Many gathered at the University of Buckingham for the Vice Chancellor’s speaker series event on the topic ‘why sex matters’ with a renowned journalist and women’s rights advocate.
Joan Smith, former chair of the Writers in Prison committee in the English section of International PEN took to stage at the Vinson building auditorium on Tuesday spoke on sexual assault and violence against women raising the question on how to protect women in an environment where men are no longer men and women are no longer women.
From her latest work, ‘Home Grown: How Domestic Violence Turns Men into Terrorists,’ to her role in chairing London Mayor’s Violence Against Women and Girls Board, Smith brought a wealth of experience and insight to the conversation.
Smith was asked “What inspired the events topic?” and she responded, “I have been involved in, campaigning against violence against women on behalf of victims and I have written about it. For eight years I chaired the mayor of London stance against women and girls’ board.
“And I became aware of the fact that single sex braces for women, which are incredibly important in the refuge sector, were being targeted by trans organizations who are making complaints, that that they would not men who came to be women, to share accommodation with traumatized women. And so that’s how I got involved.”
Asides from Joan herself, the audience were equally engaged as they had the opportunity to engage in dialogue and shared their own perspective on the topic.
An attendee said, “I believe sex is real and immutable. It’s that gender is a made-up concept.”
Another said, “I believe talks like this should be promoted especially in developing countries.”
Before leaving the stage, Joan shared some insights regarding her upcoming book titled ‘Unfortunately, she was a Nymphomaniac: A New History of Rome’s Imperial Women,’ and the inspiration behind it.
