Shumirun Nessa, a British Muslim woman with over seven million followers on TikTok, has recently been facing a backlash that has extended beyond the virtual world after posting about Jeffrey Marsh, an American non-binary activist. The conflict has ignited an online debate about gender and children’s rights, with Nessa alleging that Marsh encouraged children to message them privately on Patreon and likening their content to grooming. Her videos criticizing Marsh amassed millions of views, but the backlash was relentless, with people calling her transphobic and attacking her religion. Nessa claimed that photos of her without her religious headscarf had been posted online without her consent and that her car had been vandalized.
The clash began when Marsh posted a video in which they said, “Stop telling trans people that we’re inspirational.” Nessa used that video as the background for her own clip, calling on Marsh to stop telling kids to go on their Patreon and chat to them privately without their parents knowing.
The online row comes amid global debates on questions of identity, including gender. In one of their videos, Marsh is seen saying, “Your parents screwed up,” but they do not say who their audience is. They go on to say, “That’s why I made a Patreon so that we could talk about it, so that we could connect in a way that has more privacy, so that we can talk to each other in a way that’s more open.”
Gender-critical people, who believe sex is biological and should not be confused with gender identity, have spoken in support of Nessa, saying she wants to protect children. Feminist author Julie Bindel tweeted, “Jeffrey Marsh, as we can see by his online content, is a deeply disturbing man. @shumirunnessa pointed this out. For this, she has received threats with details of her children’s schools. Her car has been damaged. Marsh and supporters are misogynists.”
However, others posted in support of Marsh. 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 spreading false grooming allegations for weeks.”
In her last post on Twitter, Nessa called for peace, saying, “I don’t want any ill will on any community, whether it’s the trans community or the Muslim community.” The conflict highlights the need for respectful dialogue and understanding between different communities and perspectives.