Meghan Murphy

From 2004, she attended Simon Fraser University (SFU) and in 2010 obtained a BA in Women's Studies. In 2012, she completed a master's degree in Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies, also at SFU.{{cite web |author=Graduate Alumni |title=MA – Course Based |url=https://www.sfu.ca/gsws/people/Alumni/Graduate_Alumni.html |website=Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies |publisher=Simon Fraser University |access-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503111620/https://www.sfu.ca/gsws/people/Alumni/Graduate_Alumni.html |url-status=live }}

Murphy began her journalism career in 2009, working for the Vancouver-based F Word Feminist Media Collective; writing until 2012 for its blog, The F Word, and as a host, producer, and editor of its radio program.{{cite web |title=The F-Word Media Collective |url=https://www.grassrootsfeminism.net/cms/node/1274 |website=Grassroots Feminism |date=2012 |access-date=May 4, 2019 |archive-date=May 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504042742/https://www.grassrootsfeminism.net/cms/node/1274 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author=The F Word |title=Occupy Valentine's Day! |url=http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/f-word/2012/02/occupy-valentines-day |publisher=rabble.ca |date=February 14, 2012 |access-date=May 4, 2019 |archive-date=May 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504052143/http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/f-word/2012/02/occupy-valentines-day |url-status=live }}{{cite web |author=The F Word |title=Women and skepticism |url=http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/f-word/2009/12/women-and-skepticism |publisher=rabble.ca |date=December 17, 2009 |access-date=May 4, 2019 |archive-date=May 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504052138/http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/f-word/2009/12/women-and-skepticism |url-status=live }} In 2011, she began writing regularly for rabble.ca{{cite web |title=Meghan Murphy |url=http://rabble.ca/category/bios/meghan-murphy |website=rabble.ca |date=July 30, 2009 |access-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615055534/http://rabble.ca/category/bios/meghan-murphy |url-status=live }} and worked as rabble's podcast network producer from November 2012, and evening editor from 2013, until February 2016. In 2012 she undertook a practicum at The Tyee.{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Meghan |title=Does Simon Fraser University Need a Men's Centre? |url=https://thetyee.ca/News/2012/05/03/SFU-Mens-Centre/ |website=The Tyee |date=May 3, 2012 |access-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615083233/https://thetyee.ca/News/2012/05/03/SFU-Mens-Centre/ |url-status=live }}

{{Infobox website

| name = Feminist Current

| url = {{URL|feministcurrent.com}}

| logo = Feminist Current logo.png

| commercial =

| type = News, commentary, interviews, reviews, podcast

| language = English

| author = Meghan Murphy

| launch_date = {{start date and age|2012|07}}{{cite web|url=https://www.feministcurrent.com/about/|title=Launched in July 2012, Feminist Current is Canada's leading feminist website.|website=Feminist Current|access-date=June 8, 2018|archive-date=June 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180606024533/https://www.feministcurrent.com/about|url-status=live}}

| current_status = Online

}}

Murphy founded Feminist Current website and podcast in 2012.{{cite web|url=https://cdnba.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/the-final-results-for-the-2012-canadian-blog-awards/|title=The Final Results for the 2012 Canadian Blog Awards|last1=Kleiman|first1=Jonathan|date=December 3, 2012|website=Canadian Blog Awards|access-date=November 4, 2018|archive-date=November 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104125915/https://cdnba.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/the-final-results-for-the-2012-canadian-blog-awards/|url-status=live}}

Since 2012, she has had her own YouTube channel, The Same Drugs with Meghan Murphy: Conversations Outside the Algorithm, where she interviews guests about feminism. She streams the weekly video podcast on YouTube. {{cite web |title=How Gender Ideology Changed Feminism – Meghan Murphy |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-gender-ideology-changed-feminism-meghan-murphy/id1481273481?i=1000569172925 |website=The Veritas Podcast |publisher=Apple Podcasts |date=7 July 2022 |access-date=26 December 2022 |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226070106/https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-gender-ideology-changed-feminism-meghan-murphy/id1481273481?i=1000569172925 |url-status=dead }}

