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Evie Ashton

@evieashton.bsky.social
330 followers 106 following 100 posts

Journalist. 📚Investigating politics, power and sport. 🎥Video essays & words 👇 💬Signal evieashton.12

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Reposted by Evie Ashton
Not In Our Name (NION) Women @nionwomen.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Useful reporting from Translucent. When we’ve suggested that trans women don’t pose a risk, people have argued that’s because of under reporting. These FOI requests suggest that might not be the case www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/almo...
lgbtqnation.com
Almost no one is complaining about trans women in women's spaces, study finds - LGBTQ Nation
“This is a manufactured controversy, not a documented crisis.”
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Is English football enabling violence against women? NEW video essay tackles online abuse, the ban on trans women, workplace harassment in media, and more👇. The Truth About Violence Against Women In English Football: youtu.be/BB1hU1-hkFs
youtu.be
The Truth About English Football: Violence Against Women
YouTube video by Evie Ashton
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Reposted by Evie Ashton
Jonathan Liew @jonathanliew.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
column on the mansion tax refugees www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Won’t somebody please think of Britain’s poor £2m homeowners? Oh, wait – everyone already is | Jonathan Liew
Contrast the furious reaction to Rachel Reeves’s ‘mansion tax’ to the response offered to those living with real housing injustice: indifference, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
"Sexism and misogyny do not persist by accident, but by design." After @womeninfootball.co.uk found that four in five women report workplace sexism in football, I wrote about why women sports journalists still don't belong in the sports media. evieashton.substack.com/p/sexism-aga...
evieashton.substack.com
Sexism against sports journalists isn’t an accident
On why women still don’t belong in sports journalism
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
Sports journalists, do you find press conferences repetitive and that trying to get an insightful quote from the speaker is like pushing water up a hill? I wrote about why press conferences suck👇. evieashton.substack.com/p/press-conf...
evieashton.substack.com
Press conferences suck
When did sports journalists become scared of holding the powerful to account?
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Press conferences suck. This week, I wrote about why they are less about reporting the truth and more about preserving the status quo.👇 evieashton.substack.com/p/press-conf...
evieashton.substack.com
Press conferences suck
When did sports journalists become scared of holding the powerful to account?
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Was Michelle Agyemang’s ACL tear caused by sexism? Before jumping to blame hips, hormones, boots or pitches, I write we must consider the gendered inequalities women are subject to throughout their footballing lives that may seriously impact injury risk. 👇 evieashton.substack.com/p/sexism-cau...
evieashton.substack.com
Sexism caused your ACL injury
Not your weak female biology
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Reposted by Evie Ashton
QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 30/10/2025
Our investigation by journalist @evieashton.bsky.social revealed how athletes were being forced to come out because of blanket sports bans that were being implemented following the Supreme Court ruling and the now withdrawn EHRC guidance on it 👇 www.wearequeeraf.com/i-had-to-out...
wearequeeraf.com
“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
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 30/10/2025
The England and Wales Cricket Board is being sued over its ban on trans women's inclusion in the sport 👇 We asked in September whether they'd considered this outcome of their ban, and they stood by their stance. This is what they said and what the case will look at 🧵 bsky.app/profile/good...
Screenshot of QueerAF website with headline: “I had to out myself” – are sports bodies violating Trans+ people’s right to privacy?
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
What if Leah Williamson’s ACL injury that forced her to miss the World Cup 2023 was caused by sexism? Drawing on a recent paper by sociologist Madeline Pape, I discuss why gender inequalities, not 'female biology', could be behind the “ACL crisis” 👇 evieashton.substack.com/p/sexism-cau...
evieashton.substack.com
Sexism caused your ACL injury
Not your weak female biology
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Had a go at critiquing football's "no room for racism in sport" anti-discrimination expression. Worried it's less about anti-racism and more about deflection and avoidance of the wider issue of structural racism in English football. ✍ evieashton.substack.com/p/the-proble...
evieashton.substack.com
The problem with “no room for racism” in football
Is the anti-discrimination expression about racial justice?
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
“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.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
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.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
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...
thenational.scot
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.
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Reposted by Evie Ashton
Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
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.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
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...
thenational.scot
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.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
#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.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
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...
wearequeeraf.com
“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
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
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...
wearequeeraf.com
“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
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
"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...
evieashton.substack.com
Stop burdening women’s rugby players
On the unpaid work expected of female athletes
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
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...
evieashton.substack.com
Stop burdening women’s rugby players
On the unpaid work expected of female athletes
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
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...
open.substack.com
Stop burdening women’s rugby players
On the unpaid work expected of female athletes
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Mitildide 🧌 @mitildide.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
You know who never gets called "a biological male"? Biological males.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
“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...
evieashton.substack.com
Why the UK’s far-right party launched football shirts
Reform UK’s latest merchandise is a concerning recruitment strategy
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
"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...
evieashton.substack.com
Why the UK’s far-right party launched football shirts
Reform UK’s latest merchandise is a concerning recruitment strategy
