Meghan Murphy is a Canadian writer and journalist. Murphy runs a blog called Feminist Current and is known for writing about feminist issues and the problems that face women and girls around the world. Recently Murphy, who is based in Vancouver, grabbed the attention of US-based conservatives when she was locked out of her Twitter account after an online fight with a transgender activist named Lisa Kreut.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Murphy Says Her Troubles With Twitter Started After She Wrote About ‘Hailey Heartless’

What makes someone a 'feminist'? – UpFrontAs a new generation of feminists have risen up around the world in what's been called "Third Wave" or “Choice” feminism, many are questioning: should feminists support all women's choices or are some choices actually holding women back? “People can make personal choices as much as they want, but how does that contribute to the… 2017-10-21T13:29:44.000Z

There is a long backstory to Murphy’s troubles with Twitter. It all started back in August, when she wrote and tweeted about a transgender activist named Lisa Kreut. Lisa Kreut is also a dominatrix who uses the name Hailey Heartless.

Hailey Heartless was asked to be a speaker at the annual Women’s March in Vancouver. Murphy and others were upset by the decision. This was partly because they disagreed what they perceived to be Heartless’s views on violent sex and legal prostitution. They were also upset because, Murphy said, “this was, after all, a march for women.” And in their view, Hailey Heartless is a man. One woman was so upset by Hailey Heartless’s presence that she marched with a sign protesting Heartless’s presence.

Murphy didn’t attend the march, but she wrote about it, and she tweeted about Hailey Heartless, AKA Lisa Kreut. Soon after she tweeted about Kreut, Twitter locked her account. Murphy only got the account back after agreeing to delete the offending tweet. (You can see screenshots of that and other tweets in this article that Murphy wrote about her experiences with Twitter.)

2. Twitter Locked Murphy’s Account Again After She Tweeted that ‘Men Aren’t Women’

Meghan Murphy Keynote speech @ 2018 Women in Media ConferenceSubscribe to WLRN on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP213EJAmGphc7BBJuyi1lA Check out the WLRN WordPress: https://wlrnmedia.wordpress.com Source: https://youtu.be/5P99-ns4G2Y Playlist with all of the videos from this event – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsLFRF3RwxUPd9yTBpoD4AoVQOrj8OyAv 2018-09-16T15:25:55.000Z

On November 15, Murphy’s Twitter account was locked all over again. This time, she said, Twitter sent her a message asking her to delete two tweets: one which said “Women aren’t men,” and another tweet which asked, “How are transwomen not men? What is the difference between a man and a transwoman?”

She deleted both tweets, but then, angry, put out another tweet saying, “This is f***ing bullshit, @twitter. I’m not allowed to say that men aren’t women or ask questions about the notion of transgenderism at all anymore? That a multi-billion dollar company is censoring basic facts and silencing people who ask questions about this dogma is insane.”

Murphy was again locked out of her account and was asked to delete her tweet. She has appealed to Twitter to reconsider — but so far, her account is still suspended. You can read her full account of what happened here.

3. Murphy, a Liberal, Says Conservatives Jumped to her Defense After Her Twitter Ban

Laci Green & Meghan Murphy talk about feminism & transgenderism (Laci Green livestream)This is Laci Green's video so I'm not sure if she'll let me keep it up – Laci–if you see this–just leave a comment if you want me to take it down 2018-06-29T03:01:00.000Z

Murphy says that after she wrote about Lisa Kreut, liberals “vilified” her — because her views about transgender people did not mesh with the liberal worldview. In contrast, she says, conservatives like Ben Shapiro and Dave Rubin (and others) came to her defense, writing about her case and using it as an example of powerful social media companies silencing dissent.

On the other end of the political spectrum, many self-described leftists said they were celebrating Murphy’s fall from grace on Twitter. You can see more examples of the rejoicing here and here.

Murphy, who says she used to identify as a liberal, explained that her views have evolved, in part because of her own experiences. She writes, “I no longer believe leftist positions are necessarily most right or most ethical. I no longer believe everyone on the right is wrong about everything. I do not believe all those on the right necessarily have ill intentions, and suspect that many, like those on the left, believe they are working towards a better world. I don’t believe that it’s productive to position everyone who disagrees with the left as “right wing,” and therefore an enemy.”

4. Murphy Says She Grew up ‘Working Class & Proud’ With a Marxist Father

Murphy, a native of Vancouver in British Columbia, has written that she grew up “working class and proud” with a father who taught her about class warfare from an early age. In an essay about the evolution of her political beliefs, Murphy wrote,

“My father was a Marxist who was active in the labour movement, campaigned for Canada’s left-wing New Democratic Party, and educated me about the harms of capitalism. Throughout my teen years and young adulthood, I never questioned which side I was on. To this day, I remain steadfast in my belief that everyone deserves access to affordable housing, free health care, and advanced education. I believe that poverty is unacceptable and that wealth is unethical. I believe racism and sexism are embedded within our society. I’m pink, through and through.”

As she grew older, Murphy says, she started to question some of the liberal orthodoxies, and she started to clash with others on the left. But, she says, the basic values her Marxist father instilled in her have not changed.

5. Murphy Holds Two Degrees in Women’s Studies

Murphy, a native of Vancouver, earned her BA in women’s studies at Simon Fraser University. She earned an MA in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the same university. After graduation, Murphy went on to work as a radio host for the pirate radio show “The F Word” and eventually as a producer and editor for Rabble.ca.

She now earns her living as a freelance journalist.