Professor Rosa Freedman

[SusanBunch]

As some of you on here know, I am an academic and I have just seen on twitter that another prominent voice has been added to the GC side: Prof Rosa Freedman, professor of Law at Reading:

twitter.com/GoonerProf/status/1029037165815185413

I cannot begin to explain how significant this is. Until today literally no legal academics have come out in support of the GC side and no articles are being written from a GC perspective, even in feminist journals. Given that the whole debate is around law-reform (duh) this is quite astonishing. Loads of woke-bro articles in support of course though.

Part of Rosa's motivation was the way that the academic community closed ranks on Kathleen Stock (one of my heroines). She says on her thread that she has already been thrown out of an academic online group for defending Professor Stock.

So, round of applause for Rosa and I hope this marks the beginning of many more female academics 'coming out'. I know quite a few of them think it (I can see who follows A Woman's Place ) but nobody dares say anything. I am far too junior and unimportant to risk being the object of vilification, so I am being a coward and keeping quiet, but inside I am celebrating.

Yay! Thankyou Rosa, you hero.

Perhaps she’d like to come and speak at the WEP conference in a few weeks

Well done Rosa. I wonder if her parents had another Rosa in mind when naming her.

Oh, hurrah! I will follow her and read up on her history. I presume the TRAs will be mounting a vicious smear campaign.

Thank you Rosa!
We need GC academics so badly though I do understand that in this dystopian nightmare of a society it would be very very challenging!

Your bravery is an example to all.

She sounds brilliant. Yes, with a name like Rosa, she must feel compelled to speak out!

Brilliant. Thank you to Rosa.

I'm sure it's terrifying speaking out but the more who do, the more things will snowball. Once you whisper the emperor has no clothes on, it gets around.

That's brave. Respect to an academic standing up to defend academic freedom against compelled belief in fairy stories.

Professor Selina Todd from Oxford has also obliquely “come out” as GC - mainly by retweeting other GC material. I’ve seen a couple of attempts to whip up a frenzy against her on Twitter by other academics, shamefully.

And of course Dr Rebecca Reilly-Cooper has long been active on this front, although I believe she’s now left academia (in large part because of the TRA attacks against her).

Believe me, it is so much harder to be GC as an academic than in most other professions. People literally bay for your blood unless you toe the woke line. Kathleen Stock had a load of idiots repeatedly tweeting her employers telling them to sack her. Happily they promoted her to professor instead (hahahaha). But for a junior academic on a precarious contract, it will be easier for the uni to let you go. Becca Reilly-Cooper has now left academia but also had a load of abuse from the Student's Union at Warwick, again calling for her to be fired. It's freaking ridiculous. Nobody seems to give a toss about academic freedom anymore.

Cross-post DrMantis. I will check out Selina.

Thank you Rosa! It is just so incredibly shocking how female academics are being bullied when holding a perfectly logical and legitimate point of view. Escpecially when backed by the hard evidence of the lived reality of biology! How this can be seen as extreme and unacceptable is truly devastating to me. How has all this ideology actually been given president in academia over biology and women’s history of fighting for our right to social supports that acknowledge our biology?

That academics are also scared to come forward frankly pisses me off. I am not an academic and I don’t know if I have the intellectual ability to study at higher levels but I am starting to become motivated to try because I hate how so few people are representing us, more than half of the population of this planet!!!!

Rosa, thank you for having the strength to step forward for all women!

Thank you, Rosa. Seems a small thing to say but I mean it more than you can know.

Thank you, all. A friend alerted me to this thread. On the one hand, i am nervous about the torrent of abuse that has already started, but on the other hand I was raised by people with values (hence my name!) who taught me that not speaking out is akin to acquiescing. I am only sorry that it has taken me so many months to find my voice publicly.

Hi. We are behind you, and our numbers are growing

Thank you Rosa. The world needs people like you - prepared to speak up for the truth.

Rosa do you think academics should or could start a group/organization for free speech for intellectuals with your POV that we could financially support?

Every time someone stands up against this attack on the rights of women and girls I give a silent cheer.

Thank you Rosa, stay strong

More power to you, Rosa.

Well done Rosa. Good luck

Thank you Rosa 💐

I think there are two key issues here: (1) the view of the public, which then affects how the University views its employees (I am fortunate to be a Professor, which helps my standing in the University and in academia), and (2) the view of colleagues, many of whom will be focusing on perceived political correctness rather than substance. I have already been booted out of women-in-academia online groups for raising these issues, and have regularly been challenged as to my 'human rights' or 'intellectual' credentials because I am a person who practises religion -- I hid that for many years because it would have impacted my career progression and academic reputation. (Much like I hid my marriage and my motherhood for similar reasons.) But these are broader discussions. As to this specific issue, i think that the more women who support academics in speaking out, the more academics will do so.

Thank you, Rosa. You are amazing. The reason why there is such vitriol from the other side is that they know that their argument does not stand up to any sort of scrutiny, so they must resort to bullying, intimidation and #nodebate instead. It's preposterous to think that we should just accept without any question the assertion that any man who self-IDs is as female as a natal woman and should be allowed into our spaces.

Thank you for adding your voice to this.

(On an unrelated note, despite being a Liverpool fan, I have a bit of a soft spot for Arsenal!)

Thank you Rosa for speaking out you are an inspiration!

Sincerest thank yous Rosa