There’s been quite a bit of discussion recently about the Internet as a “safe space” for women. At LSE last week, Laurie Penny admitted that she herself almost had to cancel her appearance because of a number of threats she was receiving via Twitter.
Suzanne Moore disappeared from Twitter a few days before due to the outspoken – some might say venomous – response to an article published by the New Statesman. One can debate whether Suzanne’s first piece was transphobic or not (I say not), but few can deny that the response was outsized and vile. Twitter users issued death threats and discussed her future locations.
The internet is supposed to be a safe space for everyone, dealing in the free exchange of ideas. The reality is far different. It doesn’t matter if you’re an anti-capitalist-feminist journalist writing for niche publications or a Guardian columnist or even a Blairite blogger – death threats, rape threats, and threats of violence are issued almost at random. All you have to do is be a female writer on the internet and suddenly you’re fair game.
A friend of mine, who I won’t name, is a pretty prominent blogger. She runs her own site, and she’s absolutely firm in her beliefs, however unpopular they might be. This has gotten her threats of violence numerous times, and a real, live stalker – one who showed up at our university demanding to see her. What my friend wrote may have been provocative, but that’s what pundits do – they provoke.
The Suzanne Moore fiasco is something I can’t quantify. Whether or not what she wrote was biased against transgendered women is debatable, but the fact that she was issued death threats for writing what was, at its core, a brilliant, eloquent piece on women’s political rage. That Suzanne then was the focus of further rage is just an unfortunate irony.
The few times I’ve written online for The Huffington Post, I haven’t enabled readers’ comments. This isn’t because I think my writing is so controversial that I’ll earn the wrath of the anonymous trolling hoards – it’s because I’ve seen what happens to female writers simply speaking their minds.