Magdalen Berns was a British anti-transgender activist.
Background
Berns was born May 8, 1983 in London to parents who were involved in communist activism. They split up soon after Berns was born.
Berns attended Hampstead School in Camden, London. After working as a sound engineer and computer programmer as a young adult,Berns returned to college, making early forays into anti-drag and anti-trans activism. Berns earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Edinburgh in 2016.
Berns died from brain cancer on September 13, 2019 at age 36 in Edinburgh.
Anti-transgender activism
Berns was a sex segregationist and a trans-exclusionary lesbian. Berns was opposed to the idea that a lesbian can date a trans woman who had not had bottom surgery, saying “There is no such thing as a lesbian with a penis.” Berns also opposed gender self-identification and worked to change Scotland’s laws around it. Berns also apposed value neutral terms like sex assigned at birth:
“You don’t get ‘assigned’ reproductive organs … males are defined by their biological sex organs. Likewise, homosexuals are people who are attracted to the same biological sex.”
Berns compared trans women to “blackface actors.” Berns often said, “Trans women are men” and described trans activism as a “men’s rights movement”
Berns attacked a number of trans inclusive organizations, including LGBT charity Stonewall.
Berns co-founded the non-profit organization For Women Scotland in 2018. Their goal was to advocate for sex-based rights, maintaining the remaining sex-segregated institutions like bathrooms, sports, children’s organizations, and prisons.
In 2019, British author J.K. Rowling helped raise Berns’ profile. After Berns died, Rowling revealed that they had spoken directly. Rowling called Berns “an immensely brave young feminist and lesbian” and “a great believer in the importance of biological sex [who] didn’t believe lesbians should be called bigots for not dating trans women with penises.”
References
Kearns, Madeleine (4 September 2019). Magdalen Berns, a ‘shero’ among women. National Review.
Berns, Magdalen (9 January 2016). Let them call me whorephobic. Butterflies and Wheels. [archive]
Blunden, Mark (15 July 2016). ‘Medical threat’ to transgender children on puberty-blocking drugs. Evening Standard. Archived
Murphy, Meghan (27 September 2016). ‘We need to be braver’ â women challenge ‘gender identity’ and the silencing of feminist discourse. Feminist Current. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
Singleton, Mary Lou (25 July 2016). Thinking Differently conference. Women’s Liberation Front.
Hyland, Jennifer (6 September 2020). Women’s rights campaigners ‘living in fear of trans attack’ after vile abuse directed at group. Daily Record
Rhodes, Mandy (26 August 2019). The Scottish Government’s clumsy attempts to reform the Gender Recognition Act have inadvertently opened a hornet’s nest. Holyrood. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
Davidson, Gina (1 September 2019). Mixed sex loos in Scottish schools break regulations, warn campaigners. The Scotsman. Archived
Mitchell, Hilary (5 October 2018). “Hateful” anti-trans stickers have been spotted in toilets and in public spaces around Edinburgh. Edinburgh Live Archived
Berns, Magdalen; et al. (15 April 2018). Allowing boys to be Guides is wrong. The Times. Archived
Smith-Engelhardt, Joe (28 June 2019). J.K. Rowling faces backlash for allegedly displaying transphobic behaviour. Alternative Press.
Maurice, Emma (25 June 2019). JK Rowling under fire for following a ‘proud transphobe’ on Twitter. PinkNews. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
Ahsan, Sadaf (19 December 2019). J.K. Rowling sparks major backlash by supporting a researcher fired for transphobic tweets. The Guardian (Charlottetown). P.E.I. Canada: SaltWire Network. Archived
Mos-Shogbamimu, Shola (2021). This is Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity. Headline Publishing Group. pp. 140â141. ISBN 978-1-4722-8079-4.
Rowling, J.K. (10 June 2020). J.K. Rowling writes about her reasons for speaking out on sex and gender issues. JKRowling.com
Jack, Malvern (11 June 2020). JK Rowling details ‘scars of abuse’ in heartfelt riposte to activists. The Times
Yasharoff, Hannah (10 June 2020). J.K. Rowling reveals she’s a sexual assault survivor; Emma Watson reacts to trans comments. USA Today. Archived
Benson, Ophelia (12 October 2015). How to know what is “whorephobic”. Butterflies and Wheels. Archived
Aberle, Connor (15 November 2018). YouTube loves to hate me. The Wesleyan Argus.
Licea, Melkorka (10 June 2020). J.K. Rowling defends controversial trans comments in lengthy essay. New York Post
Schiferl, Jenna (29 August 2019). The tweet heard ’round the world: Charleston professor sparks global Twitter debate. The Post and Courier
Staff report (1 September 2019). Transgender professor defends celebrating deaths of those deemed ‘transphobic’. The College Fix. Archived
Flaherty, Colleen (3 September 2019). College supports trans scholar under fire. Inside Higher Ed
Bindel, Julie (2021). Feminism for Women: The Real Route to Liberation. Hachette UK. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-4721-3260-4.
Joaquina (2 January 2021). Transphobia and Antisemitism. The Social Review. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
Robertson, Julia Diana (13 October 2019). Mourning the loss of lesbian feminist leader Magdalen Berns. The Velvet Chronicle
McCarty, Meghan (13 September 2019). What’s Current: Lesbian feminist shero Magdalen Berns passes away at 36. Feminist Current
McGowan, Michael (14 April 2022). NSW Liberal candidate likens anti-trans activism to opposing the Holocaust. The Guardian
Andrews, Penny (20 November 2020). Choose your fighter: Loyalty and fandom in the free speech culture wars. Manchester University Press. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-5261-5255-8 â
Fordy, Tom (29 June 2020). How did Graham Linehan, the creator of Father Ted, become the most hated man on the internet? The Daily Telegraph
Permanently suspended: How Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has become the ‘most hated man’ on the internet. Irish Independent.
Linehan, Graham (13 September 2019). Magdalen Berns 1983â2019. Women Are Important.
Resources
For Women Scotland (forwomen.scot)
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
YouTube (youtube.com)