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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

UCU response to Women and Equalities Committee inquiry on the GRA

18 replies

SkeeterP · 14/01/2021 14:59

committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/17444/pdf/

Just when you thought the plot could not be more lost.

UCU response to Women and Equalities Committee inquiry on the GRA
OP posts:
Sheleg · 14/01/2021 15:09

The UCU is my union, and it's an utter embarrassment. I wouldn't be able to trust them to represent me if a case was brought against me for my GC beliefs.

morningtoncrescent62 · 14/01/2021 15:14

committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/17408/pdf/

The University of Edinburgh says the same (I've copied and pasted, including the poor punctuation): "Countries, such as Norway have no legal age limit, depending rather on parental support until a child reaches a point where they can make independent legal decisions. This would be the best approach."

Another gem from the University of Edinburgh: "We have experienced first-hand, the hostility of anti-trans rhetoric that pervades the UK media on our campus. Much of this rhetoric is veiled under the guise of protecting women’s rights, and by women – they mean cisgender women, not trans women. The rhetoric ranges from blatantly transphobic statements on stickers on our campus such as ‘Women don’t have penises’ to more subtle denial of trans gender identities and questioning the inclusion of trans women in women-only spaces like public toilets."

So there you have it. One of the UK's most prestigious universities apparently mandates the belief that stating "women don't have penises" is blatant transphobia.

And it goes on: "It appears to be founded on over- simplified and out-dated assumptions of what being a woman is, i.e. you are only a woman if you were born with a vagina and have XX chromosomes. We cite these assumptions as out-dated and over-simplified because sex is more complex than simply XX=female and XY=male. Biological sex is comprised of chromosomes, hormones and anatomy all of which can vary in numerous ways, making biological sex a spectrum not a binary. Furthermore, your biological sex, while they way it manifests can inform other people’s gendered assumptions about your identity, it does not dictate your own innate sense of your gender identity."

Eh? Do these people really not understand the meaning of the word spectrum? Or binary, come to that?

I've read Kathleen Stock talking about universities and Stonewall. But how deep does that really go? And is UCU a Stonewall Diversity Champion or just caught in the backwash?

GCAcademic · 14/01/2021 15:17

How on earth is this in their remit? Why is a union which is supposed to represent academics concerning itself with the gender of children?

So glad they're not getting my money any more. When it comes to actually doing their job (i.e. representing academics) they are fucking useless.

HecatesCats · 14/01/2021 15:23

A six year old should be allowed to change their legal gender? Have these people ever spent anytime around kids? Do they have any understanding of the comprehension skills of a child of that age? That's the point in school (yr 1) where teachers start to talk about developing comprehension skills, so that they can start to understand texts better, but UCU think they can make that sort of choice about the rest of their lives? Quite right that it's embarrassing.

nothingcomestonothing · 14/01/2021 15:33

Christ up a drain pipe! I'm tempted to email Edinburgh and ask if they have a biology department, and if so what they think of that 'sex is a spectrum, women have penises' shite Angry

gardenbird48 · 14/01/2021 15:34

I wonder if the people writing on behalf of Edinburgh University spoken to the biology department about this??

They make themselves look monstrously stupid.

thinkingaboutLangCleg · 14/01/2021 15:35

Biological sex is comprised of chromosomes, hormones and anatomy all of which can vary in numerous ways, making biological sex a spectrum not a binary

Words of wisdom Hmm from the University of Edinburgh. Remind me how many thousand £s students have to pay for a university education these days?

NancyDrawed · 14/01/2021 15:36

There are plenty of Universities on Stonewall's list of Diversity Champions

www.stonewall.org.uk/diversity-champions-members

I wonder whether their submissions are very similar?

stumbledin · 14/01/2021 15:42

Its really great that so many are finding time to monitor these, but am concerned that it is now being posted on 3 (or is it 4) different threads and it would be great, more effective and a better resource if it was all in one place.

Not just in terms of the committee process but to make people aware of who is saying what. Quite often implying that an institution has a few point, which may in fact only be the view point of those picked to make the submission. How is that "evidence". It is just the opinion of the person making the submission on behalf of the institution without any substantiating consultation.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 14/01/2021 15:45

So... as far as can be told all submissions are being made by someone not in any of the higher echelons of organisations. The social media / inclusivity student body is responding for them?

HecatesCats · 14/01/2021 15:49

@stumbledin

Its really great that so many are finding time to monitor these, but am concerned that it is now being posted on 3 (or is it 4) different threads and it would be great, more effective and a better resource if it was all in one place.

Not just in terms of the committee process but to make people aware of who is saying what. Quite often implying that an institution has a few point, which may in fact only be the view point of those picked to make the submission. How is that "evidence". It is just the opinion of the person making the submission on behalf of the institution without any substantiating consultation.

Which thread stumbled?
stumbledin · 14/01/2021 15:53

That's what I am saying. Bits of information are being added here and there to existing threads.

there is no one thread!

HecatesCats · 14/01/2021 16:01

Sorry, should have made myself clearer. Shall we move to another thread? Like this one? Seems to have the most posts? URGENT Call for evidence GRA www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4089980-URGENT-Call-for-evidence-GRA

PopperUppleton · 14/01/2021 16:16

The university of Edinburgh is famous for its medical school and its vet school. It breaks my heart to see this. What about their erstwhile world-leading medical research? Have all its departments rewritten basic biology books?

UppityPuppity · 14/01/2021 17:12

Indeed - what are they doing about the cesspit of transphobia in their medical and biology departments?

stumbledin · 14/01/2021 17:22

HecatesCats - not sure! I think that is the one with more comments, but there is also www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4100396-GRA-reform and www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4102953-Women-and-Equality-Select-Committee

Am almost thinking we a need a thread where someone just posts a link saying new info here ...

Its partly that I see so much of mumsnet posters providing a public service and this is so important was really thinking out loud.

As it is, anyone of us on reading a more recent upload might come here and are so outraged about what was said they just start a thread about it.

Maybe I could do that, later on, when and if the process ever ends, just create an index thread.

Better to get the info on here than get bogged down in some bureaucratic process.

Would be great if mumsnet forum supported hash tags.

I'm not sure if posts could be linked by an agreed hashtag #GRAresponses

HecatesCats · 14/01/2021 17:47

Maybe I could do that, later on, when and if the process ever ends, just create an index thread.

Good idea, also like the idea of hashtags!

Daca · 14/01/2021 18:14

It’s so interesting that UCU has decided to spend resources on this. It’s not as if we find ourselves in an unprecedented crisis, with looming job losses, pay cuts, Brexit, covid safety on campus, lack of childcare, rising educational inequality ... noooo, enabling children to change ‘gender’ is the priority now.

What a clown show. UCU has become some woke HR Department, that’s why they have been so useless at defending the interests of academics.

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