Susanna Rustin
@susannajrustin.bsky.social
Guardian journalist; author of Sexed: A History of British Feminism. Londoner
Pinned
Why Have British Feminists Successfully Resisted the Erasure of Sex? - Fairer Disputations
British feminists have mounted some of the strongest resistance in the world to the demand that self-identified gender should override biological sex. Over the last decade, the UK has seen a revival o...
fairerdisputations.org
First post! Someone on X asked me share this here so here goes: my piece for US feminist website Fairer Disputations, about UK's sex-based rights movement and why 'gender' on its own doesn't cut it fairerdisputations.org/british-femi...
I wrote about the Equality Act and why i think it's wrong to assume young gender identity activists are progressive www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Why is there such a generational divide in views on sex and gender in Britain? | Susanna Rustin
I believe the key lies in our respective life stages, says social affairs journalist Susanna Rustin
www.theguardian.com
June 5, 2025 at 6:17 PM
I wrote about the Equality Act and why i think it's wrong to assume young gender identity activists are progressive www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Guardian view: decriminalise abortion www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on abortion prosecutions: decriminalisation can’t wait | Editorial
Editorial: The trial of Nicola Packer shows why MPs should seize the opportunity to change the law and safeguard vulnerable women now
www.theguardian.com
May 14, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Guardian view: decriminalise abortion www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Interview with one of the extremely rare US Democrats to stick up for women's single-sex sports and spaces: just 22 years old and a former volunteer for Bernie Sanders
New Hampshire state rep Jonah Wheeler, 22, has been called a ‘Nazi’ for voting against his own party on trans rights, but he refuses to back down, writes Frannie Block. ‘I’m an independent-minded Democrat.”
The Young Black Democrat Dubbed a ‘Puppet of the Right’
New Hampshire state rep Jonah Wheeler, 22, has been called a ‘Nazi’ for voting against his own party on trans rights, but he refuses to back down, writes Frannie Block. ‘I’m an independent-minded Democrat.”
bit.ly
April 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Interview with one of the extremely rare US Democrats to stick up for women's single-sex sports and spaces: just 22 years old and a former volunteer for Bernie Sanders
Me in the Guardian on the Supreme Court. Women's rights are sex-based, always have been, and this fight isn't over. But the judgment is a huge moment.
://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/17/clarity-uk-supreme-court-rights-of-women-campaigners?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/17/clarity-uk-supreme-court-rights-of-women-campaigners?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
At last, a moment of clarity – the UK supreme court has upheld the rights of women | Susanna Rustin
It is vital that we give credit to the tireless campaigners who brought us to this point, says Guardian writer Susanna Rustin
www.theguardian.com
April 18, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Me in the Guardian on the Supreme Court. Women's rights are sex-based, always have been, and this fight isn't over. But the judgment is a huge moment.
://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/17/clarity-uk-supreme-court-rights-of-women-campaigners?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/17/clarity-uk-supreme-court-rights-of-women-campaigners?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
🖋 i wrote a review of Julie Bindel's excellent new book about lesbians, I've never posted on substack before so not many people have seen it. Please have a read, & share if you like it open.substack.com/pub/susannar...
Julie Bindel's excellent new book
A patriarchal society’s attitude to lesbians is a litmus test
open.substack.com
April 15, 2025 at 7:57 PM
🖋 i wrote a review of Julie Bindel's excellent new book about lesbians, I've never posted on substack before so not many people have seen it. Please have a read, & share if you like it open.substack.com/pub/susannar...
This is such a good piece -sexual politics of migration are often ignored, is rare to read about the women left behind www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
‘Barcelona or death’: mothers watch and wait as Senegal’s men risk all to reach Europe
For many the perilous journey to Spain seems the only future. Can the country’s new government create enough jobs and prospects to make them stay?
www.theguardian.com
April 7, 2025 at 5:14 PM
This is such a good piece -sexual politics of migration are often ignored, is rare to read about the women left behind www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Reposted by Susanna Rustin
Susanna Rustin‘s account of independent MP Eleanor Rathbone is “a stark reminder that political and legislative progress for women is not linear, but often a precarious, exhausting and continued negotiation“.
Laura Hamilton on @susannajrustin.bsky.social @politybooks.bsky.social. buff.ly/JlhNOTO
Laura Hamilton on @susannajrustin.bsky.social @politybooks.bsky.social. buff.ly/JlhNOTO
March 31, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Susanna Rustin‘s account of independent MP Eleanor Rathbone is “a stark reminder that political and legislative progress for women is not linear, but often a precarious, exhausting and continued negotiation“.
Laura Hamilton on @susannajrustin.bsky.social @politybooks.bsky.social. buff.ly/JlhNOTO
Laura Hamilton on @susannajrustin.bsky.social @politybooks.bsky.social. buff.ly/JlhNOTO
Really great page of Guardian letters on education...
March 24, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Really great page of Guardian letters on education...
