Peaked

About Peaked

A podcast about gender identity ideology, women's rights, and free speech in the EU. www.peaked.news (https://www.peaked.news?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Róisín Michaux

Category

news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Jul 2023

Latest episode

2 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

29 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Oct 2026

   New smear just dropped: “anti-child-rights”

   There is an ongoing effort in Ireland to get the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child) incorporated into Irish national legislation. To that end, a series of meetings has been organised in the Irish parliament (https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/press-centre/press-releases/20260923-joint-committee-on-children-and-equality-to-resume-discussions-on-ireland-s-pathway-to-incorporation-of-the-un-convention-of-the-rights-of-the-child-into-irish-law/), and representatives from countries where the CRC has already been incorporated into domestic law (Scotland and Sweden) have been invited to explain to Irish lawmakers what it would involve and why it’s a good idea. Last week, three NGOs held a conference to discuss the initiative; this time it was an invitation-only event sent out to a particular mailing list. This format — conference by email invitation only — seems to be an ever-more popular way for organisations to evade public scrutiny while pretending not to evade public scrutiny. The event did not appear on any of the websites or social media accounts of any of the organisers. This tracks with other secretive NGO tendencies in our fraught political times: putting sensitive advocacy and communications materials behind members-only login wall, publishing almost nothing on public websites (or at least none of the controversial stuff), deleting social media accounts, cultivating very exclusive mailing lists, and only posting on LinkedIn where civil society professionals think nobody is paying attention except themselves. It’s very complicated manufacturing consensus for your unpopular elite nonsense these days! But it’s not impossible to find out what they’re up to. Anyway, Sandra Adams found out that there would be one of these special public-but-not-public meetings about the UN CRC and its incorporation into Irish law last week, so she signed up and went along. The title of the conference left no room for ambiguity: “Standing up to Anti-Child Rights Movements”. Whatever the organisers have decided is a child’s right, you should be for it, and if you’re not — well they’ve got a mean name for you. There will be no discussion. The term “anti-child-rights” is being popularised at the EU level by a Brussels-based NGO called Eurochild, (one of the co-organisers of the Dublin event last week) who used it in a 2022 report (https://eurochild.org/uploads/2022/02/Countering-Anti-Child-Rights-Movements-in-Europe-1.pdf). It seems to have been inspired by Hungary and Poland vetoing (https://euobserver.com/100375/lgbtiq-rights-hungary-and-poland-veto-eu-childrens-strategy/) an EU initiative on the rights of the child in 2021 (they rejected the initiative because it contained genderfaff). Being anti-child-rights seems to involve having a non-extreme, non-woke opinion on all the hot-button issues: abortion, contraception, LGBTIQ+, gender identity ideology, gay men adopting babies, sexuality education in schools, disinformation, and even your opinion on immigration. Honestly it just seems like all the usual elite lib causes with a thick layer of “child rights” speak daubed on top of it. That’s Eurochild, and they seem nuts as per. But the thing you need to know about the UN CRC is that the original text is not bad in and of itself. However, down through the years there have been various upgrades and addenda tacked onto it thanks to lobbying by various activists and in response to events and societal shifts. And General comment number 20, which was added in 2015/2016, is all about that gendershite (https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-comment-no-20-2016-implementation-rights). If the CRC and General comment number 20 are called into service in judicial decisions in Ireland, it might mean that a fight over puberty blockers will no longer be between a child and their parents and doctor; a judge could decide that the evolving capacities of an adolescent, their right to health, or their right to identity has been breached. I had a chat with Sandra about it all. It’s a moving story; I just read that another committee meeting will take place next week (https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/34/children-and-equality/), so I’ll be updating with any new developments. Enjoy. Follow Sandra on X (https://x.com/AdamsSandr4794) Send me your stories, I’m all (t)ears: roisinmichaux@gmail.com. I’m also on X/Twitter: https://x.com/RoisinMichaux (https://x.com/RoisinMichaux) Do you think it matters that sex is being replaced by self-declaration of something called ‘gender identity’? I do, and I was fired for it. I made a bet that other people care about it too. So this newsletter is my new job. If you think my work is important, please take out a paid subscription. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peaked.news/subscribe (https://www.peaked.news/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   25 Sept 2026

   “Our government really doesn’t care about us.”

