The Cambridge University Society of Women (CUSW) has sparked debate around the university and online since its launch last month.
Founded by Maeve Halligan, Serena Worley and Thea Sewell, the society brands itself as Cambridge’s only single-sex women’s group, created in response to what its founders describe as a university culture “obsessed with gender ideology.”
Their aim is to offer an all-female space for free discussion and to advocate for what they call “sex-based rights.” Its arrival, however, has been met with sharp criticism from student organisations and activists, who argue the group is exclusionary and fundamentally hostile to trans women.
I spoke directly to Maeve Halligan to understand the convictions behind the society and the worldview shaping its policies, with questions from University of Cambridge students, including who is and isn’t allowed in the society and the reason for its creation.
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‘Trans ideology’ and ‘factual reality’
I began with a question about a term the society often uses: trans ideology. What exactly did she mean by it?
Identity, she said, was “a person’s business and nobody else’s,” but trans ideology “champions an ability to self-define over an acknowledgement of factual reality.” Sex, in her words, “is an immutable fact,” and anyone who says otherwise is “believing in something not factual,” rather, “fantasy.”
“It’s ideological,” she said, “because it’s a set of beliefs that are not based in fact.”
Her conclusion was simple: “You can tell yourself and others that you’re a woman or a man, but your biological sex is an unchangeable fact.”
Trans rights and homophobia
Asked about her comments connecting this “trans ideology” to homophobia, Maeve claimed lesbians are among the “most impacted” by trans inclusion. “Lesbians are attracted to other women,” she said, “so they’re not attracted to a man who has a gender recognition certificate.” She called trans women who identify as lesbians “men who identify as lesbians,” insisting that they “just don’t have a right” to join lesbian groups.
Her proposed solution: Parallel but separate spaces. “Both things can exist,” she said. “They can totally do that. I’m not going to try and get anything shut down.”
The definitions, “men,” “women,” “real lesbians”, were rigid. When I noted that many lesbians are happy to include trans women, she replied: “If you’re a lesbian and you’re attracted to somebody who’s male, how does that work? That’s their business, but it’s not mine.”
‘You really want to talk about intersex people?’
Moving on, I asked a question many students wanted to know: Where do intersex people fit into her society?
“You really want to talk about intersex people?” she asked, before continuing.
What followed was a five minute distinction between “intersex” and “transgender.” Intersex people, she said, have “differences in sexual development,” yet “are still chromosomally male or female.” She insisted they were “nothing to do” with people who “seek to identify out of their biological sex.”
When pressed on whether an intersex person identifying as a woman would be welcome, she gave the answer that “if somebody is chromosomally female, they’re in the society.” Then added: “I’m not really that interested in aggressively enforcing a policy.”
“It’s a society for women and I don’t think that I need to constantly take into account people with various DSDs.”
Her irritation seemed to source from the question itself. “It’s interesting,” she said, “that if I set up a society for people who like knitting, you’re not going to be like, what are you going to do if someone who doesn’t like knitting turns up?”
She added: “Conditions in which chromosomal sex is inconsistent with phenotypic sex, or in which the phenotype is not classifiable as either male or female, occur in 0.018 per cent of the population.”
Maeve also claimed: “Cambridge University has 24,912 students for the academic year 2024-25. To put this into perspective for you, 0.018 per cent of this number is about five people. If anyone with a DSD at Cambridge wants to join the society, they are more than free to come and speak to me about it at any time. Having a DSD does not mean that you are somehow ‘sexless’”.
Fear, sport, and ‘women’s rights’
Throughout the interview, Maeve returned often to the idea of threat. The threat to “women’s spaces,” to “fair competition,” to “sex-based rights.”
“Female should be the protected category,” she said, explaining that allowing trans women into women’s sport erodes fairness. Men, she argued, “never seem to have to tussle with these questions.”
That pattern, posing transgender ideology as a threat to truth, freedom of speech and to the sex-based rights, ran through much of the conversation.
Sex, gender, and stereotypes: ‘Sex can’t be changed’
When I asked whether Maeve believed gender can be changed, she paused, replying: “Gender? What gender?
“You can present as the opposite sex in society, anybody can do that. But sex can’t be changed.”
She described her own clothing as proof: “I’m wearing trousers and no makeup today. Am I presenting in a masculine way? No. But then my two committee members are being called men because they have short hair.
“Read any comment sections and you’ll see people with trans pride flags in their bios attempting to insult [other society founders] by saying they look like men. It’s misogyny.”
Maeve then continued: “People seem to believe that calling [the members] men is an insult to them and their womanhood is telling […] due to their appearance, [others believe] they are not being women in the right way.”
She finds gender stereotyping wholly regressive: “Woman isn’t a costume, it is a a sex class, I don’t think there’s a way to look womanly.”
‘Women are afraid to meet as women’
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On membership demographics, Maeve rejected claims that the society gets most of its support from alummae and alumni after an Instagram post shared by CUWS on October 1st outlined it had received 20 student membership applications, and 60 from alummae.
“I get emails daily,” she said. “Dozens of messages from young women saying they’d love to be part of it but they’re scared.”
