Royal Academy of Arts apologises to Jess de Wahls in transphobia row | Royal Academy of Arts | The Guardian Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Jess de Wahls at her studio in south London.
Jess de Wahls at her studio in south London. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images
Jess de Wahls at her studio in south London. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images

Royal Academy of Arts apologises to Jess de Wahls in transphobia row

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Artist’s work had been withdrawn from gift shop over comments about sex and gender made in 2019

The Royal Academy of Arts has apologised to an artist whose work was removed from its gift shop after it branded her views transphobic on social media, calling its initial decision a “betrayal” of its commitment to freedom of speech.

Jess de Wahls, an embroidery artist based in London, became the focal point of the row after the Royal Academy decided to no longer stock her work after a 2019 blogpost – in which she outlined her views on gender identity politics – was deemed transphobic.

In a statement, the Royal Academy said it had mishandled the situation and that its internal communications had failed, which led to De Wahls hearing about the work being pulled via social media.

The statement read: “One thing is clear to us now – we should have handled this better. We have apologised to Jess de Wahls for the way we have treated her and do so again publicly now. We had no right to judge her views on our social media. This betrayed our most important core value – the protection of free speech.

“Plurality of voices, tolerance and free thinking are at the core of what we stand for and seek to protect. These events raise some fundamental issues. Freedom of expression can open up debate, create empathy or respect for difference, it can also at times cause hurt and outrage. This has confirmed to us our commitment to freedom of expression and to addressing complex issues through engagement and debate.”

The Royal Academy said it would look at its internal processes to “navigate this better in future”.

De Wahls told the Guardian her work would now go back on sale. She welcomed the apology and hoped it would set a precedent for other institutions to consider freedom of speech before acting.

“I think it’s important for an institution like that to stay out of these things,” she said. “I hope that all the other institutions are watching, and learn a lesson. I hope this brings it back to a place where disagreement can happen without assuming hate.”

The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, welcomed the apology. “Freedom of expression is central to great art and culture and should always be protected,” he said.

De Wahls’s comments from 2019 are what led to accusations of transphobia, which the artist denied.In the blogpost 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.”

When the post was flagged, De Wahls’s embroidery work was removed from the Royal Academy gift shop, with the artist saying she was contacted by officials at organisation who told her they were investigating.

The Royal Academy had posted a message on Instagram saying: “Thank you to all those for bringing an item in the RA shop by an artist expressing transphobic views to our attention.”

In response to De Wahls’s comments, the LGBT rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told the Guardian this week: “Trans women are different from other women, but being a different kind of woman is perfectly valid and no justification for the denial of their identity.

“If an artist denied Jewish, black or gay people’s identity, most people would say that the Royal Academy would be right to remove their works from the gift shop. But when Jess denies trans people’s identity, she and other trans critics say that it’s her right to free speech and she should not be penalised. This smacks of double standards.”

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