Latest news with #AliceSullivan
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK universities have failed to protect gender-critical academics, report finds
UK universities have failed to protect gender-critical academics from bullying and career-threatening restrictions on their research, according to a report. The report, by Prof Alice Sullivan of University College London, recommends that students and staff 'taking part in freedom-restricting harassment should face consequences commensurate with the seriousness of the offence'. Sullivan said her report 'raises stark concerns about barriers to academic freedom in UK universities. Researchers investigating vital issues have been subjected to sustained campaigns of intimidation simply for acknowledging the biological and social importance of sex.' The report said the updated Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which comes into force in August, will uphold researchers' rights in England, and calls for similar mechanisms in other parts of the UK. The report's evidence pre-dates the UK supreme court's April ruling on biological sex. A government spokesperson said: 'We are taking strong action to protect academic freedom and free speech, which are fundamental to our world-leading universities. 'This includes introducing new duties on universities to ensure they are robust in promoting and protecting free speech on campus. It also comes alongside the firm steps the Office for Students is already taking, through fines and new guidance, to ensure universities remain beacons of academic freedom.' Sullivan's other work includes a review commissioned by the previous Conservative government and published in March 2025 of barriers to research on sex and gender. The latest report's call for evidence received 140 responses, the majority from people agreeing with gender-critical views – defined as a belief that biological sex is unchanging and should not be conflated with gender. Sullivan blamed increasing layers of management and an insecure career structure for reducing academic autonomy, making researchers more vulnerable to internal and external pressures. 'Excessive and cumbersome bureaucratic processes have exacerbated the problem by providing levers for activists to exert influence. Academic institutions need to examine their policies and processes carefully to avoid these unintended outcomes,' she said. 'When fundamental issues cannot be investigated or debated openly, this undermines our academic institutions, it hurts individuals and it compromises the integrity of research. The suppression of research often harms the very groups that activists claim to support.' The report said: 'The decline of democratic academic governance means that, in most universities, the majority of academics engaged in teaching and research have little say or voice in how their universities are run.' It recommends that universities help students to see 'robust disagreement as an opportunity for intellectual growth rather than a threat'. They should also 'avoid directing staff or students to mental health support resources in response to the presence of views with which they disagree'. Many of the submissions detailed how research involving sex and gender was opposed or downgraded by other staff or administrators. It also included examples where Sullivan was targeted, including a planned talk that led to a one-day conference being cancelled in 2020. Kathleen Stock, the professor of philosophy who resigned from the University of Sussex after protests and hostility from other academics, submitted detailed evidence on the three-year campaign of opposition she experienced for her gender-critical views. Stock revealed a catalogue of abuse on campus and social media dating back to 2018, escalating to protests in autumn 2021 that she described as 'a sustained campaign of intimidation' that led to her resignation. A spokesperson for Universities UK, representing vice-chancellors, said: 'In practice universities are bound by law to protect the free speech of individuals who have very different views on contentious topics. They are required both to allow and facilitate protest, and to prevent that protest creating an intimidatory or chilling environment on campus or from preventing staff and students from pursuing their work and studies. 'We will carefully consider this report as part of our work in supporting universities as they navigate these difficult issues.'
Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Universities ‘don't protect academics from trans harassment'
Universities have failed to protect gender-critical academics from interference and harassment, a government-commissioned report has found. A review led by Professor Alice Sullivan, a sociology expert at University College London (UCL), found that many academics had faced 'barriers to research' as well as abuse and intimidation because of their gender-critical views. The report, which was commissioned by the previous Conservative government and analysed submissions from 140 academics, claimed failure to support such individuals was 'a stain on the higher education sector'. It alleged that administrative bloat at UK universities in recent years and the growth of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) departments were interfering with academic freedom. 'Provided levers for activists' Prof Sullivan suggested they had 'provided levers for activists' trying to shut down gender-critical academics by requiring research to be approved by lengthy ethics committees. The report - on barriers to research on sex and gender identity at British universities - said this had also resulted in some academics having parts of their studies blocked. One anonymised submission from a UK academic claimed they were prevented from collecting data on the number of transgender and non-binary patients in an NHS autism clinic. Another alleged that they were unable to collect data on sex for various national datasets despite the research being relevant to domestic abuse. 'EDI overreach' The report called for universities to crack down on 'EDI overreach' and said such departments should be slimmed down to personnel matters rather than being involved in deciding research content. It comes after research published earlier this year by the Taxpayers' Alliance (TPA) found that the cost of EDI teams at British universities rose by 125 per cent between 2022 and 2024, to £168,000 on average per institution. The number of EDI staff in UK higher education also swelled by a fifth over that time, with each university out of 110 analysed by the TPA employing an average of 6.9 people in such roles in 2023/24. The report published on Wednesday, led by Prof Sullivan and with input from other academics, urged universities to review their governance documents to remove 'partisan policies and messaging on questions of sex and gender'. 