We've just posted the following on our Twitter account:
It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce that our friend and sister Magdalen Berns passed away this morning at 9.20. To those closest to her, Magdalen was a daughter, a sister, a partner and a friend but she was also an inspiration to very many more.
In her last weeks she exhorted those who remain to keep on fighting. Magdalen asked that women stand up, speak out and be brave. The greater our number, the greater our strength. She also wanted us to remember that our fight is with those who would trash our rights and not with each other. As Nicole Jones who was Magdalen’s partner and a co-founder of our group said at the Lesbian strength march last weekend:
Talking to her recently this is what she emphasises: the need to speak out. The need for women to work together, to stop infighting, and move forward. There is no time for apprehension. In thread once, someone told Magdalen that they were afraid to share her videos and speak out but that they were grateful that she did. Magdalen, with all her usual tact, responded: “I’m not your fucking martyr.”
Magdalen started her YouTube because no-one else else was saying the simple truths she expressed - that women had rights, that sexuality was not something that could be identified into or out of, and that these rights would not be undermined. The sheer numbers of those in agreement highlight that her instinct was not wrong. She only ever wanted to inspire other women to stand up.
Nicole has said that Magdalen always told her that she never wanted to be put on a pedestal for her work - she simply wanted to open the door. The best way to honour her legacy is not to preserve her as a martyr, but to take up her mantle. Put yourselves out there and do as she did.
We believe that Magdalen’s monument should and can be “more lasting than bronze”, a part of which will never die but this is best achieved with action. Today, honour Magdalen as she would wish - with deeds, not words.