   I met Esmeralda, a small business owner based in Tirana, while I was walking alongside a fired-up crowd during the “Flamingo Revolution”, the name given to public protest sparked by the Albanian government’s selling-off of protected coastal land. I approached her for an interview after I spotted her intriguing flag in the Flamingo crowd. It read: “Europe is not a flag, it’s a standard.” She sat down with me to explain what her message means, and we had a great chat about what she thinks about EU accession, democracy, corruption, women, Islam, identity, and patriotism. Enjoy! And make sure to follow Esmeralda on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hartastrologjike/) Show notes (AI generated) In this episode of Peaked, Róisín speaks with Albanian writer, astrologer and entrepreneur Esmeralda Petrela, whom she met during the protests in Albania that became known as the “Flamingo Revolution.” The conversation begins with Róisín’s impressions of Albania after visiting Tirana and travelling through the countryside, before moving into the protests surrounding development in Albania’s protected coastal areas and the flamingo symbolism that came to represent the movement. Esmeralda explains the meaning behind the protest sign she carried, which combined the European Union flag and a flamingo to argue that European standards should also mean protecting nature. From there, the discussion expands into Albania’s EU accession process, protected-area legislation, the Strategic Investments Law, Edi Rama’s government and the European Commission. Róisín and Esmeralda discuss why an environmental protest became a much wider expression of dissatisfaction with the Albanian government, touching on healthcare, pensions, policing, corruption, informal economic activity and Albanian national identity. The conversation then moves into Albania’s communist and atheist past, religious identity, Islam, the hijab and changing attitudes towards religion. The second half of the episode focuses heavily on LGBTQ visibility, Pride, transgender identity, transgender healthcare and the relationship between social change, public policy and EU accession. The episode concludes with a discussion of women in Albania, female entrepreneurship, femicide, political representation, Albanian literature and Esmeralda’s own work as an astrologer, writer and entrepreneur, including her novel Ajlen and her planned astrology app, Tsunavi. Featured Topics * The Flamingo Revolution * Vjosa-Narta Protected Area * Sazan Island * Jared Kushner and the proposed resort development * Albania’s Strategic Investments Law * Protected-area legislation * Edi Rama * Marta Kos and EU enlargement * Albania’s EU accession process * Corruption and informal economic activity * Albanian nationalism and national identity * Albania’s communist and atheist history * Religion and religious identity * Islam, the hijab and social pressure * LGBTQ visibility and Pride * Transgender healthcare in Albania * 20,000 Species of Bees * HIV and transgender women in Peru * Women and feminism in Albania * Andon Zako Çajupi’s Fshati im * Esmeralda Petrela’s Ajlen * Astrology and Harta Astrologjike * Tsunavi The Flamingo Revolution The episode examines the protests that emerged around development in Albania’s protected coastal areas, particularly the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area and the proposed development connected to Sazan Island. The flamingo became the central symbol of the demonstrations because of the flamingos and wider biodiversity found in the protected wetland environment. Esmeralda explains that the protest initially centred on protecting the area and repealing legislation that allowed strategic investment and construction in protected areas, before broader grievances against the government became part of the movement. Róisín describes seeing the natural landscape and the bulldozers that became an important visual trigger for the protests. Albania, the EU & Protected Areas Róisín and Esmeralda discuss Albania’s EU accession process and the environmental standards that candidate countries are expected to meet. They discuss the relationship between Albanian legislation, EU accession chapters and the role of the European Commission. On 14 July 2026, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that environmental protection is part of the EU membership criteria and stated that before the protests began, the EU and Albania had already agreed that Albania would repeal the 2024 amendments to the protected-areas law and repeal the