Very pleased to have a piece on T-levels in today's paper. These reforms were meant to transform vocational ed for the better - boosting life chances of 60% who don't go to uni. But it hasn't worked! & this isn't being faced..
March 18, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Very pleased to have a piece on T-levels in today's paper. These reforms were meant to transform vocational ed for the better - boosting life chances of 60% who don't go to uni. But it hasn't worked! & this isn't being faced..
I wrote about T-levels, which were meant to transform vocational learning but haven't worked out. And why this whole mess doesn't get anything like the attention it deserves www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
T-levels are a disaster – and young people are suffering because ministers won’t admit it | Susanna Rustin
They were supposed to boost vocational learning, but they’re not popular with students and the dropout rate is high. Time for a dose of realism, says Guardian journalist Susanna Rustin
www.theguardian.com
March 17, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I wrote about T-levels, which were meant to transform vocational learning but haven't worked out. And why this whole mess doesn't get anything like the attention it deserves www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Susanna Rustin
New Public Management is not fit for purpose (though it is alive and well in many parts of Whitehall).
We need New Public *Mobilisation* if mission-led government is to have impact.
My latest MJ column… www.themj.co.uk/public-mobil...
We need New Public *Mobilisation* if mission-led government is to have impact.
My latest MJ column… www.themj.co.uk/public-mobil...
New Public Mobilisation is the answer
Old habits die hard. While New Public Management (NPM) might have fallen out of fashion in the think-tank community, it is alive and well in Whitehall. Its core...
www.themj.co.uk
February 15, 2025 at 9:18 AM
New Public Management is not fit for purpose (though it is alive and well in many parts of Whitehall).
We need New Public *Mobilisation* if mission-led government is to have impact.
My latest MJ column… www.themj.co.uk/public-mobil...
We need New Public *Mobilisation* if mission-led government is to have impact.
My latest MJ column… www.themj.co.uk/public-mobil...
"Victim support and women's refuses are chronically underfunded..
A policy focused on the needs of victims and survivors would send a powerful message" - editorial on violence against women
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A policy focused on the needs of victims and survivors would send a powerful message" - editorial on violence against women
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on violence against women: put victims and survivors first | Editorial
Editorial: The problem is getting worse, while the last government’s strategy has little to show for it. Ministers should go back to basics
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2025 at 7:36 PM
"Victim support and women's refuses are chronically underfunded..
A policy focused on the needs of victims and survivors would send a powerful message" - editorial on violence against women
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A policy focused on the needs of victims and survivors would send a powerful message" - editorial on violence against women
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I'm on today's episode of AntiSocial @bbcradio4.bsky.social @bbcsounds.bsky.social talking about feminist arguments about surrogacy since the 80s.
Is a good episode I think, range of voices/views on contested subject www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Is a good episode I think, range of voices/views on contested subject www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
AntiSocial - Surrogacy - BBC Sounds
Should surrogacy be allowed?
www.bbc.co.uk
February 7, 2025 at 3:19 PM
I'm on today's episode of AntiSocial @bbcradio4.bsky.social @bbcsounds.bsky.social talking about feminist arguments about surrogacy since the 80s.
Is a good episode I think, range of voices/views on contested subject www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Is a good episode I think, range of voices/views on contested subject www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
This is a fantastic piece by @glosswitch.bsky.social thecritic.co.uk/making-the-p...
Making the patriarchy progressive | Victoria Smith | The Critic Magazine
“The core of patriarchal ideology, as with all exercise of power, is not the rules but the double standard.” It’s amazing how often this point, expressed here by Kajsa Ekis Ekman, is missed by those…
thecritic.co.uk
January 28, 2025 at 9:16 AM
This is a fantastic piece by @glosswitch.bsky.social thecritic.co.uk/making-the-p...
Here's tonight's editorial on the very weird, unfair decision by Bridget Phillipson not to include sixth form colleges in teacher pay rise:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on teachers’ pay: colleges don’t deserve second-class status | Editorial
Editorial: College staff deserve a pay rise along with their peers. Widening the gap with schools would be a serious mistake
www.theguardian.com
January 27, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Here's tonight's editorial on the very weird, unfair decision by Bridget Phillipson not to include sixth form colleges in teacher pay rise:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Susanna Rustin
It’s a blind spot for liberal / social democratic etc parties throughout the world. They’ve painted themselves into a corner that they’re struggling to get out of.
This is a really good piece by @susandalgety.bsky.social.
I have no idea how many US voters were put off by the Democrats' anti-science sex denialism (in the misleading name of "trans rights"). But liberals/ democrats everywhere urgently need to stop thinking .. 1/2 x.com/DalgetySusan...
I have no idea how many US voters were put off by the Democrats' anti-science sex denialism (in the misleading name of "trans rights"). But liberals/ democrats everywhere urgently need to stop thinking .. 1/2 x.com/DalgetySusan...
x.com
x.com
January 25, 2025 at 11:04 AM
It’s a blind spot for liberal / social democratic etc parties throughout the world. They’ve painted themselves into a corner that they’re struggling to get out of.
