Frozen out for speaking up at work (academia)

For teachers, is naswut really captured?

Yup UCU would be dreadful on GC issues.

I suspect the degree of capture will vary between departments. I'm a prof in a RG university and there's an awful lot of us about who are quietly but fervently GC. (And most are pretty decent people who aren't childish)

I suspect that departments Like Sociology and Creative Industries are totally captured whereas Engineering and Physics probably haven't the foggiest idea what the issue is.

Keep records and good luck. Remember there really are more of us than there are of them.

Thank you @Signalbox that's really helpful.

Affinity have made a statement in relation to free speech and referenced Allison Bailey and those with gender critical views...

workaffinity.co.uk/employers-must-respect-the-law-on-freedom-of-expression/

Also Free Speech Union are offering support to many GC women (notably Gillian Phillip) but obviously their support would be limited to the speech side of things.

My understanding is that UCU are completely captured and are unlikely to offer adequate support of any GC person who is being discriminated against on the basis of belief.

Slight derail (apols OP) but which Unions are best if you have gc views? The main one where I work at is UCU...

Speaking of J. Ramirez, not so long ago I went to an academic event and heard her enunciate the word ‘female’ before quickly correcting herself and saying ‘woman’ (used as an adjective). Because of course acknowledging that female people exist is very, very problematic. They all know they are lying …

I know the world oughtn't to be like this, and ideally everyone would act professionally at work, getting on with their own work while remaining civil at all times.
But it ain't, and this aside, academia comes across as a poisonous atmosphere so often.

Is there any way you could do similar work outside academia, or outside universities at least? That might be the quickest and best solution for you personally.

I worked in normal firms for over 30 years and the emphasis was everyone cooperating to get the work done so that our customers were happy and we all had money to take home at the end of the day.
That was the focus; personal matters such as politics, religion, marital status, sex, age etc were for outside work unless there were legal regulations around it e.g. maternity leave. Church elders, atheists and the local degenerate were all expected to work together and be civil.

Forgot to mention, the Sami emphasised that our brains can do remarkable things.

A bit of a tangent, but it might provide a comparison for future studies into the capture of universities. I was watching Janine Ramirez' programme "Raiders of the lost past" on the lion man carving found in the Swabian Jura. She went to Tubingen University where work was done on the find, and covered changes in the way the academics worked during the 30s. The gradual process by which it transformed from normal academia to full on swastikas and Heil Hitlering seemed somewhat familiar. And, of course, the process involved a more real reason for fearing being outed as not going with the dominant belief system.
Interestingly, in her later visit to a Sami shaman (a university academic in Norway), she put great emphasis on the extent of shamanic belief that they could change themselves into animals, that this activity was real, as in, for example, trans-wolves are wolves. Her language seemed familiar.
I did wonder if she was talking about more than Ice Age artists representing a shamanic lion before any art anywhere else in the world.

Skimmed through this but couldn't see that anyone had suggested the GC academic network: www.gcacademianetwork.org/ You might get some good advice/support there, OP.

I recnetly posted on a thread to alert FWR users that the House of Commons Library have now drawn up a summary recent court cases re the right to gender critical beliefs. If you think that would help the link to the summary is in the op of www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4693689-employment-tribunal-rulings-on-gender-critical-beliefs-in-the-workplace-house-of-commons-library-summary

archive.ph/q0dSr

Slightly off topic but an interesting article in the Telegraph about the problem of feminists being discriminated against in universities.

Yes, for God’s sake, leave UCU, they are no use to you. Keep a record of everything and back up your emails. Affinity offer free advice over the phone. Read your institution‘s policies on bullying and harassment and how to start a grievance.

Academia is full of bullies fond of backstabbing, smearing, slagging off, black balling and other delights. Develop a thick skin and find allies in unexpected places.

OP - if you have a report and support system, report it so it is on record. If not email HR with your concerns with a link to the Maya's judgement (www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/06/maya-forstater-was-discriminated-against-over-gender-critical-beliefs-tribunal-rules) and Bailey judgement (www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/allison-bailey-stonewall-gender-critical-b2104939.html) and copy in your legal department.

Keep a log of every meeting/snub you receive. Leave UCU and join Affinity workaffinity.co.uk or the Free Speech Union freespeechunion.org.

Remember that gender critical views are protected by law.

Good luck.

I've said that my university leadership are not "utterly captured" and therefore that's not likely as bad as she thinks. The purpose of saying that was to offer confidence she will get a fair hearing. Other posters find this hard to believe and that I must "not have much about me" and "that sort of discussion goes over your head".

