AI so all needs verified but anyone wanting to know about this misogynist bully.
Also AI incorrectly sexed her but read he for she.
Natachca Kennedy is a lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. She joined in 2007 and teaches across various programmes.
She is a trans woman who has publicly identified as such since at least the late 2000s/early 2010s, describing herself as having known she was a girl from around age five. She previously worked as a primary school teacher and has a background in journalism (including for The Guardian). She earned an MA (Distinction) from the Institute of Education and a PhD in Sociology from UCL in 2019.
Her academic profile centers on transgender studies, particularly trans youth, “cultural cisgenderism,” and critiques of what she terms “organised transphobia” or “gender-critical” perspectives. She is co-chair (with Prof. Sally Hines) of the Feminist Gender Equality Network (FGEN), described as an international network of intersectional feminists aimed at countering “anti-trans propaganda.” She has also been involved in trans activism through groups like Camden LGBT Forum, Trans Media Watch, and organizing Transgender Day of Remembrance.3058
Key Research and Publications
Kennedy’s work often frames trans identities as valid from a very early age and critiques societal structures that she sees as enforcing a binary “cisgender” norm. Notable pieces include:
- “Transgender children: more than a theoretical challenge” (2010, co-authored/published under Natacha Kennedy and Mark Hellen) — Argues that many trans people become aware of their gender identity very early.71
- “Cultural Cisgenderism: Consequences of the Imperceptible” (keynote/paper) — Discusses how everyday assumptions of cisgender norms harm trans people, especially children.69
- Papers on young trans people’s “epiphanies,” agentic learning, and deferral before coming out.
- Recent work (2025) critiquing the UK puberty blocker ban/Cass Review as harmful to children, contrasting it with “gender-critical” approaches, which she sees as denying trans subjectivity.49
Some critics have noted her use of both Natacha Kennedy and Mark Hellen (a prior or dual name) in publications and staff listings, raising questions about self-citation or dual profiles at Goldsmiths.
Focus on Attacking Gender-Critical Views
This is the area where Kennedy has drawn the most public controversy. She is a prominent voice equating “gender-critical” feminism (views prioritizing sex-based rights, biological sex as immutable for most legal/social purposes, and concerns over impacts on women/girls and children) with transphobia, far-right alliances, and harm.
- 2018 Smear Campaign Allegations: Kennedy was reported (via The Times) as orchestrating or centrally involved in a closed Facebook group (Trans Rights UK) effort to create a “list” of academics and universities deemed “unsafe” for students due to gender-critical staff. Targeted institutions included Sussex (Kathleen Stock), Reading (Rosa Freedman), and others like Bristol, Warwick, and Oxford. The group discussed shaming professors, filing hate crime reports, and advising students to avoid certain departments/courses. All named academics in reports were women. Kennedy reportedly framed it as protecting students from “dangerous” environments. She declined comment at the time. Goldsmiths defended free speech in principle.2262
- She has characterized gender-critical positions as rooted in “fragility,” allied with the far right/religious conservatives, and involved in “mirror-propaganda” against trans people. Her work and FGEN activities position opposition to self-ID, puberty blockers for minors, or male inclusion in female spaces as exclusionary and harmful.52
- Public statements and events: She has spoken at conferences with panels on “Gender ‘Critical’ Feminism” and “Trans Exclusionism.” Recent examples include celebrating or harshly commenting on the death of Jenni Murray (former Woman’s Hour presenter, seen as gender-critical), with posts wishing her grave to be treated as a “gender-neutral bathroom.”
- She argues that “gender-critical” influence stems from right-wing media campaigns and warns of chilling effects on trans-inclusive policies in universities (e.g., in response to Office for Students actions).
Kennedy frames her activism as defending trans human rights and intersectional feminism, viewing gender-critical feminism as a threat that undermines broader equality. Critics (including gender-critical feminists, some academics, and women’s rights groups) see her actions as attempts to no-platform, smear, or intimidate dissenters in academia, abusing institutional positions, and contributing to a toxic climate around sex/gender debates—especially regarding youth transitions, single-sex spaces, and free inquiry.
Broader Context at Goldsmiths
Goldsmiths has a reputation for progressive/left activism, with past controversies involving its LGBT society and free speech issues. Kennedy represents a strand of trans-inclusive educational studies that influences teacher training and policy views on gender in schools. Her role as a lecturer gives weight to her advocacy on trans youth issues.