Gillian Philip stands with JK Rowling

#IstandwithJKRowling. When Gillian Philip, a successful children’s author, added that statement to her twitter handle in June 2020, she soon found herself subject to a twitter pile on. The mob accused Gillian of being “transphobic” and a “TERF” (standing for trans-exclusionary radical feminist) – the latter a familiar slur so easily thrown around by transgender activists. Soon afterwards, her publishers, Working Partners and Harper Collins, cancelled their contract with her. Inevitably, this experience of cancel culture took a huge personal toll on Gillian, but she was determined to fight back! As so often happens, the activists didn’t fully appreciate the risk of going up against such a focused, tenacious, and strong woman as Gillian.

The Free Speech Union has been supporting Gillian's legal battle and listeners can contribute to her Employment Tribunal appeal via the latest crowd justice fundraiser.

In this fascinating discussion, Gillian talks about her original experience, her journey over the last three years, as well as providing us with insight into the state of children’s publishing in 2023. Finally, if you’re looking for a non-woke children’s book, Gillian recommends the latest rhyming picture book from Rachel Rooney, “My Body is Me!“