Academics are fond of the spiteful insults!

University leadership are well aware of the hostility colleagues treat each other with, we talk about it every day as we have to deal with it every day. And on here too.

Posters here seem attached to the idea that they can't possibly get a fair hearing and are hostile to that idea. I'm fine for them to have that attitude as there is no shortage of conflict already.

How is that "both sides". I've said it's not as bad as OP thinks and you don't want to believe it. That's your prejudice

I think OP might have come on here for support rather than to be told her situation isn’t as bad as she thinks by some random person on the internet. If OP is being discriminated against that’s pretty bad isn’t it?

but if you’re saying that being concerned about the implications of gender ideology is childish and “lefty” (?) you don’t really seem to have much about you!

That's not what I said though is it?

University culture is far left. Gender identity has flourished in this far left culture. Combine that flourishing with the childish behaviour of academics to each other as evidenced by the OP and you have a lot of unnecessary squabbles.

You are squabbling with me and have immediately made it personal. Just like the academic colleagues OP is complaining about. Thanks for making my point.

The typical lefty academic is anti management for idealistic reasons and so is cornered now by their own prejudice and can't do anything about the open nastiness.

How is that "both sides". I've said it's not as bad as OP thinks and you don't want to believe it. That's your prejudice.

Er, what? Was that directed at me? I’d be genuinely interested to know in what capacity you work in “senior management in an RG uni”, but if you’re saying that being concerned about the implications of gender ideology is childish and “lefty” (?) you don’t really seem to have much about you!

For what it’s worth, I am not in UCU because of the idiocy of its actions and the public pronouncements of its Gen Sec. As a result, I did not go on strike recently, because of the ill-thought out nature of the dispute.

Left and right have so little meaning nowadays, largely because the self-identifying left are so intolerant of anyone else that they resemble the “right” that they so despise.

Anyway, possibly that sort of discussion goes over your head, who knows? But if you’re seriously taking a “both sides” approach regarding women’s rights I’m glad I don’t work in your university!

So I’m not convinced by “open minded” claims.

That's fine, if it means we don't get dragged into your childish squabbling over the latest looney left fad, that's much less work for the leadership.

I work for a RG Uni that is utterly captured. Pronoun badges, stating pronouns in meetings as we introduce ourselves, added to email signatures etc etc. etc. There’s even an anonymous reporting system.

As a current UCU member I’ve thought of cancelling but fear close colleagues will ask / guess why. I tentatively tried to open discussion with some friends, saw the way this topic is viewed and quickly shut up.

Funny how quick the ‘I’m not feeling safe’ mantra can be turned against the non believers who become genuinely not safe. I self censor myself all the time now.

@Anklespraying I work in senior management in a RG Uni and we are not "utterly captured". The senior HR colleagues I have discussed this with don't take a side and are open minded

Hmm. Interesting. I work in an ancient university (not RG for what that’s worth). HR people where I work very much have pronouns in their email sigs etc. Weekly staff newsletter emails give prominence to every single “trans day of remembrance” etc etc over the course of a calendar year and very little to other potentially significant things. Our EDI monitoring during recruitment and subsequently is full of “gender” rather than the actual EA2010 protected characteristics.

So I’m not convinced by “open minded” claims.

The senior academic leaders know that students are highly emotional about this and they humour that, it's not many of them and after all mostly they are gone in three years

This I do recognise. And the senior academic colleagues should bloody well grow up. Apart from the inherent misogyny and homophobia they’re nodding along with, the sort of attitude you note is also massively patronising to the paying customers students they’re “humouring”.

Not that this directly applies to you, but this news report shows how far trans ideology has permeated universities. So its no surprise you feel you are being targetted.

uk.news.yahoo.com/lecturers-face-backlash-report-could-175231577.html

I am so sorry you are going through this. Far to many women are being silenced or even losing their jobs because they cant say what they believe and know, that they are a biological woman (in fact I posted a link to an online zoom meeting about 2 women in the USA going through exactly this)

Generally in cases like this it is good as others have said to start keeping a record eg when you didn't get the invite to the meeting, but also make sure you send a polite email to whoever was organising it to say you were sad to miss it as it is important to you / your job, and could they just check that you are on the mailing list so that it doesn't happen again. And the same with similar instances so there is more than just you record, but the fact that you tried to deal with it. And if it continues approach your line manager. Are you in a union?