Students try to oust Cambridge college porter in ‘trans protest’
Cambridge students are calling for a college porter to be suspended after he quit as a councillor in protest at a trans rights motion.
Kevin Price refused to back a proposal which states: ‘Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Non-binary individuals are non-binary.’
The Labour deputy council leader said it would ‘send a chill down the spines’ of some women and argued there was not yet a settled consensus on the issues.
He added raising legitimate concerns were often met with a hostility, pointing to the abuse suffered by JK rowling over her views.
but the Union of Clare Students – the university college at which he works as a porter – condemned him and called for either his suspension or resignation.
it said trans people deserve to feel safe and valued within Clare. LgbT+ officer Frankie Kendal told student newspaper Varsity ‘trans and non-binary students should not have to interact or rely on him [mr Price] for support in any way’.
Fellow student Victoria Longstaff claimed he was unfit to be in a position of responsibility over students in light of his views, which made him a ‘potential risk’.
She said she ‘must support either his resignation or his suspension from his duties at the college’, Varsity reported.
mr Price was also criticised for apparently sharing tweets critical of transgender people.
but the students calling for his removal have been criticised.
The Cambridge radical Feminist movement told Clare College to ‘stand up against this absurd, bullying behaviour’.
They said the outcry was the ‘precise encapsulation of what is so very wrong with the current student culture at Cambridge’.
and UCL sociology professor alice Sullivan tweeted: ‘i hope Clare College will show some backbone and some decency and support Kevin Price. These privileged young people trying to get a worker fired should be utterly ashamed.’
in his resignation speech mr Price – who represented King’s Hedges on Cambridge City Council – said ‘trans rights are human rights. Of course that is indisputable’.
but he argued the first three sentences of the motion ‘will send a chill down the spines of the many women who believe there is a conflict of rights and who want to be able to discuss those in a calm and evidenced-based way’.
He went on to say he could not support this motion – which was passed by councillors – because some women felt that rights were ‘under threat, [and] that they are unable to raise legitimate questions and concerns without a hostile response’.
it also committed to ‘flying the trans flag on international trans day of visibility and international trans day of remembrance’ and ‘stating publicly that trans rights are human rights’.
at the council meeting last week, some expressed their shock and surprise at mr Price’s resignation.
Lib dem markus gehring said: ‘i feel very sad that Cllr Price had to decide to resign rather than supporting what is a fundamental right, what is a human right for all people. i’m not fully understanding his motivation because i think inclusiveness is all over this motion.’
Labour councillor mike Todd-Jones added that mr Price ‘had a huge amount to offer, and has achieved a huge amount for the city, especially our council tenants’.
Clare College was contacted for comment.
‘Stand up to this bullying’