Murphy has argued that trigger warnings amount to censorship,{{cite news|last1=Murphy|first1=Meghan|title=Meghan Murphy: A slow slide into censorship|url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/meghan-murphy-a-slow-slide-into-censorship|work=National Post|date=May 12, 2014|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-date=September 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914063507/https://nationalpost.com/opinion/meghan-murphy-a-slow-slide-into-censorship|url-status=live}} written about ageism within feminism,{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Megan |title=Kicking against our foremothers: does feminism have an ageism problem? |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/2014/02/kicking-against-our-foremothers-does-feminism-have-ageism-problem |work=New Statesman |date=February 26, 2014 |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104125816/https://www.newstatesman.com/2014/02/kicking-against-our-foremothers-does-feminism-have-ageism-problem |url-status=live }} criticized liberal feminism,{{cite book|editor1-last=Kiraly|editor1-first=Miranda|editor2-last=Tyler|editor2-first=Meagan|title=Freedom Fallacy: The Limits of Liberal Feminism|date=2015|publisher=Connor Court Publishing|location=Brisbane, Queensland|pages=17–24|chapter='I do what I want, fuck yeah!': moving beyond 'woman's choice', by Meghan Murphy|isbn=978-1925138542}} supported the MeToo movement,{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Megan |title=Yes, you too |url=https://www.feministcurrent.com/2017/10/16/yes-you-too/ |website=Feminist Current |date=October 16, 2017 |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20171107222722/http://www.feministcurrent.com/2017/10/16/yes-you-too/ |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |url-status=live }} and questioned whether men can be feminists.{{cite web |last1=Flanagin |first1=Jake |title=Is It Possible to Be a Male Feminist? |url=https://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/is-it-possible-to-be-a-male-feminist/ |work=The New York Times |date=June 8, 2014 |access-date=June 14, 2018 |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615005053/https://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/is-it-possible-to-be-a-male-feminist/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Megan |title=The problem with male feminists |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/problem-male-feminists-180712071916509.html |website=Al Jazeera English |date=July 14, 2018 |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104082521/https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/problem-male-feminists-180712071916509.html |url-status=live }}

She has also argued that anti-bullying campaigns ignore sexism and the way young men are taught to view women.{{cite book |last1=Berlatsky |first1=Noah |title=Bullying |date=2015 |publisher=Greenhaven Press |location=Farmington Hills, MI |page=107 |chapter=Antibullying Campaigns Ignore Sexism Against Girls and Women, by Meghan Murphy |isbn=978-0737772111}} She has lambasted feminist group Femen, who, she argued in 2013, was "making feminism palatable for the male gaze", presenting "a vision of female liberation that looks like a sexy, naked, thin, white, blonde woman".{{cite web|author=Sporenda|url=http://www.isabelle-alonso.com/meghan-murphy-balance/|title=Interview n°7: Meghan Murphy|website=Isabelle Alonso|date=July 22, 2013|language=fr|access-date=November 4, 2018|archive-date=November 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104125819/http://www.isabelle-alonso.com/meghan-murphy-balance/|url-status=live}}{{efn|For an English translation of the Isabelle Alonso interview, see {{cite web|author=Sporenda |url=https://www.feministcurrent.com/2013/08/02/interview-meghan-murphy-on-the-sex-industry-individualism-online-feminism-and-the-third-wave/ |title=Interview: Meghan Murphy on the sex industry, individualism, online feminism, and the third wave |website=Feminist Current |date=August 2, 2013}}}}

In January 2017, Murphy argued, in the context of a Washington Post editorial praising men for taking part in the 2017 Women's March, against making concessions to men to make them feel comfortable within feminism. It is not women who need to adapt, she wrote:

{{quote|Women are not targeted by men walking alone at night, in their homes, at work, in bars, or in any of the other myriad of places women are attacked, harassed, and raped, because they are passive, wear high heels, have long hair, wear dresses, or behave in other "feminine" ways, but because they are female. Female children are not prostituted or abused by adult men because they identify with "femininity", but because of the sex class they were born into. Girls are feminized, not "feminine" by choice or because of some kind of internal, unchangeable personality flaw that turns them into victims.{{cite web |last1=Sainato |first1=Michael |last2=Skojec |first2=Chelsea |title=Washington Post Insults Women's March, Stealth Edits Article |url=https://observer.com/2017/01/washington-post-insults-womens-march-stealth-edits-article/ |website=Observer |date=January 22, 2017 |access-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503111618/https://observer.com/2017/01/washington-post-insults-womens-march-stealth-edits-article/ |url-status=live }}}}