Strategic Investments Law. (Qeveria Shqiptare Keshilli i Ministrave (https://www.kryeministria.al/en/newsroom/konference-e-perbashket-per-shtyp-e-kryeministri-edi-rama-ministrit-te-shtetit-per-ceshtjet-europiane-dhe-mbrojtjen-te-irlandes-thomas-byrne-dhe-komisioneres-europiane-per-zgjerimin-marta-kos-pas/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Marta Kos / EU-Albania Intergovernmental Conference:https://www.kryeministria.al/en/newsroom/konference-e-perbashket-per-shtyp-e-kryeministri-edi-rama-ministrit-te-shtetit-per-ceshtjet-europiane-dhe-mbrojtjen-te-irlandes-thomas-byrne-dhe-komisioneres-europiane-per-zgjerimin-marta-kos-pas/ (https://www.kryeministria.al/en/newsroom/konference-e-perbashket-per-shtyp-e-kryeministri-edi-rama-ministrit-te-shtetit-per-ceshtjet-europiane-dhe-mbrojtjen-te-irlandes-thomas-byrne-dhe-komisioneres-europiane-per-zgjerimin-marta-kos-pas/) Edi Rama & Investment in Albania The conversation looks at Edi Rama’s promotion of investment in Albania and the controversy surrounding the Strategic Investments Law. In March 2025, Rama urged people planning to invest in Albania to do so, describing the country as a place with investment opportunities. Edi Rama on investment:https://www.balkanweb.com/en/neser-do-te-jete-vone-rama-koha-qe-kushdo-qe-e-ka-ne-plan-te-investoje-ne-shqiperi-pjesa-me-e-mire-e-jona-malet/ (https://www.balkanweb.com/en/neser-do-te-jete-vone-rama-koha-qe-kushdo-qe-e-ka-ne-plan-te-investoje-ne-shqiperi-pjesa-me-e-mire-e-jona-malet/) Rama later discussed investment and the Kushner-linked project in a meeting with journalists from EU member states. Edi Rama meeting with EU journalists:https://www.kryeministria.al/en/newsroom/takim-i-kryeministrit-rama-me-gazetare-dhe-perfaqesues-te-mediave-nga-vendet-e-bashkimit-europian/ (https://www.kryeministria.al/en/newsroom/takim-i-kryeministrit-rama-me-gazetare-dhe-perfaqesues-te-mediave-nga-vendet-e-bashkimit-europian/) Transgender Healthcare in Albania In May 2026, Albania introduced guidance concerning hormonal treatment for transgender people through the public healthcare system. Euronews Albania reported that the guidance set out medical criteria, clinical procedures and monitoring for hormonal treatment. (Euronews (https://euronews.al/urdhri-i-zv-ministres-se-shendetesise-terapia-hormonale-per-personat-transgjinore/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) A subsequent clarification from Deputy Health Minister Eugena Tomini said the guidance was intended for adults and was a clinical guidance document rather than a final therapeutic protocol. (Euronews (https://euronews.al/terapia-hormonale-per-personat-transgjinore-zv-ministrja-tomini-sqaron-udhezuesi-i-referohet-vetem-te-rriturve/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Euronews Albania:https://euronews.al/urdhri-i-zv-ministres-se-shendetesise-terapia-hormonale-per-personat-transgjinore/ (https://euronews.al/urdhri-i-zv-ministres-se-shendetesise-terapia-hormonale-per-personat-transgjinore/) Clarification from Deputy Health Minister Eugena Tomini:https://euronews.al/terapia-hormonale-per-personat-transgjinore-zv-ministrja-tomini-sqaron-udhezuesi-referohet-vetem-te-rriturve/ (https://euronews.al/terapia-hormonale-per-personat-transgjinore-zv-ministrja-tomini-sqaron-udhezuesi-referohet-vetem-te-rriturve/) The episode also discusses a separate March for Life protest in Tirana concerning transgender hormonal treatment and public healthcare. Euronews Albania — March for Life:https://euronews.al/terapia-hormonale-per-transgjinoret-koalicioni-shqiptar-pro-familjes-dhe-jetes-marshim-me-rastin-e-1-qershorit/ (https://euronews.al/terapia-hormonale-per-transgjinoret-koalicioni-shqiptar-pro-familjes-dhe-jetes-marshim-me-rastin-e-1-qershorit/) 20,000 Species of Bees Esmeralda refers to the Spanish film 20,000 Species of Bees, directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren and starring Sofía Otero. The film follows an eight-year-old trans girl during a summer in the Basque Country and explores childhood, identity and self-discovery. Sofía Otero won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the Berlin International Film Festival. Film:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21113962/ (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21113962/) Peru, HIV & Transgender Women Róisín refers to research she had been watching concerning HIV, sex work and transgender women in Peru. A 2024 study of 211 transgender women aged 16–24 in Lima reported an HIV prevalence of 41.5%. It also found that 50.7% reported sex work