'A chilling effect arose' It claimed free speech and academic freedom on UK campuses have come 'under attack' in recent years by those who believe 'treating sex as an important category 'denies the existence' of trans people'. The report cited the evidence over the treatment of academics including Professor Kathleen Stock and Professor Jo Phoenix, who both claim they were subjected to serious harassment campaigns at their respective universities. The university's watchdog hit the University of Sussex with a record fine of £585,000 in March for failing to uphold free speech in the case of Prof Stock, who claims she was hounded out in a 'witch hunt' over her views on gender. The Office for Students (OfS) warned that 'a chilling effect arose' from the university's transgender policy that caused staff and students to 'self-censor' and left them feeling unable to express 'lawful' opinions. 'Hostile environment' Meanwhile, Prof Phoenix won an unfair dismissal claim against the Open University last year after she was discriminated against and harassed because of her gender-critical beliefs. An employment tribunal found that the academic was compared with 'a racist uncle at the Christmas table' and was forced to quit her job because of a 'hostile environment' created by colleagues and 'insufficient protection' from the university. Long-awaited free speech laws are set to come into force in England next month after they were temporarily shelved by the Labour Government. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act will include a new free speech complaints scheme for teaching staff overseen by Professor Arif Ahmed, the university watchdog's director of academic freedom. 'These are complex issues' Universities UK (UUK), the lobby group representing vice-chancellors, said it would 'carefully consider' the report's findings. A spokesman for UUK said: 'We agree that universities must protect and defend academic freedom and freedom of speech. They are bound to do so by law and, in England, there is a new regulatory approach under the Freedom of Speech Act which is about to come into force. 'These are complex issues. In practice, universities are bound by law to protect the free speech of individuals who have very different views on contentious topics. They are required both to allow and facilitate protest, and to prevent that protest from creating an intimidatory or chilling environment on campus or from preventing staff and students from pursuing their work and studies. 'We will carefully consider this report as part of our work in supporting universities as they navigate these difficult issues.'
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK universities have failed to protect gender-critical academics, report finds
UK universities have failed to protect gender-critical academics from bullying and career-threatening restrictions on their research, according to a report. The report, by Prof Alice Sullivan of University College London, recommends that students and staff 'taking part in freedom-restricting harassment should face consequences commensurate with the seriousness of the offence'. Sullivan said her report 'raises stark concerns about barriers to academic freedom in UK universities. Researchers investigating vital issues have been subjected to sustained campaigns of intimidation simply for acknowledging the biological and social importance of sex.' The report said the updated Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which comes into force in August, will uphold researchers' rights in England, and calls for similar mechanisms in other parts of the UK. The report's evidence pre-dates the UK supreme court's April ruling on biological sex. A government spokesperson said: 'We are taking strong action to protect academic freedom and free speech, which are fundamental to our world-leading universities. 'This includes introducing new duties on universities to ensure they are robust in promoting and protecting free speech on campus. It also comes alongside the firm steps the Office for Students is already taking, through fines and new guidance, to ensure universities remain beacons of academic freedom.' Sullivan's other work includes a review commissioned by the previous Conservative government and published in March 2025 of barriers to research on sex and gender. The latest report's call for evidence received 140 responses, the majority from people agreeing with gender-critical views – defined as a belief that biological sex is unchanging and should not be conflated with gender. Sullivan blamed increasing layers of management and an insecure career structure for reducing academic autonomy, making researchers more vulnerable to internal and external pressures. 'Excessive and cumbersome bureaucratic processes have exacerbated the problem by providing levers for activists to exert influence. Academic institutions need to examine their policies and processes carefully to avoid these unintended outcomes,' she said. 'When fundamental issues cannot be investigated or debated openly, this undermines our academic institutions, it hurts individuals and it compromises the integrity of research. The suppression of research often harms the very groups that activists claim to support.' The report said: 'The decline of democratic academic governance means that, in most universities, the majority of academics engaged in teaching and research have little say or voice in how their universities are run.' It recommends that universities help students to see 'robust disagreement as an opportunity for intellectual growth rather than a threat'. They should also 'avoid directing staff or students to mental health support resources in response to the presence of views with which they disagree'. Many of the submissions detailed how research involving sex and gender was opposed or downgraded by other staff or administrators. It also included examples where Sullivan was targeted, including a planned talk that led to a one-day conference being cancelled in 2020. Kathleen Stock, the professor of philosophy who resigned from the University of Sussex after protests and hostility from other academics, submitted detailed evidence on the three-year campaign of opposition she experienced for her gender-critical views. Stock revealed a catalogue of abuse on campus and social media dating back to 2018, escalating to protests in autumn 2021 that she described as 'a sustained campaign of intimidation' that led to her resignation. A spokesperson for Universities UK, representing vice-chancellors, said: 'In practice universities are bound by law to protect the free speech of individuals who have very different views on contentious topics. They are required both to allow and facilitate protest, and to prevent that protest creating an intimidatory or chilling environment on campus or from preventing staff and students from pursuing their work and studies. 'We will carefully consider this report as part of our work in supporting universities as they navigate these difficult issues.'