Murphy has criticized third-wave feminism as well, interpreting it as a backlash against second-wave and radical feminism. For example, she has criticized Slutwalk and the attempt to reclaim a word that has been used to shame women.{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Meghan |title=We're Sluts, Not Feminists. Wherein my relationship with Slutwalk gets rocky. |url=https://www.feministcurrent.com/2011/05/07/were-sluts-not-feminists-wherein-my-relationship-with-slutwalk-gets-rocky/ |website=Feminist Current |date=May 7, 2011 |access-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615214728/https://www.feministcurrent.com/2011/05/07/were-sluts-not-feminists-wherein-my-relationship-with-slutwalk-gets-rocky/ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last1=Mendes |first1=Kaitlynn |title=SlutWalk: Feminism, Activism and Media |date=2015 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |page=95 |isbn=978-1137378903 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JFEMCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |access-date=June 14, 2018 |archive-date=September 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914063506/https://books.google.com/books?id=JFEMCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |url-status=live }} She has been broadly critical of sex-positive feminism, observing in 2013: "That whole burlesque/sex work is empowering/feminist porn aspect of the third wave is making a mockery of the movement." More generally, she has said certain contemporary movements are "cult-like" in their efforts to shut down debates by calling people "phobic" (such as "whorephobic") or accusing them of "shaming" (as in "kink-shaming") if they fail to "toe the party line". In 2013, she called Twitter "a horrible place for feminism ... intellectual laziness is encouraged, oversimplification is mandatory, posturing is de rigueur, and bullying is rewarded".{{cite web |last1=O'Connor |first1=Maureen |title=Can Feminist Hashtags 'Dismantle the State'? |url=https://www.thecut.com/2013/12/can-feminist-hashtags-dismantle-the-state.html |website=The Cut |date=December 23, 2013 |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104125911/https://www.thecut.com/2013/12/can-feminist-hashtags-dismantle-the-state.html |url-status=live }}

Murphy is highly critical of the sex and porn industry, which she regards as "inherently misogynistic and exploitative". When Hugh Hefner died in 2017, Murphy called him a "billionaire who profited from women's subordination".{{cite web |last1=Ramzy |first1=Austin |last2=Bilefsky |first2=Dan |title=Celebrities Remember Hugh Hefner for More Than Just the Articles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/us/hugh-hefner-playboy-celebrities.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 28, 2017 |access-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613235012/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/us/hugh-hefner-playboy-celebrities.html |url-status=live }} In an interview with CBC Radio's The Current in 2018, she argued that sex dolls may reduce men's empathy for women as she believes that they "literally turn women into objects".{{cite web |last1=Walker |first1=Connie |title=Sex doll brothel turns 'women into objects', says critic |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-august-30-2018-1.4804483/sex-doll-brothel-turns-women-into-objects-says-critic-1.4804494 |website=The Current |publisher=CBC Radio One |date=August 30, 2018 |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212092844/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-august-30-2018-1.4804483/sex-doll-brothel-turns-women-into-objects-says-critic-1.4804494 |url-status=live }} She told Mic in 2015 that this includes public education, a strong welfare state, retraining police officers, and offering exit services for women.{{cite web |last1=Aleem |first1=Zeeshan |url=https://mic.com/articles/112814/here-s-what-s-happened-in-sweden-16-years-since-decriminalizing-prostitution |title=16 Years Since Decriminalizing Prostitution, Here's What's Happening in Sweden |website=Mic |date=March 13, 2015 |access-date=June 8, 2018 |archive-date=October 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004223449/https://mic.com/articles/112814/here-s-what-s-happened-in-sweden-16-years-since-decriminalizing-prostitution |url-status=live }} She has also been criticized by some feminists for her opposition to decriminalizing the purchase of sex.{{cite news |last=Balkidsoon |first=Denise |title=The targeting of other women shows Meghan Murphy is no feminist |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-targeting-of-other-women-shows-meghan-murphy-is-no-feminist/ |work=The Globe and Mail |access-date=January 23, 2020 |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029040558/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/opinion/article-the-targeting-of-other-women-shows-meghan-murphy-is-no-feminist/ |url-status=live }}

