Shumirun Nessa says she has faced a backlash that has spilled into the real world after she posted about an American activist.
Shumirun Nessa, a British Muslim woman with more than seven million followers on TikTok, says she has been targeted by reports about Jeffrey Marsh, an American non-binary activist.
Social media platforms are often awash in controversy, but the latest spat appears to have transcended the boundaries of the virtual world and sparked an online conflict over gender and children’s rights.
The clash started last month, when Marsh posted a video of them saying, “Stop telling trans people we’re inspiring.”
Nessa used that video as the backdrop for her own clip, calling on Marsh to “stop telling kids to go on your Patreon and chat with you privately without their parents knowing”.
Nessa, who presents herself as a comedian with the @therealoverloadcomedy handle, had previously posted videos criticizing Marsh, who uses she/they pronouns, on the Chinese social media app.
She claimed that Marsh encouraged children to send them private messages on Patreon – another platform for online content creators, and compared their content to grooming.
Her videos have been viewed millions of times, but the backlash has been relentless, she said.
Nessa, who wears a hijab, has said people called her transphobic and attacked her religion.
She claimed that pictures of her without her religious headscarf were posted online, without her consent, in the form of an attack, and that her car was vandalized.
“I’m sorry, please don’t come for my children,” she pleaded in a video on March 12.
The online spat comes amid global debates over identity issues, including gender.
this sister, @shumirunnessa, who spoke out against Jeffery Marsh (the pro-alphabet man who targets children on Tiktok) has received death threats, old photos of her without a hijab have been leaked, her car was damaged and now her children are being targeted. There’s so much fear in her voice… pic.twitter.com/CqOw7vqByH
— Sister Waad (وعد) (@sister_waad) March 12, 2023
In one of their videos, Marsh says, “Your parents screwed up,” but they don’t say who their audience is.
They continue, “That’s why I made a Patreon so we can talk about it, so we can connect in a way that’s more private, so we can talk to each other in a way that’s more open.”
So-called gender-critical people — who believe sex is biological and should not be confused with gender identity — have spoken out in support of Nessa, saying she wants to protect children.
@_user_394
“She received an unfathomable amount of hate and she stood her ground. This is what protecting children looks like. A million props to this brave lady,” someone posted on Twitter on March 1.
SHE WAS ON IT!
She received an unfathomable amount of hate and she stood her ground.
This is what protecting children looks like. A million props to this brave lady.#jeffreymarsh pic.twitter.com/BtHxXWg12j
— Right Side of History™️ (@xxclusionary) March 1, 2023
Feminist author Julie Bindel tweeted: “Jeffrey Marsh, as we can tell from his online content, is a deeply disturbing man. @shumirunnessa pointed this out. For this, she has received threats detailing her children’s schools. Her car is damaged. Marsh and supporters are misogynists.”
But others posted in support of Marsh.
@gerardlasstache ♬ original sound – Curlyboychuck BACK UP
A Twitter user named Ryan Beard said, “This woman REPEATEDLY spread misinformation about Jeffery Marsh. Doxing is never okay, but it’s ridiculous to pretend she’s the main victim in this situation after she’s been spreading false allegations of grooming for weeks.”
In her latest post on Twitter, Nessa called for peace, saying, “I don’t want to harm any community, be it the trans community or the Muslim community.”
Please I don’t want anyone to fight, not communities to fight. At the end of the day we are all human and I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/JKVXO2eTS2
— Shumirun Nessa (@shumirunnessa) March 13, 2023
