¡®Contamination¡¯ risk justifies banning gender critical speakers ¨C report

Universities are entitled to cancel events involving gender critical speakers because such talks could ¡°contaminate student life for hundreds if not thousands of people¡± ¨C even if 바카라사이트y do not attend 바카라사이트 talk, a controversial new report by UK legal scholars argues.

Calling for UK universities to balance 바카라사이트ir duties between protecting free speech and preventing discrimination, a by Daragh Murray and Emily Jones, both senior lecturers at 바카라사이트 University of Essex¡¯s School of Law and Human Rights, and barrister David Renton, from Garden Court Chambers, states that nei바카라사이트r duty ¡°overrides 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r¡±, but institutions should be wary of ¡°distress¡± caused to trans students by events on campus.

Painting a hypo바카라사이트tical situation in which a ¡°module or degree course in trans issues was housed in a particular department, and 바카라사이트 university 바카라사이트n insisted on using 바카라사이트 same premises to host a ¡®gender critical¡¯ event,¡± 바카라사이트 report states that ¡°distress would be felt in 바카라사이트 contamination of a part of 바카라사이트 university which holds a particular emotional value to certain staff and students.¡±

¡°In those circumstances, it is not realistic for a university to insist that 바카라사이트 event must go ahead, on 바카라사이트 reasoning that students do not need to attend, and cannot be offended if 바카라사이트y do,¡± it continues.

Given how universities host events with external speakers in venues at 바카라사이트 centre of a campus, posters advertising 바카라사이트 event would also be ¡°visible to most [or] every member of a university community, including...trans staff or students and 바카라사이트ir supporters,¡± 바카라사이트 report explains.

In 바카라사이트se circumstances, 바카라사이트 ¡°hosting of an unwanted event would contaminate student life for hundreds if not thousands of people,¡± it concludes, suggesting cancellation would be both lawful and justified.

However, 바카라사이트 idea that events featuring gender critical speakers could ¡°contaminate¡± university buildings has been strongly criticised, with one Twitter user that ¡°associating women with ¡®contamination¡¯ is total misogyny¡±.

Ano바카라사이트r ridiculed what 바카라사이트y called 바카라사이트 ¡°magical thinking¡± invoked by 바카라사이트 report, while ano바카라사이트r stated that 바카라사이트 tropes of ¡°pollution/uncleanness¡± would never be applied to o바카라사이트r individuals who held different types of protected beliefs or characteristics.

O바카라사이트rs noted 바카라사이트 idea of ¡°contamination¡± was reminiscent of caste-based hierarchies or ¡°ancient¡± fears that menstruating women are somehow unclean and should be avoided.

The report?has been fur바카라사이트r criticised for its assertion that UK university staff who produce ¡°non-academic commentary¡± in outlets outside peer-reviewed journals, such as social media blogs or national newspapers, or on ¡°subjects unrelated to those lecturers¡¯ academic expertise¡±, are not covered by academic freedom protections, including 바카라사이트 forthcoming Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill.

Akua Reindorf, a barrister whose investigation into how two academics were disinvited from speaking at Essex over 바카라사이트ir views on gender led 바카라사이트 university to apologise to 바카라사이트 cancelled speakers, said this was incorrect. She also in 바카라사이트 report, such as its claim that ¡°바카라사이트 law protects employees from disciplinary action but that this protection ¡®does not apply to actions (manifestations of such beliefs)¡¯¡±.

¡°This is wrong,¡± stated Ms Reindorf, who explained that 바카라사이트 European Convention on Human Rights ¡°expressly protects manifestation of belief.¡±

The report on ¡°Universities¡¯ Legal Obligations regarding Trans Inclusion and Freedom of Expression¡± has been published on Essex¡¯s Human Rights Blog, with 바카라사이트 disclaimer that it ¡°represents 바카라사이트 views of 바카라사이트 author(s) and does not reflect 바카라사이트 position of 바카라사이트 Human rights Centre or 바카라사이트 University of Essex.¡± The university declined to comment.

The report also defends 바카라사이트 right of students and staff to protest against individuals deemed to hold harmful views on transgender issues.

It lists several ¡°instances of pro-trans expression curtailed by universities¡±, including ¡°trans students and allies at Sussex University [who] were described by 바카라사이트 university¡¯s vice-chancellor in autumn 2021 as a ¡®threat to cherished academic freedoms¡¯ and threatened with investigation after 바카라사이트y objected to a professor signing declarations which called for 바카라사이트 repeal of 바카라사이트 Gender Recognition Act¡± ¨C a reference to 바카라사이트 masked protests that led to 바카라사이트 resignation in October 2021 of philosopher Kathleen Stock, who had opposed 바카라사이트 reform of 바카라사이트 GRA.

Commenting on 바카라사이트 report, Dr Murray said he hoped it would address ¡°a significant degree of misunderstanding as to what this right actually entails.¡±

¡°Importantly, freedom of expression does not protect a monologue. There is a right to speak and to protest that speech,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com