Maya Forstater on her Employment Tribunal win, #respectmysex, and JK Rowling

In 2018, Maya Forstater was subject to an internal investigation at her place of employment, the Center for Global Development, after complaints about her social media commentary, notably a tweet questioning Pip Bunce’s inclusion on the Financial Times’ list of the Top 100 Women in Business. Bunce is male, and Maya was trying to push a conversation about his identity and celebration as a “woman.” She lost her job as a result, accused of “transphobia.”

Maya took the case to the Employment Tribunal, which resulted first in a judgment saying her “belief” that sex is real was “not worthy of respect in a democratic society.”

Maya recently co-founded Sex Matters, a UK-based not-for-profit that works to promote clarity about sex in public policy, law, and culture, as well the “Respect My Sex if You Want My X” campaign.

I spoke with Maya about the tribunal, the campaigns she is working on in the UK, and her lunch with JK Rowling.

Maya Forstater on her Employment Tribunal win, #respectmysex, and JK Rowling
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Meghan Murphy

Founder & Editor

Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist from Vancouver, BC. She has been podcasting and writing about feminism since 2010 and has published work in numerous national and international publications, including The Spectator, UnHerd, Quillette, the CBC, New Statesman, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, and more. Meghan completed a Masters degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University in 2012 and is now exiled in Mexico with her very photogenic dog.