Izabella Scott's 'The Bed Trick' Examines Consent and Deception in British Rape Case
Izabella Scott's book 'The Bed Trick: Sex and Deception on Trial' dissects a 2017 British rape case where Gayle Newland was convicted for pretending to be a man named Kai during a two-year relationship with Miss X. Scott, a critic and former editor of The White Review, uses court transcripts to explore the 'bed trick' plot device from medieval folktales to The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). She traces how 'fraud vitiates consent' entered English law in the late 19th century to counter predatory doctors, but limits were placed on which lies invalidate consent to allow for 'normal' seductions. Scott notes that neither Newland nor Miss X identified as trans or queer, yet the legal precedent has consequences for those communities, as failure to disclose sex at birth may now invalidate consent. Published by Atlantic Books at £16.99, the book tests assumptions about identity and personas.
Key facts
- Izabella Scott's 'The Bed Trick: Sex and Deception on Trial' reviews a 2017 British rape case.
- Gayle Newland was convicted for pretending to be a man named Kai during a two-year relationship with Miss X.
- Miss X claimed she was blindfolded and Newland used a prosthetic penis.
- Newland's defence argued Miss X knew the male alter ego was a character and the acts were consensual.
- Scott is a critic and former editor of The White Review.
- The book examines the 'bed trick' plot device from medieval folktales to The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
- The concept 'fraud vitiates consent' entered English law in the late 19th century.
- The legal precedent may affect trans and queer communities regarding disclosure of sex at birth.
Entities
Artists
- Izabella Scott
Institutions
- The White Review
- Atlantic Books
- ArtReview
Locations
- United Kingdom