Sonia Sodha' last Observer column.

[Lovelyview]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/20/the-supreme-court-has-carefully-ringfenced-protections-for-women-thats-all-we-wanted Sonia Sodha being the clear voice of common sense as usual.

'Can you imagine angry leftwing men railing against any other group that’s managed to secure their rights? Chastising them for not being gracious enough in victory? Me neither.'

Really good article, thanks for sharing it. I listened in horror to Sumption’s incorrect interpretation of the ruling on Radio 4, thinking how can he have it so wrong, when I, not a lawyer, can understand it. He couldn’t even get the name of the Equality Act right, yet the BBC chose to have him as their “expert” rather than any lawyer who do understand it.

Evan Davis was overtly gleeful sounding, and ignored the bit when Sumption conceded that there were sometimes good arguments for spaces to be female only.

Thank you, I wasn't aware. I wonder where she'll go next? It wouldn't surprise me if some of the other left-leaning papers are thinking about moving back towards the centre ground, after the SC judgement. It was a bit of a mask-off moment for how the majority really feels.

I know they've all shut down their comments sections years ago, but they've still got page views to go by, and I can imagine only the most insane "I can't believe someone actually said that" of pro-trans pieces are getting clicks these days. Most people are sick to the back teeth of all of it. I wonder if any of the big papers are quietly reevaluating their willingness to die on this hill

She's a brilliant journalist and explains things so clearly. Had forgotten that this was her last piece for the Observer, what a mess that whole situation is. Really hoping she has been snapped up by another employer

Fantastic column, thank you Sonia. As much as I admired Hadley and Suzanne for leaving the Guardian and taking a stand, I also very much appreciated that people like you stayed at the Observer to hold the line. Without you and a few others, I would have stopped reading those papers the day Hadley wrote her ‘Good Girl’ essay for Unherd. Your writing is courageous, insightful and deeply empathetic. Go well in your future endeavours.

Although Sonia Sodha is leaving, which is sad, I think the Observer will stick by its current editorial line - and it has just published an editorial saying broadly similar things to what Sonia says in her piece. Technically, I believe, this is the last editorial of the Guardian Media era in the Observer's history - next week will be the first Observer under their new ownership. But with Observer's new(ish) editor (of the print edition), Lucy Rock, staying in place, I'm hopeful the paper will stick to this position.
As well as being an opinion columnist, Sodha is/was also the Observer's chief leader writer. I assume she is leaving both positions, although I don't actually know.

Sonia's said on Twitter that she's going to freelance for a while and that she'll be 'popping up' in various newspapers, including the Observer. She already appears pretty regularly on some of the broadcast media. She's been immense for the Observer and I wish her the very best of luck in her new career but I doubt she'll need it - she's a great writer and I'm sure she'll be fine.

That will have been written by Sonia. As well as being a columnist for the Observer, she has been their chief leader writer for some years and she said on X that she had to write 3 final pieces for today's edition.

Fantastic article, among many excellent, clear, lucid and intelligent ones she's written in the past few years.

We owe you a great debt, Sonia. Thank you.

That makes sense. I knew she was the chief leader writer but I did not know what proportion of leaders a chief leader writer wrote. But I assume that the CLW does not decide the line to take unilaterally but writes what is agreed by senior staff (or ultimately by the editor), so that's part of why I feel optimistic that the current editorial line will outlast Sonia.

Brilliant article

Sonia Sodha is so admired by us and there is so much gratitude for all she has done and said and written....

it kind-of feels like one of those occasions when MNers collectively make lots of donations to a good cause as a gesture to someone of our admiration and gratitude..

Any thoughts?

I’ve read with interest her columns on assisted dying, especially with regards to her concerns about coercive control and the vulnerability of older women (isn’t the abuse in the TRA debate a perfect example of this?) and I think that a cause she would strongly support is Hospice care in all of our countries. I pledge to make a donation to Hospice in my country (I’m not UK) to thank her for her work.

Yes Sonia! 👏👏👏

As pp have said, Sonia is also excellent on TV. I hope there may be an opening for her there some day, she’s really very good at articulating these issues.

What a brilliant article to end on.💞

I have been a supporter of the right to assisted dying since long long before transgender was even a thing. I see no similarity whatsoever with the trans debate. I refuse to be force-teamed with TRAs, which is deeply insulting to me, politically, morally and ethically.

I am also a supporter of my local hospice, also since long long before transgender was a thing. I already donate to it.

I would prefer to make a donation to something more directly associated with the current topic, i.e. the assertion of women's rights.

But I'm glad my suggestion has found some support, and as to the destination of donations - vox populi....

I’m actually mostly supportive of assisted dying too. I suppose what I meant to convey is that Sonia’s nuanced columns on this issue have given me pause for thought on aspects of this issue, and this is what I feel makes her such a great writer. In no way do I mean to say the two issues are the same. I do see a parallel in the blindness to women’s particular vulnerabilities in the ‘single sex’ spaces debate and the assisted dying debate. I too was mostly blind to this aspect in the latter debate until Sonia Sodha drew attention to them. This is why I think she’s such a great writer and I hope her columns on TRA have had a similar impact on people who might have been fence sitters or TRAs themselves. I think, regardless of how anyone feels about assisted dying, a vital way to help mitigate some of its more dangerous (especially to women) consequences is to support Hospice facilities to the best level our society can manage. I most admire those journalists who are able to sound the alarm for women on a diverse range of issues, whether ultimately I agree or not. And that’s what Sodha represents for me.

Assisted dying is a good idea, being mangled into a terrifyingly dangerous mess by an incompetent parliament.

It needs way, way more thought and care and scrutiny.

Thanks for sharing this. I think Sonia is brilliant; such a clear thinker and writer. An aside - I met her at a party last year and she is as fun as she is clever. I hope she gets a new column somewhere deserving of her talent as I want to keep reading her work.

This.

Thank you, Sonia.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply
I'm sorry I got snippy - I hate the thought of being associated in any way with TRAs, so even a hint of it gets to me.

So is there a wish to do a co-ordinated 'Thank you Sonia Sodha donation campaign'? will we donate to our local Hospice? If so we must remember to tell Sonia we're doing it for her!

The Observer: world's oldest Sunday newspaper. Long may it continue (now owned by Tortoise) with its gender critical views!

She’s an incredible journalist and I’m sure she’ll work consistently as a freelancer.

I already agreed with her take on the trans issues and she’s made me think carefully about assisted dying and the potential impact on women. I’m still cautiously in favour but like a pp I don’t trust this parliament to get it right.

She's probably the only person I agree with on virtually everything. She will be so missed. And she's really nice too.