On Thursday, I attended a sold-out panel event organised by the feminist organisation, Woman’s Place UK. The subject for discussion was women and the press, and I was there to support good friends who were speaking, among them my colleague Sonia Sodha.
So far, so normal. Except, these are strange times. Those organising events around the war in Gaza complain of how hard it is to get venues; of the tight security involved. But they’re hardly the only ones. In 2023, women who want to meet to talk good-naturedly about their rights will not be informed where they will actually be doing this until mere hours before kick-off. On the door, there will be men with armbands; no one will walk through it who does not have the right email. I find this bizarre and enraging, though I have to admit it only added to the sense of solidarity inside, where hundreds of women, and a few men, of all ages were gathered.