Murphy identified as a socialist feminist in the past,{{cite magazine|last1=Murphy |first1 = Meghan |title=You can't cancel the truth |url=https://spectator.us/cant-cancel-truth-canceled-meghan-murphy/ |magazine=The Spectator |date=February 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831155607/https://spectator.us/cant-cancel-truth-canceled-meghan-murphy/ |archive-date=August 31, 2020 |url-status=live}} but no longer identifies with feminism{{cite web |url=https://www.meghanmurphy.ca/p/why-i-moved-away-from-feminist-the |title=Why I moved away from 'feminist' (the identity) and 'feminism' (the ideology) |last=Murphy |first=Meghan |publisher=Substack |date=April 25, 2023 |website=The Same Drugs |access-date=October 18, 2024}} or socialism.{{cite web |url=https://www.meghanmurphy.ca/p/leaving-the-left |title=Leaving the left |last=Murphy |first=Meghan |publisher=Substack |date=May 19, 2022 |website=The Same Drugs |access-date=October 18, 2024}}

Murphy contributed as an editor and writer for Canadian online magazine rabble.ca beginning in 2011. In 2015, Murphy challenged a photograph of Laverne Cox's nude body in a magazine as being "defined by a patriarchal/porn culture, through plastic surgery" and "a sexualized object for public consumption".{{cite web|last1=Murphy|first1=Meghan|title=Laverne Cox's objectified body 'empowers' no one|url=https://www.feministcurrent.com/2015/04/22/laverne-coxs-objectified-body-empowers-no-one/|website=Feminist Current|date=April 22, 2015|access-date=July 28, 2019|archive-date=July 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728120142/https://www.feministcurrent.com/2015/04/22/laverne-coxs-objectified-body-empowers-no-one/|url-status=live}} In response, a Change.org petition was created in May 2015 by sex workers' lobby group Maggie's Toronto, accusing her of racism and using transphobic language, and demanding that rabble end Murphy's association with the site.{{cite news |last1=Bindel |first1=Julie |title=No platform: my exclusion proves this is an anti-feminist crusade |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/09/no-platform-universities-julie-bindel-exclusion-anti-feminist-crusade |work=The Guardian |date=October 9, 2015 |access-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111124/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/09/no-platform-universities-julie-bindel-exclusion-anti-feminist-crusade |url-status=live }} The petition was countered by a collective open letter in solidarity with Murphy signed by 22 international feminist organizations and over 215 individuals.{{cite web|title=Open letter to rabble.ca – Support Meghan Murphy suffered a misogynist campaign by the sex industry lobby|url=http://sisyphe.org/spip.php?article5098|website=Sisyphe.org|date=May 11, 2015|access-date=July 28, 2019|archive-date=July 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728050047/http://sisyphe.org/spip.php?article5098|url-status=live}} The Change.org petition was rejected by rabble.{{cite web|title=Statement on review of Meghan Murphy petitions|url=http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/rabble-staff/2015/05/statement-on-review-meghan-murphy-petitions|website=rabble.ca|date=May 14, 2015|access-date=July 28, 2019|archive-date=July 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719151632/http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/rabble-staff/2015/05/statement-on-review-meghan-murphy-petitions|url-status=live}}

However, in October 2016 Murphy quit rabble.ca after an article she wrote, critical of Planned Parenthood's use of the word "menstruators",{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Meghan |title=Are we women or are we menstruators? |url=https://www.feministcurrent.com/2016/09/07/are-we-women-or-are-we-menstruators/ |website=Feminist Current |date=September 7, 2016 |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104125907/https://www.feministcurrent.com/2016/09/07/are-we-women-or-are-we-menstruators/ |url-status=live }} (first published in rabble.ca) had been published and then removed without informing her.{{cite web|last1=Murphy|first1=Meghan|title=Hi friends. Just an overdue update|url=https://www.facebook.com/meghanemilymurphy/posts/10153849501632343|website=Facebook|date=October 21, 2016|access-date=July 28, 2019|archive-date=July 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728052830/https://www.facebook.com/meghanemilymurphy/posts/10153849501632343|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Greer |first1=Darryl |url=http://www.canadalandshow.com/writer-quits-rabble/ |title=Writer Quits Rabble Over Pulled Blog |website=Canadaland |date=November 3, 2016 |access-date=June 8, 2018 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142636/http://www.canadalandshow.com/writer-quits-rabble/ |url-status=live }} Editor Michael Stewart felt that it had used transphobic language and gone against rabble{{'}}s journalistic policy. In an email to Murphy, rabble{{'}}s publisher, Kim Elliott, stated that "the piece denie[d] the gendered identity of trans men who menstruate by implying that if a person has ovaries and a uterus, they are by virtue of those biological markers, a woman".