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Why we can't afford to laugh off Reform UK's football shirts. My latest ✍️ evieashton.substack.com/p/why-the-uk...
evieashton.substack.com
Why the UK’s far-right party launched football shirts
Reform UK’s latest merchandise is a concerning recruitment strategy
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Reposted by Evie Ashton
Gemma Clark 🧿🕯️ @gemmaclark.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
“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...
mirror.co.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...
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
"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...
evieashton.substack.com
Does sport perpetuate violence against women?
On the "rotten few" who tarnish sport
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Juliet E McKenna @julietemckenna.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
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...
bbc.co.uk
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.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
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...
theguardian.com
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
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
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...
evieashton.substack.com
Does sport perpetuate violence against women?
On the "rotten few" who tarnish sport
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
“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.
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Natalie Washington @transsomething.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
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.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
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...
evieashton.substack.com
Why this summer of English women’s sport won’t be a turning point
Growth is not always the same as progress
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Trans Writes @transwrites.world · 06/07/2025
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/
transwrites.world
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.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
"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...
evieashton.substack.com
What ponytails say about homophobia in women’s football
How heteronormativity survives in women’s football
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
"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...
evieashton.substack.com
What ponytails say about homophobia in women’s football
How heteronormativity survives in women’s football
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
"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👇
evieashton.substack.com
What ponytails say about homophobia in women’s football
How heteronormativity survives in women’s football
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
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...
evieashton.substack.com
What ponytails say about homophobia in women’s football
How heteronormativity survives in women’s football
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Adam Fare 🖤🤍💜 @adamfare1996.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
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.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
“Disability benefits and out of work benefits are totally different…” says Paralympian Sophie Christiansen. “They have to get rid of the barriers we face to get into work like inaccessible travel. I’ve been left on a train countless times getting into work.” 👇 www.bigissue.com/news/social-...
bigissue.com
Paralympic champions blast Labour over disability benefit cuts
Three Paralympians join calls for the government to urgently reverse its plans for disability benefit cuts as a rebellion continues to grow.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
“People are saying by cutting benefits it will incentivise a return to work but as a disabled person who works outside of being a Paralympian, I still have extra costs because I am disabled.” My exclusive in the Big Issue: www.bigissue.com/news/social-...
bigissue.com
Paralympic champions blast Labour over disability benefit cuts
Three Paralympians join calls for the government to urgently reverse its plans for disability benefit cuts as a rebellion continues to grow.
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Euan @euan.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
“the BBC have heard complaints that their Glasgow edition of Question Time featured no-one from Glasgow’s third largest party, the Scottish Greens. To rectify this we have invited Glasgow’s sole Reform UK councillor to appear on the next episode”
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Paralympic champions have said the government’s planned cuts to disability benefits are “targeted”, “misunderstood” and won’t “solve the major issues”. My exclusive in The Big Issue🚨: www.bigissue.com/news/social-...
bigissue.com
Paralympic champions blast Labour over disability benefit cuts
Three Paralympians join calls for the government to urgently reverse its plans for disability benefit cuts as a rebellion continues to grow.
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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
personally I think it's far more objectionable to refer to a pregnant 13-year-old as a 'woman' than to refer to a cis woman as a 'person', but what do I know
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
“Homophobia starts with heteronormative and patriarchal environments and ends when men’s football collectively educates itself on, and trains itself to challenge, the biases, beliefs and behaviours that perpetuate them.” More👇 evieashton.substack.com/p/why-mens-f...
evieashton.substack.com
Why men’s football is homophobic
On the damaging consequences of heteronormativity and patriarchy
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Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
I’ve been making my way through the Welfare Reform Bill and this paragraph on the gov.uk website is genuinely disgusting. Receiving a decent disability benefits rate “encourages sickness”, does it? Funny, I thought it just enabled severely ill and disabled people to eat.
Nearly 4 million households will also receive an income boost with the main rate of Universal Credit set to increase above inflation every year for the next four years – estimated to be worth £725 by 2029/30 for a single household 25 or over. This is around £250 higher than an inflation only increases.

The Bill will also rebalance Universal Credit rates by reducing the health element for new UC claims to £50 from April 2026, fixing a system which encourages sickness by paying health element recipients more than double the standard amount.
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
“Homophobic and misogynistic language was then used to police these masculinity boundaries and discipline those who stepped outside them.” From my latest newsletter on why men’s football is homophobic.👇 evieashton.substack.com/p/why-mens-f...
evieashton.substack.com
Why men’s football is homophobic
On the damaging consequences of heteronormativity and patriarchy
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Evie Ashton @evieashton.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
It’s pride month. Yet many still think homophobia starts with a rogue, morally corrupt, gay-hating football fan and ends with them being banned from a stadium. Wrote about our collective misunderstanding of homophobia is and why it exists in men’s football.👇 evieashton.substack.com/p/why-mens-f...
evieashton.substack.com
Why men’s football is homophobic
On the damaging consequences of heteronormativity and patriarchy
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