during the previous 30 days and 47.9% reported condomless anal sex during the previous six months. (PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39041820/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Research:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39041820/ (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39041820/) Women, Family & LGBTQ Rights in Albania The episode discusses Albanian couple Alba Ahmetaj and Edlira Mara, who held an unofficial rooftop wedding in Tirana in 2024. The couple have twin daughters and have faced legal difficulties obtaining recognition as joint parents. Reuters reported on the couple’s wedding, their fight for equal recognition and the online hostility and threats they faced. (Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/loving-protest-albanian-lesbians-marry-unofficially-2024-05-20/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Reuters:https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/loving-protest-albanian-lesbians-marry-unofficially-2024-05-20/ (https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/loving-protest-albanian-lesbians-marry-unofficially-2024-05-20/) Women in Albanian Culture The conversation turns to women, female employment, entrepreneurship, femicide and political representation in Albania. Esmeralda describes a cultural history in which women could be breadwinners and refers to Albanian poetry that criticised men who left women to carry the burden of work. She mentions Andon Zako Çajupi’s “Fshati im” (“My Village”), a poem contrasting women working in the fields and running the household with men sitting in the shade and living from their wives. (Albanian History (https://albanianhistory.org/albanianliterature/authors_classical/cajupi_poetry.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Andon Zako Çajupi — “Fshati im”:https://albanianhistory.org/albanianliterature/authors_classical/cajupi_poetry.html (https://albanianhistory.org/albanianliterature/authors_classical/cajupi_poetry.html) Esmeralda Petrela Esmeralda Petrela is an Albanian writer and astrologer. Her astrology work and personalised astrology charts have been featured by Albanian media. (Top Channel (https://top-channel.tv/2016/10/05/harta-astrologjike/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) She is also the author of the novel Ajlen, published by Botimet Dudaj in 2018. Ajlen:https://www.shtepiaelibrit.com/store/en/fiction-literature/6218-ajlen-esmeralda-petrela-9789994305476.html (https://www.shtepiaelibrit.com/store/en/fiction-literature/6218-ajlen-esmeralda-petrela-9789994305476.html) Harta Astrologjike: https://hartastrologjike.carrd.co/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio https://top-channel.tv/2016/10/05/harta-astrologjike/ (https://top-channel.tv/2016/10/05/harta-astrologjike/) Tsunavi At the end of the episode, Esmeralda discusses Tsunavi (https://hartastrologjike.carrd.co/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio), an astrology app she was developing at the time of the interview. She describes it as a combination of Western and Vedic astrology (https://hartastrologjike.carrd.co/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio), offering personalised timing and predictions relating to areas including love, career, money, travel and mood. Esmeralda says the app was still in development and that she hoped to launch it in August 2026. Guest Links Esmeralda Petrela Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/esmetrela/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/esmetrela/?hl=en) Host Róisín Michaux Xhttps://x.com/RoisinMichaux (https://x.com/RoisinMichaux) Substack Listen & Subscribe 🎧 Peaked is available on Substack and major podcast platforms. Substack Apple Podcasts This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peaked.news/subscribe (https://www.peaked.news/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   15 Aug 2026

   "They hadn't read the room in Northern Ireland"

