Anti-intellectualism, indeed anti-thought, flourishing in the University and College Union, the UK trade union and professional association for academics, lecturers, trainers, researchers and academic-related staff in higher education:

UCU’s Equality Groups Conference is meeting in Birmingham today – members are currently hearing from General Secretary Jo Grady about the wide range of work the union is doing to tackle inequality in FE and HE and beyond 1/

…

Jo also reaffirmed the union’s unequivocal support for trans rights and trans inclusion 4/

And for not asking what it is we’re supporting:

“We need to shift our focus away from definitions and abstract debates about competing rights, and try to quantify and understand the real violence and discrimination that bears down on marginalised groups in our society” /5

But if we shift our focus away from definitions how do we know what we’re talking about? How do we know we’re all talking about the same thing? How do we know what “discrimination” is, what “marginalised” means, what we’re talking about when we talk about “our society”?

Alessandra Asteriti nailed it:

Privileged people can eschew definitions. Because they define reality around them and do not need to be defined by it. This is really making me boil with rage

Her field is international law, so she would know.