Murphy is critical of gender identity legislation.{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Meghan |title=Why a women-only spa in Toronto should not change its policy to accept trans women |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/women-only-spa-counterpoint-1.4170158 |website=CBC News |date=June 21, 2017 |access-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503111618/https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/women-only-spa-counterpoint-1.4170158 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|title=Interchange – Sex Politics: Meghan Murphy and the Feminist Current|url=https://wfhb.org/news/interchange-sex-politics-meghan-murphy-and-the-feminist-current/|website=WFHB|date=March 20, 2018|access-date=July 25, 2019|archive-date=July 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725135842/https://wfhb.org/news/interchange-sex-politics-meghan-murphy-and-the-feminist-current/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Authenticity & empathy: Meghan Murphy|url=https://womansplaceuk.org/2019/05/28/meghan-murphy-authenticity-empathy/|website=Woman's Place UK (WPUK)|date=May 20, 2019|access-date=July 25, 2019|archive-date=July 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725135837/https://womansplaceuk.org/2019/05/28/meghan-murphy-authenticity-empathy/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Murphy|first1=Meghan|title=The Yaniv scandal is the end-product of trans activism|url=https://spectator.us/yaniv-scandal-end-product-trans-activism/|work=The Spectator|date=July 22, 2019|access-date=July 25, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724202703/https://spectator.us/yaniv-scandal-end-product-trans-activism/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|author=CTV Vancouver|title=Trans advocates rally against controversial feminist speaker Meghan Murphy|url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/trans-advocates-rally-against-controversial-feminist-speaker-meghan-murphy-1.4249890|work=CTV News|date=January 11, 2019|access-date=July 24, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724103807/https://bc.ctvnews.ca/trans-advocates-rally-against-controversial-feminist-speaker-meghan-murphy-1.4249890|url-status=live}} In May 2017, Murphy appeared before the Canadian Senate, together with Hilla Kerner of the Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter, to oppose Bill C-16, which encoded gender identity and gender expression into Canadian law. She told the Senate: "Treating gender as though it is either internal or a personal choice is dangerous and completely misunderstands how and why women are oppressed under patriarchy as a class of people ... The rights of women and girls are being pushed aside to accommodate a trend."{{YouTube|id=EgOLs_cEKi0|title="Meghan Murphy Presents a Feminist Case Against Bill C-16"}}{{cite web |title=The Standing Senate Committee On Legal and Constitutional Affairs – Evidence |url=https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/Sen/Committee/421/LCJC/53308-e |website=Senate of Canada |publisher=Parliament of Canada |date=May 10, 2017 |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104085527/https://sencanada.ca/en/Content/Sen/Committee/421/LCJC/53308-e |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Legal and Constitutional Affairs – Meeting Detail |url=https://sencanada.ca/en/Committees/LCJC/NoticeOfMeeting/452675/42-1 |website=Senate of Canada |publisher=Parliament of Canada |date=May 10, 2017 |access-date=June 8, 2018 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140638/https://sencanada.ca/en/Committees/LCJC/NoticeOfMeeting/452675/42-1 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Tasker |first1=John Paul |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/transgender-rights-bill-female-born-spaces-1.4110634 |title=Transgender rights bill threatens 'female-born' women's spaces, activists say |website=CBC News |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date=May 12, 2017 |access-date=June 8, 2018 |archive-date=May 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529005257/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/transgender-rights-bill-female-born-spaces-1.4110634 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Robertson |first1=Dylan C |title=Senate committee rejects motion to narrow trans bill's scope |url=https://www.dailyxtra.com/senate-committee-rejects-motion-to-narrow-trans-bills-scope-73581 |website=Daily Xtra |date=May 30, 2017 |access-date=July 27, 2018 |archive-date=July 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727054741/https://www.dailyxtra.com/senate-committee-rejects-motion-to-narrow-trans-bills-scope-73581 |url-status=live }}

