Aberdeen University lecturer cleared over transphobia allegations after playing Harry Potter music in class

[IwantToRetire]

An Aberdeen University professor has been cleared over transphobia allegations after playing Harry Potter music in his class.

Dr John Baird was the subject of a year-long investigation at the university after he was accused of being “racist, bigoted, homophobic, misogynistic and transphobic”.

The Zoology professor says he initially “burst out laughing” after he learned that evidence levelled against him included playing Harry Potter music to students.

But the allegations led to a lengthy probe by university bosses.
In a statement yesterday, he went on to claim that the accusations have come from a group of postgraduate students.

He describes them as “trans-activists,” who take issue with his gender-critical views.

And he alleges that students have sent him threats online, put posters on his door and approached him in a bar to confront him.

After months of interviews and investigations, he says he is now “optimistic for the future” having been cleared of the allegations.

Article continues at https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/6896031/aberdeen-university-lecturer-cleared-harry-potter-transphobia-row/

Times article:
https://www.thetimes.com/article/e4e2e476-c288-48d9-ba56-49d205e6f2f5?shareToken=db2403cceb7b6b6060055c5587754264

Our very own cultural revolution. Students against teachers. Children against parents.

"I find the music in the labs a bit unusual. None of my lab sessions ever had music."

He said it's a student engagement thing, I can see that working for first lecture of the year, or as a fun introduction to Snowy Owls. I'm assuming he wasn't playing it in all his lectures, the HP music on a permanent loop for the entirety of every class would be a bit much for anyone!😂

I think some uni lectures have changed a bit in recent years, I've seen social media posts about lecturers who have done similar student engagement things.

Thinking back, my year had a teacher like this in our secondary school for a year. His classes were always great craic, and he had a way of presenting the subject in fun and engaging ways. It was a little chaotic at times, and I can see that that sort of classroom environment could easily be some student's nightmare, but we had all been struggling with the subject before he started teaching us and it was like a breath of fresh air. We all did better than we had expected in the subject come exam time.

I'm glad he's been cleared too, and agree with others that it's really nice to see him speak well of his students and able to keep a sense of humour about it. I don't think that's always as easy as he's made it seem, I'm sure it was an incredibly stressful time given the recent climate.

Mao would be proud, it must be why the CCP are buying up everything over here, they see us the the British Youff as kindred sprits. 😂

Well it is all very exciting isn't it. The thrill of exercising a bit of power over someone else, until it's you. There have been some interesting studies.

Auto carrot.

Less 'snowflakes' than spiteful, spoiled and egotistical little busybodies, who have learned some useful cry-bullying behaviours.

I think social media does have a significant part to play. People were encouraged to “curate” their timelines, which ultimately reduced exposure to a wide wage of views on pretty much anything. For years they have had their viewpoints reinforced by what they see, by language used at school etc.

its simply not the same as pre internet when there were a handful of tv stations to watch, so choice was limited and you would be exposed to a wider world view.

So it must come as a shock to some, if not many students.

Glad the professor has been cleared, this whole situation is so Orwellian.

I wonder if the student activists were part of the group of TRAs from Aberdeen that are always harassing women ("Sophie Molly" etc). Or knew them. There's not a lot of them and they are all pretty unhinged so it's probably likely.

The similarities with the Chinese Cultural Revolution are striking, but that was driven from the top. This comes from a small group of crazed activists, and I cannot begin to imagine why the leaders of our academic establishments don't just tell them to fuck off.

I do have a suspicion that the lab music might just possibly have been a deliberate act of provocation on the part of the good doctor, but so what? The reaction to it was out of all proportion, and what on earth must this whole investigation have cost - in time, money and personal stress. Just because some men in dresses have thrown a hissy fit.

It really is time these annoying people are ignored, let them spend their own money on these stupid fights, and not divert resources away from genuine students.

Not just some poor lecturer but the Professor of Zoology who is well placed to know that sex is binary & immutable.

I remember a few years back scrolling Twitter and, for some reason, reading the words of a Postgrad student talking about how they had to leave the University owing to them employing a 'bigot' and their comments led me to the timeline of this Lecturer and finding, well, nothing to justify the dramatic reaction this student was posting about. Part of the sort of behaviour that piqued me!

From his website: 'Nominated by students for University of Aberdeen Science Lecturer of the Year 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023. Have yet to win!' (So his actual students think he's a good teacher).

Copied from his Twitter account, my bits in bold - some of which have been mentioned by PPs.

'I've been under investigation at University of Aberdeen for over a year after 4 PG students who I have never taught, submitted evidence against me in which they claimed I was racist, bigoted, homophobic, misogynistic and of course, transphobic. They are all trans activists. I have recently been cleared of all accusations. The evidence was preposterous and I should never have been investigated. Highlights included that I play Harry Potter music in my teaching labs, which I do. I was asked directly by the external HR company who were employed to interview me, why I played it - I burst out laughing. I play it because my students love Harry Potter and it sets a nice vibe in the lab, which builds a bridge between me and the students. I've also had a death threat from one of the students, including posting an image of me entitled 'chief bigot' with my work address and 'never suffer a bigot to live'. A colleague - another trans activist - posted my emails on social media in an attempt to shame me. I had a poster stuck outside my office in an attempt to intimidate me and constant defamations on social media. The defamations have subsided but I was recently threatened in a pub by one of the activists. I could go on. I'm glad to say we have new people in positions of authority at the university and that gives me genuine optimism for the future. I'm also very glad to say that bar the odd activist, my students are the loveliest and brightest young people anyone could have the privilege to meet.'

He posts quite a bit on gender critical news and gender ideology maddness - retweeting Sex Matters, For Women Scotland and talking about LWS activity. Looking back to middle of 2024 I sense that he posts more and has a wider interest in all this than he did before the activists tried to silence him. My, they are very very poor at this aren't they?

Hoping he will win the teaching excellence award in 2026.

https://x.com/JohnB_Aberdeen

Good point

It sounds as if the awful bullying he was subjected to made him "educate himself" more on the subject and confirmed to him how batshit these students and their causes are. Kind of like Roisin Murphy. Funny that...

I wish him well and I'm glad sense has returned.

This is basically what happened to Dawkins and turned him into a significant GC advocate.