   Whatever the media decides is news, is news. This is one of the most significant revelations I’ve had as an adult trying to understand the world, and I’m embarrassed to say it came to me later than it should have. I can’t even remember what I thought news was back before I had this earth-shattering epiphany. Did I imagine there was some kind of mineral-rich spring of Things That Happened, a bubbling geothermal pool of eternally-replenishing events and developments, into which editors and journalists daily lowered their buckets? There’s no point in everyone turning up at the courts, the car accidents, or the scenes of the sexual crimes and standing around asking W questions about it. The media fetches all the things that happened, and serve them up to us fresh so we can go about our daily lives. Don’t they? As I was belatedly to learn, barring major events like tsunamis, deaths of celebrities, or elections, what’s ‘news’ is the decision of the people who work in a given news company. If there’s a gang-rape at a Galway train station, a reporter is just as likely to come back from a trip to the news well with a bucket full of story about an Irish language dispute (https://x.com/rtenews/status/2088243821985337800?s=20) concerning the same station, while side-stepping the arguably more important headline story. But what about the gang-rape!? (https://x.com/nwl88444048/status/2088547721250582737?s=20) cry the eyewitnesses and the locals and the independent politicians and the comments sections and the stubborn, swivel-eyed loons shouting on Twitter and YouTube street corners. But those people are not official newsbringers. You can safely ignore them. We open the paper or zap on the Six O’Clock news on the day of the train station gang-rape and Lo! it didn’t happen. Phew, that’s a relief. The absence of the story in the official newsbringer channels, sites, and pages does more than just keep people ignorant of a thing having happened, it does something far more insidious: surely… surely… if something so momentous, so consequential, so indicative of a larger societal issue had taken place, it would have been served to us? The fact that it hasn’t been reported says something about the people who are claiming it did happen, or claiming that it matters. It says either that the people bleating on about it are wrong, or that they are trying to make news of something that isn’t news. Either option points to a nefarious agenda on the part of the stubborn town criers insisting it’s important. Millions of us lumber along under this cloud of received naïveté. I was only snapped out of it because something that I knew to be news happened, and then it happened again, and then it happened over and over and over again, and the media decided it didn’t happen. And only after much, much cajoling, they acknowledged begrudgingly that ok, maybe it happened, but it wasn’t news enough for it to qualify as having happened-happened. In that sense, the recent running media coverage in Northern Ireland surrounding the scrubbing of the Women’s Rights Northern Ireland event from an annual cultural festival programme (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3v0w9yrvz5o) was incredible. It was treated as the newsworthy event that it was. Northern Ireland’s media class (though not its political class (https://x.com/RoisinMichaux/status/2084804940401139797)) seems to have accepted and acknowledged that there is a conflict of rights between an existing policy (women can keep men away from us, sometimes) and a newer, more fashionable policy (women cannot keep men away from us because men are sometimes actually women themselves). And though the NI media establishment has been just as conveniently craven as their counterparts in other jurisdictions, it may be harder to ignore the erasure of sex in law there, for a few different reasons. First of all, Northern Ireland is affected by the UK Supreme Court pronouncement that woman has a biological meaning in law (https://supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2024-0042), so news editors can’t be accused of “obsessing over trans people” by reporting on it (a common trope on the activist side to deflect attention from their insane demands). The fact that there is a squabble brewing over which jurisdiction's laws apply in the courts in the context of male access to women’s spaces and services — the UK’s, the EU’s, or some domestically-derived third thing — has pushed the entire trans issue further into the ‘mentionable’ category of current affairs. Secondly, the size of Northern Ireland, and the concentrated nature of its mainstream media offering, helps focus everyone’s attention more or less on the same time thing at the same time. Thanks to previous reporting on the issue (https://www.bbc.com/audio/brand/p09yjmph), including some straight-reporting (https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/area/belfast/news/tribunal-rules-former-belfast-film-festival-employee-not-unlawfully-discriminated-against-over-beliefs-on-sex-and-gender/a/158926306.html) on Sara Morrison (https://sarawildtimmy.substack.com/)’s workplace