Professor ‘vilified’ for views on gender quits Open University
Academic says institution failed to protect her after staff compared her to a ‘racist uncle at Christmas’
‘The university has allowed things to escalate to a point beyond repair. My trust and heart have been broken’
A RESPECTED professor of criminology has quit the Open University, accusing it of failing to protect her right to free speech in the face of attacks by trans activists and their supporters.
Prof Jo Phoenix claimed she was “harassed and vilified” by her own colleagues at the Open University for her views on sex and gender, including being compared to a “racist uncle at Christmas”.
She launched an employment tribunal case against the university, alleging it had failed to protect her from a campaign of “vicious bullying” by those who opposed her views, including her position that male-bodied prisoners should not be in female prison and her criticism of Stonewall’s influence in universities.
Resigning from the Open University, Prof Phoenix stated: “The university has allowed things to escalate to a point beyond repair. My trust and heart have been broken.”
She will be moving to the University of Reading to teach law and criminology, saying it had “demonstrated its commitment to upholding and protecting academic freedom”.
The move is the latest in the increasingly bitter dispute between a number of feminist academics and trans activists over the issue of gender critical thinking and claims of transphobia.
Earlier this year, more than 360 of Prof Phoenix’s colleagues signed a public letter criticising the Gender Critical Research Network – which she founded – and demanding that the Open University remove all its support and funding.
She claims she has been discriminated against owing to her gender-critical views, which were deemed by a tribunal earlier this year to be a “protected characteristic” under the Equality Act 2010, and has launched a crowdfunding campaign which has so far attracted more than £88,000 in donations.
The University of Reading said: “We are dedicated to maintaining an open, welcoming and respectful environment for all students and staff, and to uphold principles of free speech and academic freedom.” A spokesman for The Open University said: “We are sorry to have received Prof Phoenix’s resignation and understand it has been a challenging time for her and for many others at the University.
“We strive to create an environment where an academic can express a view freely, and where others can disagree with that view, such is the nature of academic freedom even for the most polarising of topics. All academic discussion must also happen in accordance with our values, expected behaviours and the law.
“Since the Gender Critical Research Network was established in June, we have offered support to Prof Phoenix, other staff, and students and will continue to do so. We wish her well in her new role at Reading University.”
Prof Phoenix’s resignation came as another academic claimed the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, currently passing through the House of Commons could have saved her career.
Prof Kathleen Stock, an expert in analytic philosophy, quit the University of Sussex in October after facing death threats and accusations of transphobia.