In 2019, she was invited to speak before the Scottish Parliament regarding gender identity laws and their impact on women's rights.{{Cite web|title=Twitter-ban feminist defends transgender views ahead of Holyrood meeting|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48366184|website=BBC News|date=May 22, 2019|access-date=November 2, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108004440/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48366184|url-status=live}} At their public meeting in London,{{cite news|last1=Sitwell|first1=Ros|title=Hundreds of women gather in London to discuss sex and gender|url=https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/hundreds-women-gather-london-discuss-sex-and-gender|work=Morning Star|date=May 24, 2019|access-date=August 18, 2019|archive-date=August 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818123400/https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/hundreds-women-gather-london-discuss-sex-and-gender|url-status=live}} she told Woman's Place UK, "I see no empathy for women and girls on the part of trans activists, that is to say, those pushing gender identity ideology and legislation. What I see is bullying, threats, ostracization, and a misogynist backlash against the feminist movement and much of the work it's accomplished over years." In an interview with The Scotsman regarding her views about transgender rights legislation, Murphy stated:

{{quote|I'm not interested in stopping anyone having surgery or hormones if they feel that's making their lives better, and certainly people should be able to wear what they want and express themselves in ways that make them feel fulfilled and living authentic lives. But once it became about laws and legislation and gender replacing sex it became clear to me that this would have a real impact on women's rights and spaces.}}

Murphy has faced criticism due to her opposition to the establishment of transgender rights legislation, which has led to her being called "anti-transgender" by her opponents.{{cite news|title=Meghan Murphy: Canadian feminist's trans talk sparks uproar|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50214341|website=BBC News|date=October 30, 2019|access-date=January 14, 2020|archive-date=October 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030140627/https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-50214341|url-status=live}}

In late 2018, Twitter changed its policy on hateful conduct and harassment to officially prohibit intentionally calling a trans person by the wrong pronouns or using their pre-transition names.{{cite news |last1=Wells |first1=Georgia |title=Writer Sues Twitter Over Ban for Criticizing Transgender People |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/writer-sues-twitter-over-ban-for-mocking-transgender-people-11549946725 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=February 11, 2019 |access-date=July 28, 2019 |archive-date=July 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728153708/https://www.wsj.com/articles/writer-sues-twitter-over-ban-for-mocking-transgender-people-11549946725 |url-status=live }} Beginning in August 2018, Murphy stated that her Twitter account was locked more than once after she tweeted about issues involving trans women.{{cite web |last1=Prengel |first1=Kate |title=Meghan Murphy: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know |url=https://heavy.com/news/2018/11/meghan-murphy/ |website=Heavy |date=November 24, 2018 |access-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-date=May 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504001809/https://heavy.com/news/2018/11/meghan-murphy/ |url-status=live }} Twitter permanently suspended Murphy's account in late November 2018, after she referred to Jessica Yaniv, a trans woman, as "him".{{cite web|last1=Robertson|first1=Julia Diana|title=Twitter Bans Meghan Murphy, Founder of Canada's Leading Feminist Website|url=https://www.afterellen.com/general-news/567199-twitter-bans-meghan-murphy-founder-of-canadas-leading-feminist-website|website=AfterEllen|date=November 27, 2018|access-date=April 13, 2019|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412145534/https://www.afterellen.com/general-news/567199-twitter-bans-meghan-murphy-founder-of-canadas-leading-feminist-website|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Brean|first1=Joseph|title='Yeeeah it's him': Vancouver writer sues Twitter over its rule against misgendering trans people|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/yeeeah-its-him-vancouver-writer-sues-twitter-over-its-rule-against-misgendering|work=National Post|date=February 12, 2019|access-date=July 28, 2019|archive-date=September 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914063507/https://nationalpost.com/news/yeeeah-its-him-vancouver-writer-sues-twitter-over-its-rule-against-misgendering|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last1=Brean|first1=Joseph|title=Meghan Murphy, the woman behind trans wars breaking out at the public library|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/meghan-murphy-the-woman-behind-trans-wars-breaking-out-at-the-public-library|work=National Post|date=October 29, 2019|access-date=September 8, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909000418/https://nationalpost.com/news/meghan-murphy-the-woman-behind-trans-wars-breaking-out-at-the-public-library|archive-date=September 9, 2020}} On February 11, 2019, Murphy filed a lawsuit against Twitter in response to her banning.{{cite news |last1=Matt |first1=Naham |title=Feminist Writer Sues Twitter After She Tweets 'Men Aren't Women' and Gets Banned |url=https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/feminist-writer-sues-twitter-after-she-tweets-men-arent-woman-and-gets-banned/ |website=Law & Crime |date=February 12, 2019 |access-date=February 20, 2019 |archive-date=April 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407204840/https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/feminist-writer-sues-twitter-after-she-tweets-men-arent-woman-and-gets-banned/ |url-status=live }} The suit was dismissed in early June, but Murphy stated that she intended to file an appeal.{{cite news |last1=Fry |first1=Madeline |title=This journalist lost her lawsuit against Twitter for banning her account, but she's not giving up |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/this-journalist-lost-her-lawsuit-against-twitter-for-banning-her-account-but-shes-not-giving-up |work=Washington Examiner |date=July 10, 2019 |access-date=July 28, 2019 |archive-date=July 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728151518/https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/this-journalist-lost-her-lawsuit-against-twitter-for-banning-her-account-but-shes-not-giving-up |url-status=live }}{{cite news|last1=Davis|first1=Wendy|title=Twitter Defeats Lawsuit By Journalist Banned For 'Misgendering'|url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/336990/twitter-defeats-lawsuit-by-journalist-banned-for.html|work=Digital News Daily|publisher=MediaPost|date=June 13, 2019|access-date=July 29, 2019|archive-date=July 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729114813/https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/336990/twitter-defeats-lawsuit-by-journalist-banned-for.html|url-status=live}}

