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 problems run very deep I think. She seems to be so immersed in toxic self loathing that she can't control how she acts and responds to other women.

Sheffield's media department had a reputation for being one of the best in the country.

It's reassuring that it might still be the case.

Sally's tweets come across as unhinged and truly unpleasant - really she should grasp the accusation that she was drunk-tweeting with both hands - because the alternative is that she tweeted all that homophobic stuff sober. Which is far worse.

She's currently having big hugs with Grace Petrie on twitter - because the nasty feminists are pointing out that her use of the misogynistic term "terf" is, in fact, misogynistic!

Sally's back:

twitter.com/sally_hines/status/1196047291171459073

... to attack the student journalist who wrote the article describing her strange behaviour.

No it's not.

What do you do if you've got no other argument or defence?

Oh dear - Sally do stop making a fool of yourself. A student journalist can write on any topic they consider newsworthy - and I consider Sally's deranged tweeting very newsworthy considering her position.

Weak response. The Tab has coverage of (most of not all, I just had a really quick look) the issues she mentioned.

Ah, she's doubled back to the old "I was joking. You people don't understand my humour. I'm so leftfield."

Can you imagine if Prince Andrew came out with a response like that?

Na. Suggesting that the story of a homophobic lecturer at a university who has significant ideological influence is not an non story.

It's legitimate.

Sally just doesn't like being called a lesbophobe and homophobe because her goal is to trans away the gay. Like the Iranians. That's a legitimate story. I've seen that on the TV any everything.

The thing that makes me think she's drunk is the way she does it in sudden, poorly spelt and badly organised, outbursts. It reads as pissed to me. And the dissembling voice afterwards is slightly different. I recognise it from people I know who...struggle.

It doesn't really matter. But it would explain a lot.

That twitter thread is very long and ranty. Can anyone think of another occasion in which a UK academic has been so personally abusive to a student at their own uni in such a public way? Some lowlights:

Rather, he has abused his role in the writing of a piece based entirely on a few selected tweets from (silly) conversations between myself and my friends to evidence ... 🤔 Well, what exactly?

That his ‘work’ has garnered a small though firmly dedicated fan base on mumsnet? - most definitely #peakcareer

That he is a serious student journalist who writes on pressing social matters? - absolutely not.

The one quality of (tabloid) journalism that Ewan does possess is that of hyperbole - for ‘under fire’ and ‘facing calls for disciplinary probe’ read a small handful of disgruntled tweets that @ in my employer from gender critical feminists

That cherry picking messages and presenting them out of their full context and conversation is very poor journalism indeed

Lazy digs from a student journalist will not stop me sharing jokes with friends. Indeed, it will motivate my humour down further esoteric - and thus for Ewan even more unfathomable - routes.

Lazy digs from a student journalist will not stop me sharing jokes with friends. Indeed, it will motivate my humour down further esoteric - and thus for Ewan even more unfathomable - routes

What's that phrase? Oh, yeah: punching down. How dare some little undergraduate have the temerity to write a critical article about a faculty chair? Well you showed him Sally, you showed him real good. Do you feel good about yourself now?

Dear Sally - writing about the behavior of prominent academics at a university in which one is enrolled is not a student journalist "abusing his role", it's journalism. I realize that you struggle with definitions but perhaps someone in the media department could explain the above using nice small words.

She believes he should be writing about Hong Kong instead. So local and relevant is so last year in journalism. Better to write about somewhere on the other side of the world

This is him I assume. ewansomerville.co.uk/

A very impressive body of work for someone aged 20. Good also in that I assume some of his national press contacts would pick up the batten quickly should it start looking as if he was being bullied by senior academics at his University.

The actual story here is that @ewansomerville , a student journalist, has declined to use his column to respond to the many crucial issues for students right now - the general election, ucu strike, Bolton fire, Hong Kong, etc, etc, etc.
twitter.com/sally_hines/status/1196047291171459073

Did you miss these Sally?

thetab.com/uk/sheffield/2019/11/13/tuition-fees-arent-a-priority-for-students-says-lib-dem-mp-candidate-for-sheffield-40968

thetab.com/uk/sheffield/2019/11/07/sheffield-uni-sets-up-phone-line-for-students-triggered-by-ucu-strikes-40875

thetab.com/uk/sheffield/2019/11/14/breaking-sheffield-uni-calls-hong-kong-exchange-students-back-home-urgently-40981

It does not look as if research is our Sal's strong point.

I'd say that a professor with an ideological slant that they're determined to impose on others is a very relevant issue for students.

It does not look as if research is our Sal's strong point.

I’m reminded of Ash Sarkar accusing Julie Bindel of not caring about women in prison, on the strength of a quick Twitter search.

Extraordinary. And what a scoop for Ewan Somerville

Ewan Somerville seems to be doing pretty well, very impressive for his age. I would be very surprised indeed if this turned out to be 'peak career' for him.

She is attacking Ewan Somerville rather than engaging with his arguments.

I can't decide if Sally is mad or bad. But a very disturbed individual, regardless. So filled with hatred.

She's the academic version of Donald Trump - deranged tweeting, attacking journalists, facts don't matter, etc.

To engage with the 'substance' of her criticism of somerville's article (talk about tilting at windmills):

That my bio points to my account also being my personal account

No it doesn't, it says: Professional, political and personal tweets are hard to untangle.

in which I am at liberty to share jokes in conversations with friends

The tweets in the article were:

1. A tweet at Dr Stock implying that she's unfuckable because she's a transphobe.
2. A tweet to stonewall criticising someone who suggested she was homophobic for acting like a white knight.
3. Tweets to stonewall about 'lezziewashing' and denying she was drunk.
4. A tweet to another critic saying 'who calls themselves homosexual'.

I'm sure some of the other people included in those tweets are friends and I believe her that many were meant as jokes. None of them are directed solely to friends, none are purely personal and it's hardly unreasonable to question whether they add up homophobia.

That he might not be in the best position to appreciate the cultural currency, backstories and delivery of said jokes;

If Hines thought Somerville had misinterpreted her 'humour' she had the opportunity to explain that when he asked her for comment. Instead she sent a rude reply indicating she felt above criticism.

That cherry picking messages and presenting them out of their full context and conversation is very poor journalism indeed

I got the context cited above from the article. Where possible he shows preceding tweets. Again Hines had the opportunity to provide further context.

hat my few (non-personal) glib tweets may be contextualised in relation to the (extremely personal) vitriol that I have faced for a very long time from mass anonymous twitter accounts each time I post in support of trans rights

I have followed Hines for a while, I can't think of a single example of abuse. Let's say I've missed some, how does that make her posts any more professional or less homophobic?

That he has a history of writing in support of gender critical feminism and is clearly ideologically motivated.

So.... allowing personal beliefs to cloud your work is bad? Except for Hines: such petty commentary will certainly not hamper my work of 20+ years in support of trans rights.

If Somerville's work is questionable because he's published several articles on this topic, what are we to make of Hines' work?

I'd say that a professor with an ideological slant that they're determined to impose on others is a very relevant issue for students

It's not just her take on trans issues but she seems to be yet another lunatic hard left, Corbyn loving stooge. It's a very long time ago since I was at university and my degree is not in social sciences but is it acceptable for her to make her politics so obvious?