Skip to content

Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights (caWsbar) vs. transgender people

.

.

Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights (caWsbar) is an anti-transgender organization that is part of the sex segregationist movement.

Background

The anti-trans organization caWsbar began their online presence in late 2019. While their website contains many stock photos of non-white people, the organization is almost exclusively white.

It is part of a network of opponents of transgender people in sex-segregated competitive sports. They focus on several sex segregationist aims, including opposition to transgender athletes and transgender prisoners.

Anti-trans activism

On April 22, 2021, several signatories on a letter from Global Activists Against Violations by Pornhub also identified themselves as affiliated with caWsbar.

On March 8, 2024, caWsbar’s event Reality Based Women Unite was held in Toronto. The event was significantly funded by right-wing civil liberties group The Democracy Fund and featured Trish Oliver, Amy Hamm, April Hutchinson, Eva Kurilova, Raine McLeod, Heather Mason, Meghan Murphy, and Linda Blade.

On March 8, 2025 caWsbar’s event Reality Based Women Unite was held in Calgary. The event featured Liza Vespi, Maureen Sullivan, Drea Humphrey, Ghislaine Gendron, Trish Oliver, John Carpay, Amy Hamm, Heather Mason, and Kara Dansky.

On March 7, 2026, caWsbar’s event Reality Based Women Unite was held in Montreal. The event featured Linda Blade, “Genevieve Gluck,” Alexandra Houle, Heather Mason, Anna Slatz, and Natasha Tutino.

Founding members

Most caWsbar members lack the courage of their convictions and use fake names.

  • “Faye Magahy” / “Faye Van Derplank” [fake name] (“psychology student in her mid-twenties. Mom to the best dog ever! Adventure lover. General knowledge nerd. Soccer superfan.”)
  • “Karrie” / “Karen Finlay” [fake name] (“writes for womenarehuman.com and is a mother […] “is a baker and former teacher with a background in North American history and law. She has lived in three countries and a variety of places in Canada. She is the mother to a young child, cat, and dog.”)
  • “Lisa MacRichards” [fake name] (“works at a Canadian hospital and holds a Master of Science degree.” [link] X: LisaMacRichards)
  • “Toni Cornford” [fake name]: founding member

Real names

  • April Halley (“freelance writer studying English Literature at Memorial University of Newfoundland.” [aprilhalley.com])
  • Amy Eileen Hamm (“co-founder of #GIDYVR. She is a registered nurse educator, occasional writer and mom with two boys.”)
  • Alicia Hendley (later disavowed caWsbar) (“has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and worked for years as a psychologist, with a focus on distorted body image and eating disorders. She is also a mom of four and an author.” [link])
  • Sherri Ingrey (“LL.B, partial LL.M., is a retired lawyer (prosecution, defence, divorce), government worker, union lawyer, certified Life Skills Coach, and single mother. She holds a B.A. in Psychology/Biology and a Dip. Ed. in adult education.”)
  • Heather Mason (“31, is the mother of two children. She worked as a personal support worker for five years before becoming an advocate for women in prison.” [link] [revised version] “is a former incarcerated woman at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Ontario. After overcoming drug addiction, she now advocates for women in the justice system. She focuses on the failure of the prison system to treat addictions and other mental health issues as well as the issue of men self-identifying into women’s prisons.”)
  • Trish Oliver (“B.A., MES, B.Ed., is a researcher, writer, educator, sculptor and lesbian. She is a founding member of the Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF).”)
  • Liza Vespi / “Esme Vee” / “Esmeralda Vee” / @esme_saysno / @lizavespi [fake name used until 2023] (“media worker, filmmaker and mother of one. She’s spent 30 years working in a variety of creative and leadership roles from web designer to documentarian to executive director of a non-profit arts organization. […] Together with Amy Hamm, she writes, produces and co-hosts the podcast Gender Critical Story Hour.”)

Steering committee

The following people have been listed:

Fake names

  • “Cincy Kem” (“award-winning playwright, a former teacher and a communications specialist. She is a grandmother and the great granddaughter of a European suffragette.”)
  • “Shelley G” (“former restaurant owner and chef who is now a caterer. She also edits regularly for authors who wish to write truthfully and avoid the strictures imposed by ‘sensitivity readers’. She had a grandmother who was a superb iconoclast, and adores her own three grandchildren.”)
  • “Tania A”  (“a visual artist, writer, teacher, activist and parent.”)
  • “Toni Vonk” (“coordinator, writer, grandmother, arts communication specialist.”)

