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UK Feminista

Website:

ukfeminista.org.uk/
Type:

Feminist Organization
Founded:

2010
Director:

Kat Banyard
Location:

London, England
Budget (2020):

Revenue – £100,211
Expenses – £148,574

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UK Feminista is a feminist organization based in London, England. It was founded in 2010 by feminist activist and author Kat Banyard, who has written books titled The Equality Illusion: The Truth About Women and Men Today and Pimp State: Sex, Money and the Future of Equality. 1 2

The organization campaigns against sexism in schools, and exploitation in sex work. It created the “Lose the Lads’ Mags” campaign alongside the feminist organization Object in 2013. The campaign aimed to remove sexually suggestive magazines from retailers by claiming that displaying such material and expecting staff to handle such magazines may amount to sex discrimination and sexual harassment contrary to British law. 3

Background

UK Feminista is a left-of-center feminist organization based in London, England. The organization was co-founded by feminist activist and author Kat Banyard in 2010. The organization was created to be a bridge between ordinary people and feminist organizations to build upon the feminist movement in the United Kingdom, and make it “a force to be reckoned with.” 4

UK Feminista has shifted its mission to campaigning against sexism in schools. The organization conducts research and provides training to teachers and resources for schools on sexism in education. UK Feminista, alongside the National Education Union (NEU), published a research report on sexism in schools titled “It’s Just Everywhere” in 2017. 5 6

UK Feminista also shifted its mission to combat sexual exploitation in pornography and prostitution. The organization provides the secretariat for the U.K. Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Commercial Sexual Exploitation, and the secretariat for A Model for Scotland. 7

The organization supports feminist activist organizations and individuals by providing training, resources, and running campaigns. 8

Political Activities

UK Feminista, alongside the feminist organization Object, began a campaign against sexually suggestive magazines in 2013. The campaign, called “Lose the Lads’ Mags,” began towards the end of May 2013 after the organizations published an open letter, signed by several lawyers, which warned that sellers of magazines and “papers featuring pornographic front covers” could face legal action. 9

The lawyers that signed the open letter claimed that as a store is also a workplace, any store “displaying these publications in workplaces, and/or requiring staff to handle them in the course of their jobs, may amount to sex discrimination and sexual harassment contrary to the Equality Act 2010.” 10

The campaign called for retailers to remove publications that had sexually suggestive front covers, or the lawyers would have brought a test case against retailers that failed to act. The campaign achieved a small success when food retailer The Co-Op stated it would not stock magazines that did not come in a “modesty bag.” 11 12

Magazine companies Zoo, Nuts, and Front, agreed to create “more modest” front covers, and retailer Tesco agreed with the companies to only sell the magazines to people over the age of 18. 13

UK Feminista was approached by women who modeled for such magazines via an open letter; however, the organization ignored it. 14

People

Kat Banyard is a feminist author and activist. She published her first book The Equality Illusion: The Truth About Women and Men Today, in 2011 and published her second Pimp State: Sex, Money and the Future of Equality, in 2016. 15

Banyard was named in the Guardian as “the most influential young feminist in the country” in 2010 and was also named one of the Observer’s 50 contemporary innovators in 2011. 16

According to her LinkedIn page, Banyard has been an advisor to Labour Party MP Diana Johnson since 2022. 17

Financials

UK Feminista had a total revenue of £100,211 (approximately $121,834) in 2020, £95,834 ($116,512) of which came from contributions and grants. The organization’s total expenses amounted to £148,574 (around $180,632) that same year. UK Feminista’s net assets for 2020 amounted to £109,194 (approximately $132,755). 18

References

  1. Gray, Paul. “New feminist organisation to launch as feminism in the UK surges.” HRreview. March 29, 2010. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/supplier-news/new-feminist-organisation-to-launch-as-feminism-in-the-uk-surges/7063.
  2. “Kat Banyard.” Faber. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.faber.co.uk/author/kat-banyard/.
  3. Cochrane, Kira. “UK Feminista founder Kat Banyard: ‘It’s staggering retailers sell lads’ mags’.” The Guardian. June 23, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jun/23/uk-feminista-kat-banyard-lads-mags.
  4. Gray, Paul. “New feminist organisation to launch as feminism in the UK surges.” HRreview. March 29, 2010. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/supplier-news/new-feminist-organisation-to-launch-as-feminism-in-the-uk-surges/7063.
  5. “About UK Feminista – UK Feminista.” Accessed October 30, 2023. https://ukfeminista.org.uk/about-us/.
  6. “It’s Just Everywhere.” UK Feminista. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://ukfeminista.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Report-Its-just-everywhere.pdf.
  7. “About UK Feminista – UK Feminista.” Accessed October 30, 2023. https://ukfeminista.org.uk/about-us/.
  8. “About UK Feminista – UK Feminista.” Accessed October 30, 2023. https://ukfeminista.org.uk/about-us/.
  9. Cochrane, Kira. “UK Feminista founder Kat Banyard: ‘It’s staggering retailers sell lads’ mags’.” The Guardian. June 23, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jun/23/uk-feminista-kat-banyard-lads-mags.
  10. Cochrane, Kira. “UK Feminista founder Kat Banyard: ‘It’s staggering retailers sell lads’ mags’.” The Guardian. June 23, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jun/23/uk-feminista-kat-banyard-lads-mags.
  11. Topping, Alexandra. “Supermarkets could face harassment complaints over lads’ mags, say lawyers.” The Guardian. May 26, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/may/27/supermarkets-harassment-lads-mags-lawyers?INTCMP=SRCH.
  12. Teasdale, Anthony. “Why ‘Lose the Lads Mags’ Is About Class, Not Sex.” HuffPost UK Life. August 12, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anthony-teasdale/lad-mags-about-class-not-sex_b_3742076.html.
  13. Teasdale, Anthony. “Why ‘Lose the Lads Mags’ Is About Class, Not Sex.” HuffPost UK Life. August 12, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anthony-teasdale/lad-mags-about-class-not-sex_b_3742076.html.
  14. Teasdale, Anthony. “Why ‘Lose the Lads Mags’ Is About Class, Not Sex.” HuffPost UK Life. August 12, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anthony-teasdale/lad-mags-about-class-not-sex_b_3742076.html.
  15. “Kat Banyard.” Faber. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.faber.co.uk/author/kat-banyard/.
  16. “Kat Banyard.” Faber. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.faber.co.uk/author/kat-banyard/.
  17. [1] “Kat Banyard.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 30, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kat-banyard-5501455a/?originalSubdomain=uk.
  18. “UK Feminista Annual Reports 2020.” Accessed October 30, 2023. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/LGIsHWzdihPmO37nv-6rBDsqwvtVgKYx1CKbWGPvGTQ/application-pdf?
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