Sally Hines - criticised for tweets

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<a class="break-all" href="https://thetab.com/uk/sheffield/2019/11/16/sheffield-university-professor-under-fire-for-asking-if-transphobic-lesbians-can-be-shaggable-41060/amp#click=t.co/IWyRM6ireP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thetab.com/uk/sheffield/2019/11/16/sheffield-university-professor-under-fire-for-asking-if-transphobic-lesbians-can-be-shaggable-41060/amp#click=t.co/IWyRM6ireP

About time someone took her to task over her awful behaviour.

"Hines denies the allegations. Since The Tab Sheffield approached her for comment she has deleted at least 18 tweets and changed her account from public to private."

her online history appears so spectacularly awful that I would be dubious about whether she is a suitable person to be teaching young people

Exactly this. My DD will be starting uni visits at the end of this academic year, and sociology and Sheffield are amongst her potential choices, though probably not now!

A spokesperson for the institution said: "The University supports the principles of academic freedom and the right for its staff to hold, challenge and rigorously debate a wide range of beliefs and positions within the law.

That’s good, so I assume they would be supportive of any gender critical feminists who choose to say that people can’t change sex? After all, “academic freedom and the right for its staff....” Or is it only the ‘woke’ language that is included in these rights?

"gender-critical feminists, some of whom are lesbians, who argue women’s sex-based rights should be upheld alongside trans rights" - to see this in a Tab article has given me hope!

As a queer woman, whose tweets were in threads/conversations with other queer women about current debates within our community, accusations of homophobia are risable [sic], if not slandorous [sic].

What is risible is that this was written by a professor, to a newspaper.

What does she mean when she says she's a "queer woman?"

Pretty sure she's gay. She has a girlfriend and has made reference to being a lesbian; usually, however, she studiously avoids the L word.

What possible context could there be that would make any of that acceptable?

Many of her tweets are just random nonsense/rudeness in response to GC discussion. I thought the article did a good job of giving context where there was some.

If the messages were taken out of context, why delete the messages so people can’t read them in context?

When it comes down to it, I don't think any of us would recommend that a Sheffield Sociology student took a course run by Sally Hines. University is for education, and to teach analytical skills. So far there is no evidence of much academic rigour in anything I have read or heard. A student might be better off saving time and money and relying on a a sensible mix and diversity of TED talks.

To be honest, if Sally Hines wants to make s fool of herself for all the world to see (including her employers and parents of young people considering Sheffield University) then let her. What's far more interesting to me is that The Tab is, I believe, a student newspaper and I'd have expected them to be supportive of Hines.

I agree she should have left them up so students can follow her insightful comments. Or something.
I am definitely not a fan of censorship of ideas, they should be discussed.

The Tab is, I believe, a student newspaper and I'd have expected them to be supportive of Hines.

The article was written by Ewan Somerville, a student at Sheffield University, who has had a few articles published in the national press which are critical of gender ideology.

"gender-critical feminists, some of whom are lesbians, who argue women’s sex-based rights should be upheld alongside trans rights" - to see this in a Tab article has given me hope!"
Yes that's a pretty good fair quick explanation of gc position. I didn't know anything about the tab, but seeing here it's a student paper that's surprising. Though maybe there'll be letters and hand wringing in the next edition.

The uni statement is pretty good. Agree it wasn't rigorous discussion!

My small sample knowledge of students is that this generation is:

1. Kind and accepting. Any hint of homophobia or racism is called out quickly

1. Weary of the woke and special. Students have some real issues, but the NUS seem to be more interested in promoting certain special interests, or their own political careers, than looking at the bigger picture. Equally they are aware/wary of the 'untouchables', those students who seem to game the system by being special and threatening complaint if they dont get what they want, whilst others, who may also have genuine needs but dont assert them as much, are left to get on with it.

1. Concerned at an increasingly visible misogyny or far right wing presence. (A student house in DDs street last year had a great big England flag hung up all year with no mistaking of the political views of residents.) Problems with drink spiking etc are close to ignored. Yet at the same time there is a level of no platforming of mainstream views, whether Tory or feminist. You can't dismantle other peoples arguments if you dont allow debate. (DD caused serious shock by suggesting, on the spur of the moment, she would vote Boris rather than Magic Grandad, and indeed a couple of people have stopped speaking to her. It was a windup - though she was never a subscriber to the Oh Jeremy Corbyn, however the strength of the reaction has left her a bit

Until I saw this, I hadn't realised that Hines had moved from Leeds to Sheffield.

But it is very encouraging to see such a well-written article in a student newspaper that shows an understanding of the issues. Somerville will go far.

In a series which includes 'water is wet' we see that Sally Hines is homophobic.

Why is it that when someone tweets blatantly homophobic tweets they are able to claim they were drunk and the woke warriors go 'fair enough' but when women tweet things like rapists shouldn't be allowed in women's prisons because they pose a very obvious risk they are labelled as transphobic and hounded and face pile ons to lose their jobs?

Just what is it that motivates Rainbow Warriors and their love of the lgbT?

Thanks OldCrone. And thank you Ewan Somerville.

DDs best friend was editor of the Tab at her uni. She's gender critical but would never have printed anything controversial like this. It's very heartening to see an article like this in the Tab.

As for Sally's bio saying she teaches "reproduction" - I can't imagine in what way she is qualified for that.

Is Hines the one who was moaning about how none of her students were showing up to lectures?

That is the reason her employers might reasonably question her employment status, not her witless ramblings, which I do not personally feel are due to alcohol as opposed to being a not very bright or pleasant human being.

If the messages were taken out of context, why delete the messages so people can’t read them in context?

I read the tweets when they were in context and, TBH, they were just as daft then, if not dafter.

Tbh if she is a lesbian I would read the texts slightly differently than if she were straight, and I think she has a point that “homosexual” is a word that definitely was out of favour because of the DSM link. But she still sounds unhinged and deeply unprofessional.

That's an unusually well written article for The Tab. Must be embarrassing to be a professor and have the student blog that's normally all "Best Places To Get A Post Piss-Up Bacon And Eggs" hand your arse to you.

If she upheld the rights of other lesbians to be and say they are same-sex oriented, then an interesting discussion might be had on whether L and G people call themselves homosexual, but the fact is we do, and nothing about that tweet was a genuine discussion starter - she believes lesbians should be open to cock, or at least should shut up about not being so, so it was an entirely homophobic thing to tweet, whoever she herself is oriented towards.

Great article. Great that men are speaking up.

Now lets try to guess what would have happened if a female student had written the same article...

'Queer woman'- I always assumed that means straight.

Straight with an undercut in a color not found in nature.

Is Hines the one who was moaning about how none of her students were showing up to lectures?

No - that was Alison Phipps. Cut from the same cloth.

her witless ramblings, which I do not personally feel are due to alcohol as opposed to being a not very bright or pleasant human being

I don't know if she was drunk or not, but all alcohol does is remove inhibitions, it doesn't make you say things you don't believe. Sheffield University now has, on the one hand, the most witless and nasty Chair of Sociology and, on the other, a good student newspaper. Do students still review professors on line? It would be interesting to see how she is received. At least she wasn't teaching in Leeds.