Jo Phoenix is taking the OU to court for failing to protect her from harassment for gender critical beliefs

[Leafstamp]

She says:

I’m taking the OU to court for failing to protect me from being harassed for gender critical beliefs. We need to stop this happening to any other academics.

twitter.com/JoPhoenix1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

@Alektopteryx what was Dentons advice? I don’t think I’ve read about that before. Thanks.

[quote doorornottodoor]@Alektopteryx what was Dentons advice? I don’t think I’ve read about that before. Thanks.[/quote]
www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-document-that-reveals-the-remarkable-tactics-of-trans-lobbyists

grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/the-dentons-document

Thanks for the info, have donated. Her treatment by the OU is shocking!

Page 20 of this document explains:

"In Ireland, Denmark and Norway, changes to the law on legal gender recognition were put through at the same time as other more popular reforms such as marriage equality legislation. This provided a veil of protection, particularly in Ireland, where marriage equality was strongly supported, but gender identity remained a more difficult issue to win public support for."

www.iglyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IGLYO_v3-1.pdf

Described in the link to James Kirkup in the Spectator above.

It's so refreshing to have two particular posters yet again try to dictate what women should and shouldn't spend their money on, who they should support and what they should agree with. Particularly loving the style of one of those posters using the old guilt-trip method.

It absolutely needs to be reinforced that women are just not worthy enough to make decisions for themselves. All hail the misogynist patriarchy for their attempts to make this dangerous process of women being trusted to decide for themselves what they will do with their time and money a mere blip in history and make sure women know their place as they used to.

Thank you @PurgatoryOfPotholes and @Alektopteryx

I've dug. And have bought two copies of Material Girls to donate, this reminded me to get on with that.

@ChristinaXYZ

I hope the speed at which this crowdfunder is whizzing along will start to tell those in power who have not yet started listening that enormous numbers of people are seriously cheesed off with the treatment of women at work and elsewhere and we won't put up with any further attempts to silence us.

Employers and service providers who don't get this sorted out will be sued. If not now then soon. If they're determined to dig their heels in and listen to Stonewall-law and not the real variety then they better start putting funds aside to pay their lawyers.

For anyone in Jo's position who needs support women (and men) are clearly there in large enough numbers to provide the funds for legal backing. I am only sorry that women (and some men, like the Cambridge Uni porter) are being put through the wringer to make our legal points.

I agree with your first paragraph. If Jo’s action puts a rocket under university senior management teams to remind them they have a duty of care to ALL staff, not just the ones that agree with them, so much the better. I’m only sorry people like Jo are having to go through the wringer to get the point across.

@yourhairiswinterfire

she simply wants to prevent her colleagues from disagreeing with her views

I don't imagine grown adults develop PTSD because someone disagrees with them.

They have as much right to express disagreement and even condemnation of gender critical views as she has to express her beliefs. Freedom of speech works both ways.

Yes, but 'manifestation', right? Harassment and bullying isn't the way to disagree with someone.

Except here Phoenix seems to be defining "harassment and bullying" as "people disagreed with me and said so" in the majority of those examples. GCs seem to be very into free speech and academic freedom right up until the point someone disagrees with them. Lots of double standards on display here.

Suggest that people take a look at the details on Jo's twitter - which will link to the details (on her very successful crowd funder) of a systematic campaign to silence, smear and bully an academic within the OU.
Fancy reading about what is happening to Kathleen Stock, Jo and numerous other (mainly women) academics and then simplifying it down to "people disagreed with me and said so"

No BlueberryCheezecake - the harassment Prof Phoenix describes goes very far beyond “disagreement” and well into the realms of bullying as you are well aware. Plus her employers have manifestly failed to provide her with a safe place of work.

So do sod off with your gaslighting. We can all see you. And soon the whole country will when Prof Phoenix succeeds in her tribunal.

We see through your gaslighting here.

Thing is, @BlueberryCheezecake, that this will not be decided in the jesters' court of twitter, but at a properly convened Employment Tribunal in England.

Like Maya Forstater's case.

Blueberry, this behaviour you are so chuffed about would not be tolerated in any other sector than higher education. Employees of any other large business writing public letters complaining about an employee would be considered so unprofessional that it doesn't cross anyone's mind to do it.

There are internal procedures employees can use for grievances.