Real names

  • Carol Bamford (“spent 25 years working with and advocating for people with disabilities in Alberta before moving to Saskatchewan to become a librarian for a decade before retirement. She has a long history of social justice and community work and is now dedicated to the restoration of women’s rights and the protection of children.”)
  • Linda Blade
  • Amy Eileen Hamm
  • Heather Mason
  • Raine McLeod (“writer, coordinator, student, and activist from Calgary. After spending 15 years working a corporate desk job, she has returned to school to pursue a degree in Honours English with a double minor in communications and political science.”)
  • April Neault (“former front-line shelter worker in a women’s crisis centre. She has been a member of the radical feminist media collective Women’s Liberation Radio News for over four years and is unapologetic in prioritizing the interests of women and girls.” [link])
  • Trish Oliver
  • Maureen Sullivan (“mum and a businesswoman. She became involved in advocating for women’s sex-based rights after hearing Meghan Murphy testify at the Bill C-16 hearings in 2017. It’s her objective that all our daughters’ Charter rights be restored with the repeal of C-16.”)
  • Liza Vespi / “Esme Vee” / “Esmeralda Vee” / @esme_saysno / @lizavespi [fake name used until 2023]

Other members

Fake / unconfirmed names

  • “Gillean” / @GilleanSays / [Gillean Payge?] : member, House of Commons e-petitioner
  • “Jennifer Anne” / @JenniferAnne_s : member, House of Commons e-petitioner
  • “Tracy” / @jetskibum01

Real names

  • Sherri Carty: member
  • Lara Forsberg : “prisons division” [PDF]
  • Mia Hughes / “Mia Ashton”: “caWsbar spokeswoman” [fake name originally used]
  • April Kitzul: “I am a member of caWsbar”
  • Elisabeth Mackinnon: member
  • Louise Matchett: member
  • Caroline Mendoza: member
  • Maggie Tulliver / @maggie_xer [later reportedly disavowed caWsbar]

“Critical thinkers”

The caWsbar site has listed a “global who’s who of inspiring women and men standing up for women’s sex-based rights.” Descriptions as listed by caWsbar.

Fake names

  • “Ash” (sapphic_kitty): “Afro-Trini/ Lesbian/ Rudefem, won’t coddle your male ego/ collective female liberation “
  • “Black Together Again” (KProtein19): “Black, unapologetically. Lesbian. Prosecutor. Sports lover. Yes it is. Don’t follow if fragile about racism/sexism/homophobia. Pronouns: Don’t/Belong/To You”
  • “Dr EM” (PankhurstEM): “Yes a real Dr, disabled, feminist.”
  • “Free Speech Advocate” (freeadvocate): “social and political commentator, Founder, The Rights and Freedoms Institute”
  • “goinglikeelsie” (goinglikeelsie): “my feminism prioritises the material condition of women over the internal identification of men”
  • “Lily Maynard” (LilyLilyMaynard): Shamelessly gender critical. There’s no such thing as a pink brain, a lesbian with a penis or a gender fairy. Transitioning kids is child abuse.
  • “Mrs RadFemPirate” (radfemlawyer): “Artist, potter, home edder, pirate, maverick mum, bibliophile, boat woman. Don’t call me cis & remember women don’t have penises!”

Real names

  • Lara Adams-Miller (LaraAdamsMille1): Writer, lesbian, mother, biological healthcare professional, women’s liberationist, domestic violence and sex trade survivor, MH reformist, gender-free.
  • Alessandra Asteriti (AlessandraAster): International law academic. Tweeting in personal capacity.
  • Sasha Ayad / “InspiredTeenTherapy” (SashaLPC): I’m a therapist working with trans-identified teens using an exploratory and compassionate approach
  • Allison Bailey (bluskyeallison): Criminal defence barrister practising from chambers in London. Gender critical; biological reality before gender identity. Own views, not those of my chambers.
  • Katie Barker (KatieSBarker): Gender critical feminist, Historian, general history/politics geek, animal lover and altogether too sarcastic for my own good.
  • Magdalen Berns (MagdalenBerns): Offering a counter narrative to media disinformation with blunt humour and honesty; lending a voice to other likeminded women, often misrepresented by self described feminists of the mainstream
  • Julie Bindel (bindelj): Journalist, author, broadcaster, feminist campaigner against sexual violence.
  • Linda Blade (coachblade): A sport performance coach [PhD Kinesiology; ChPC in T&F] who develops athletes, mentors coaches, thrives on innovation, and honours positive nation-builders
  • Jana Cornel (radfemjana): Gender-critical, rad fem, black woman. Lesbian. FGM Survivor. Biology is not bigotry.
  • Sharron Davies (sharrond62): Proud Brit & busy Mum to 3, Olympic medalist, been in or working at 11 OG’s so far, motivational speaker, tv presenter, awards host, PT & health fan
  • Charlie Evans / “T.D.A.N.” (DetransAdNet): The Detransition Advocacy Network was established to support people who have stopped or reversed gender reassignment.
  • April Halley (theclash709): Investigating and writing about the impact of gender identity policies on women and children in Canada
  • Emma Hilton (fondofbeetles): Developmental biologist. Research fellow and occasional lecturer. All views are my own. Manchester.
  • Jane Clare Jones (janeclarejones): Writer. Philosopher. Feminist. Princeologist. Daughter of the witches they forgot to burn.
  • Helen Joyce (HJoyceGender): The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is…the person for whom the distinction between true and false no longer exists. H Arendt. Tweeting in personal capacity
  • Madeleine Kearns (madeleinekearns): Writer @NRO | Also @Spectator, @WSJ, and @Telegraph | Singer | The worst they can do is say that you’re the boogeyman, then you just say “BOO”
  • Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull / “Posie Parker” (KellieJayKeen): Being female has shaped my life from the moment I was born, throughout girlhood, adolescence and into adulthood I am reminded of my female state of reality. 
  • Heather Mason (Mason134211f): #nothingaboutuswithoutus We will not be silenced! Mother, Advocate, Parolee, Survivor of Fentanyl Addiction,
  • Meghan Murphy (meghanmurphywriter): Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist, and is the founder and editor of Feminist Current. 
  • Ani O’Brien (aniobrien): “Woefully gynocentric” ⚢ Gender-critical radical feminist. DMs open for respectful, confidential chats. Whose code of ethics must I defer to?
  • Sonia Poulton (SoniaPoulton): Journalist. Broadcaster. Social Commentator. Film Maker. Activist. Mum. Has an attitude about injustice & doesn’t care who knows it
  • Lindsay Shepherd (NewWorldHominin): Campus Free Speech Fellow, @JCCFCanada. Investigative Journalism Fellow, @TrueNorthCentre. Columnist, @TPostMillennial.
  • [Elisa] Shupe (NotableDesister): I reclaimed my male birth sex after becoming America’s first legally non-binary person because transgenderism is a fraud and gender identity is legal fiction.
  • Anna Slatz (YesThatAnna): Criminology (hons), BA Sociology (hons), MA/IDST student, professional pain-in-the-ass. I’m very good at my job. Words in @Quillette @PsychReg @TPostMillennial
  • Kathleen Stock (Docstockk): Philosopher. I talk about fiction & reality. Political magpie – synthesis mine not employer’s.
  • Jessica Taylor (drjesstaylor): FRSA Speaker Author & Research Psychologist, PhD in Victim Blaming & Self Blame of Women. Founder of VictimFocus. Proud Working Class Feminist. Slaying it.
  • Kaeley Triller (KaeleyT): Truth-teller, envelope pusher, grace chaser, Jesus follower. Wife. Mom. Co-founder Hands Across The Aisle Women’s Coalition. Writer. Speaker.