tribunal dispute, the general public had a decent level of prior knowledge on the topic. Thirdly, there’s the fact that the BBC (which has a Northern Ireland channel) was embarrassed about revelations about its one-sided transactivist content (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/05/bbc-trans-coverage-censored-own-reporters/) last year. Editorial policy change might more quickly be felt on such a small terrain. Also, as anyone who followed last week’s events will know, ur-TERF JK Rowling jumped into the fray (https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/jk-rowling-to-fund-legal-challenge-against-belfasts-feile-an-phobail-following-anti-trans-event-cancellation-W67WCVV5WRHP5NUQRXJR6TTMWI/), adding to the newsiness of the affair. And of course there’s always the sneaking suspicion that there’s a secret TERF working on the news desk. All of this meant that the incident(s) got pretty good coverage overall. And coverage is pretty much all anyone ever expected or wanted: acknowledgement that a policy or legal development clashes with an already existing policy or law, and acknowledgement that the effort to sort it all out is leading to some drama. This allows the public to make up their own minds on the issue, which they are now free to do, despite some outlets’ best efforts to steer opinion in their preferred direction: Sex Matters have done a detailed autopsy (https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/bbc-northern-irelands-coverage-of-the-cancellation-of-wrn-nis-panel/) of the local reporting of the incident and found a lot of it to be bad, biased, or incomplete. But one thing they cannot fault the media for is the fact that the coverage happened at all. And that, for TERFs, is major news in itself. Nora Calder, one of the women behind Women’s Rights Network Northern Ireland, who acted as spokeswoman during a number of media spots during the drama, told me that the establishment has perhaps underestimated the degree to which people in Northern Ireland have been knowin about this issue, and have come to their own conclusions about its newsworthiness. By continuing to ignore or downplay it, media companies risk further shitting all over their own credibility — something that (as I have been told by a number of journalists) editors in other countries are very much fretting about, but are unsure about how to resolve. It’s a bit like the tax bill you thought would go away if you shoved it deep enough under the pile of instruction manuals for electrical appliances in the kitchen mess drawer (true story). This stubborn not-news about trans activism versus women’s rights just will not f**k off. The media is slowly and sourly putting their finger under the seal of the envelope and ripping it open. The cultural sector did not get get the memo, of course. The utterly mortifying grovelling of the Féile festival oragnisers (https://www.instagram.com/p/DbDlkpslUsp/) to appease the online activist mob felt almost retro; their hastily-drafted Instagram knee-bend in which they announced that no TERF would darken their stage harked back to an earlier, sillier time. Those days are clearly over; requests to join Women’s Rights Network are through the roof, Nora told me. Enjoy the interview. Send me your stories, I’m all (t)ears: roisinmichaux@gmail.com. I’m also on X/Twitter: https://x.com/RoisinMichaux (https://x.com/RoisinMichaux) Do you think it matters that sex is being replaced by self-declaration of something called ‘gender identity’? I do, and I was fired for it. I made a bet that other people care about it too. So this newsletter is my new job. If you think my work is important, please take out a paid subscription. Show notes (AI generated) In this episode of Peaked, Róisín Michaux speaks with Nora Calder, one of the women involved in running the Women’s Rights Network Northern Ireland, about the extraordinary events surrounding the cancellation of the organisation’s planned panel at Féile an Phobail in Belfast. The conversation traces the story from the original application for a panel on women’s rights, sex-based rights, single-sex spaces and women’s sport, through the panel’s acceptance, the subsequent social-media controversy, the cancellation by Féile, and the legal and political fallout that followed. Nora explains what happened behind the scenes as the Women’s Rights Network sought to have the event reinstated, including the organisation’s attempts to engage with Féile, the legal process, the support that came from women around the world, and the decision ultimately