A female journalist who wrote about how she did not want to have children has received so much abuse her employer has had to get a security guard to protect her.
Holly Brockwell, aged 29, was commissioned by the BBC to celebrate its ‘100 Women 2015’ series in an article she entitled ‘Desperate not to have children‘.
In the piece, which was published early this week, Ms Brockwell wrote: “As a woman, there are four little words I can say that invite more condescension than almost any others: “I don’t want children.”
“The fact is, there’s nothing about creating another human that appeals to me,” she wrote.
“That’s an emotional thing, and translating it into rational reasons takes something away from its strength.”
She went on to describe the most common response when people hear of her decision to seek sterilisation – “But why?” – and explained that she’s been called “selfish” and has experienced difficulty having her tubes tied by medical professionals.
However she, nor the BBC, were prepared for the extreme backlash and stalking she faced as a result of her honest comments and story.
The attacks she received via social media were so offensive and vitriolic she was forced to shut down her Twitter account.
It has been reported since by Business Insider that Holly had to be accompanied by a security guard when attending public events where people knew she would be in attendance.
Holly told the news outlet: “They actually got me a bodyguard to take me from the car to the building, they’re worried someone is going to attack me”
She added: “There is no escape from it, it’s across all social channels, in my work email and my personal email. … I got a message from Linkedin!”
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