Sasha White vs. transgender people

Sasha White is a podcaster, writer, and anti-transgender activist. White is founder of anti-trans publication Plebity. White has written for other anti-trans publications, including 4W, Spiked, and Tablet.

Background

According to a post by White:

My origin story when it comes to my writing is one of cancellation. I was fired from my job as an assistant literary agent in 2020 for posting on my private twitter account that gender nonconformity is wonderful but denying biological sex is not. Realizing that cancel culture makes it so that only the rich have free speech, I co-founded the Plebity Free Speech Fund, which gives grants to individuals who are severely, materially punished for their speech. On my YouTube channel I have interviewed dozens of people on the topic of gender, free speech, and cancel culture, and co-hosted a podcast about opposing gender identity ideology. My articles have been published in Spiked Online and Tablet Magazine.

Anti-trans activism

On August 23, 2020, The Tobias Literary Agenct posted an official statement regarding former assistant agent Sasha White

“Tonight we were made aware of comments made by Sasha White on her professional and secondary Twitter accounts. We do not have any room for anti-trans sentiments at TLA. Period. Thus, we have parted ways with Sasha. In honor of the Trans community we have made a donation to For the Gworls to provide rent or Gender-Affirming surgery for Black trans people. We are also opening our DMs to any trans author who would like a query or one page critique on an ongoing basis. Thank you. – TLA”

Anti-trans activist Jesse Singal was among the first to get involved in the protest over the decision.

A woman named Sasha White got fired from her job at The Tobias Literary Agency after some on Twitter reported her to her employer for tweets they saw as offensive. I reached out to Lane Heymont, the head of the agency, to ask what happened. He said that the problem was White didn’t include disclaimer language in her Twtiter bio stating that the opinions were her own, “thus suggesting and it was perceived she was speaking on behalf of the agency and those views are not in line with our beliefs. Therefore we had to part ways.” In response to me asking him to send screenshots of the tweets that caused the firing, here are the relevant tweets he included. [screenshots] The logic seems to be that her alt account could link people to her main account, which could cause people to think the agency holds certain views. “TW” means “trans women.” People in jobs where they can be fired need to be very, very careful about what political opinions they express. If you’re in my liberal/coastal world, I’d apply The Nike Test. Unless you could see a major company like Nike tweeting the opinion you want to express, strongly consider keeping it to yourself. I know there are vast swaths of the country where you can get fired for holding liberal opinions, and that our country has terrible at-will employment laws, so I don’t want to present this as one-sided: This advice only holds for my particular world and it frustrates me when people present right-wing cancel culture isn’t real. Anyway, Heymont’s final email to me: “While everyone has the right to their opinion and to express those opinions, accordingly we have the right to support and promote the trans community. Thank you and stay safe and well during these difficult times.”

White’s supporters used the hashtag #IStandWithSashaWhite on Twitter, including Jane Clare Jones, Andrew Doyle (as “Titania McGrath”), Lily Maynard, Birdy Rose (who created an illustration), Julie Bindel, Allison Bailey, WoLF, Sall Grover, Helen Saxby, Amy Sousa, “Genevieve Gluck,” Joan Smith, Maya Forstater, LGB Alliance, caWsbar, Julia Hartley-Brewer, For Women Scotland, “Arty Morty,” Vaishnavi Sundar, Cathy Devine, and Julian Vigo of Savage Minds.

White the published the Substack newsletter Notes from the Underground with Nasim Vatani in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, White began the Substack Sasha White’s Newsletter.

White is co-host of the Identity Crisis podcast with M.K. Fain.