to organise an alternative event. The discussion then moves beyond Féile to the wider political situation in Northern Ireland, including the Equality Commission’s judicial review, the UK Supreme Court’s ruling in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers, Sarah Morrison’s case, BBC coverage of the controversy, engagement with Justice Minister Naomi Long, and the forthcoming Northern Ireland election. Featured Topics * Women’s Rights Network Northern Ireland * Féile an Phobail * The cancelled “Respect, Rights & Reality” panel * The original Féile application * Sex-based rights * Single-sex spaces * Women’s sport * The UK Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling * The online campaign surrounding the Féile panel * The cancellation of the event * J.K. Rowling’s offer of legal support * The legal challenge against Féile * The alternative event in Belfast * Sex Matters * Fiona McAnena * Athena Forum * Gaels for Fair Play * Women’s rights activism in Northern Ireland * The political divisions of Northern Ireland * The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland * Article 2 of the Windsor Framework * Sarah Morrison * BBC Spotlight * Nolan Investigates * Stonewall * Naomi Long * The Alliance Party * Northern Ireland’s prisons and women’s services * The March 2027 Northern Ireland election The 2025 Féile event was titled “Whose Victory Is It Anyway? Why the UK Supreme Court Ruling Is Not a Victory for the Feminist Movement” and was organised by Féile’s Debates and Discussions Committee. The event argued that the Supreme Court ruling was regressive for feminism. (Féile an Phobail (https://feilebelfast.com/events/whose-victory-is-it-anyway-why-the-uk-supreme-court-ruling-is-not-a-victory-for-the-feminist-movement-ce-acu-a-bhfuil-an-bua-cen-fath-nach-bua-don-ghluaiseacht-fheimineach-e-rialu-chuirt-uachtarac/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Féile 2025: Whose Victory Is It Anyway? (https://feilebelfast.com/events/whose-victory-is-it-anyway-why-the-uk-supreme-court-ruling-is-not-a-victory-for-the-feminist-movement-ce-acu-a-bhfuil-an-bua-cen-fath-nach-bua-don-ghluaiseacht-fheimineach-e-rialu-chuirt-uachtarac/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) The Women’s Rights Network Northern Ireland The Women’s Rights Network is a UK-wide organisation campaigning around the rights and interests of women and girls. Nora discusses the work of the Northern Ireland branch, including political engagement, campaigning, Freedom of Information requests, judicial reviews and public events. She explains that the Northern Ireland branch works both independently and with the wider WRN network, sharing information and research between regional groups. Women’s Rights Network (https://www.womensrights.network/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Women’s Rights Network on YouTube Women’s Rights Network YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@WomensRightsNetwork?utm_source=chatgpt.com) The Planned Panel The planned event was titled: Respect, Rights & Reality: Women’s Voices from Ireland and Europe The panel was intended to bring together women from Northern Ireland, Ireland and Europe to discuss sex-based rights and the legal and political questions surrounding them. Among the organisations and speakers discussed were: * Women’s Rights Network * Athena Forum * Gaels for Fair Play * Sex Matters Fiona McAnena from Sex Matters subsequently agreed to participate. Nora describes the excitement among the organisers after the event was accepted and speakers began agreeing to take part. Sex Matters (https://sex-matters.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) The Cancellation On 21 July 2026, Féile an Phobail cancelled the WRN Northern Ireland event. Féile said it had been unaware from the initial submission that the event would “promote campaigns against rights for the Transgender community” and said the event was being withdrawn from the programme. WRN Northern Ireland responded that the event was explicitly a discussion about women’s sex-based rights and that this had been made clear in the original application. The organisation said it was shocked and disappointed by the cancellation. (Belfast Media Group (https://belfastmedia.com/women-s-rights-network-feile-event-cancelled-after-transgender-rights-claim?