Hard-left academics ‘plotted gender ID witch-hunt’ on colleagues

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Hard-left academics ‘plotted gender ID witch-hunt’ on colleagues

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0ef73904-18ab-11ed-b4a0-f11f082a3a3c?shareToken=9086841b1851a93726804639c7ced9f1

“A group of hard-left academics has been accused of stifling free speech on university campuses by plotting a witch-hunt against colleagues on gender identity.

University and College Union (UCU) members pledged to compile a list of university backroom staff suspected of holding gender-critical beliefs, the minutes from a meeting leaked to The Times reveal.

The plan was to use this information to “inform” UCU university branches of their colleagues’ views, accusing them of being “transphobes” and “gender-critical activists”.

So they planned to “inform” on people expressing their legally protected views 🙄

What a disgrace.

Fucking hell. I mean, I'm not exactly surprised, but I am shocked if that makes sense.

This is so entrenched!

Terrifying and yet I'm not surprised. Glad, once again, that I left UCU this year.

“Minutes stated that the survey would “get information about gender critical equality, diversity and inclusion consultants … employed in HR departments of various institutions”.

It suggested that a question could be included in the survey asking: “Are you aware of your institution employing EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] consultants in the sector and if so which ones.”

The minutes added: “The last question is to get information about how many HR and senior HR staff/consultants are gender critical and then to inform branches, so that they are aware of any problems which may arise in a particular branch.

“Some of the EDI consultants are transphobes and prominent gender critical activists.””

Some of the EDI consultants are misogynistic homophobes who deliberately misadvise on and misrepresent the law, but that’s absolutely fine, of course….

Wow. Just wow.

It is like watching a ball of string unravel in slow motion picking up speed down a hill!

I wouldn't take the Times's word on this. It's part of their whole Tory-supported campaign to destroy universities' credibility - look at the concurrent story on reading lists, which is both ridiculous and malevolent.

Surely there are enough sensible grown up critical thinking academics who will find this behaviour completely shameful in the name of Universities?

Surely there are enough sensible grown up critical thinking academics who will find this behaviour completely shameful in the name of Universities?

You'd have to hope so, but where were they when Kathleen Stock was being hounded out?

It’s good to treat all media reports with an open/critical mind but what in particular do you think the Times is getting wrong here? They may have an agenda (which admittedly is shared by many of us here) but they are quoting from UCU’s own documents. And the account of how Shereen Benjamin was treated is horrific, and is not being challenged it seems.

It seems to me the universities are doing a grand job of destroying their own credibility and don’t need any help from the Tories…

That article is about UCU rather than the universities themselves for the most part. The second half of it is about the Edinburgh branch which has definitely abandoned any critical thinking around gender.

I don’t think trying using the ‘Tory-supported campaign to destroy universities’ credibility’ line to shut down scrutiny of any of the many ways in which the UK HE system is extremely dysfunctional is helpful really.

Surely there are enough sensible grown up critical thinking academics who will find this behaviour completely shameful in the name of Universities?

If you read the thread below, you'll see that there's a general climate of fear in academia meaning that some academics are too afraid even to speak out against what looks like a resurgence of PIE.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4607207-just-when-i-thought-academia-couldnt-sink-any-lower

Arguments over gender identity theory — or whether a person’s psychological sense of their gender is at least as relevant as their biological sex — have raged in recent years on campuses.

And during the entire time these arguments have 'raged', not a single person has described what a 'psychological sense of your gender' entails.

Not one.

The universities don’t need the Times help with this. They are a national joke entirely through their own efforts. For so many reasons.

I wouldn't take the Times's word on this. It's part of their whole Tory-supported campaign to destroy universities' credibility

Universities don't need help from the Times or the Tories to do that. They're doing a much more effective job of that than the Times or Tories could ever do. 😂

And during the entire time these arguments have 'raged', not a single person has described what a 'psychological sense of your gender' entails.

Exactly. And it's "literal violence" to even ask.

I used to be on an equality and diversity committee in FE/HE. They've always been over-reactive. It's the nature of the beast. I remember in the past, long before trans issues were even thought a out, the chairwoman of our group told us we needed to sit in the refectory at lunch time and take notes of who was discussing certain issues of concern to her. Initially, she seriously couldn't see anything wrong with it. They just seem to get lost in issues and lose a sense of perspective. And if the whole committee thinks the same, (and honestly any rational people have already left!), they just cement the view that what they're doing is fine.

I'd like to know why you find it 'malevolent'?

I wouldn't take the Times's word on this. It's part of their whole Tory-supported campaign to destroy universities' credibility

I always find this kind of comment pointless. Essentially you're accusing the Times of making up the story: of inventing quotes from non-existent documents. If indeed it had done that - which would be pretty outrageous from serious journalists - then the consequences would be severe. The UCU would likely sue, for a start. Not liking the Times's agenda is one thing; accusing them of deliberate invention is quite another.

One of The Times comments mentions Natasha Kennedy, who was up to these sort of tricks back in 2018.

Seem these type of people never bore of their witch hunts
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eb941d92-b2ec-11e8-8fb1-ac438dd6af00?shareToken=e7bd3be1dffbc6286c63b494932c2aaf

My point isn't really the point of the thread, but the other Times article found a grand total of two reading lists that had been altered and spent the rest of the space grumbling about academics complaining about their FoI fishing campaign. I'm deeply unhappy with UCU and Jo Grady! But I do know universities and the current government is seemingly determined to undermine them.

Thanks, came to post this. Now off to read.

Shereen used to lecture in primary/ eyfs education (she still
Does I think but was severely curtailed by the university.)

There was a very interesting thread recently about how authoritarianism is a behaviour trait, not a political affiliation. That's why it affects both sides of the left/right political spectrum.
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4311625-Interesting-interview-about-authoritarianism-R4-Helen-Lewis-Karen-Stenner

This Natacha Kennedy? archive.ph/oSr7F#selection-773.0-789.248

Ms Kennedy, who describes herself on Facebook as a “stroppy, bolshie transgirl with attitude who hates the Tories with a passion”, refused to comment. She represented Goldsmiths during trans awareness week in February.
It confirmed that she was an employee but would not explain which department she worked in or why she appeared to be listed twice in the staff directory: once as Mark Hellen, in the department of educational studies, and secondly as Natacha Kennedy, who is named in equality and diversity reports. Both profiles appear to be active.
It also remained unclear why an academic paper on Ms Kennedy’s specialist subject of transgenderism in children, published by the Graduate Journal of Social Sciences in 2010, cited two co-authors: Natacha Kennedy and Mark Hellen.
Neither Ms Kennedy nor Goldsmiths would clarify whether the paper was by two individuals or the same person. A spokesman said: “Goldsmiths prides itself on its inclusive community and is committed to the values of freedom of speech within the law.”

Sigh. Most of that is a quote but the new improved MN has removed my line of asterisks marking the end my words and the start of the quote.