This is a really good piece by @susandalgety.bsky.social.
I have no idea how many US voters were put off by the Democrats' anti-science sex denialism (in the misleading name of "trans rights"). But liberals/ democrats everywhere urgently need to stop thinking .. 1/2 x.com/DalgetySusan...
I have no idea how many US voters were put off by the Democrats' anti-science sex denialism (in the misleading name of "trans rights"). But liberals/ democrats everywhere urgently need to stop thinking .. 1/2 x.com/DalgetySusan...
x.com
x.com
January 25, 2025 at 10:26 AM
This is a really good piece by @susandalgety.bsky.social.
I have no idea how many US voters were put off by the Democrats' anti-science sex denialism (in the misleading name of "trans rights"). But liberals/ democrats everywhere urgently need to stop thinking .. 1/2 x.com/DalgetySusan...
I have no idea how many US voters were put off by the Democrats' anti-science sex denialism (in the misleading name of "trans rights"). But liberals/ democrats everywhere urgently need to stop thinking .. 1/2 x.com/DalgetySusan...
📢 I'm doing an event on Saturday, talking about my book which puts UK gender-critical feminism in historical context, with @nicolelampert.bsky.social, hosted by a Fawcett Society group in north London. Booking link here www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sex-or-gen...
SEX OR GENDER?
SEX OR GENDER? Why the confusion? Who benefits? Who loses out? Rustin tells us her take on gender identity, interviewed by Nicole Lampert
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 21, 2025 at 10:46 AM
📢 I'm doing an event on Saturday, talking about my book which puts UK gender-critical feminism in historical context, with @nicolelampert.bsky.social, hosted by a Fawcett Society group in north London. Booking link here www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sex-or-gen...
Reposted by Susanna Rustin
There has been much-needed attention on the sexual exploitation & abuse of children in the news recently.
However, what news reports on this controversy fail to acknowledge is the role of the internet in grooming cases.
Read more from @susannajrustin.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/3fcksh8n
However, what news reports on this controversy fail to acknowledge is the role of the internet in grooming cases.
Read more from @susannajrustin.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/3fcksh8n
Zuckerberg, Musk, answer me this: what about the child abuse scandal playing out online? | Susanna Rustin
Victims of ‘grooming gangs’ have been badly let down, but children must be protected online as well as in the real world, says Guardian writer Susanna Rustin
tinyurl.com
January 16, 2025 at 10:04 AM
There has been much-needed attention on the sexual exploitation & abuse of children in the news recently.
However, what news reports on this controversy fail to acknowledge is the role of the internet in grooming cases.
Read more from @susannajrustin.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/3fcksh8n
However, what news reports on this controversy fail to acknowledge is the role of the internet in grooming cases.
Read more from @susannajrustin.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/3fcksh8n
Reposted by Susanna Rustin
I wrote about need for policies to tackle child sexual exploitation (grooming) gangs *and also* other forms of abuse including the disaster unfolding online www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Zuckerberg, Musk, answer me this: what about the child abuse scandal playing out online? | Susanna Rustin
Victims of ‘grooming gangs’ have been badly let down, but children must be protected online as well as in the real world, says Guardian writer Susanna Rustin
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2025 at 8:22 AM
I wrote about need for policies to tackle child sexual exploitation (grooming) gangs *and also* other forms of abuse including the disaster unfolding online www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I wrote about need for policies to tackle child sexual exploitation (grooming) gangs *and also* other forms of abuse including the disaster unfolding online www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Zuckerberg, Musk, answer me this: what about the child abuse scandal playing out online? | Susanna Rustin
Victims of ‘grooming gangs’ have been badly let down, but children must be protected online as well as in the real world, says Guardian writer Susanna Rustin
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2025 at 8:22 AM
I wrote about need for policies to tackle child sexual exploitation (grooming) gangs *and also* other forms of abuse including the disaster unfolding online www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Susanna Rustin
7 January 1792: #OTD Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Women was published.
This text was hugely influential and is regarded as one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy.
This text was hugely influential and is regarded as one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy.
January 7, 2025 at 10:05 AM
7 January 1792: #OTD Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Women was published.
This text was hugely influential and is regarded as one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy.
This text was hugely influential and is regarded as one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy.
just became a paying subscriber to @carolecadwalla.bsky.social's substack broligarchy.substack.com/p/who-is-the...
Who is 'the money behind the money?'
As the Guardian announces the 'sale' of the 233-year-old Observer to Tortoise Media, I wave hello to my new bosses (hi!) with an investigation of their finances.
broligarchy.substack.com
December 19, 2024 at 2:41 PM
just became a paying subscriber to @carolecadwalla.bsky.social's substack broligarchy.substack.com/p/who-is-the...