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) The cancellation became the central controversy around the festival, with media coverage, political debate and an increasingly intense online response. Gript: Rights group says ‘women will not be silenced’ as Féile cancels (https://gript.ie/rights-group-says-women-will-not-be-silenced-as-feile-cancels/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) BBC News NI: Organisation ‘shocked’ after Féile cancels event (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgq2g4v4g8o?utm_source=chatgpt.com) J.K. Rowling & The Legal Challenge J.K. Rowling’s X account (https://x.com/jk_rowling?utm_source=chatgpt.com) BBC Coverage of the Controversy BBC Radio Ulster / BBC Audio coverage (https://www.bbc.com/audio/brand/p09yjmph?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Sex Matters: BBC Northern Ireland’s coverage of the cancellation of WRN NI’s panel (https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/bbc-northern-irelands-coverage-of-the-cancellation-of-wrn-nis-panel/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) The Legal Dispute and the Alternative Event Newsletter: Women’s Rights Network event goes ahead in Belfast after Féile cancellation (https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/womens-rights-network-event-goes-ahead-in-belfast-after-feile-an-phobail-cancellation-8839339?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Video A video connected with the Féile controversy and WRN Northern Ireland: Watch the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At5Gcls-a7M&utm_source=chatgpt.com) Women’s Rights Network & The Broader Political Picture The conversation moves from the Féile controversy to the wider political landscape in Northern Ireland. Nora discusses attempts to engage senior politicians and her meeting with Naomi Long, the Justice Minister and leader of the Alliance Party. She describes repeatedly asking Long to meet with WRN before eventually securing a meeting, where they discussed prisons, policing, intimate searches and women’s services. Naomi Long / Alliance Party (https://www.allianceparty.org/naomi_long?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Further Reading & Listening Féile Cancellation Gript: Rights group says ‘women will not be silenced’ as Féile cancels (https://gript.ie/rights-group-says-women-will-not-be-silenced-as-feile-cancels/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) BBC News NI: Organisation ‘shocked’ after Féile cancels event (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgq2g4v4g8o?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Sex Matters: BBC Northern Ireland’s coverage of the cancellation of WRN NI’s panel (https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/bbc-northern-irelands-coverage-of-the-cancellation-of-wrn-nis-panel/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) The Replacement Event Newsletter: Women’s Rights Network event goes ahead in Belfast after Féile cancellation (https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/womens-rights-network-event-goes-ahead-in-belfast-after-feile-an-phobail-cancellation-8839339?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Féile Féile an Phobail (https://feilebelfast.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) 2025 Féile panel on the Supreme Court ruling (https://feilebelfast.com/events/whose-victory-is-it-anyway-why-the-uk-supreme-court-ruling-is-not-a-victory-for-the-feminist-movement-ce-acu-a-bhfuil-an-bua-cen-fath-nach-bua-don-ghluaiseacht-fheimineach-e-rialu-chuirt-uachtarac/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) BBC Audio BBC Radio Ulster / BBC Audio (https://www.bbc.com/audio/brand/p09yjmph?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Video Watch the Nora Calder / WRN-related video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At5Gcls-a7M&utm_source=chatgpt.com) Guest Links Nora Calder Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/norautd/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) X / Twitter (https://x.com/NoraTheBora?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Women’s Rights Network Official Website (https://www.womensrights.network/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/@WomensRightsNetwork?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Host Róisín Michaux X https://x.com/RoisinMichaux (https://x.com/RoisinMichaux) Substack Listen & Subscribe 🎧 Peaked is available on Substack and major podcast platforms. Substack peaked.news (https://www.peaked.news/)Apple Podcasts This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.peaked.news/subscribe (https://www.peaked.news/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

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