References

Dalwood, Charlotte (November 18, 2021). The de-radicalization of an anti-trans activist. rabble.ca https://rabble.ca/lgbtiq/the-de-radicalization-of-an-anti-trans-activist/

McArdle, Maëlys (August 29, 2021). A wave of anti-trans orgs. https://www.maelys.bio/2021/08/a-wave-of-anti-trans-orgs/

Signatories (April 22, 2021). Global Activists Against Violations by Pornhub. https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/432/ETHI/Brief/BR11307950/br-external/GlobalActivistsAgainstViolationsByPornhub-updatedjune-e.pdf

Roback, Sébastien (April 13, 2021). The “Gender Critical” Group Building A Cross-Country Anti-Trans Coalition. Anti-Hate.ca https://www.antihate.ca/gender_critical_group_building_cross_country_anti_trans_coalition

Anti-trans coverage

Dansky, Kara (February 13, 2026). FFS Friday: caWsbar. The TERF Report https://karadansky.substack.com/p/ffs-friday-cawsbar

Kurilova, Eva (March 12, 2024). The Inaugural Reality Based Women Unite! Eva’s Essays https://www.evakurilova.com/p/the-inaugural-reality-based-women

Murphy, Meghan (March 11, 2024). Saving Canada starts with you: My talk from caWsbar’s International Women’s Day event. The Same Drugs https://www.meghanmurphy.ca/p/saving-canada-starts-with-you

Hamm, Amy (March 11, 2024). IWD 2024: caWsbar’s first annual “Reality Based Women” event. Amy Eileen Hamm’s Substack https://preta6.substack.com/p/iwd-2024-cawsbars-first-annual-reality

Hutchinson, April (March 7, 2024). Reality Based Women Unite! https://www.aprilhutchinson.com/p/reality-based-women-unite

Staff report (March 5, 2024). TDF sponsors women’s rights event. https://www.thedemocracyfund.ca/tdf_sponsors_women_rights_event

Anonymous (January 13, 2022). In gratitude 2021. Gender Dissent https://www.genderdissent.com/post/in-gratitude-2021

Media

Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights – caWsbar (March 8, 2025, uploaded November 11, 2025). Reality Based Women Unite 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcqEzDJKfxU

Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights – caWsbar (March 17, 2024). Reality Based Women Unite! 2024 | Real talk on International Women’s Day organized by caWsbar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYLTR2NvDCc

Rebel News with David Menzies (March 14, 2024). They are REAL women, hear them roar! Defending women’s rights against the radical transgender agenda. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrvamBgMDQE

Resources

Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights (cawsbar.ca)

  • Founding members
  • cawsbar.ca/founding-members [archive]
  • Steering committee
  • cawsbar.ca/steering-committee [archive]

Facebook (facebook.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)