Selina Todd, threats, security, wrong side of history my arse

[janeskettle]

Prof Selina Todd, a historian who specialises in the lives of women and the working class, said that she has now been provided with “routine security” to ensure she is not attacked {by TRA's}

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/23/oxford-university-professor-given-security-guards-lectures-threats/

Female historian needs security guards on campus (Oxford) to accompany her to lectures because of threats.

And we're the aggressive orthodoxy!!! I don't bloody think so!!

She's not bloody being protected from GC feminists, that's for sure.

It was not that long ago that some nut job accused us of running a Mumsnet street violence wing. I’m still miffed I wasn’t invited to join!

On a more serious note, it is appalling that activists can make these threats and not face either prosecution or the university disciplinary process. I do recognise, however, that some of the activists are just that - angry people who have no skin in the game agitating against an institution to which they do not belong.

I find it hugely frustrating when modern standards and terminology are used to judge and labels events of the past.

In this instance, Selina Todd, teaching about lesbians who, for various reasons, masqueraded as men, is called transphobic for not labelling those lesbians as transgender. The concept of transgender didn’t even exist then! Even 30 years ago, they would have been cross dressing lesbians rather than transgender. 20 years ago, perhaps they would have been consider transsexuals but I do think that term was used more for men than women.

The Stonewall transgender umbrella is far too wide. I think they have done themselves and the people they claim to represent a huge disservice.

Wonder if any of our more - dissenting - posters will be along soon to condemn this, without any ifs and buts.

The academic - who has been accused of being a “transphobe” for her involvement in women’s rights advocacy – was told by her students that she was potentially in danger.

“Two students came to see me and said they were very worried that threats had been made to me on email networks they were part of,” Prof Todd told The Telegraph.

“The university investigated the threats and came back to me to say their intelligence on them is such that they are providing me security for all of my lecturers for the rest of this year.

I couldn't read further as I don't have a sub. Has it been reported to the police, or have we reached a point where this is considered normal by universities?

I will not cut and paste the entire article but further highlights:

“The university investigated the threats and came back to me to say their intelligence on them is such that they are providing me security for all of my lecturers for the rest of this year. They said 'you're having two men in the rest of your lectures'.”

Prof Todd said that transgender activists started making complaints about her on the basis that her teaching of feminist history was “transphobic”.“My research suggests that women who posed as men in the past were often lesbians seeking to protect themselves, or because they want to do jobs that were only available to men,” she said.

“The first complaint that was made against me was to say that I was transphobic because it would be impossible for a transgender student to be taught by me.”

Prof Todd said that the history faculty now receives “daily” complaints from activists calling for her to be sacked, which has left her feeling unnerved.

She said that the history faculty have been hugely supportive of her, including referring her for counselling to help deal with the stress. But Prof Todd urged the university to take a stronger stance in disciplining students who are making threats and malicious complaints against her. “It would be far more helpful if the university could take robust action against the people making these threats in the first place,” she said.

An Oxford University spokesman said: “We cannot comment on individual arrangements. However when staff raise concerns with us, the university will always review the circumstances and offer appropriate support to ensure their safety and their freedom of expression.”

Some of this must be down to the way the university has structured it's complaints process. It's like many of these institutional processes that were designed to make sure those who were seen as having less power, so students, vulnerable people, marginalised communities, victims of harassment.
Again and again however we are seeing that these kinds of institutional assumptions of good will, or assumptions about the direction of power, are inadaquate and prone to corruption and misuse.

And we're the aggressive orthodoxy!!!
...
Mumsnet street violence wing.

Just so I'm clear, do we have orthodoxy robes and viper-print shirts for the street violence wing?

This must be like living research for Selina Todd. Echoes of history and the contemporary inexorable push towards totalitarianism.

Prof Todd said that the history faculty now receives “daily” complaints from activists calling for her to be sacked, which has left her feeling unnerved.

This stood out: Daily complaints. That many? When I was a child, someone got obsessed with my father and sent rambling fax after fax to his business daily for ages accusing him of everything under the sun. This feels like the same kind of thing.

Female historian is manphobic? Quelle surprise.

Oxford University again. This feels like another step into some weird dystopian plot. How can the powers that be at the university see all that is happening, yet still bow to the pressure rather than take a stand against the perpetrators?

Once you turn students into consumers and charge them for your product, they start reminding you that “the customer is always right”. Paying for tuition gives some of them the illusion that they have bought the academics lock, stock and barrel.

I can feel a card coming on...

Crazy.

I'm glad she's been given security, and counselling, but the fact that she has show these must be really credible threats against her.

Shame the university can't tackle those making the threats against her.

The tiny ray of hope in this awfulness is two students saw what was going on and reported it. The more people see this type of behaviour the more people say hold on. Not that that is any help of comfort to Selina Godd.

Todd.

Just terrible. Female academic being hounded at work for teaching her subject. Todd was really excellent at WPUK last May, giving a clear analysis of feminism and the problems coming from post-modern queer theory.

Oxford University is supposed to be a place of learning and knowledge creation. Not if you are a woman, usually a feminist, with the 'wrong opinion' it seems. This relentless bullying of staff by gender fundamentalists needs addressing, and quickly.

That this nonsense bullshit ideology does so much harm is the worst thing. Solidarity Selina, sorry you are having to deal with all this crap.

I was going to ask why on earth anyone issuing threats of violence IN LECTURES was still a student, but I guess the customer factor covers it.

I hope someone calls the police in and the fascist little bastards find out about real world consequences.

And yes to card. Plus one to whoever should be dealing with this and isn't? Any ideas?

I hope someone calls the police in and the fascist little bastards find out about real world consequences.

But the police will only come along to check the professor’s thinking.

I don't understand how the university thinks the threats are credible enough to require Selina to have security, but not serious enough to discipline the students making them.

I did think, Spartacus, that if Selina had liked a limerick they'd have been there already... Can third parties report?

But Prof Todd urged the university to take a stronger stance in disciplining students who are making threats and malicious complaints against her. “It would be far more helpful if the university could take robust action against the people making these threats in the first place,” she said.

Wtf. The university should be taking a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to any student threatening or abusing staff!

Well, this sends out a very clear warning to female academics (and it is female academics being targeted, because there are male academics at Oxford who have spoken out on trans issues and have not been subject to this level of threat).

It tells us that if we speak out on gender issues in a way which goes against trans orthodoxy, we will incur threats of physical violence and require bodyguards. And that those issuing those threats are untouchable. Universities have decided that it causes too much trouble to try to deal with violent transactivists in their institutions - Oxford has followed Bristol's lead on this, where a trans student was allowed to threaten and intimidate Raquel Rosario-Sanchez with impunity, and the disciplinary case against them was mysteriously dropped.

Todd was really excellent at WPUK last May, giving a clear analysis of feminism and the problems coming from post-modern queer theory.

Yes that was a brilliant speech. I had never come across her before seeing her there but based on that and also our much missed LangCleg's recommendation I bought her book about the working class for my friend, and hoping to read it myself soon.

I don't understand how the university thinks the threats are credible enough to require Selina to have security, but not serious enough to discipline the students making them
This!