A professor in the United Kingdom has won a harassment case against her former university employer after she was likened to a “racist uncle” for her views on gender.
Jo Phoenix, a former professor of criminology at the Open University, signed an open letter in 2018 which raised concerns about transgender individuals using self-identification and also established the Gender Critical Network, according to The Guardian.
Phoenix also faced pushback for signing a letter in the Sunday Times which criticized an allegedly close relationship between the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall and universities in the United Kingdom.
Gender critical feminists believe that sex is biological and should weigh over gender identity.
A tribunal, which heard Phoenix’s case, determined that Louise Westmarland, head of discipline in social policy and criminology at the university, “was effectively telling the claimant off for having expressed gender critical beliefs,” according to the report.
Westmarland called Phoenix a “racist uncle,” according to the report.
“Prof Westmarland knew that likening the claimant to a racist was upsetting for the claimant. We conclude that its purpose was to violate the claimant’s dignity because inherent in the comment is an insult of being put in the same category as racists,” the tribunal panel ruled.
She resigned from the university in 2021, but the tribunal ruled that she was effectively dismissed because the university breached her employment contract.
According to the report, the panel found instances where Phoenix was prohibited from speaking at departmental meetings about how others were treating her because of her gender critical beliefs.
The tribunal also found there was “silence and lack of praise” that were motivated by Phoenix’s gender critical beliefs.
When she set up the Gender Critical Network, 368 of her co-workers signed a letter which called for the disaffiliation of the group and called it transphobic.
The university didn’t ask for the letter to be taken down, which the tribunal considered harassment and had a chilling effect on the claimant expressing her gender critical beliefs and carrying out gender critical research.”
Tim Blackman, vice-chancellor of Open University, told the outlet he’s disappointed and is considering an appeal.
“We are deeply concerned about the wellbeing of everyone involved in the case and acknowledge the significant impact it has had on Prof Phoenix, the witnesses and many other colleagues. Our priority has been to protect freedom of speech while respecting legal rights and protections,” Blackman said.
Originally published by Campus Reform. Republished with permission.
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