Kathleen Stock’s union betrays her.

On a slightly brighter note - Guardian coverage seemed quite fair and sane. No bizarre disclaimers and the implication that it's UCU that owes an explanation ...

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/oct/12/professor-says-career-effectively-ended-by-unions-transphobia-claims

Those TRA protests at their office don't seem to have them in sackcloth and ashes just yet

NCed for this.

I just quit UCU. Academic freedom is not dispensible.

I'm so upset for Kathleen. The lies that spread and noone naming her supposed transphobic is so cowardly.
I'm half way through her book Material Girls and haven't seen anything transphobic. She is thoughtful and compassionate and would respect a person's preferred pronouns. I can only imagine what her life is like just now. Transactivists are like abusive men in relationships. They just keep chipping away and will continue to do so until women are back in their place, but not on our watch.

Slightly off topic - it if you want a good laugh watch this weeks University Challenge... I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time.

Silent person - pirate - flowered shirt guy - Jesus (!!).

Realise it's light hearted, but would you think about laying off the Polytechnics - ex or otherwise - please. Bad enough that we effectively lack a union - can still respect and support one another I hope.

Doing it now. Enough is enough.

Just reposting the link posted upthread by Tesla to Posie’s video on this issue for anyone who hasn’t RTFT:

Well worth watching.
I agree with Posie the intimidation and harassment of Professor Stock purely for having opinions and referring to objective facts should be treated as domestic terrorism.

What a shame. But told union rep why, have rest of month to sort out alternative, and no harm sending the message today.

Here's the link in case anyone needs it.

my.ucu.org.uk/app/membership/cancel_membership

This is appalling and irresponsible and inciting people to think Prof Stock has been spreading transphobia which is a lie.

Time for a new union.
Yes.

Thank you @ChristinaXYZ I'll email our union rep (whom I like and respect very much) and tell her I'm - at least - taking a sabbatical from UCU over this issue. Realise there's a difference since university won't negotiate directly with other groups, but no, I'm not willing to fund this bullying and stupidity. Thanks very much indeed - may try Affinity.

and repeating part of what I said earlier because the thread is getting long:

...think about who you pay union subs to and whether you really like their politics on women and whether you can trust them.

If we don't like the politics of our unions then we should stop paying our subs. Many of the TUC related ones seem very male and have been slow to protect women.

Alternatives to standard captured unions include:

Affinity

workaffinity.co.uk/

"Affinity represents thousands of people working in a wide range of industries including banking and finance, accountancy, retail, manufacturing, education, the law, hospitality and travel and tourism. Its members include teachers, bank staff, IT consultants, financial advisers, academics, local government staff, lawyers and civil servants.

"Currently in its centenary year, Affinity is different to most trade unions in that it has no party political affiliations, is not a member of the Trades Union Congress and has no ties to the employers it deals with, leaving it free to protect the rights and interests of its members without fear or favour."

There is also the Workers of England Union

workersofengland.co.uk

If you're a member of the Free Speech Union (mentioned by Jo Bartosch above) then there are discount offers for joining the above - you should check your membership emails. freespeechunion.org/

For teachers there is also Edapt which is legal cover and employment advice - they're not strictly speaking a union.

www.edapt.org.uk/

So - asked in academic common room too, but it's a quiet spot - do we have any alternative to UCU?

I think I'd be happier even in another unsatisfactory union. At least they wouldn't be claiming to represent my profession or opining so directly on our working conditions.

Glorious!

I am reminded though that when people who accuse JKR of being transphobic are asked to provide any evidence of any words, said-or-written that could be deemed transphobic, the best you'll get is an essay featuring clownfish written by K. Montgomery.

*I'm going to stop writing now. I know I'm going on. And possibly at a tangent from the main issue.

But I just can't get over how depressed I feel. I just want to ask the UCU how they think this is going to help all the many, many people in the workforce who desperately need a reinvigorated Union movement.

The people on zero hours contracts, in warehouses, doing driving jobs, in the care industry ...*

The majority of those people are female. So when you publically declare that you give not on tiny shit for females then you really have solved the problem of how to help haven't you? You just don't, It's a much easier job if you only have to protect the rights of half of the workforce.

What is happening to Stock is despicable. I'm thinking of writing to her, to remind her she is not alone. I imagine her situation feels lonely and quite scary. She must be an immensely strong woman to have endured so far.

One of the things @Sicario mentions early in this thread (quoting UCU) absolutely sickens me though - this idea that people can identify into another race, disability, sexual orientation, or sex.

As Rachel Dolezal found, no matter how sympathetic to lifelong experiences another may have because of their race - you can't identify into another race. I am fascinated by Maori and Indian cultures - no amount of research, listening to music (I love Bhangra) attempts to live as a person of Maori or Indian heritage, will make me a different race - and will (rightly) massively offend those who are. I apologise if I express myself badly, I am not a person of colour and am not going to try and explain your lived experience - it would be completely inappropriate.

However, I am disabled, and am disgusted+livid that others may seek to appropriate how (literally) f'ing shit my life is, in so many respects because of it - especially when they are able to opt back in to their non-disabled life at any point. If I could hand over the pain, lack of mobility, the shitty meds that don't work (+ side-effects) and frustration (rare syndrome - no UK specialists in the condition as a result) I would love to - bitter? Moi?

Again, I see my gay friends and the heartbreak they've often had in their lives - rejection, bullying and discrimination - often from those who should have their best interests at heart. This suggestion that someone can opt in, or claim equal oppression is almost sending me stratospheric.

And then, the last. This notion that people can somehow undo biological fact, and identify as another sex. Identify how you damned well please, dress as the opposite gender if you please - but it cannot make you change sex. I have been raped in the past, I was also (separately) in an abusive marriage for nearly 20 years - and currently have an aversion to men, no matter how pleasant they might be. I have some lovely work colleagues who are male, but I frankly can't stand to be around them for extended periods as I feel so uncomfortable around biological men. We do have unisex toilets at work, but this is down to lack of space, not ideology (and we can use disabled loos if we want more privacy).

Ugggh! Apologies for the rant.

Why is UCU’s support only for those seeking to identify into marginalised groups? Are trans men and black people who have decided that being white is actually more for them somehow less worthy of respect?

I haven't got a share token for the link below, but The Times has picked-up on UCU's documented support for transracialism;

Members can identify as black, disabled or female, university union insists

It's old news; the UCU has been backing transracialism for years now. It does though give a clue to how the UCU would see Dr. Stock as a threat; what if she turned her gaze to transracialism with a follow-up to Material Girls?

This bit bugs me (photo). Why should the dignity & respect of "allies" be enshrined in anything? Either everyone's dignity & respect should be, or those of a particular disadvantaged group could be, but those of a disadvantaged group and their friends & not anyone else's - ??

It's very odd isn't it.

The 'dump vague allegations and run in the hope of casting some doubt on the rather ugly facts' thing is about as over as 'no debate'.

[quote Waitwhat23]**@secular111* So take a flick through and quote me the page and paragraph number of any transphobic phrase or sentence from it.*

Can't wait to see the answer to this....[/quote]
There won't be one there literally never is because they're literally isn't any. I bet you a million quid that poster ghosts the thread.

Julie Bindel tweeted:

The president of @sussexucu needs to hear from those of us that are appalled at the statement about Kathleen Stock.
[email protected]

twitter.com/bindelj/status/1447892573146726400?s=21

I think this is disgraceful. What on earth do the UCU think they're playing at?