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1. Transgender Vikings is my pick for Fake News Story of the Year.
Were the Vikings "trans"? Of course not, and everyone knew this until 2020, when the media decided to rewrite history.
How did this happen?
Were the Vikings "trans"? Of course not, and everyone knew this until 2020, when the media decided to rewrite history.
How did this happen?
2. It started when a gender columnist at the Sunday Times did a story on a book by archaeologist Neil Price.
She was probably sent some quotes and a free copy by a PR agent working for Price's publisher, and decided to do the story, because of trans rights.
She was probably sent some quotes and a free copy by a PR agent working for Price's publisher, and decided to do the story, because of trans rights.
3. The Sunday Times headline is fair and the article makes it clear that historians (how many?) argue some Vikings *may* have been trans.
Yes, it's possible, but now the cat is out of the bag, and the story is followed by The Sun with TRANSGENDER VIKINGS RANSACKED BRITAIN.
Yes, it's possible, but now the cat is out of the bag, and the story is followed by The Sun with TRANSGENDER VIKINGS RANSACKED BRITAIN.
4. The original article, about a female Viking buried like a male warrior, is clear the historian doesn't even think the warrior was trans, only that it's possible.
He also thinks because Vikings had laws against acting trans that means they had a less binary view of gender...
He also thinks because Vikings had laws against acting trans that means they had a less binary view of gender...
5. So the whole basis for an article in a prestigious newspaper of record is a historian speculating about a possibility (More on Price later).
So who did the journalist go to for balance? Another archaeologist? An historian with an opposing view?
So who did the journalist go to for balance? Another archaeologist? An historian with an opposing view?
6. No, of course not, that would kill the story.
She spoke to Amy Jefford Franks (they/them) who wrote a thesis titled "Odin as a queer deity mediating the warrior halls of Viking age Scandinavia" and runs a podcast called "Vikings are Gay!"
She spoke to Amy Jefford Franks (they/them) who wrote a thesis titled "Odin as a queer deity mediating the warrior halls of Viking age Scandinavia" and runs a podcast called "Vikings are Gay!"
7. She admits it's debatable, but says her opinion is there were queer and transgender Vikings.
The article ends with Professor Price explaining how homophobic the Vikings were.
What about Price, is he just an impartial Vikings enthusiast?
The article ends with Professor Price explaining how homophobic the Vikings were.
What about Price, is he just an impartial Vikings enthusiast?
8. Apparently not.
In an opinion piece for Time Magazine to promote the same book, Price describes the Viking in question as "female-bodied" and uses way too many words to say "XX chromosome Viking may have been trans, we don't know for sure, so we can't rule it out!"
In an opinion piece for Time Magazine to promote the same book, Price describes the Viking in question as "female-bodied" and uses way too many words to say "XX chromosome Viking may have been trans, we don't know for sure, so we can't rule it out!"
9. Why does this matter?
We'll, there's already a Vikings section on Wiki's Transgender History page - how long before this is edited to claim Vikings were trans?
How many progressive history teachers are already using this in class?
We'll, there's already a Vikings section on Wiki's Transgender History page - how long before this is edited to claim Vikings were trans?
How many progressive history teachers are already using this in class?
10. This shows what a dire state modern journalism is in - university-corrupted leftist journalist writes a flawed story which is picked up by click-hungry "news" websites hungry for woke content, and transgender Vikings become historical fact.
