September 8 2026 - 4:10pm
Some ideas are just incompatible. For example, it makes no sense to support the separation of men and women in public spaces and in the same breath describe yourself as a “proud feminist”. Trying to do so, as the Labour MP Stella Creasy has been doing on X, hollows out the word’s meaning.
On Sunday evening, Creasy posted footage of Muslims celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad in her east London constituency. Watching the video, one is immediately struck by the fact that the procession through the streets of Walthamstow appears to consist entirely of men. “Food, sweets and roses all shared by those marching with the local residents,” Creasy trilled, without acknowledging the absence of women from the video.
Challenged by Times columnist Jenni Russell, Creasy shared a video of herself with a group of Muslim women, wearing black robes and the hijab, whom she described as “the future optometrists, lawyers, accountants, surgeons and leaders of our community and country”. She insisted that they also celebrate the prophet’s birthday, only acknowledging yesterday that “the women have their own march and event.” She went on to say that “many religions do have separate events and structures.”
That is exactly the problem. Multiple religions insist on separation of the sexes, including at public events, which is a practice opposed by feminism pretty much since its inception. Women have always had to fight for unconditional access to public space, without having to be accompanied by a male relative or observe a discriminatory dress code. There are countries where such prohibitions are taken to an extreme, such as Afghanistan, but the underlying assumption — that women don’t have the same rights as men — is the same.
It’s not the first time that women have been excluded from a public event on religious grounds. In October last year, women and teenage girls were excluded from a charity run in Victoria Park organized by the East London Mosque Trust. A statement on the trust’s website said that “our inclusive atmosphere ensures that every individual, from the youngest to the oldest, can take part and make a difference.” Without missing a beat, it went on to say that men and boys “of all ages” were welcome, but only “girls under 12” could participate. After fierce criticism, this year’s run will be divided into male and female events — on different days and at different venues.
This is a prime example of the fake “inclusivity” promoted by sections of Islam, which is then tolerated and even supported by people on the Left. Creasy was a critic of the exclusion of women from membership of the Garrick Club, but appears to see no problem with separate marches for men and women on the publicly funded streets of her own constituency. She hasn’t revealed whether Muslim leaders in Walthamstow would welcome trans women at men-only events, given her well-known view that “some women were born with penises”.
Of course, this is beyond incoherent. Feminism is not a ragbag of fashionable views, roomy enough to accommodate raging contradictions. Women’s rights are non-negotiable. They certainly shouldn’t be given away when groups of men, who are fawned over by the Left, demand privileges rooted in inequality.
Joan Smith is a novelist and columnist. She was previously Chair of the Mayor of London’s Violence Against Women and Girls Board, and is on the advisory group for Sex Matters. Her book Unfortunately, She Was A Nymphomaniac: A New History of Rome’s Imperial Women was published in November 2024.
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