Kathleen Stock on academic freedom

[BeansandRice]

Academics and freedom of speech

I'm reading this and literally shaking. My story is in there - one of so many - I didn't realise there are so many women who've had to go through what I went through.

It is very scary, reading how many feminists (I'm not going to add "gender critical" as gender critical is what feminism is ) have been shut down, doxxed, and faced with students (and sometimes not even students) attempts to get them sacked.

Thanks to @DocStockk for collecting them, and continuing to speak out.

FFS. That is a terrifying read. Great work by Kathleen Stock. I'm working in academia, speak out and I suspect am now in a similar situation. I don't want to shut up on the back of these kinds of stories because I've neither said nor done anything which should count as being anti-trans. But I do fear for my job and reputation.

Thank you Kathleen.

Much to my chagrin my child has just got a degree from a university which appears to have been thoroughly "wokified". He will be having his graduation ceremony in a couple of weeks. I will be wearing an outfit in one of the suffragette colours (green, purple or white) to show support to GC academics. If all dissenting attendees could do the same at graduation ceremonies or when attending university open days it might give some succor to those academics in precarious employment situations.

I think Caroline Dodds Pennock is still too busy congratulating herself to pay any attention to this

twitter.com/carolinepennock/status/1146846287360385025?s=21

@QuestaVecchiaCasa - If I happened to meet you dressed like that at my university's graduation ceremony, I would be sooooo pleased.

I also found this the most significant observation and it can be expanded, in the sense that there is an appearance of agreement with the worst excesses of gender theory, because many female academics are afraid of speaking out, so it seems they agree, when in fact they do not. I have been contacted by female academics who stated they were afraid to say some of the things I had said. The fact is, I did not think I was being brave, or controversial. Turns out I kind of was. Without knowing, so not sure it counts!

I have read it in horror. I knew this was going on but seeing it there in black and white is shocking.

And NOTHING from the newly elected head of the academic trade union, the UCU, Dr Jo Grady. Instead, her twitter timeline is currently a juvenile and embarrassing mess where she is debating which is the ‘sexiest academic discipline’. There are tales here of the most horrendous bullying, harassment and misogyny in that article and Grady does not give one shit. She is a disgrace quite frankly and so are her vicious hangers-on. The trade union should be all over this.

It’s so depressing. The people speaking out are courageous but I wouldn’t recommend anyone do so. It is not worth it because nobody will come to your aid once you’re chewed up and spat out. I feel so sad because I don’t know how I can continue to not say what I think but at the same time I love my job and I am good at it.

I have left the Union, thanks to Grady’s behaviour, she is like an exceptionally dumb teenager who spends their life posting pouting selfies and bullying on Twitter. One of the first things she has done, before even officially taking up her post, has been to stoke divisions between academics and encourage pile-ons on GC women. It’s almost like she’s a plant sent in by USS to put paid to any possibility of collective action over the pensions. They and the employers must be rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of such a fuckwit leading UCU. The pension scheme as we know it will be gone within 18 months.

I totally agree with you GCA. It’s horrific. Utter disregard for people who have done absolutely nothing wrong other than holding a different opinion. She is so awful and such a terrible choice. There is nobody to protect people who are being held to ransom by misguided or malicious students or colleagues. Threats and harassment seem not only to be tolerated by the union but actively encouraged. What sort of world is this? Is this really what we want as academics? Genuinely?

The problem is that most academics are clueless about who she is, and didn’t vote in the election. My colleagues don’t go on Twitter and are oblivious. I hate to say it, but this is the result of handing out free UCU membership to all and sundry when they have no stake in issues like pensions and academic freedom. Those are the people who voted for Grady. By the time they grow up and realise what’s been lost, it will be too late.

Completely appalling - and attracting the usual vitriol on Twitter. I have a gender critical DS engaged in Philosophy and he tells me he has never felt able to express his opinions.

Well I hope her cheerleaders enjoy their pension-less futures. Maybe when they are hit in the wallet, they might grow up a little. The whole notion seems so stupid when you think about it- vapid person with no experience of leading a branch and only theoretical knowledge of trade unions wins by a landslide at a time when expertise and experience in negotiating is crucial. It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas.

I've also left UCU due to their treatment of GC academics and the election of Grady. I'd been a member since I started my academic career in the 1990s.

A depressing read. Such behaviour from students seems a world away from my academic experience. It's bullying and should be treated as such.

TRA stopped being about individuals with gender dysphoria a long time ago, imv. Instead, it's become a tool to attack all manner of institutions, entities and individuals. It's become about power, and using that power to intimidate and destroy structures that form the basis of our civil society.

