Times article - Professors bullied into silence as students cry transphobia

Thank you and to everyone who spoke to The Times. Solidarity for those facing/bracing for backlash.

I find I am blocked by the lovely Dr J, so she is probably using Terfblocker. Found a way to look at her tweets anyway. Oh dear.

On one side, a reasonable, respectfully delivered opinion. On the other side, this answer.

The utter irony of TRAs claiming “safeguarding” risks around the thought-crime by lecturers of having gender critical views. whereas if you raise any actual safeguarding concerns about eg male bodied persons being in women’s prisons/youth hostel rooms/brownie camps you are a evil bigot.

Pota, I do think in hers and some other posts there is resentment coming across for women who have permanent academic jobs.

Thank you to all of you women who keep on keeping on in the face of this madness. It gives me hope to know that there are still rational thinkers within academia.

TheCountess i think she only holds an hourly paid role at LSE but, no, I would never appoint someone who behaved like that, regardless of which worthy cause they claimed to be supporting. It demonstrates aggression, total lack of professionalism and instability. A total shitshow for want of a better word.

'Ironic that the person fuming in that twitter thread about supposed “dehumanisation” of trans students is the one calling gc academics “trash”. hmm I mean, does she even hear herself? What an idiot.'

This.
Twitter is a cesspit full of the most vile, aggressive behaviour. I hope this Eleanor Janega person has a better side to her personality than the one she is displaying here. I don't know how people who behave like this ever get jobs in academia - can you imagine reading this and then appointing her, even if you agreed with her politically?

Jaysus, just looked at that Janega woman’s twitter feed, full of “get fucked” responses to women who politely challenge her. Deeply unpleasant person.

FWR I read in Kathleen Stock’s piece that one student at a very large university said they felt unsafe if the academic in question was on the same campus as them. The student wasn’t even taught by or had had any interaction with the academic. It’s absolutely mind boggling that this sort of idiocy is taken seriously.

I wish the times articles and other articles on side of academic freedom of speech would include actual quotes of what the TRA students found objectionable. It would demonstrate the absurdity of their demands to sack/censure much more clearly

Thank you to everyone brace enough to stand up in public and fight this insanity!

She seems like a deeply horrible person, as do so many of them. The level of aggression is astounding. And always always directed at women who disagree, never at men. Easy targets.

I know right? But this sort of horrible aggression is apparently now to be applauded. Telling people they are garbage, to fuck off, to get in the bin, to fuck off out of academia, to get in the sea. All things I have seen on twitter this morning in response to people saying they don’t want to be harassed at work. The level of cognitive dissonance is amazing.

Eleanor Janega doesn't seem like a very nice person, does she?

I don't really understand academics like this. Academics should be able to present thoughtful, reasoned argument. Even if they feel angry about something, you'd think they'd see it as being in their own self-interest to appear calm and rational. But Janega comes across as unhinged. It's not a good look, and especially not when you are one of the public faces of your university.

Ironic that the person fuming in that twitter thread about supposed “dehumanisation” of trans students is the one calling gc academics “trash”. I mean, does she even hear herself? What an idiot.

twitter.com/GoingMedieval/status/1162828698791436288?s=20

This is the sort of idiocy that is rife in academia now.

for Louise and Mouthy.

Solidarity Louise and Mouthy, you brave wonderful women. We hear you and will help if we can. Courage calls ...

Mouthy
Solidarity. I think there are so many who stand with you and agree with you.
The other tactics these academic SJWs are using is saying that being a TERF is based on ‘white feminism’ and ‘punching down’. It’s so so ludicrous. They are the ones employing racist arguments, consistently comparing transwomen to black women. It’s disgustingly offensive and a clear tactic to alienate gender-critical women even further and make them appear to be part of the far right.

I am so so SICK of academia sometimes. If I won the lottery, I would pack it all in and go and live on an island somewhere. Dealing with deliberate stupidity and irrational arguments is so exhausting and demoralising.

Thank you so much all!

Well, I'm on holiday right now and this is annoying to be dealing with. York's social media policy says you can post whatever providing you're not claiming to represent the uni (I never have) but there's also a vague clause about not doing anything to bring the uni into "disrepute", where "disrepute" is not specified. I really cannot see how expressing the view that trans women are not women constitutes that.

I've got two lawyers presently giving me free (!) advice and am going to have to respond to the absurd complaint in a week. It is a bit overwhelming but I'm pretty resilient and will take no nonsense from the likes of Harrop and Hayden.

NC.

I'm one of the people interviewed for the article. I was shaking for 2 days after, but I'm now quite glad to be out in the open & public about it.

What's interesting are the SJWs on Twitter who assume that if one has had a complaint of transphobia made against one, one is automatically transphobic. The complaint against me was resolved with no disciplinary action, and no apology. The complainant wanted me sacked ... I was doxxed, basically.

You people here, you nest of vipers, have been such a great support. I don't know if you know this, but reading threads here (and occasionally posting) and knowing that I'm not bonkers, and that 99% of people think as I do has been very helpful.

And the irony is, I'm pretty much on the fence about TWAW - I have a TW colleague whom I'd never think of as "he" or male. Not a natal woman, but not a man ...

And I've taught queer theory - from a feminist materialist perspective of course! (I have actually read Butler's work which many TRAs and SJWs have not. I know they're wrong about what she's arguing).

Anyway to all you man-hating, hairy-legged, dungarees-wearing women! I'm a feminist from the late 1970s, can't you tell?

It's an attempt at muddying the waters, isn't it? The issue that's really gaining traction is the lack of safeguarding, so if it can be used against women there's a chance of silencing them AND causing confusion.

Louise, is there anything we can do to help you?

I'm really glad this has hit the national press. There is an inexorable move towards exposure.

And yes, using words like safeguarding is a temporary weapon. Safeguarding has specific definitions, honed over time. They won't be able to back up their use of this concept to silence academics.

Solidarity Louise. This is McCarthyism warmed up for the 21st century. I suppose we should be grateful that no one is being sent to jail - yet? - nor forced to name others if they want to keep their jobs, and their freedom.

I think the House Un-American Activities Committee was eventually found to be unconstitutional and America looks back with a sense of shame to those times. I hope something similar happens here.

This is truly scary. Silencing academics for speaking the truth.