PODCAST: Stella Perrett on why free speech and satire should matter to feminists

Credit: Stella Perrett

Stella Perrett was a political cartoonist for the UK’s only socialist daily newspaper, The Morning Star, from 2015 to 2020. She had published cartoons criticizing capitalism, the police, Brexit, the American president, and more. It wasn’t until Stella drew a cartoon called “Endgame,” commenting on the impact of potential changes to the Gender Recognition Act on women’s rights, that she ran into trouble. After complaints from trans activists and leftists like Owen Jones online, who said the cartoon was “transphobic,” The Morning Star pulled the cartoon.

I spoke with Stella on May 11th about her career, her views on censorship, the value of satire, the Charlie Hebdo massacre, why feminists and the left need to stand up for free speech and free expression, and more.