The Free Speech Union's Connie Shaw is joined by her friend and fellow activist Maeve Halligan.

They met through free speech, gender critical networks in London while undergraduates at different universities. At university, both found themselves at odds with a woke orthodoxy which seemed particularly popular among female students.

When Maeve Halligan spoke against trans activism at a Cambridge Union debate in summer 2026, her speech went viral. It was a spectacular finale to her year as founder president of the Cambridge University Society of Women (CUSW).

Maeve explains why, even though she lost the vote at the debate, she hasn't given up hope of winning over young women.

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JOIN US FOR A LIVE RECORDING of the podcast at the Battle of Ideas Festival on Saturday 17 October in Central London: https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/podcast-live-the-free-speech-union-on-the-free-speech-frontline/

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MAEVE HALLIGAN on trans activism, free speech and campus censorship

The Free Speech Union

MAEVE HALLIGAN on trans activism, free speech and campus censorship