Rift in Women’s Studies over Transgender Issues – January 2017

WMST-L is like many online discussion groups for scholars. It features many posts in which scholars try to help one another. What would be a good book to add to a syllabus on a given course? What do people know about the content of a forthcoming conference? Who might be interested in joining a panel […]


Male privilege and women’s bathrooms – April 2016

Male privilege and women’s bathrooms – April 2016

“North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) has become a whipping boy for the advocates of the latest round of the sexual revolution. The Human Rights Campaign has gathered a bunch of business owners to bully the governor in an attempt to get him to back down. “Your bigotry is bad for business,” is their mantra. […]


Should male feminists just shut the hell up? June 2015

Should male feminists just shut the hell up? June 2015

In a recent episode of the toe-curlingly awkward United States show , Doug and some buddies are drinking beers and slapping themselves on the back after forming a feminism group. “I just wish there was a way that we could be, like, validated for being such great feminists,” one guy says. “We’re pretty powerful dudes,” says […]


Radical feminist Sheila Jeffreys retires after 24 years at the University of Melbourne – May 2015

“Universities will never appoint someone like me again,” Sheila Jeffreys says. The radical lesbian feminist, one of only a handful still teaching in Australia, has begun packing up her office after 24 years at the University of Melbourne. During this time she has taught thousands of students about feminism, male power and the construction of […]


Killer heels could lead to osteoarthritis in knees, warn scientists – January 2015

Killer heels could lead to osteoarthritis in knees, warn scientists – January 2015

Article in the Daily Telegraph by Sarah Knapton quoting Sheila Jeffreys. Read full article here.


Feminist gay activist pushing to keep bathrooms gender segregated – September 2014

Feminist gay activist pushing to keep bathrooms gender segregated – September 2014

Mixed-gender bathrooms pose a risk of harassment for women. “A prominent lesbian feminist activist is pushing to keep bathrooms segregated by gender on grounds that might sound familiar to conservatives: Mixed-gender restrooms would put women at risk of harassment and assault. Sheila Jeffreys, an author and teacher who is “actively involved in feminist and lesbian feminist […]


What is a Woman? The dispute between radical feminism and transgenderism – July 2014

Article by Michelle Goldberg in the New Yorker. Read full article here. “On May 24th, a few dozen people gathered in a conference room at the Central Library, a century-old Georgian Revival building in downtown Portland, Oregon, for an event called Radfems Respond. The conference had been convened by a group that wanted to defend […]


Gender Theorist Questions Transgender “Phenomenon” – April 2014

Gender Theorist Questions Transgender “Phenomenon” – April 2014

“A respected feminist theorist is calling for a radical rethink of society’s acceptance of transgenderism. In research presented in the new book Gender Hurts, University of Melbourne sexual politics lecturer Professor Sheila Jeffreys described transgenderism as a “hugely harmful phenomenon”. Transgenderism—when an individual identifies with a gender other than their biological one—has been a widely […]


Where We Are Now: the Role and Future of Feminist Research – March 2014

Where We Are Now: the Role and Future of Feminist Research – March 2014

“Scholarly research, like many things, comes inbuilt with certain assumptions, biases and omissions. Take history and historical research. Yawning over centuries and straddling continents, so often the history recorded, studied and researched is a history of the accomplishments, milestones and experiences of men. It is the history of royal bloodlines, religions, battlefields, explorers and scientists. […]


Leading Feminist Launches Bizarre Racist Attack on Trans Community – March 2014

Leading Feminist Launches Bizarre Racist Attack on Trans Community – March 2014

“Members of the Indigenous and trans* communities have slammed bizarre comments by a leading feminist academic comparing trans women to racist entertainers who only “pretend” to be female. University of Melbourne Professor Sheila Jeffreys, who is a lecturer in sexual politics and international feminist politics, made the claims during a feature interview on ABC Radio’s Sunday […]