Master and Senior Tutor of Caius College, Cambridge on the subject of free speech

[ChristinaXYZ]

twitter.com/camradfems/status/1582760543496343553

I cannot think of anything better to say than to quote this tweet by Alice Sullivan:

"You cannot just take off your master and senior tutor hats when sending a message to the college. You remain in post. This implies a corporate view on sex and gender from the institution.

This messaging produces a hostile environment for gender critical staff and students."

twitter.com/ProfAliceS/status/1582792566763683840

How interesting! It seems Victoria has form when it comes to picking on those Victoria perceives as lesser.

www.varsity.co.uk/comment/24549

Charlie Bentley-Astor (who I think has written in the Telegraph about her experiences before) also has a piece in Varsity, defending Helen Joyce.

Oh, is Victoria a perpetrator of ‘the slaughterhouse’ (aka criticism) against others?

how completely and utterly astonishing

some people really have no self insight whatsoever, do they?

That's such a powerful article.

Wow, super article

This. So much this.

Charlie’s article is brilliant. She speaks of her own experience and I expect it applies to many others.

LOL - the lad himself was a genius.

Definitely, Victoria Longstaffe should feel flattered.

Glad there's an article to redress the balance a little, and it's a cracker.

Douglas Murray has a very good piece about the Gonville and Caius saga in the Telegraph:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/11/07/donors-can-hit-woke-universities-where-hurts/

He argues that donors to universities can have an influence by withholding money when unis start interfering with free speech.

The only thing that worries me is that this is arguably the same position - but in reverse - as that taken by Stop Funding Hate, which lobbies advertisers to withdraw from publications such as the Mail and Telegraph.

Yes, a great piece by Charlie.

Great piece by Charlie.
I don’t agree there are trans people as some kind of separate entity though. There are people with gender dysphoria, some of whom will have that dysphoria relieved by transitioning.

Then there are people who would like to be perceived as the opposite sex, for a whole variety of reasons, the bulk of which is made up by people with the Acronym That Must Not Be Named.

I think you're raising a very good point - if we're going to use the free speech defence, we need to back it even when it doesn't suit our objectives - but I don't think donors are backing out because the college/sociology faculty don't hold their views. They're withdrawing funding because some of the college/faculty staff have abused their power. They've being reactive and repressive, and are somehow not able to discern between uncomfortable views and harmful views. Surely it makes you wonder whether it's worth funding that!

I burst out laughing at that varsity article saying “we are worried that people will listen to her talk and agree with her “easy answers”. Well, that’s how debates work. People have their minds changed by persuasive, solid arguments. If the trans rights activists find their points too difficult or complex or vague such that people prefer the clarity of gender critical concepts they might want to have a think about why this is rather than stomp their feet and say “the gender crits must be silenced!”

its just mind boggling because if you think your opponent is mistaken you would surely LOVE to let them speak so you can point out all the ways they are wrong. See the evolution versus creationism debate or the gay marriage debate. They are straight up admitting that gender crits have such strong arguments that can’t possibly be countered and so they have to be silenced! The only reason trans activists don’t want Helen to speak is because they know they can’t counter what she says (because it’s true).

I also find this idea that you can’t live with people who hold different opinions really bizarre. I’ve worked with evangelical religious people, extreme conservatives… people who I disagree with politically. But the mere fact they hold these views doesn’t bother me. I’m not worried about being bisexual and working with religious people , and it doesn’t upset me that they may strongly oppose my orientation. Why would people’s personal thoughts upset me?

This line from the article struck me:

"You call the likes of Joyce “transphobic”. To this I say, what have you to fear from conversations about appropriate healthcare? What are you afraid of?"