Academic Freedom, Harassment and GC academics - ask me any questions

[ProfJoPhoenix]

Hi Mumsnetters

Jo Phoenix here - as in the academic cancelled by Essex and harassed by colleagues at the OU. I decided to join mumsnet because I know that several women here are supportive of what it is that we (GC academics) are going through and dealing with. I thought I would start a thread - a sort of ask me any question thread. I'll be making an announcement on twitter (@JoPhoenix1) on Sunday morning that you might find interesting. What's happened to Kathleen Stock has left all of us reeling and I am going to do something that, I hope, will help. Watch this space.

The patients that make up the very vocal twitter groups are not medics or scientists, don't understand medicine or even how our health service work....and yet are pandered to constantly instead of being gently challenged

I'm increasingly troubled by the disproportionate weight given to lived experience that may not, in any way, be representative of a majority of people with a condition but, rather, be the small number of edge cases with a dominant narrative. It's not working out well for autism, as far as I can see.

I've just seen this, welcome Jo!

So many women are outraged by this. I've seen more discussing it this week as a result of what's happened to Kathleen and so many of you.

💪

Harassed, silenced & compared to a racist for my gender critical views

Decent early germination for the time of year.

@EmbarrassingHadrosaurus I quite agree. Nor many conditions. But that is probably a thread for another time.

As a doctor, I've managed to pick up a thing or two about biology over the years and while I do support trans women and trans men to have the identity they want, how do the TRA brigade explain the following...

Men are at more risk of colorectal cancer
Only men can get prostate cancer
Only women can get one of the gynae cancers
Women are at a much higher risk of breast cancer.
Heart attacks in women present differently to heart attacks in men

I could go on. Differences in risk and presentation in some conditions between the sexes is well known and well researched.

Thanks for having the courage to talk about your experiences, Jo. I'm sorry that you have been put through so much.

Thank you for speaking up and fighting for intellectual freedom.

Tam Blaxter's poetry. I share this link without further comment:
www.datableedzine.com/tam-blaxter-issue-11

Jo, you have over £10, just since 9 am!
#phoenixrising

@Igneococcus

Looking at the pictures, yes, i think that Tam might have more than an academic interest.

I'm quite amused by the fact that Cartimandua has popped up to accuse all the GC academics to argue outside their areas of expertise, which is a bit of an own goal given Tam's letter.

caiusfemgensoc.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/iwd-dr-tam-blaxter-diversity-and-the-future-of-the-college/

"I’m trans—I identify as non-binary and as a trans woman. Those identities have hugely shaped how I’ve experienced being at Cambridge"
From Tam's own words.

I'm increasingly troubled by the disproportionate weight given to lived experience that may not, in any way, be representative of a majority of people with a condition but, rather, be the small number of edge cases with a dominant narrative

Yeah, you've nailed it. Or the cases whose narrative happens to fit the academic's hobby-horse (which is often about their own lived experience). So many PhD theses now are autobiographical and take stances not derived from evidence but from the researcher's own lived experience - that through the Ph.D. they then obtain the credentials to indoctrinate teach.

Tam Blaxter's poetry

What language is it in?

@EmbarrassingHadrosaurus

Harassed, silenced & compared to a racist for my gender critical views

Decent early germination for the time of year.

A mere 30 mins later and things have moved on a great deal 😀😀

@YetAnotherSpartacus

Tam Blaxter's poetry

What language is it in?

Middling Anguish.

Middling Anguish

Hahaha v good, v good indeed.

Crowd funding link confirmed here:
twitter.com/JoPhoenix1/status/1449648472748142598?t=qPzqXhHdnkHT51vQz4K3tw&s=19
Currently just shy of £14K

@MiddlesexGirl

Crowd funding link confirmed here: twitter.com/JoPhoenix1/status/1449648472748142598?t=qPzqXhHdnkHT51vQz4K3tw&s=19 Currently just shy of £14K

Now into the stretch.

@YetAnotherSpartacus

I'm increasingly troubled by the disproportionate weight given to lived experience that may not, in any way, be representative of a majority of people with a condition but, rather, be the small number of edge cases with a dominant narrative

Yeah, you've nailed it. Or the cases whose narrative happens to fit the academic's hobby-horse (which is often about their own lived experience). So many PhD theses now are autobiographical and take stances not derived from evidence but from the researcher's own lived experience - that through the Ph.D. they then obtain the credentials to indoctrinate teach.

There may or may not be a former academic at a college in the south of the US who rode that particular hobbyhorse.

Bloody hell. I've just read Jo's statement on her crowd funder.

What a disgrace the OU is. And the UCU.

Someone said that it doesn't take many people in an organisation to alter the ethos. I sincerely hope that is true, because surely to God, there can't be this many raging misogynists out there.

Digging for Jo.

I wouldn’t want to break the MN rules about posting a link to a fundraiser and get my post deleted.

So I’ll just say that there’s been an impressive amount of gardening done this morning, with the target of 15,000 spring bulbs planted being achieved in a few hours. It’s now at 16,000 and going up every few minutes.

Good luck Jo.

Hi Jo 👋.

I’ve just noticed this thread after singing your praises on another. I’ll repeat what I said there…you are a brave and brilliant woman. Thank you for facing up to your harassers and I’m sorry it has taken such a toll on you.

I will be following your case and cheering you on, plus I stand ready to keep digging until you get the justice you deserve x

PS is there something about the name Jo that encourages strength and bravery? You stand in excellent company.

Pledged Jo. Best of luck x

I've donated, Jo. Absolutely sickened by the details in your statement on the crowdfunder. What an utterly toxic environment.

Little shovelful from here too. Sorry you’ve had to go through all this and thank you.

Thank you for your bravery and candour, Jo. Pledged.