Times article - Professors bullied into silence as students cry transphobia

[OvaHere]

Apols if this has been shared. I couldn't see it.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/professors-bullied-into-silence-as-students-cry-transphobia-b52t5gzz5?shareToken=b96ac887c301097e77782583e716feb4

@Michelleoftheresistance, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable about your chalking so much of the bad behaviour of TRAs up to hypothesised autistic traits. A lot of the traits you mention don't necessarily express in adults in such a clean easy way that you can tidily ascribe common behaviours of a movement to autism in its members, and the vast majority of the behaviours you mention are perfectly adequately displayed by non-autistic people every day. And there are many autistics on the GC side too, who you don't tend to see acting that way.

I do think that autism and similar disorders and difficulties are interesting and relevant issues to discuss WRT several aspects of trans ideology and activism, but I feel it's important to be careful and try not to let it turn into typical autist-bashing.

I am really glad I am not a student nowadays.

YesYesYes.

We never felt safe off the campus. Try not to wear your scarf like that over your shoulder or you'll get Uni-bashed.

In lectures meanwhile, no end of leather-jacketted Trot tutors urging us to read the Conservative historians they so admired. We were expected to know all sides of the argument, with an ability to critique them all and justify our arguments with facts and sources.

Do they do that now?

Anything but autist bashing, I live with family members who struggle with these things daily which is why I recognise them. I hesitated to write that post, but being too polite to mention the patterns I see doesn't help to try and unpick further why this is happening and what would change it.

Mmm, and I can see why you posted it and what you're saying. But I think it's an area that requires a lot of careful analysis and sensitivity (not least because it could get GC people accused of ableism).

Thanks for speaking out and sorry that you’ve had to deal with this vexatious shite.

I haven’t read the article yet so that was just responding to Louise and Mouthy on here- but I am super grateful to all academics who speak out publicly.
It is very scary the atmosphere that is being generated with a self evident view to undermining women academics’ freedom of association, thought, teaching, publication, grant applications, all of it.

Another academic in hiding. I am utterly frustrated by not being able to speak, but am working behind the scenes as much as I can. I am waiting impatiently for the day when I can stand up and be counted. So I applaud the academics who are brave enough to be visible. Thank you. 👏

It’s actually been a relief to speak about it. And I’ve had some very kind responses from colleagues and friends. I guess those who disagree are just keeping quiet.

But I know that there are many many more women academics being targeted or bullied.

Perhaps part of the problem here is that universities may have rather weak codes of conduct for students, especially in terms of professional relations with teachers? Plus a very clear statement should be made by each university about its policy on free speech etc.

EHRC released this earlier this year:

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/news/free-speech-be-protected-university

The biggest problem is that our union actively supports the harassment of academics it deems guilty of ‘wrongthink’. The union voted against any sort of protection of academics who hold gender critical views. It’s disgusting.

Luckily, my university has a policy against no-platforming. Which means that the students have invited some awful racists to speak. But it does protect us all in terms of freedom of speech - although they're also very vigilant about hate speech.

For some reason - I wonder why? - the laws on hate speech don't cover women - the only category protected under the 2010 Equalities Act omitted from the legislation about hate speech. I wonder why ...

Goldsmiths don't seem to have a problem inviting an antisemitist to speak. So I've suggested he be reported for transphobia. They'll deplatform him faster than you can Miss Gender!

Goldsmiths just epitomises the huge hypocrisy of this whole movements. It is supposedly one of the most woke universities around and regularly decries any form of ‘hate’. Its academics are apparently progressive and working at the cutting edge of social justice. Yet, the university has an enormous problem with sexual harassment of women, including by male staff members. It’s endemic there.