Murphy's account was restored on November 20, 2022.{{cite magazine|last1=Grant |first1=Melissa Gira |title=Elon Musk's Anti-Trans Twitter Regime |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/169112/elon-musk-anti-trans-twitter-john-br |magazine=The New Republic |date=November 22, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-reinstated-banned-twitter-accounts-list|title=Elon Musk is reinstating banned Twitter accounts. Here's who's back.|first=Matt|last=Binder|date=November 22, 2022|website=Mashable}}

In July 2021, Murphy criticized Canadian leftists after churches were burned down in Canada due to the discovery of probable unmarked graves of Indigenous children on the sites of church-run residential schools. Murphy stated that the graves were "to be fair, a horrifying stain on Canada's history..." but accused Canadian leftists of "advocating" for the destruction of Canadian buildings, describing it as "an entirely inappropriate thing for a person representing an organisation supposedly committed to protecting freedom of religion and assembly to do...", negatively comparing them to Antifa-led Black Lives Matter protests in Portland and Seattle, which she described as "riots".{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Meghan |date=2021-07-20 |title=Why the Canadian Left is burning down churches |url=https://unherd.com/2021/07/the-ignorance-of-the-canadian-left/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=UnHerd |language=en-GB}}

In September 2023, Murphy denied the existence of a reported 215 unmarked graves of Indigenous children at Kamloops Indian Residential School, claiming that no excavations of sites allegedly containing unmarked graves had turned up human remains.{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Meghan |date=2023-09-05 |title=The lack of Indigenous mass graves in Canada |url=https://thespectator.com/topic/lack-indigenous-mass-graves-canada/ |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=The Spectator World |language=en-US}}

In the run-up to the 2024 United States presidential election, Murphy said that she supported Hillary Clinton for U.S. President in 2016, but was now backing Donald Trump.{{Cite news|last=Murphy|first=Meghan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/10/31/us-presidential-election-donald-trump-kamala-harris-clinton/|title=I cried when Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 – but here's why I'm now voting for Trump|work=The Telegraph|date=31 October 2024 |access-date=24 January 2025}} She also backed Pierre Poilievre to become Canadian prime minister.{{cite web|last1=Murphy |first1=Meghan |title=Truth is back on trend |url=https://www.meghanmurphy.ca/p/truth-is-back-on-trend |website=The Same Drugs |date=January 20, 2025 |access-date=28 January 2025}}