References

Smith, Katie (August 26, 2020). Literary Agency Fires Agent for TERF-y Tweets: Fired agent’s supporters flooded the hashtag #IStandWithSashaWhite. Book and Film Globe https://bookandfilmglobe.com/politics/literary-agency-fires-agent-sasha-white-for-terf-y-tweets/

Anti-trans coverage

O’Toole, Fintan (December 9, 2021). Cancel culture is turning healthy tensions into irreconcilable conflicts. Prospect https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/38201/cancel-culture-is-turning-healthy-tensions-into-irreconcilable-conflicts

Staff report (December 9, 2021). Ostracised, disinvited, rescinded: what it’s like to get cancelled. Prospect https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/society/38229/ostracised-disinvited-rescinded-what-its-like-to-get-cancelled

Fain, M. K. (January 6, 2021). After Being Fired Over Tweets, Sasha White Launches Free Speech Fund to Combat Cancel Culture. 4W https://4w.pub/sasha-white-launches-free-speech-fund-to-combat-cancel-culture/

Hayton, Debbie (August 31, 2020). Mob ‘justice’: How one feminist’s simple Tweet enraged transgender activists and saw her sacked from her dream job. RT https://www.rt.com/news/499510-mob-justice-feminists-transgender/

republished: (September 6, 2020). Mob ‘justice’: How one feminist’s simple Tweet enraged transgender activists and saw her sacked from her dream job. Debbie Hayton https://debbiehayton.com/2020/09/06/mob-justice-how-one-feminists-simple-tweet-enraged-transgender-activists-and-saw-her-sacked-from-her-dream-job/

Perse, Erin (August 28, 2020). Young woman sacked from literary agency for standing up for women and girls. The Post Millennial https://thepostmillennial.com/young-woman-sacked-from-literary-agency-for-standing-up-for-women-and-girls

Showalter, Brandon (August 27, 2020). Woman fired from literary agency for tweeting that trans-identified males aren’t women. Christian Post https://www.christianpost.com/news/woman-fired-from-literary-agency-for-tweeting-that-trans-identified-males-arent-women.html

Kearnes, Madelein (August 27, 2020). Feminist Fired for Stating the Obvious. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/feminist-fired-for-stating-the-obvious/

Goins-Phillips, Tré (August 27, 2020). Literary Agent Who Defended J.K. Rowling Fired Over ‘Anti-Trans’ Comments.Faithwire https://www.faithwire.com/2020/08/27/literary-agent-who-defended-j-k-rowling-fired-over-anti-trans-comments/

Bartosch, Jo (August 27, 2020). Sasha White and the woke war on feminists: A literary agent has been fired for criticising gender-neutral pronouns. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/08/27/sasha-white-and-the-woke-war-on-feminists/

Murray, Douglas (August 27 2020). Trans people are real — but so is biology. The Times https://www.thetimes.com/comment/article/trans-warriors-need-to-put-down-their-weapons-vxsrczx8j

“Gluck, Genevieve” (August 26, 2020). What’s Current: Sasha White allegedly fired over tweet about gender identity. Feminist Current https://www.feministcurrent.com/2020/08/26/whats-current-sasha-white-allegedly-fired-over-tweet-about-gender-identity/

Fain, M. K. (August 26, 2020). Women in the United States are being Fired for Talking About Feminism. 4W https://4w.pub/women-united-states-fired-for-talking-about-feminism/

Bindel, Julie (August 25, 2020). Yet another feminist burned at the stake. UnHerd https://unherd.com/newsroom/yet-another-feminist-burned-at-the-stake/

Tweedy, Joanna (August 25, 2020). New York literary agent who ‘stands with J K Rowling’ is fired for retweeting comment that read, ‘being vulnerable to male violence does not make you a woman’ on her personal Twitter account. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/lifestyle/article-8661809/Woman-sacked-literary-agency-anti-trans-comments-Twitter.html

Parker, Tom (August 24, 2020). Assistant literary agent fired after transgender activists complain that her Twitter account is “transphobic.” Reclaim The Net https://reclaimthenet.org/literary-agent-fired-alt-twitter-account

Singal, Jesse (August 24, 2020). “A woman named Sasha White got fired from her job at The Tobias Literary Agency…” Twitter https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1297930375533080580 [archive]

Selected writing by White

White, Sasha (December 21, 2020). The Plebity Free Speech Fund – our full statement. Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/plebity-free-our-45263936

White, Sasha (October 21, 2020). I was fired for my feminist beliefs: Women are being silenced for speaking out against gender-identity ideology. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/10/21/i-was-fired-for-my-feminist-beliefs/