Katherine Deves on Australian politics, modern feminism, and why she stood up for girls’ and women’s sport

Katherine Deves is a Sydney-based lawyer and mother of three daughters. In 2020, she realized no one was standing up for female athletes in Australia, so joined forces with women in New Zealand to co-found Save Women’s Sports Australasia. Katherine gained national prominence during the 2022 Australian federal election when she ran, ultimately unsuccessfully, as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Warringah. She was attacked viciously for her efforts to defend girls’ and women’s sport, arguing against allowing male athletes to compete with and against females.

I spoke with her this week about her experience in politics, her views on modern feminism, and what happened when she spoke up for female athletes in Australia.

Katherine Deves on Australian politics, modern feminism, and why she stood up for girls' and women's sport
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Meghan Murphy

Founder & Editor

Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist from Vancouver, BC. She has been podcasting and writing about feminism since 2010 and has published work in numerous national and international publications, including The Spectator, UnHerd, Quillette, the CBC, New Statesman, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, and more. Meghan completed a Masters degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University in 2012 and is now exiled in Mexico with her very photogenic dog.