Rhyl Journal
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Universities did not protect gender-critical academics from harassment
A review led by Alice Sullivan, a professor of sociology at University College London (UCL), said free speech and academic freedom have come 'under attack' at UK universities by those who believe 'treating sex as an important category 'denies the existence' of trans people''. The report – on barriers to research on sex and gender identity – has called for staff and students who take part in freedom-restricting harassment to face 'consequences commensurate with the seriousness of the offence'. Universities should critically review their policies and practices to remove 'partisan policies and messaging on questions of sex and gender', it added. The report follows a review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, which was commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology under the former Conservative government in February 2024. It came after high-profile cases of academics who faced harassment relating to their gender-critical views garnered media attention in recent years. In March, the Office for Students (OfS) issued a fine of £585,000 to the University of Sussex for failing to uphold freedom of speech. The watchdog's investigation into the university was launched after protests called for the dismissal of academic Professor Kathleen Stock in 2021 over her views on gender identity. The OfS concluded the university's trans and non-binary equality policy statement had 'a chilling effect' of possible self-censorship of students and staff on campus. In January last year, an academic won an unfair dismissal claim against the Open University (OU) after she was discriminated against and harassed because of her gender-critical beliefs. An employment tribunal found Professor Jo Phoenix – who was compared with 'a racist uncle at the Christmas table' – was forced to quit her job because of a 'hostile environment' created by colleagues and 'insufficient protection' from the university. Prof Sullivan's latest report cites evidence from a number of academics – including Prof Stock and Prof Phoenix – who have challenged the theory that sex is always less important than gender identity. It said: 'Several respondents to this review have suffered extreme personal consequences, both to their careers and to their physical and mental health, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and extensive sick leave as a result of bullying, harassment and discrimination. 'The failure to adequately support and defend these individuals is a stain on the higher education sector.' The review concluded: 'Campaigns of harassment have had devastating consequences for individuals and created a wider chilling effect for academia and the research community. 'University policies have often adhered to the tenets of gender-identity theory, thus embedding discriminatory practices. 'In cases where individual academics or students have tried to resolve issues using internal mechanisms, these processes have often proven inadequate. 'Going to an employment tribunal is an exceptionally onerous and potentially career-ending step. 'Statements from higher education management representatives and bodies have typically downplayed and denied problems with academic freedom, dismissing or minimising concerns as 'media noise' or 'culture wars'.' Report author Prof Sullivan, from the UCL Social Research Institute, said: 'The evidence I have collected raises stark concerns about barriers to academic freedom in UK universities. 'Researchers investigating vital issues have been subjected to sustained campaigns of intimidation simply for acknowledging the biological and social importance of sex. 'Excessive and cumbersome bureaucratic processes have exacerbated the problem by providing levers for activists to exert influence. 'Academic institutions need to examine their policies and processes carefully to avoid these unintended outcomes.' Among a series of recommendations, the report said senior leaders in higher education should acknowledge the reality of bullying and harassment by internal activists and 'take on board the lessons of the Phoenix judgment'. Prof Phoenix, who resigned from the OU in December 2021 after she was harassed for her gender-critical views, said: 'I just suggested that there was a different evidence base from which we could make assessments about the potential harms of placing males who identify as trans in female prisons and I set up a research network. That was all I ever did. 'But it was enough for the activist academics to stop my criminological research career in its track and to do so permanently.' A Government spokeswoman said: 'We are taking strong action to protect academic freedom and free speech, which are fundamental to our world-leading universities. 'This includes introducing new duties on universities to ensure they are robust in promoting and protecting free speech on campus. 'It also comes alongside the firm steps the Office for Students is already taking, through fines and new guidance, to ensure universities remain beacons of academic freedom.' A Universities UK (UUK) spokeswoman said: 'We agree that universities must protect and defend academic freedom and freedom of speech. 'They are bound to do so by law and, in England, there is a new regulatory approach under the Freedom of Speech Act which is about to come into force. 'These are complex issues. In practice universities are bound by law to protect the free speech of individuals who have very different views on contentious topics. 'They are required both to allow and facilitate protest, and to prevent that protest creating an intimidatory or chilling environment on campus or from preventing staff and students from pursuing their work and studies. 'We will carefully consider this report as part of our work in supporting universities as they navigate these difficult issues.'
