Gender-critical professor in victory over Open University
THE Open University “feared” being seen to support gender-critical beliefs when it failed to protect a professor from harassment, a judge ruled.
Jo Phoenix, a criminology professor, was celebrating last night after an employment tribunal found that she had been forced to quit her job because of the university’s conduct.
A ruling found that the Open University’s failure to protect her from harassment from colleagues and trans activists was motivated by “fear of being seen to support gender-critical beliefs” and “fear of the pro gender identity section” of the university.
Prof Phoenix started working at the university in 2013 and hoped to retire there.
In 2018 she and 53 other academics signed a letter sent to The Guardian newspaper raising concerns about the introduction of self identification for trans people wanting to undergo gender reassignment.
This caused disquiet among some of her colleagues who were “hostile” to gender critical beliefs.
The tribunal heard that in June 2019
published a letter signed by Prof Phoenix and other academics registering “disquiet over a perceived inappropriately close relationship between the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall and UK universities.”
Her views were described as “problematic and scary” by senior lecturer Dr Deborah Drake, the hearing was told and another staff member demanded she be punished.
In October 2019, Prof Louise Westmarland reduced Prof Phoenix to tears when she raised her gender-critical views in a meeting.
Prof Phoenix’s compensation will be decided at a later date.