In the 2025 Canadian federal election she was a candidate for the far-right People's Party of Canada in Vancouver East,{{Cite web|last=Murphy |first=Meghan |title=Meghan Murphy: Adult Human Female for Vancouver East |url=https://www.meghanmurphy.ca/p/meghan-murphy-adult-human-female |date=March 20, 2025 |access-date=March 25, 2025 |website=meghanmurphy.ca}} she lost, only gaining 324 votes.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

==Public appearances and protests==

Murphy's public appearances have been subject to protests in Canada, notably in Vancouver{{cite web|last1=Compton|first1=Julie|title='Pro-lesbian' or 'trans-exclusionary'? Old animosities boil into public view|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pro-lesbian-or-trans-exclusionary-old-animosities-boil-public-view-n958456|website=NBC News|date=January 14, 2019|access-date=November 2, 2019|archive-date=June 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619112530/https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/pro-lesbian-or-trans-exclusionary-old-animosities-boil-public-view-n958456|url-status=live}} and Toronto.{{cite news|last1=Hoard|first1=KC|title=Hundreds protest controversial Toronto Public Library event featuring Meghan Murphy|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-hundreds-protest-controversial-toronto-public-library-event-featuring/|work=The Globe and Mail|date=October 29, 2019|access-date=November 2, 2019|archive-date=October 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031140233/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-hundreds-protest-controversial-toronto-public-library-event-featuring/|url-status=live}} In both cities, LGBTQ organizations have also criticized public libraries for allowing Murphy to book space for public appearances.{{cite news|last1=Wadhwani|first1=Ashley|title=Vancouver Public Library banned from Pride parade after allowing controversial speaker|url=https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/vancouver-public-library-banned-from-pride-parade-after-allowing-controversial-speaker/|work=Surrey Now-Leader|date=July 23, 2019|access-date=November 2, 2019|archive-date=November 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102005810/https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/vancouver-public-library-banned-from-pride-parade-after-allowing-controversial-speaker/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Ritchie|first1=Kevin|title=Toronto Public Library facing Pride ban over Meghan Murphy event|url=https://nowtoronto.com/culture/books/pride-toronto-ban-toronto-public-library-meghan-murphy/|work=NOW|date=October 18, 2019|access-date=November 2, 2019|archive-date=November 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102005808/https://nowtoronto.com/culture/books/pride-toronto-ban-toronto-public-library-meghan-murphy/|url-status=live}} Mayor of Toronto John Tory announced that he was "disappointed" in the library's decision to host Murphy's event, and said that the "highest of standards" should be set to ensure that "offensive commentary" is not hosted in city facilities.{{cite news|last1=Rider|first1=David|title=John Tory 'disappointed' Toronto library allowing event with writer accused of being anti-transgender|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2019/10/17/john-tory-disappointed-toronto-library-allowing-event-with-writer-accused-of-being-anti-transgender.html|work=Toronto Star|date=October 17, 2019|access-date=November 2, 2019|archive-date=November 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102005806/https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2019/10/17/john-tory-disappointed-toronto-library-allowing-event-with-writer-accused-of-being-anti-transgender.html|url-status=live}} The OLA opposition's Critic for Culture and Women's Issues{{Cite web|url=http://edu.yorku.ca/2019/02/education-grad-becomes-mpp/|title=From "why?" to "why not?": Faculty of Education grad becomes MPP and activist for social change|first=Alex|last=Kvaskov|date=February 7, 2019|website=Faculty of Education|access-date=November 8, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108151342/http://edu.yorku.ca/2019/02/education-grad-becomes-mpp/|url-status=live}} Jill Andrew also objected to the event.{{cite web|last1=Knope|first1=Julia|title=Tory 'disappointed' in Toronto Public Library for hosting speaker accused of transphobia|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-public-library-tory-speaker-transphobia-1.5324218|website=CBC News|date=October 17, 2019|access-date=November 2, 2019|archive-date=November 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103023732/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-public-library-tory-speaker-transphobia-1.5324218|url-status=live}}

Tory asked City Librarian Vickery Bowles to reconsider the decision to permit Murphy's appearance. In response to the statements by the mayor, Murphy said, "It is unconscionable that the mayor of Toronto would attempt to pressure the [Toronto Public Library] to cancel this event...What I am saying is not controversial, and certainly is not hateful ... We deserve space for this conversation and our concerns deserve respect." Bowles defended the approval to host the event, noting that "Murphy has never been charged with or convicted of hate speech".

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