South Wales Argus
01-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Universities did not protect gender-critical academics from harassment
A review led by Alice Sullivan, a professor of sociology at University College London (UCL), said free speech and academic freedom have come 'under attack' at UK universities by those who believe 'treating sex as an important category 'denies the existence' of trans people''. The report – on barriers to research on sex and gender identity – has called for staff and students who take part in freedom-restricting harassment to face 'consequences commensurate with the seriousness of the offence'. Universities should critically review their policies and practices to remove 'partisan policies and messaging on questions of sex and gender', it added. The report follows a review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, which was commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology under the former Conservative government in February 2024. It came after high-profile cases of academics who faced harassment relating to their gender-critical views garnered media attention in recent years. In March, the Office for Students (OfS) issued a fine of £585,000 to the University of Sussex for failing to uphold freedom of speech. The watchdog's investigation into the university was launched after protests called for the dismissal of academic Professor Kathleen Stock in 2021 over her views on gender identity. The OfS concluded the university's trans and non-binary equality policy statement had 'a chilling effect' of possible self-censorship of students and staff on campus. In January last year, an academic won an unfair dismissal claim against the Open University (OU) after she was discriminated against and harassed because of her gender-critical beliefs. An employment tribunal found Professor Jo Phoenix – who was compared with 'a racist uncle at the Christmas table' – was forced to quit her job because of a 'hostile environment' created by colleagues and 'insufficient protection' from the university. Prof Sullivan's latest report cites evidence from a number of academics – including Prof Stock and Prof Phoenix – who have challenged the theory that sex is always less important than gender identity. Protests called for the dismissal of Professor Kathleen Stock in 2021 over her views on gender identity (Oxford Union Society/PA) It said: 'Several respondents to this review have suffered extreme personal consequences, both to their careers and to their physical and mental health, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and extensive sick leave as a result of bullying, harassment and discrimination. 'The failure to adequately support and defend these individuals is a stain on the higher education sector.' The review concluded: 'Campaigns of harassment have had devastating consequences for individuals and created a wider chilling effect for academia and the research community. 'University policies have often adhered to the tenets of gender-identity theory, thus embedding discriminatory practices. 'In cases where individual academics or students have tried to resolve issues using internal mechanisms, these processes have often proven inadequate. 'Going to an employment tribunal is an exceptionally onerous and potentially career-ending step. 'Statements from higher education management representatives and bodies have typically downplayed and denied problems with academic freedom, dismissing or minimising concerns as 'media noise' or 'culture wars'.' Report author Prof Sullivan, from the UCL Social Research Institute, said: 'The evidence I have collected raises stark concerns about barriers to academic freedom in UK universities. 'Researchers investigating vital issues have been subjected to sustained campaigns of intimidation simply for acknowledging the biological and social importance of sex. 'Excessive and cumbersome bureaucratic processes have exacerbated the problem by providing levers for activists to exert influence. 'Academic institutions need to examine their policies and processes carefully to avoid these unintended outcomes.' Among a series of recommendations, the report said senior leaders in higher education should acknowledge the reality of bullying and harassment by internal activists and 'take on board the lessons of the Phoenix judgment'. Prof Phoenix, who resigned from the OU in December 2021 after she was harassed for her gender-critical views, said: 'I just suggested that there was a different evidence base from which we could make assessments about the potential harms of placing males who identify as trans in female prisons and I set up a research network. That was all I ever did. 'But it was enough for the activist academics to stop my criminological research career in its track and to do so permanently.' A Government spokeswoman said: 'We are taking strong action to protect academic freedom and free speech, which are fundamental to our world-leading universities. 'This includes introducing new duties on universities to ensure they are robust in promoting and protecting free speech on campus. 'It also comes alongside the firm steps the Office for Students is already taking, through fines and new guidance, to ensure universities remain beacons of academic freedom.' A Universities UK (UUK) spokeswoman said: 'We agree that universities must protect and defend academic freedom and freedom of speech. 'They are bound to do so by law and, in England, there is a new regulatory approach under the Freedom of Speech Act which is about to come into force. 'These are complex issues. In practice universities are bound by law to protect the free speech of individuals who have very different views on contentious topics. 'They are required both to allow and facilitate protest, and to prevent that protest creating an intimidatory or chilling environment on campus or from preventing staff and students from pursuing their work and studies. 'We will carefully consider this report as part of our work in supporting universities as they navigate these difficult issues.'