Last year, Rose of Dawn provided an important summary of radical NUS politics:

"What Does Co-Opting The Trans Movement Look Like?
Radical far-left activists often co-opt unrelated movements to enforce their ideology on others. Here, I take a look at this phenomenon taking place in the trans community."

Sorry, slightly off topic but just saw this from Grady:

twitter.com/drjogrady/status/1147185790855917569?s=21

What the fuck? Is this genuinely the sort of person that academics want to entrust leadership of the UCU to? So oppression is now a brilliant tool. Clearly no appreciation whatsoever of structural inequality and the fact that being underestimated means that many many women never even get the opportunity to prove themselves. And that even if they do prove themselves to be competent, they are still overlooked and treated badly. I am honestly despairing so so much at what is happening in academia.

I didn't vote for her. And i was sad not to be able to vote for a female candidate.

Just seen this latest from Kathleen Stock. It's long but well worth reading, with lots of background on why things are so bad in universities, and at the end, a recommendation that university managers need to step up to the plate.

Kathleen is under attack again. This time from Ollie Thorne, a philosophy academic (I think) who makes YouTube videos under the name PhilosophyTube, and is in the same clique as hbomberguy and ContraPoints.

"Earlier today I said on Twitter that I'd blocked Olly Thorn, aka Philosophytube, but that I'd keep his video up about definitions of art on my course site, even though it was a bit glib and superficial. Apparently quite stung, he's now raising a no-platforming campaign against me"

twitter.com/Docstockk/status/1196466707906383872?s=19

"I've just sent this letter to the Academic Director of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, concerning their decision to platform Kathleen St*ck at their Annual Debate.

Those of us working in philosophy must stand up for our trans colleagues and students." t.co/QLHe9aRXwC

twitter.com/PhilosophyTube/status/1196413700598464512?s=19

"If you've become aware of this through me and would also like to write to the Royal Institute of Philosophy about it, please do so politely and be mindful of dogpiling social media or admin staff.

I've asterisk'd that name to avoid namesearchers who've harassed me in the past."

twitter.com/PhilosophyTube/status/1196413704436408324?s=19

This needs to stop ffs!

Is it just me or is this tweet from a male academic (suggesting that Stock may want to check his body and have her female body checked too) pretty creepy too?
twitter.com/mattlodder/status/1196474801285730304

Lodder is creepy as fuck, I can’t even bring myself to look at his Tweets any more. Vile porn-soaked misogynist.

Thankfully looks like that dickhead is howling into the void. Nice to see attention seeking arseholes thoroughly ignored.

Kathleen Stock's Medium post has finally convinced me to come off Twitter, which is poisonous, toxic and depressing when it comes to these matters.

I, too. @CharlieParley's post has also chilled me. This stuff has a 'drip, drip, drip' effect. Next, they'll be haranguing people who haven't come out in open disagreement with TRA/MRA ideology, but who haven't included pronouns in their email signatures, or signed the open letter 'we support trans rights' [even when said support is entirely to the detriment of their own].

I confess I'm one such academic with no idea of who Grady really was, or that she had any history of bullying GC women. Of late I've been more concerned with very necessary localized activism, but this is extremely disappointing if so. TBF I didn't have too much faith in Sally Hunt either (wasn't she still at the helm with UCU copped out on the USS pensions deal despite the momentum caused by the strikes, with members feeling their union had completely let them down)? But Grady's comments about women 'using' patriarchy are unprofessional, flippant, and really ill-advised.

For a related reason, I can't afford not to be a member of UCU. There have been times when I've needed them. UK HE is a hotbed of bullying and sexual harrassment, and organized protection is essential. I've already been a victim of the latter category once. And I'm genuinely afraid of what will happen if the loos go mixed gender. What if my harrasser is anywhere about? He's a risk to my safety. Any reasonable objection would doubtless be touted as 'transphobia'.

We live in frightening times.

She's such a good person, I'm trying to be like Kathleen in my daily life. All good vibes and wishes to her

Jane Clare Jones marks Ollie's work for him

"I'm not angry just very disappointed but just to show you how disappointed I just thought I'd oh so subtly try and coerce you three times.

Twat. t.co/v0hKceUXY1 "

twitter.com/janeclarejones/status/1196541713550135298?s=19

From the article linked above by morningtoncrescent62 Mon 08-Jul-19 09:49:48:
quillette.com/2019/07/06/stonewalls-lgbt-guidance-is-limiting-the-free-speech-of-gender-critical-academics/

Professor Kathleen Stock:
I argue that prioritising talk of gender identity, understood as an internal sense which can’t be directly perceived by others, is not an adequate substitute for describing in law and policy both the inevitable biological realities and the contingent social realities associated with belonging to a particular sex.

In a nutshell, yes.