James Dawson comes out as transgender - and urges people not to demonise Germaine Greer

Dawson said it was 'a shame' and 'disheartening' that the 'icon of feminism' held that view

James Dawson is author of the the teen thrillers Hollow Pike and Under My Skin

A leading author of books for young adults, who has revealed that he is about to transition into a woman, has urged people not to “demonise” Germaine Greer after she claimed it was not possible to change gender.

James Dawson, who wrote the teen thrillers Hollow Pike and Under My Skin and a non-fiction book about sexuality called This Book Is Gay, said it was “a shame” and “disheartening” that the “icon of feminism” held that view and said he would like to speak to her to find out why.

A petition was raised urging Cardiff University to prevent the 76-year-old academic from speaking there because of her views on transgender (TG) people and on 23 October she told BBC Newsnight that she was planning not to go as she was too old to “be screamed at and have things thrown at me”.

Dawson, who revealed that he was about to start transitioning in an interview with BuzzFeed News, praised the organisers of the petition.

“I think it sends out a really clear message that Cardiff doesn’t tolerate transphobia,” he told The Independent on Sunday.

However, he added that Greer’s book The Female Eunuch was a “classic of our time” and her previous good work should not be forgotten.

“I’d love to talk to Germaine Greer because I don’t want this to get to the stage where we demonise her and say everything she ever said is rubbish. I would like to ask her why she feels that way,” he said.

“I think it’s a shame because she was such an icon of feminism for so many years. She was a seminal, leading feminist thinker, but I guess maybe feminist thinking has moved on and I guess maybe she’s been left behind.”

Asked how he felt about Greer’s comments, Dawson said: “It’s disheartening for any woman to feel unwelcomed by someone you previously looked up to.”

The reaction to his public revelation from the wider world had been markedly different. “I’m just overwhelmed. It’s been all positive. If anybody has fancied trolling me, they’ve kept it to themselves,” he said.

Dawson, who lives in Brighton, still refers to himself as male, but said he felt “being born as a boy was a birth defect ... All I want to be is a woman – I just want to be one of the girls .”