"And for what it's worth, I've had quite a lot to say over the years on gendered adjectives.."
Then why are you using the word "stridency" to describe the reaction here, when you must be fully aware that it's a word that is used to put down feminists? Out of all the words in the dictionary, etc etc
This is like you saying you are a former rad fem (in order to give weight and context to your views) and then going on to dismiss the Miss World protest in completely anti-rad anti-feminist ways: "they chose it", "there are worse things now", "a beauty queen isn't my enemy" (implying the protestors think she's their enemy). It's one of the reasons why you're getting such a negative reaction here, because you're setting yourself up as if you must know better (an ex radical feminist) and then acting as if you don't. You might not intend stridency as a sexist term, but you can't escape the sexist ways it's used in the present. We're not living in Ancient Greece anymore.
Also you're saying you don't understand the reaction to your piece, but once again you criticised an excellent piece of feminist activism, instead of attacking the Miss World organisers - so why be surprised that a group of feminists were unhappy about that? You aimed your fire in the wrong direction. You broadcast a journalistic piece, you put it out into the public square and the hoi polloi had a reaction. It's allowed these days - it happens all the time, it's not unusual. If you're perplexed about it, maybe talk to a few other journalists who write or broadcast opinion pieces under their own names and see what sort of reactions they get to their work, I'm sure they'll report similar events - that people respond, even strongly to their work, perhaps in ways they hadn't foreseen.
You say we haven't had much of a conversation and I agree. We are in a feminist space, and you have refused to address any of the criticisms of what you said on feminist terms, but have continually justified your statements through classical references. It's exasperating.
I would say all this to your face. Please stop trying to pretend it's anonymity that's the problem. This is a political discussion, in this case the politics being feminist. Things get heated.