Matt Goodwin vs. transgender people

Matt Goodwin is a conservative British political commentator and anti-transgender activist. Goodwin has published research on the rise of right-wing populist movements, voting behavior, and the social and political drivers of political discontent.

Background

Matthew James “Matt” Goodwin was born in 1979. After completing undergraduate and postgraduate studies in politics and sociology, Goodwin began publishing academic research on populism, political trust, and party realignment in Britain and Europe. Goodwin taught at University of Kent.

In 2014, Goodwin and Rob Ford co-authored Revolt on the Right: Explaining Support for the Radical Right in Britain, analyzing the social and political roots of UKIP’s rise. In 2017, Goodwin co-authored Brexitland: Identity, Diversity and the Reshaping of British Politics, examining the long-term drivers and consequences of the Brexit vote. Starting in the late 2010s, Goodwin made more frequent appearances as a public commentator, writing for national newspapers and appearing regularly in the media. Goodwin is a regular contributor to GB News.

Anti-trans activism

Goodwin believes “radical gender ideology” needs to be “rooted out” of institutions to protect women and children.

“The rights of women and the rights of our children are not some silly culture war. This stuff matters. It matters for the protection of women. It matters for how we understand the importance of biological sex, how we protect children. It’s not some silly culture war, which is how people on the left see it. This is what is really going on. You guys have realised now with Donald Trump taking all levers of power in the US that the woke have lost. This is the beginning go the end. I thought that was going to happen anyway. Kamala Harris has been advocating little boys can become little girls and little girls can become little boys. That stuff is now going to get rooted out of institutions across the West and you guys haven’t yet realised that the reason you’ve lost average voters, the reasons you’ve lost the public, is because you’ve been downplaying this stuff, saying it’s a silly culture war.”

Goodwin claims that trans-supportive medical professionals ignore “basic facts about human biology.”

After Graham Linehan encouraged fans to assault trans people and was subsequently arrested for inciting violence, Goodwin complained, “Five armed police officers is who you send to arrest members of Islamic State and hardened criminals who pose a serious threat to the public, not a popular comedian, well-known for his gender critical views, who happens to say something challenging.”

Goodwin operates a Substack newsletter that features posts by Goodwin and other anti-trans activists, including Eric Kaufmann and James Esses.

Goodwin is on the advisory council for the Free Speech Union and signed both the 2023 Westminster Declaration and the 2024 UK Public Inquiry request demanding an inquiry into transgender healthcare. Goodwin has appeared on a number of anti-trans shows, including The Federalist Radio Hour, The Brendan O’Neill Show, The Andrew Klavan Show, The Quillette Podcast, Heretics, and numerous episodes of TRIGGERnometry,

References

Ozkirimli, Umut (January 2, 2019). White is the new black: populism and the academic alt-right. openDemocracy https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/white-is-new-black-populism-and-academic-alt-right/

Anti-trans coverage

Chapman, Ben (November 13, 2024). ‘The woke have LOST!’ Matt Goodwin heralds the ‘beginning of the end’ of radical gender ideology. GB News https://www.gbnews.com/news/matt-goodwin-donald-trump-gender-ideology-woke

Selected writing by Goodwin

Goodwin, Matthew (September 3, 2025). The UK’s Spiralling Free Speech Crisis: Another day, another shocking case. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/the-uks-spiralling-free-speech-crisis

Goodwin, Matthew (May 1, 2025). We have doctors infected with a woke mind virus, says Matthew Goodwin. GB News https://www.gbnews.com/opinion/doctors-infected-with-a-woke-mind-virus-says-matthew-goodwin

Goodwin, Matt (October 13, 2025). Inside The Regime: Shocking new data on what the people who run Britain really think. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/inside-the-regime

Goodwin, Matt (June 24, 2025). The UK’s free speech crisis: Labour’s pushing forward with the same thing that enabled the rape gangs. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/the-uks-free-speech-crisis

Goodwin, Matt (March 22, 2024). What they did to children: Inside the battle to protect kids from puberty blockers. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/what-they-did-to-children

Goodwin, Matt (June 13, 2023). Stop Dragging Our Kids into the Culture War: How Britain’s schools are increasingly embracing dangerous ideas. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/stop-dragging-our-kids-into-the-culture

Goodwin, Matt (December 29, 2022). Scotland’s progressives are out of touch: What the debate over gender tells us about modern Britain. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/scotlands-progressives-are-out-of

Selected guest posts on Goodwin’s Substack

Esses, James (February 17, 2025). What Britain should do if it was serious about taking on gender ideology. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/what-britain-should-do-if-it-was

Esses, James (January 27, 2025). I was right –America’s children are safer under Donald Trump. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/i-was-right-americas-children-are

Esses, James (October 14, 2024). How the Civil Service has been CAPTURED by radical ideology by James Esses: A whistleblower reveals all on the woke Civil Service. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/how-the-civil-service-has-been-captured

Esses, James (August 26, 2024). James Esses: NO. Labour CANNOT be trusted on sex and gender. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/james-esses-no-labour-cannot-be-trusted

Esses, James (October 28, 2024). How charities impose radical gender ideology on our children. The SHOCKING case of Mermaids. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/how-charities-impose-radical-gender

Esses, James (September 09, 2024). The BBC has been CAPTURED by radical gender ideology. Part II in our trilogy on the institutions. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/the-bbc-has-been-captured-by-radical

Kaufmann, Eric (July 11, 2024). Yes. Labour will go Woke. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/yes-labour-will-go-woke

Esses, James (February 10, 2025). Trump the ‘misogynist’ is doing more than liberals ever did to safeguard the rights of women and girls. Matt Goodwin https://www.mattgoodwin.org/p/trump-the-misogynist-is-doing-more

Books

Goodwin, Matthew (2025). Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them. Penguin Books, ISBN 9781787635241
Goodwin, Matthew (2023). Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics. Penguin Books, ISBN 9780141999098
Eatwell, Roger; Goodwin, Matthew (2018). National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy. Pelican Books, ISBN 9780241312001
Clarke, Harold D.; Goodwin, Matthew; Whiteley, Paul (2017). Brexit: Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9781316605042
Goodwin, Matthew; Milazzo, Caitlin (2015). UKIP: Inside the Campaign to Redraw the Map of British Politics. Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780198736110
Ford, Robert; Goodwin, Matthew (2014). Revolt on the Right: Explaining Support for the Radical Right in Britain. Routledge, ISBN 9780415661508
Goodwin, Matthew (2011). New British Fascism: The Rise of the British National Party. Routledge, ISBN 978-0415465007