Evie Ashton

“What a summer of women’s sport.”
“England women will inspire the next gen.”

Why are we whitewashing this year?

Trans women and girls were literally banned. Sex testing was brought back. And Black players are being subjected to racism.

Journalism MUST recognise setbacks as well as progress.

Sharing this again. Happy for the Red Roses but now more than ever we need to remember those who have been excluded from women’s rugby and won’t be able to reap the benefits of the team’s success.

Expert issues warning over World Athletics bringing back sex testing WORLD Athletics’s reintroduction of sex testing at the World Championships 2025 is "a threat to all women", an expert has said.

NEW: World Athletics’s reintroduction of sex testing at the World Championships 2025 is "a threat to all women", an expert has said.

Spoke to Dr Sheree Bekker about the "insidious" effects of this policy for @scotnational.bsky.social.

www.thenational.scot/sport/254819...

I of course welcome the recognition of the state of Palestine.

And there won't be a Palestinian state left if government's continue enabling Israel's unfolding genocide.

Labour can't credibly support Palestinian statehood whilst also continuing to arm Israel.

Expert issues warning over World Athletics bringing back sex testing WORLD Athletics’s reintroduction of sex testing at the World Championships 2025 is "a threat to all women", an expert has said.

NEW: World Athletics’s reintroduction of sex testing at the World Championships 2025 is "a threat to all women", an expert has said.

Spoke to Dr Sheree Bekker about the "insidious" effects of this policy for @scotnational.bsky.social.

www.thenational.scot/sport/254819...

#journorequest Looking to speak to an academic e.g. historian, social scientist, political scientist etc... on the perceived freedom of speech crisis amid rising anti-immigrant rhetoric and far-right protests in the UK.

“I had to out myself” – are sports bodies violating Trans+ people’s right to privacy? QueerAF speaks to experts and victims of Trans+ sports bans about how this might be a breach of their right to privacy, which could see legal challenges

A few months ago, trans women and girls had the freedom to participate and enjoy football and cricket and their sporting families taken away from them. I've been investigating how their privacy was stripped from them too.

My exclusive investigation: www.wearequeeraf.com/i-had-to-out...

“I had to out myself” – are sports bodies violating Trans+ people’s right to privacy? QueerAF speaks to experts and victims of Trans+ sports bans about how this might be a breach of their right to privacy, which could see legal challenges

A few months ago, trans women and girls had the freedom to participate and enjoy football and cricket and their sporting families taken away from them. I've been investigating how their privacy was stripped from them too.

My exclusive investigation: www.wearequeeraf.com/i-had-to-out...

Stop burdening women’s rugby players On the unpaid work expected of female athletes

"The responsibility for growing women’s sport and achieving gender justice in sport should not lie with those who were not culpable for its marginalisation in the first place and have borne the brunt of abuse and discrimination since."

evieashton.substack.com/p/stop-burde...

Stop burdening women’s rugby players On the unpaid work expected of female athletes

In 2025, female athletes are still expected to carry out unpaid labour and deal with online abuse and discrimination.

My latest piece on the narrative that female athletes should be responsible for increasing their own, and their sport’s, visibility.👇

evieashton.substack.com/p/stop-burde...

Stop burdening women’s rugby players On the unpaid work expected of female athletes

Are we expecting too much of women's rugby players?

My latest piece tackles the exhausting unpaid labour female athletes are expected to carry out.👇

open.substack.com/pub/evieasht...

You know who never gets called "a biological male"? Biological males.

Why the UK’s far-right party launched football shirts Reform UK’s latest merchandise is a concerning recruitment strategy

“The “Reform FC Home Shirt” is far more than a gimmick. It is a key to unlocking more voters and mobilising support for a far right party.”

My latest newsletter👇

evieashton.substack.com/p/why-the-uk...

Why the UK’s far-right party launched football shirts Reform UK’s latest merchandise is a concerning recruitment strategy

"Seen as a football club, Reform UK is no longer a political party that, in government, would be responsible for tackling poverty, preventing climate catastrophe, or reducing NHS waiting times, but instead a “winning team” hoping to lift the league trophy." 👇

evieashton.substack.com/p/why-the-uk...

Why the UK’s far-right party launched football shirts Reform UK’s latest merchandise is a concerning recruitment strategy

Why we can't afford to laugh off Reform UK's football shirts.