She said that “fear culture” stops women joining, blaming online backlash. “Women are afraid to meet as women,” she said, describing the messages she receives on the daily as “emotional” and “impactful.”
She described receiving “death threats” and “anonymous abuse” but insisted she was unbothered: “I can hack it.” What clearly upset her, as she said, was other women being afraid to join.
Cancel culture and contradiction
Asked whether creating the society divided women, Maeve appeared amused.
“Because I made a women’s society, I’m dividing women?” she said. She pointed to “almost 30 other feminist societies” that had signed a joint statement reaffirming their trans-inclusive positions. “I’m just one,” she said. “These people don’t have to join mine.”
In the same breath she described some of her critics as “people who want me to go and die,” before adding that she believes both groups should “coexist peacefully.”
On Butch Soc and other feminist groups
At this point, I brought up society secretary, Serena Worley’s public comment about attending a Butch Society event where, Serena said: “Everyone there was non-binary and sobbing.”
Butch Soc has since responded that the event was a welfare space “specifically for students to express concerns and vulnerability.” I asked if Maeve had any thoughts on this.
She first told me I should talk to Serena, before defending the sentiment: “She’s noticed a rise in young lesbians identifying as non-binary and she’s interested in questioning why. If everyone’s very upset, maybe being non-binary isn’t a necessarily helpful way of looking at yourself.”
When I suggested that welfare spaces are needed to encourage openness, and so people do not feel judged sharing their emotions and struggles, Maeve responded: “I’d wonder why they’re all so upset. Maybe there should be discussion about that that isn’t just among themselves.”
‘I don’t really mind the reputation of a given newspaper’
When asked about right-wing support and coverage by outlets such as GB News, The Telegraph and The Times, Maeve shrugged.
“I don’t really mind the reputation of a given newspaper,” she said. “If they report fairly, that’s good enough.” She admitted she “drew the line” at GB News interviews but acknowledged having appeared there before to discuss free speech.
She rejected any alignment with the “rising right,” reiterating that the society was “non-partisan” but adding: “If they want to talk to me, I’ll talk to them. If the Guardian wanted to talk to me, I’d talk to them too.”
She described her publicity as necessity rather than choice: “If I don’t give them a comment, they run the story anyway. My best bet is to talk so I’m represented fairly.”
‘Just because some students don’t like the society doesn’t mean it’s not allowed to exist’
Much of the conversation then turned to the society’s attempt to register officially.
She recounted that the Cambridge Students’ Union had taken “13 out of 14 days” to respond before referring her to apply directly to the university’s Proctor’s Office.
To register, she explained, societies must submit a constitution, a list of committee members including a “senior treasurer” (an academic supervisor), and a financial statement. “I sent it on Wednesday,” she said. “The Proctor […] has 10 working days to review it. I have since been in contact with him plenty. He is doing his job and I am doing mine. It is supposed to be a neutral process and, thus far, that is entirely what it has been.”
She described the SU delay as “not a waste of my time, but time that could have gone to running constructive events.” She emphasised the society would continue to exist regardless of approval, but wanted recognition “for transparency and due process.”
When I asked if she thought protests or student backlash might influence the outcome, she replied: “Just because some students don’t like the society doesn’t mean it’s not allowed to exist. That’s what a university is.”
Future plans and ‘women’s issues’
I asked Maeve: “What will the society actually do?”
“Women’s issues,” she said, “real ones.” Topics include FGM, abortion, prostitution, and women in war zones. Some events will be women-only; others, mixed. We discussed plans for a book club, a salon series with wine and discussion, and “talks from women working in charities.” She described it as a space for “discussion and contribution,” not lectures.
I asked if trans men would be welcome. She smiled, answering “Trans men are women,” she said. “Of course they’re welcome.”
Money and influence
Funding has poured in. The society’s GoFundMe had raised around £15,000 at the time of interview, boosted by public endorsements from high-profile figures. “If people want to give us money, why would I be upset?” she said. Donations are public “so people can see who’s supporting us.”
The funds, she explained, will cover “venue hire, catering, materials, campaigns, admin,” and “security if needed.”
“I need to be able to truthfully advertise events as safe,” she said. “If that involves funding security, that costs money.” Membership, she added, will always be free: “It should be accessible to all, as long as they’re women.”
‘I acknowledge trans people exist’
To conclude, I raised a cluster of related questions from readers: Do you recognise trans people’s existence? Do you consider yourself transphobic? How will you check who joins?
Her answers circled the same formula. “I acknowledge trans-identifying people exist,” she said. “They’re biologically male or female. They can call themselves trans if they want—that’s their prerogative. Does that make them the opposite sex? No.”
On checks, she laughed. “If a man is coming to try and join the society, what are you doing?”
Her conviction was that “if you don’t like it, don’t join”, a phrase she used repeatedly.
‘What is a woman?’
For my final question, I asked the question many students wanted answering: What is a woman?
Maeve didn’t hesitate to respond. “Adult human female,” she said. “I could be infertile and still be a woman.”
If you want to read more about the Cambridge University Society of Women, you can find it on Instagram @cusocietyofwomen and Maeve reiterates she is happy to talk to anyone with questions for her.
Featured image via Instagram @cusocietyofwomen
