Kathleen Stock, in his own words, bullied away at the University of Sussex for its ‘gender -critical’ views, is the same four years later from the British supervisor for higher education. He laid the university last week a fine on From 585,000 pounds (685,000 euros), the highest ever.
After more than three years of research, the Office For Students (OFS), a semi-independent government organization, concludes that the southern English University has failed to protect both Stock’s freedom of expression and its academic freedom.
According to the organization, this is not only apparent from the fact that Stock eventually felt forced to resign, but also from the university regulations on diversity. They determine that ‘trans persons must be positively represented’ and ‘transfobe propaganda’ is not tolerated. According to her critics, these rules are aware, according to the OFS they are too strict and have one chilling effect This can lead to academic self -censorship.
The fate of philosopher Kathleen Stock, described as a “gender-critical feminist”, became a cause célèbre For opponents of what they call ‘gender ideology’. Stock (1972), who published about aesthetics, turned out to be a critic of the Trans Movement in response to an amendment to the law that would make it possible to officially change gender by ‘self-identification’. She worked out her views in the book Material Girls (2021), in which it argues that trans identities are a form of personal ‘fiction’.
To her ‘transphobic’ views, Stock became the target of a campaign to silence her with threats, hateful posters and petitions. After her departure from the University, she settled as a writer. She also joined the new University of Austin, an initiative of right-wing-conservative scientists and publicists such as Bari Weiss, the historian Niall Ferguson and his wife Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Social issues
The judgment of the ofs and the compensation for Stock have aroused great indignation at the University of Sussex, which says it will lodge a legal objection. According to the university, the institution will urge a ‘libertary version of absolute free speech’ Culture Wars about social issues such as gender will perpetuate or worsen.
Controverses are also not strange to the OFS itself. After the foundation in 2018, the organization became the center of a fight about the nomination to board member of the conservative journalist Tony Brown. He withdrew after sexist tweets of him had surfaced.
In 2023, a committee of the British Hogerhuis ruled critically about the functioning of the OFS. The organization gave students too little participation, found the Lords, and was too much as an extension of the government.
During the research into stock, the regulator was led by James Wharton, a conservative member of the Hogerhuis. Last year, David Behan, former top official for Social Affairs, joined as interim chairman.