suddenly developed an interest in freedom of speech in publishing.

More than 500 authors and publishing employees have signed an open letter urging Waterstones to reinstate Fitzgerald. One of the more famous signatories is Chocolat author Joanne Harris, who, whilst head of the Society of Authors, was content to let crickets chirp whilst women in her industry were hounded, slandered and discriminated against….

Publishing is one of the worst sectors for political conformism and related bullying, which cannot be separated from the fact that it is one of the most hyper-feminised industries, dominated by women at all levels including the top. Glass ceiling victories aside, there is something about the feigned egalitarianism of female competitiveness that translates depressingly well to modern publishing culture.

The key to successful sabotage and status-gain is, as any wily mean girl knows, covertness. Agents and publishers are snowed under with proposals and pitches. It’s a cut-throat, jealous and business-led world that operates behind a facade of hope, creativity and reward for perseverance. Which is why publishing was fated to become enmeshed in the DEI paradox, where diversity, equity and inclusion are pursued through conformity, discrimination and exclusion.

All those awfully nice people keeping a tight grip on the type of awfully nice person that can be allowed in to their lovely creative inclusive little world.