I'm astounded at the abusive way academics treat each other and it's extraordinary to see them do this in a setting where they are supposed to be influencing young people.

I've been working with academics for the past few years after decades in business and I am really surprised at the culture of public nastiness that exists. I have reached a point now, when discussing plans with colleagues about engagement with issues with faculty, that I have been warned so often that the people I have to meet with hate each other, I now just assume that they do.

There was bullying and disdain in business, but it is far easier to dismiss bullies in business and it is actually disapproved of rather than allowed to flourish.

So blueberry, your minimising of bullying doesn't surprise me at all, it's just indicative of the awful culture young people have to study in. I don't think you need to be proud to promote that here.

Except here Phoenix seems to be defining "harassment and bullying" as "people disagreed with me and said so" in the majority of those examples. GCs seem to be very into free speech and academic freedom right up until the point someone disagrees with them. Lots of double standards on display here.

Rubbish. There is a difference between academic freedom and a targeted campaign against an individual that involves actively misrepresenting and smearing them. Those examples are clear cases of harassment, smears, deliberate ostracisation, preventing someone from doing their job and the university failing in two regards: upholding academic freedom and failing in their public sector duty to foster good relations between those with different protected characteristics.

Also, this is not simply a case of people disagreeing with opinions. We’re talking about the orchestrated silencing of one of the few people in the world who has expertise on sex, gender and prisons. The people who have targeted her are not doing so on the basis of equivalent expertise but because of political beliefs they hold. That is exactly what the principle of academic freedom is supposed to protect us against. Otherwise we cannot do our jobs and become the targets of all kinds of malevolent actors.

Nearly 40k in a day! Amazing. That is shocking what academics and the OU have done to her.

I’ve just donated, not much but over the last wee while, there’s barely a week gone by without a crowdfunder that I feel I have to donate to.

Btw, if anybody is on Twitter just now, have you seen the post about the transwoman and the transman who have had a baby? The transman has had selective mastectomies so won’t/can’t breastfeed the baby and the transwoman is trying to feed the baby. They have refused to accept the birth certificate because it doesn’t give the transwoman’s name as the mother but quite rightly gives the name of the transman who actually gave birth.
At least, I think that’s right, tbh, the whole thing is so fucked up, I’m not sure I’ve got it right. It’s getting retweeted a lot so should be easy to find.

The minimising of the bullying and harrassment of GC women here is disgusting. But do carry on showing your arses

Her crowdfunder is now at £46,416 after just 30 hours.

@SpindelWhorl

Her crowdfunder is now at £46,416 after just 30 hours.

Amazing!

I'm so pleased for her. I really think Jo needed this boost and to know that many, many people have read her story, understand it, and support her.

Just plated a couple of carrots in the allotment.
I used to think I knew BlueberryCheezecake, but I made a mistake. The woman I thought it was, though a little delusional on things TW, is otherwise intelligent.

Hello gardeners.

It's been such a hard couple of days and reading your comments and watching the crowdjustice fund go up has been thrilling, supportive, terrifying and overwhelming. So many women are giving less than £25 and apologising for the small amount. It's made me realise what a tremendous honour and duty I have to make sure we win. This is not for me - let's face it I am at the end of my career and there are no more glittering prizes to be had because I have had them all. But equally, the university can take nothing from me. The last two years of my life - ever since I spoke out against Stonewall and for single sex exemptions (which are perfectly lawful!) to be applied in prisons I have been hounded by academic colleagues. Not students. Colleagues. The University of Essex unlawfully blacklisted me. My colleagues at the OU got on the bandwagon. Once I and colleagues launched the Open University Gender Critical Network (THANK YOU MAYA), it was open season.

I have survived much in my life. The harassment brought me to my knees earlier this summer. But, I am standing up, proud and ready to fight - and HELD by all of you. Your show of support has given me such strength.

So, this will be the hill I die on. Nothing will stop me now - I believe in professional responsibilities and ethics. I believe in academic freedom. And, I am gender critical and hope to be among the first academics developing this as a legitimate academic perspective.

Thank you for all the support so far. Imagine the show of force if we smash the goal by the end of the week. The Open University will realise they are not just dealing with 1 professor but with an army.

We need a few more shovel fulls, please and spread the word. And if any of you want to contact me - please do. I'm easily found.

More power to your wee elbow

Keep buggering on, Jo.
We are determined little bastards, us wims.