Feminism’s Wounded Warriors and Their Attack on Thought Crimes

Some brief thoughts on the instigation of a dog-pile

Is feminism beyond critique?

Recently, some self-identified feminists—and at least one male ally—have launched ad hominem attacks and defamation to silence Tara van Dijk, author of a thoughtful critique of feminism, and me, for publishing her work. This response echoes the “no debate” tactics used by “Trans” rights activists (TRAs). Over weeks, the attacks have escalated, with personal insults flooding social media, making me grateful our private addresses remain anonymous.

After Van Dijk’s longer essay was republished in Savage Minds Magazine with an open invitation for serious rebuttal, the attacks on my character intensified: accusations of having a sock puppet, being anti-Semitic, misogynist, anti-woman, a plagiarist, repetitive, stupid, and more. Phrases like “perversion,” used in the essay, have been lifted out of their original context, and used as a battering ram for goading a dog pile. Julian Vigo, who published the longer version of Van Dijk's essay was also brought into the stream of ad hominem attacks (“I’ve always known Vigo was” - fill in the epithet). It’s been revealing to watch former admirers of my decade + long research turn hostile so quickly, triggered by the defamation from a popular journalist and her male ally.

I’ve long observed feminism’s shift from a movement to a gang backup for an ossified ideology, though I recognize many feminists continue important work—my own book was published by a feminist press. Yet, even they refuse to tolerate dissent, demonstrated by their vitriolic dismissal of a female writer’s work despite her support for individual feminist thinkers.

Some suggest such debates belong behind closed doors as “infighting.” But when public critique is met with slander, deflection, and ad hominem attacks, it’s not infighting—it’s censorship, mirroring the tactics TRAs have perfected. I reject this tribalism and tyrannical silencing. Corruption thrives in secrecy; exposing it is essential. I also reject that critiques need to be tone-policed. Van Dijk’s piece was written in a sardonic manner to capture attention, insert some humor, and to stir debate.

Many who follow both my work and the journalists defaming me feel caught between camps, unsure where to stand, or disengage to avoid conflict. Too many, conditioned by decades of feminist dogma, have blindly joined the chorus of condemnation. Yet, I don’t mind, as this all happens in the open—where it should be. If my work suffers, it is not I who will lose, but the wider public deprived of the important insights garnered from my research. Feminist theory is only one lens through which to view our complex world and should continue to be critiqued.

The fulminating intensity of the reactions to Van Dijk’s essay only underscores the urgency of her critique. I hope her work is elevated above those attempting to enforce conformity within feminist thought. The journalist and her ally who attacked us have contributed valuable work too—some I have firmly supported, and other parts I strongly disagree with. I reserve the right to critique without being met with defaming reprisals that speak into the exhibited woundedness of those who would slander out of despair of having no concrete refutation to a critique.

In closing, at a time when dissent is increasingly suppressed, I urge you to think independently, embrace flexibility, and allow space for disagreement. A movement that resists change becomes a petrified ideology, no longer serving its purpose.

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Jennifer Bilek is an investigative journalist who has tracked the funding of the gender industry for over a decade. She is author of the The 11th Hour, a platform highlighting the connections between technology, transsexualism, and transhumanism. Her research into the philanthropic backers of the gender industry has been utilized for legal briefs, and platformed in myriad publications, films, and other media in the US and internationally. She has appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show, Steven Bannon’s War Room, and James Patrick’s Big Picture, and on various other platforms and podcasts. She has been featured in films such as No Way Back (2023), Gender Transformation (2023), and The Gender Delusion (2023). Her work has been published in numerous books and magazines, among which: First Things, Tablet, Human Events, The Federalist, The American Mind, and in the anthology Female Erasure. She is the author of Transsexual Transgender Transhuman: Dispatches From the 11th Hour.