My latest ✍️
evieashton.substack.com/p/why-the-uk...

Linking sex attacks to migration is 'dangerous racist diversion' warning In a letter to Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper, organisations including Rape Crisis England and Wales, the End Violence Against Women Coalition and Refuge called on ministers to stand up to the 'danger...

“Linking sex attacks to migration is 'dangerous racist diversion' warn 100 women's rights groups”

We all know racist men are just racist men and more likely to be a danger to women themselves.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Does sport perpetuate violence against women? On the "rotten few" who tarnish sport

"Sport, with its inherent power and resource imbalances, has a unique capacity to generate, enable and support gender-based violence."

More in my latest👇
evieashton.substack.com/p/does-sport...

World Athletics introduces one-time genetic test for athletes wanting to compete in female category for world ranking competitions Athletes who want to compete in the female category for world ranking competitions will have to take a one-time gene test, says World Athletics.

Transphobia as justification for subjecting all women athletes to intrusive medical tests and someone else's definition of who they 'really' are. Cursory searches online indicate presence of the SRY gene has a complex range of effects, including none. This is nonsense.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athlet...

The mathematics of starvation: how Israel caused a famine in Gaza Israel controls the flow of food into Gaza. It has calculated how many calories Palestinians need to stay alive. Its data shows only a fraction has been allowed in

It cannot be denied: this is a deliberate and coldly-calculated famine, engineered by a technologically-advanced state which knows exactly what it is doing.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Does sport perpetuate violence against women? On the "rotten few" who tarnish sport

Most sportspeople and the sports workforce are great people, right? It's the morally depraved few that come in and ruin sport for everyone...

Dived into some debunking of these popular beliefs this week.👇

evieashton.substack.com/p/does-sport...

“It’s all about inspiring the next generation of young girls in women’s sport, unless your trans.”

Thinking of trans girls and women who have had the right to play football (what the Lionesses are all about) taken from them by the FA.

Thanks Natalie. Has felt so wrong, uncomfortable and ironic seeing social media celebrate the lionesses inspiring generations of young girls & their ‘legacy’ of positive social impact with 0 acknowledgment that of what the FA have done to trans girls & women.

I am going to level with you - I can't enjoy this Euros win because everyone will use it as an excuse to forget they banned us.

Why this summer of English women’s sport won’t be a turning point Growth is not always the same as progress

Thrilled that the Lionesses have done it again. However, is the growth of women's football always the same as 'progress'?

Words on this below. 👇
evieashton.substack.com/p/why-this-s...

FA deliberately humiliate trans men who want to play football - Trans Writes While trans women were recently banned from the women’s game, attention is now turning to new restrictions on trans men, who must sign a declaration many are refusing to accept.

After trans women were recently banned from women's football, attention is now turning to new restrictions on trans men, who must sign a declaration most are refusing to accept.

@bernietranders.bsky.social explains more

transwrites.world/fa-trans-men/

What ponytails say about homophobia in women’s football How heteronormativity survives in women’s football

"So, while being gay may be normalised, it is only the gay and straight women’s footballers who conform to acceptable representations of femininity and womanhood that are permitted."

Is women's football's LGBT+ inclusivity an illusion?
Read more👇
evieashton.substack.com/p/what-ponyt...

What ponytails say about homophobia in women’s football How heteronormativity survives in women’s football

"So, while being gay may be normalised, it is only the gay and straight women’s footballers who conform to acceptable representations of femininity and womanhood that are permitted."

Is women's football's LGBT+ inclusivity an illusion?
Read more👇
evieashton.substack.com/p/what-ponyt...

What ponytails say about homophobia in women’s football How heteronormativity survives in women’s football

"As footballers who already transgress typical gender boundaries in being muscular and playing in the ‘male preserve’ of football, conforming to standards of femininity is essential to resist stereotypes and implications of being or wanting to be a man."

Words on this👇

What ponytails say about homophobia in women’s football How heteronormativity survives in women’s football

The women's euros start today so, naturally, I've decided to explore why only three of the competition's 368 players have short hair.

My latest piece on what ponytails tell us about homophobia in women's football 👇.
evieashton.substack.com/p/what-ponyt...

IDF is an institution, not a person.

Saying “Death” to it, means abolishing the institution.

We are in a very dangerous place if you cannot voice a negative opinion about an institution committing war crimes without this sort of thing, or accusations of antisemitism, happening.