Laurie Penny
New Statesman
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Laurie:
How Brexit changed us: Britain has lost its sense of humour along with its self-respect
It’s been five years since the Brexit referendum, and nobody is happy. Half a decade since the start of an embarrassing national project of self-harm that was supposed to restore Britain’s dignity, we’re prepared to shatter the UK over sausages, and not only is nobody happy, nobody’s even happy that everyone else is miserable. Maybe it’s the weather, but something in the → Read More
TERF Wars: Why Transphobia Has no Place in Feminism.
Last week, beloved children’s author J.K. Rowling became the world’s most famous transphobe. After the Harry Potter writer spent days defending transphobia on Twitter and in her blog, writing that… → Read More
Women Have Always Worked From Home
Quarantine has meant something different for men than it has for women—just look at who’s doing what. → Read More
This Is Not the Apocalypse You Were Looking For
Pop culture has been inundated with catastrophe porn for decades. None of it has prepared us for our new reality. → Read More
Panic, Pandemic, and the Body Politic
Stopping an outbreak is never just a fight with nature. It’s also a fight with culture. → Read More
We Are All Complicit When It Comes to Assault Allegations
Donald Trump got accused (again) of sexual assault, Boris Johnson got accused of domestic abuse, and Mark Field got filmed grabbing someone by the throat—all in the same week. → Read More
Why It Matters How Powerful Men Treat Women
A rape allegation for Donald Trump, a domestic abuse allegation for Boris Johnson, and a filmed assault by Mark Field—all in the same week. → Read More
The Criminalization of Women’s Bodies Is All About Conservative Male Power
The goal of the wave of anti-abortion laws in America is to put female sexuality under strict and brutal state control. → Read More
How Austerity Caused Brexit
Brexit Britain is an object lesson in how a modern nation fails. → Read More
No, I Will Not Debate You
Civility will never defeat fascism, no matter what The Economist thinks. → Read More
Peterson’s Complaint
There's no use debating a feeling. It’s time to change how we engage with Jordan Peterson. → Read More
Mass shootings show why we must stop pandering to white male fragility
The killing of five journalists at the Capital Gazette in Maryland is merely the latest massacre driven by misogyny, says feminist activist Laurie Penny → Read More
Is the genital selfie a cry for sympathy – or something more sinister?
Men are more likely to send unsolicited pictures of their bits to strangers, a survey says. So what is the meaning of junk mail? → Read More
A generation of shrinking girls
Why don't we care more about the eating disorders epidemic? → Read More
The Great Stink
It's time for men to stop worrying about who they are, and start thinking about what they do. → Read More
Life lessons from weightlifting: “strong women” are used to justify inequality
Today’s young women are absolutely tough enough to tolerate any amount of misogynist bullshit – they just don’t want to and they shouldn’t have to. → Read More
We’re Not Done Here
How the MeToo movement became a feminist sexual revolution. → Read More
James Damore is wrong. It’s fine to discriminate against bigots and bullies
The alt-right darling is suing Google – but intolerance on the basis of background is different to not accepting bad behaviour, says writer and activist Laurie Penny → Read More
The Consent of the (Un)governed
"Freedom" is just another word for being under the thumb of a powerful white man — for now. → Read More
Willy Wonka to Wind in the Willows: how children's books reveal inequality
As kids, reading offers an early insight into the forces of class and poverty that can shape our adult lives. Caroline Lucas, Danny Dorling, Nikesh Shukla, Laurie Penny and Juno Dawson share the children’s books that influenced them → Read More