Like any sociopolitical movement, feminism is built on shared conviction but also ferocious disagreement. Far from being a single doctrine, it is a complex and sometimes competing set of views gathered uncomfortably under one umbrella. It’s little wonder that advances in feminism have occurred in fits and starts – the usual analogy is that of waves – with big battles occurring not just with patriarchal institutions and attitudes, but within its own ranks.
The current stand-off between gender-critical feminists and those advocating for the rights of trans people feels particularly vicious and unyielding. But if Sexed, a new history of British feminism by the Guardian columnist and leader writer Susanna Rustin, shows us anything, it is that such confrontations are nothing new, even if, in the past, they occurred in living rooms and community halls rather than on the internet.
