That thread in full for those who don't do twitter. The numbering is a bit wrong, but I have copied each tweet in order
I was studying with @OpenUniversity when Jo was being harassed. In fact I contacted her to ask for help as students were also being scared in to silence over any discussion about the significance of sex in their studies. 1/
We'd been told we could not discuss why the MOU (signed by NHS, Counselling bodies & the sodding Chief Medical Officer) to affirm gender identities was ethical, when some of the most vulnerable people were being dragged into the cult. Staff were scared. 2/
We were given specific categories on which to write, told we must only use Gender & def not Sex, despite need to research prostitution, pornography & why women seem to end up victims of medical practices that deform their bodies & those of their babies (thalidomide, vaginal 3/
mesh & silicon implants) without anyone held to account. A couple of us tentatively expressed concerns about being penalised for daring to point out the sex of victims of crimes was actually a Very Important Thing Indeed. We were told on the quiet by tutors to toe the line 4/
or we'd be marked down. I was actually asked by my (male) tutor if I genuinely thought there was a difference between the impact on lives of males & females. He went silent when I sent a long list of ways in which female lives were directly & negatively impacted by their sex 4/
We were told on OU forums by the head of the course that language rules were applied for a reason & we must comply, conveniently forgetting to mention that as a #Stonewall champion the OU were rated on their ability to erase sex & boost gender in their curriculum. 5/
When I submitted FOIs (under a false name not to risk my degree) about how their unlawful EDI policies were established @OpenUniversity refused to answer, citing a clause no-one has heard used before, claiming I was part of a campaign targeting them (I was not). I am sure 5/
they would have been advised by #Stonewall on how to hide, how to remain opaque, how to avoid the law (until the magnificent Jo called their bluff). I had planned to continue postgrad study but strangely my emails asking about sex-based research topics remained unanswered 6/
and no supervisors offered a space to this gender critical student that had done quite well in her degree. I'm glad I didn't pursue the research because if an iron-cored powerhouse like Jo was bullied unbearably, I stood no chance as a lowly student. 7/
I'm appalled that a wonderful institution like @OpenUniversity embraces an ideology that limits the ability of staff & students to fully engage on topics, to send students into the world with a shrunken vocab & undeveloped ability to consider significance of sex on human lives 8/
While you may think that there will be some courses that will remain unaffected, the OU policies have been rewritten to minimise sex. I took part in the (relentless) consultation process, & memorably one on why there were less female OU students in STEM. 9/
The consultation organisers insisted on referring to gender, while I insisted on referring to sex. Other students called me transphobic for daring to suggest it mattered if you wanted to really understand & fix the imbalance. But I guess if you can get males to identify as 10/
females the imbalance will eventually disappear, problem solved & @OpenUniversity appears inclusive & diverse, while stacking STEM courses with more men. 11/
I'm so please Jo won her case as she (and another troublesome OU employee) gave me a lot of strength to keep fighting while studying. Hopefully OU can be saved, or at least made to comply with the law in time, & students can return to questioning, challenging & thinking freely.