Transphobes in Higher Education List

[DirtyDennis]

Anyone come across this?

I've spotted a number of my brilliant, supportive, liberal, respected colleagues on there

One of the comments is a prospective student threatening to "drop kick" TERFs at their institution

It's a secret FB group. Sadly, while being a very pro-feminist supportive group for women academics, the official policy is not gender-critical AT ALL. It's full of liberal well-educated women who are so woke that they don't see that, by supporting the "trans women are women" narrative they're colluding in their own subjugation by men. It's honestly chilling. No dissent is permitted, I've seen people deleted and dog-piled for expressing even slightly gender-critical views.

I think it is fair to bring this up at university open days (politely) in the context of academic freedom. If anything, it gives GC academics an opportunity to say that parents and prospective students care about this issue.

what a repulsive group.

There's one particular member posting comments repeatedly ttelling the person who's found herself on the list that she just has to politely ask to be removed (like a good little woman). Silencing any dissent by shouting loudly.

The student, Amari Dare, at Bath Spa has edited her threat of violence to a promise to 'rectify the situation

Too late, the university is already aware of it. Ironically, this is the university which wouldn't allow James Caspian to undertake his research on detransition because of fear of TRAs.

how can you report it for targeted harassment? When I try I have to say it's either harassing me or a friend and then specify which friend.

Too late, the university is already aware of it

Good. If she's just being a gobby teenager then she needs a rocket up her arse about threatening violence. If she's judged to be any risk at all then action needs to be taken against her.

Also missing my university, and the "unconfirmed" does that mean "we aren't certain" or "we can't be bothered googling them to find out if they are still at that university".

@Tap335
I think it is fair to bring this up at university open days (politely) in the context of academic freedom. If anything, it gives GC academics an opportunity to say that parents and prospective students care about this issue

In programme talks (i.e. where a department is giving prospective students an overview of the degree etc.), I don't actually think it is fair to bring it up. The person running that session will have little to no say on wider university policy so it'll just be putting that person on the spot.
At my university, most of the open days are run by junior staff who are already contending with a precarious job market, probation, shifting promotion goalposts etc. I don't think it's fair to then ask these people to comment on wider university policy around these issues.
As a GC feminist, I'd be completely stumped if a parent brought this up with me at an open day and cautious about what I said. I most certainly wouldn't see it as a chance to air my GC views.

Well on the bright side, all those priest holes and secret tunnels built in the UK last time heresy was a crime are going to be useful aren't they? You know, from those periods in history that are looked back on with horror and revulsion?

This needs to be reported to the police, posted all over Twitter and published in the papers. Right to belief is enshrined in the EA and in the HRA. It is not acceptable to issue lists of non believers for harassment and targeting, what the fuck has the UK come to?

Actually one of my FB friends is mentioned so I've reported it on those grounds.
Some of the academics are mentioned twice
And some are relatively easy to find on FB so if you are in several GC groups it might be possible to friend them and then report on their behalf.

What a shower of stupid children. I am so glad I’m not 18 now and heading off to uni with such uneducated and thick people.

Sorry, DirtyDennis, did not express myself clearly. I also don't think this would be a good thing to bring up during a subject-specific talk on the structure of mechanical engineering degree. But sometimes there are opportunities for one-to-one conversations. Agree that most academics would be very careful with what they said during an open day. But wouldn't you then be able to bring it up at a department meeting, or with the admissions tutor, as an issue that prospective students and parents are concerned about?

It's a page rather than a group. If it was a secret group we wouldn't be able to read the posts.

BishooWishoo

Have inboxed you.

Knick

It’s cos they think they are untouchable and just shout transphobe at anyone

They see it all over SM by politicians , journalists , elite liberals
So they do,the same

Also it makes them feel powerful
When in fact they are stupid and spiteful

Elitist liberals

@Tap335 Ah, gotcha. You'd be surprised at the random and controversial stuff parents ask at open days (sometimes in front of everyone)! Yes, I'd welcome a one-to-one conversation with a parent/child about this at an open day but I always appreciate it when people are clear on their views too so I don't feel like I'm being tripped up or backed into a corner. What I mean is, if you said "We are concerned about the University's policy on self-identification" or "We were concerned with the way the University handled its staff being named on a TERF-outing group" then I'd know what kind of conversation we're having but if someone came up and said "What do you think about self-ID", I'd be nervous they were trying to out me as a TERF. As an early career academic, I can't afford that kind of publicity!

If we did have a GC-type conversation, I would most certainly go back to my Department with something like "Our recruitment is being affected by the University policy on..." I'd also raise it as far and wide as possible.

Having said that, communication from prospective students/parents about these issues goes way further than when it comes from staff. Students are very valuable commodities for universities, staff aren't.

What a lovely page.

You must excuse me - I need to put my white sheets in the dryer so that they are minty-fresh for the next TersUnited meeting.

Has it been taken down now? The link is no longer working.

I think it is fair to bring this up at university open days (politely) in the context of academic freedom. If anything, it gives GC academics an opportunity to say that parents and prospective students care about this issue

DirtyDennis is right. Bringing it up at open days would be very unfair. Part of my job involves working at open days, and neither I, nor any of my colleagues are in a position to influence university policy. All you'd be doing would putting someone - who quite possibly agreed with you - in a really awkward situation.

If you wanted to raise the issue it would be better to put it in writing to the vice-chancellor.

When we were doing the rounds of open days, the time when I was tempted to ask a question was during the accommodation talks in a couple of places which had some segregated accommodation... I can't remember if they called it single sex or gender. If the latter then I'd have really liked to do a puzzled, 'but gender isn't binary, don't young people believe there's about 76 genders, surely the only possible way to do it is by sex?'. And follow up with something about women from patriarchal cultures ....

Department tours for engineering you'll likely find academics trying hard to overcome good old fashioned sexism and gender stereotypes.

I echo @SaskiaRembrandt Definitely write to the VC. Make clear you're the parent of a child weighing up university options and the University's policy/behaviour in this area is making your child/you question whether they'd want to attend said University. This will do much, much more good than a random academic raising the issue.

which university is this person at? I mean to person running this page?

Oh - the page has gone!!!

Excellent work, sisters!