Attacked, vilified and ostracised
In the past decade, British academics have been attacked, vilified and ostracised simply for asserting that sex is real, binary and important.
Very important indeed, I should think. Without it we wouldn’t exist!
In a climate where people are frightened to express their views or even to ask questions, universities have a responsibility to act as bastions of critical analysis, where reasoned debate and the pursuit of knowledge thrive. This is not only about protecting individuals but also the integrity of scientific research and scholarship.
Instead, universities have, perhaps unwittingly, institutionalised behaviours which undermine free speech and inquiry. Equality, diversity and inclusion policies and networks have been turned against groups they are supposed to protect, including women and particularly lesbians.
Well it’s like this. The goal was to prop up free speech and inquiry for Team Magic Gender and undermine them only for Team Sex is Real. As for women and lesbians – well, if they are tranz excloosionary they deserve all the shunning and punishment they get.
My government-commissioned review into barriers to research on sex and gender tells the stories of academics who have suffered severe personal consequences. It also tells the less visible stories of those who have been hamstrung by bureaucratic procedures or who have bitten their tongues to avoid becoming victims of the next witch hunt.
We know that the real-world impact of this censorship includes harm to vulnerable people. In her 2024 review of gender services for children and young people, Baroness Cass lamented the lack of quality research into the effects of puberty blockers and other interventions.
Oh well. Children and young people are resilient. They’ll bounce back. Their bodies may not bounce back, but they will.
