The Times- Sussex University students campaign to have ‘transphobic’ professor Kathleen Stock sacked
Sussex University students campaign to have ‘transphobic’ professor Kathleen Stock sacked
Students are campaigning for a leading feminist to be sacked from university for being a “transphobe” who is on the “wrong side of history or will die alone”.
Posters have been put up around Sussex University calling for Professor Kathleen Stock to be fired, with at least one academic saying he supports the campaign.
A group called Anti Terf Sussex describes her online as “one of this wretched island’s most prominent transphobes, espousing a bastardised variation of radical feminism”. It claims she is harmful and dangerous to trans people adding: “We’re not up for debate. We cannot be reasoned out of existence.”
Earlier today, an art historian at Sussex criticised Stock on Twitter saying: “It doesn’t feel right to wish a colleague should be fired but it’s not been right for colleagues working in the same school to be afraid to talk about Stock for fear of litigation. This is shameful.
“The virulent and oppressive implications of Stock’s public speaking about gender have made many people unsafe in the university and beyond. I salute these posters as an expression of resistance, intelligence and solidarity.”
He later said that he had not called for her to be sacked.
Supporters of Stock, a professor of philosophy, criticised the university for being slow to criticise the campaign.
One accused students of having neoliberal “call the manager” entitlement, another said they were hounding a lesbian, feminist professor at her place of work. Julie Bindel said that critics of Stock were misogynistic bullies.
Allison Bailey, a barrister, said: “This is shameful, Sussex University, you need to step up and stop this blatant harassment and bullying of one of your professors.” She urged Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, to intervene and for the university to face a fine for allowing one of its staff to be abused.
A University of Sussex spokesman said this afternoon that the institution had taken immediate action over the harassment.
He said: “We were extremely concerned to see the harassment towards our staff member and took immediate action in response to this, which we continue to do.
“We are deeply committed to being a safe and inclusive university, which values and advances equality and diversity, seeks to resolve conflicts, advances good relations and upholds lawful free speech.
“As a university community, we must be able to have complex discussions without bullying or harassment. We will always take swift action when this occurs. Our role as a university is to facilitate such conversations to advance shared understanding and common agreement. We insist that these are carried out respectfully and are always protective of our staff and students.”
Adam Tickell, vice-chancellor of the University of Sussex, said an investigation had been launched.
He said: “We are investigating activity on our campus which appears to have been designed to attack Professor Kathleen Stock for exercising her academic freedoms. Disturbingly, this has included pressuring the university to terminate her employment.
“Everyone at the university has the right to be free from harassment and intimidation. We cannot and will not tolerate threats to cherished academic freedoms and will take any action necessary to protect the rights of our community.”
Comments
Post a Comment