Magdalen Berns

**Magdalen Berns** (1983-2019) was a British software developer who was notable for her feminist activism.

## Early Life and Education

Berns studied MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. She was awarded a scholarship by the Women's Engineering Society in the 2009-2010 academic year.

## Activism

Berns was known for her YouTube videos and social media about gender and sexuality.  Bern's YouTube channel had over 30,000 subscribers shortly before her death. She discussed issues such as transgenderism, lesbian erasure and gender roles in her videos. In 2016, she participated in a conference about medical interventions for transgender children.

## Controversy

### Views on transgenderism

Berns has been criticised for her views on transgenderism.  Berns stated in her videos that she disagreed with the notion that a person could change their sex or be a non-binary gender. She notably said that “There’s no such thing as a lesbian with a penis.”  After author J.K. Rowling followed Bern's Twitter feed, Rowling was accused of being transphobic.

### Views on prostitution

Bern's opposition to the legalisation of prostitution also attracted criticism. Because of her views on prostitution, Berns was banned from attending events with the University of Edinburgh's feminist society.

## Personal Life and Death

Berns worked as a software developer. She was employed by the GNOME Foundation. Berns was a lesbian. Berns was diagnosed with Glioblastoma (brain tumour) in 2018.  Berns died on 13 September 2019 as a result of her Glioblastoma.

### Reaction to Illness and Death

Feminist media outlets and organisations, including the Women's Liberation Front, described Bern as a hero. Conversly, there were some who saw Bern's death as a postive thing. Shortly before Bern's death, Rachel McKinnon, a transgender philosophy professor at the College of Charleston tweeted “It’s okay to be happy, even celebrate, when bad people die.”  McKinnon also described Berns as a "trash human".

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.wes.org.uk/content/current-recipients-doris-gray-scholarships
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTTakI97sQ4SkMnsH8r0qQ
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://www.afterellen.com/general-news/571815-celebrating-magdalen-berns-a-lesbian-feminist-warrior?utm\_source=rss&utm\_medium=rss&utm\_campaign=celebrating-magdalen-berns-a-lesbian-feminist-warrior
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/magdalen-berns-shero-dies-aged-35/
5. ↑ https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/medical-threat-to-transgender-children-on-pubertyblocking-drugs-a3296471.html
6. ↑ https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/06/25/jk-rowling-under-fire-following-transphobe-twitter/
7. ↑ https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/magdalen-berns-a-shero-among-women/
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://womensliberationfront.org/for-magdalen/
9. ↑ https://www.indy100.com/article/jk-rowling-twitter-transphobe-magdalen-berns-terf-lgbt-8974041
10. ↑ https://quillette.com/2016/04/02/university-feminists-are-betraying-their-movements-liberal-past/
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://www.gnome.org/news/2015/08/pictures-from-guadec-2015/attachment/magdalen-berns-present-her-work-with-improving-the-java-atk-wrapper/
12. ↑ https://www.dgsiegel.net/talks/gnome-outreach-yearbook-2013.pdf
13. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-brCJkXxzaM
14. ↑ https://www.feministcurrent.com/2019/09/13/whats-current-lesbian-feminist-shero-magdalen-berns-passes-away-at-36/
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 https://www.postandcourier.com/news/the-tweet-heard-round-the-world-charleston-professor-sparks-global/article\_4a462cda-c9c7-11e9-8134-d32dc721835d.html
16. ↑ https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/09/03/college-supports-trans-scholar-under-fire

## External Links

* Bern's Twitter Account
* Bern's Youtube Channel