Template:Did you know nominations/Sarah Jane Baker

Sarah Jane Baker

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Sarah Jane Baker in 2020

• ... that author Sarah Jane Baker (pictured) was so desperate for gender affirming care in prison that she cut off her testicles with a razor blade? Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-lgbt-prisoners-trfn-idUSKBN20Y3H0 "Baker was allowed make-up in prison, but she did not receive regular oestrogen - to create feminine characteristics such as less body hair and breasts - until she removed her testicles with a razor blade in 2017 and almost died."
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Conjurer (band)

Moved to mainspace by GRuban (talk). Self-nominated at 14:28, 11 September 2023 (UTC). Post-promotion hook changes for this nom will be logged at Template talk:Did you know nominations/Sarah Jane Baker; consider watching this nomination, if it is successful, until the hook appears on the Main Page.

• Comment: Not a review but the hook is jarring. Bruxton (talk) 21:25, 12 September 2023 (UTC)

This is a well written and meticulously cited article that accurately reflects the RS. The author has clearly taken care to write as balanced of an article as possible on a controversial figure. The hook is jarring, but is verified to the cited Reuters article. Given that the hook fact is something widely reported that has brought Baker to the attention of the broader public (and essentially given her a platform to speak as a transgender activist), I see no reason not to use the hook as written. Hook length and hook fact verified. Article is new enough and long enough and within compliance of wiki policies.4meter4 (talk) 21:43, 16 September 2023 (UTC)

Hi, I have pulled this nomination from prep after disagreement at WT:DYK. Please discuss issues there. Ritchie333 ^{(talk) (cont)} 12:49, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

OK, so the issues at WT:DYK were twofold: User:BeanieFan considered the hook disgusting and confusing, and User:VaticidalProphet considered the hook both shocking and not particularly central, which seem somewhat similar, while User:Lightburst had a whole slew of objections all of which only had in common their point that since Baker was a bad person, she should not be on DYK. I don't think we can help the second by definition, but we can address the hook (which was among Lightburst's slew of objections) so hopefully that will suffice. Give me a bit to come up with multiple alternative hooks, will remove the Doing... template when done. There are certainly plenty of remarkable facts about her we can use. --GRuban (talk) 13:43, 1 October 2023 (UTC)

• ALT1: "... that Sarah Jane Baker (pictured) who says she learned to read and write in prison, published two books about life there?" Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-lgbt-prisoners-trfn-idUSKBN20Y3H0 I'm slightly uncomfortable with the "says" - if true, it would certainly be a remarkable fact, and it has been reported in more than just Reuters (for example, https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/12042021-uks-longest-serving-transgender-prisoner-to-run-for-richmond-park-mp states it without the "says" caveat) but there is some chance the subject could be an unreliable narrator.
• ALT2: "... that when Sarah Jane Baker (pictured) was denied gender affirming care in prison, she attempted it herself with a razor blade?" Massaging the hook that was disliked at DYKT, to be less jarring, confusing, and shocking (by um ... removing the ... ahem ... so to speak ...)
• ALT3: "... that when Sarah Jane Baker (pictured) was released after 30 years, she was the UK's longest serving transgender prisoner?" Again Reuters source. Less controversial in every way, but also less "hooky", almost boring.
• ALT4: "... that Sarah Jane Baker (pictured) is an author, an artist, a political candidate, and formerly a violent felon, and the UK's longest serving transgender prisoner?" The kitchen sink hook! WP:DYKHOOKBLP says we're not supposed to unduly emphasize negative things in the hook, but I've been accused of glazing over the subject's significant crimes, so possibly listing it among her other interesting points may not be undue.
• ALT5: "... that Sarah Jane Baker (pictured) is an author, an artist, a political candidate, and formerly the UK's longest serving transgender prisoner?" removes the most negative bit from the above.

@Bruxton, Ritchie333, Lightburst, AirshipJungleman29, Vaticidalprophet, Theleekycauldron, BeanieFan11, and RoySmith: That should do it. I think I prefer ALT4, then ALT2, but will accept any that y'all agree on. Look well, o wolves! --GRuban (talk) 21:01, 2 October 2023 (UTC)

I do think ALT2 is better and more encyclopedic than any of the other hooks here, but I think I find myself on the minority on this, so I'll refrain from using any ticks or other bugs. theleekycauldron (talk • she/her) 21:10, 2 October 2023 (UTC)