Professor ‘vilified’ over accusations of transphobic views quits Open University

Prof Jo Phoenix will move to the University of Reading to teach law and criminology - Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph
Prof Jo Phoenix will move to the University of Reading to teach law and criminology - Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph

A respected professor of criminology has quit the Open University, accusing it of failing to protect her right to free speech in the face of attacks by transgender activists and their supporters.

Prof Jo Phoenix claimed that she was being “harassed and vilified” by her own colleagues at the university for her views on sex and gender, including being compared to a “racist uncle at Christmas”.

She launched an employment tribunal case against the university, alleging that it had failed to protect her from a campaign of “vicious bullying” by those who opposed her views, including her position that male-bodied prisoners should not be in female prison and her criticism of Stonewall’s influence in universities.

Resigning from the university, Prof Phoenix stated: “The University has allowed things to escalate to a point beyond repair. My trust and heart have been broken.”

She will be moving to the University of Reading to teach law and criminology, saying that it had “demonstrated its commitment to upholding and protecting academic freedom”.

The move is the latest in the increasingly bitter dispute between a number of feminist academics and transgender activists over the issue of gender-critical thinking and claims of transphobia.

Earlier this year, more than 360 of Prof Phoenix’s colleagues signed a public letter criticising the Gender Critical Research Network, which she founded, and demanding that the Open University remove all its support and funding.

Prof Phoenix claimed that she was discriminated against owing to her gender-critical views, which were deemed by a tribunal earlier this year to be a “protected characteristic” under the Equality Act 2010, and has launched a crowdfunding campaign which has so far attracted more than £88,000 in donations.

The University of Reading said: “We are dedicated to maintaining an open, welcoming and respectful environment for all students and staff, and to uphold principles of free speech and academic freedom.”

A spokesman for the Open University said: “We are sorry to have received Professor Phoenix’s resignation and understand it has been a challenging time for her and for many others at the university.

“We strive to create an environment where an academic can express a view freely, and where others can disagree with that view, such is the nature of academic freedom even for the most polarising of topics. All academic discussion must also happen in accordance with our values, expected behaviours and the law.

“Since the Gender Critical Research Network was established in June, we have offered support to Professor Phoenix, other staff, and students and will continue to do so. We wish her well in her new role at Reading University.”

Free speech legislation ‘could have saved my career’

Prof Kathleen Stock quit the University of Sussex in October after facing death threats and accusations of transphobia - Andrew Crowley for The Telegraph
Prof Kathleen Stock quit the University of Sussex in October after facing death threats and accusations of transphobia - Andrew Crowley for The Telegraph

Prof Phoenix’s resignation came as another academic claimed proposed legislation to protect free speech on campus could have saved her career.

Prof Kathleen Stock, an expert in analytic philosophy, quit the University of Sussex in October after facing death threats and accusations of transphobia.

However, Prof Stock has now revealed that she thinks the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, currently passing through the House of Commons, could have helped her remain in her post.

“It would have made a real difference because there is a real lack of understanding of the value of free speech and academic freedom,” she told the Legatum Institute in London this week, according to Times Higher Education.

“It may sound draconian but [legislation] is needed because universities have failed to grasp this problem. If my detractors at Sussex had been warned about [the importance] of academic freedom and knew what it was for, it is possible they would not have been emboldened as they did.”

Prof Stock, who denies all allegations of transphobia, published a book earlier this year questioning the idea that gender identity is more “socially significant” than biological sex.

She previously questioned whether men who identify as women should have automatic access to women-only facilities such as changing rooms, or be allowed to appear on women-only shortlists or sports teams.

In the wake of threats she faced from transgender activists, Prof Stock, who is to become a founding fellow at the University of Austin, was advised by the police to take personal security measures.