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Fiona McAnena vs. transgender people

Fiona McAnena is a marketing executive, author, and anti-transgender activist. McAnena is director of campaigns for anti-trans group Sex Matters. McAnena also served as director of Fair Play For Women and is author of the 2025 book TERF Island.

Background

Fiona McAnena was born in July 1964. McAnena earned a bachelor’s degree from Thornhill College in Derry, Northern Ireland, then earned a master’s degree from University of Cambridge in 1985.

McAnena worked at Unilever before joining Kantar, a division of advertising conglomerate WPP. McAnena was chief executive of MEC, also acquired by WPP. From 2008 to 2008, McAnena worked at PepsiCo UK and Ireland, then served as global brand director of Bupa from 2009 to 2012. In 2012, McAnena was named a partner in marketing firm Clearhound

McAnena served on the boards for several organizations, including CaféDirect, Collider12, JAM vehicles, Pasta King, CityWest Homes, Norman Boradbent Group, and Caravella Coffee.

McAnena has been involved in a number of philanthropic organizations, including The Environment Council, St. John’s College at University of Cambridge, The Marketing Society, The Whiteley Homes Trust, Cambridge University Boat Club, and British Rowing.

Anti-trans activism

From 2019 to 2024, McAnena was director of Fair Play For Women.

In 2022 and 2023, McAnena spoke at conferences held by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports.

In 2023, McAnena spoke at the Women’s Declaration International conference.

In 2024, McAnena was named director of campaigns for Sex Matters.

In 2024, McAnena contributed a chapter titled “Women still don’t count” to the book The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht: Voices from the front-line of Scotland’s battle for women’s rights, produced by FiLiA.

In 2025, McAnena published TERF Island: How the UK Resisted Trans Ideology.

Anti-trans coverage

Young, Michaela (May 21, 2023). What Is To Be Done? WDI Conference Addressed the Burning Questions of our Movement. 4W https://4w.pub/what-is-to-be-done-wdi-conference/

Selected writing by McAnena

McAnena, Fiona (January 17, 2026). The future of girls’ and women’s sports is being decided in the US. https://thecritic.co.uk/the-future-of-girls-and-womens-sports-is-being-decided-in-the-us/

McAnena, Fiona (January 25, 2026). Labour won’t end trans workplace madness – Wes Streeting must stop this foolishness. Express https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2162214/nhs-transgender-biological-sex-woke-gender

McAnena, Fiona (November 15, 2025). Punching above their weight. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/punching-above-their-weight/

McAnena, Fiona (July 14, 2025). Many seem unwilling to say no to men identifying as women despite landmark ruling. Express https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2081665/sandie-peggie-employment-tribunal-sex-matters

McAnena, Fiona; Palmer. Anya (May 23, 2025). Changing Rooms? New Law Journal https://www.newlawjournal.co.uk/content/changing-rooms-

McAnena, Fiona (May 5, 2025). Why did it take so long to kick men out of women’s football? Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/05/05/why-did-it-take-so-long-to-kick-men-out-of-womens-football/

McAnena, Fiona (February 3, 2024). Turning a blind eye to a tilted playing field. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/turning-a-blind-eye-to-a-tilted-playing-field/

McAnena, Fiona (October 19, 2024). Why we must fight against FA’s and Gary Lineker’s silence over transgender scandal. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/11/19/fight-against-fa-gary-lineker-silence-transgender-issues/

McAnena, Fiona (October 19, 2024). Allowing male players into women’s football is bad enough but FA has compounded problem. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/10/19/transgender-players-womens-football-fa-unfair/

McAnena, Fiona (December 14, 2023). The trans colonisation of women’s sports. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/12/14/the-trans-colonisation-of-womens-sports/

McAnena, Fiona (February 21, 2023). Transgender inclusion in sport not ‘fair’ when all champions will be young adult males. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2023/02/21/transgender-inclusion-sport-not-fair-when-champions-will-young/

McAnena, Fiona (July 27, 2022). A big day for women’s rugby. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/a-big-day-for-womens-rugby/

McAnena, Fiona (April 7, 2022). The flawed science of trans inclusion in women’s sport. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/the-flawed-science-of-trans-inclusion-in-womens-sport/

Book

McAnena, Fiona (2025), TERF Island: How the UK Resisted Trans Ideology. Spinifex Press, ISBN 978-1922964267

Resources

Sex Matters (sex-matters.org)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

UK Companies House (find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk)

The Critic (thecritic.co.uk)

The Express (express.co.uk)

  • Fiona McAnena
  • express.co.uk/search?author=Fiona%20McAnena&s=&b=1

Spiked (spiked-online.com)

The Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)