The ‘Academics’ Who Hounded Gender-Critical Professor Jo Phoenix
Pictures have been released of the Open University ‘academics’ adjudged to have hounded criminology expert Professor Jo Phoenix for having gender-critical beliefs. The Mail has the reveal.
Criminology expert Prof. Jo Phoenix, 59, saw her name dragged through the mud at the Open University once her views on the importance of biological sex became known.
Despite assuring colleagues she was not transphobic, a small group of trans activist lecturers refused to set aside their personal politics to allow freedom of opinion.
Instead, ringleader Dr. Leigh Downes, a female who identifies as non-binary, led a campaign against Prof. Phoenix – publishing an open letter “in order to create a pile-on”, which amassed 368 staff signatures.
Last week, in an extraordinary judgment, the participants were criticised for their vindictive motives; as well as their evidence, which a judge described as “evasive” and “not credible”.
Dr Leigh Downes, who identifies as non-binary, led a campaign against Prof Jo Phoenix – publishing an open letter “in order to create a pile-on” which amassed 368 staff signatures
Head of Department Dr Deborah Drake likened Prof Phoenix to US sociologist Charles Murray, who has been perceived as racist. She refused to take action to stop the hostility against Prof Phoenix
Prof Louise Westmarland, a former friend, likened the under-fire professor to “a racist uncle at a dinner party”
Prof Peter Keogh “wanted to create a hostile environment for [Prof Phoenix] and her gender-critical beliefs at the OU”, the tribunal found
Dr Helen Bowes-Catton tweeted a link to the open letter against Prof Phoenix, which the tribunal found had contributed to the pile-on against her
Dr Chris Williams “displayed an irrational fear” in looking at obtaining an injunction against Prof Phoenix “and was hostile to the claimant because she had gender-critical beliefs”, the tribunal noted
Dr Nicola Snarey tweeted: “The Open University should be extremely concerned about what effect this gender-critical research network will have on their academic credibility”
Employment Judge Jennifer Young said: “On multiple occasions, whenever gender-critical views were expressed at the Open University, Dr. Downes complained or tried to get the view suppressed.
“The claimant’s gender-critical beliefs made Dr. Downes feel palpably uncomfortable.”
The judge went on: “The purpose of signing the open letter was to create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for Prof. Phoenix.
“We conclude that having 368 of your colleagues sign a public letter saying that you are part of a group that is fundamentally transphobic, is stigmatising and damaging.”
Besides Dr. Downes, other signatories in the open letter – Dr. Helen Bowes-Catton, Dr. Nicola Snarey, Prof. Peter Keogh, Natalie Starkey and Dr. Chris Williams – were found to have contributed to the hostility, despite their claims that they were expressing academic freedom.
The judge dismissed this reasoning and wrote: “[It] was not an exercise in academic freedom. There is nothing scholastic about the open letter, it stigmatised the claimant and damaged her reputation.” …
The “punishing“ backlash eventually led Prof. Phoenix to leave the university in December 2021.
Last week, the court upheld almost 20 of her claims. A remedies hearing will take place to decide the damages owed to her.
It also ruled that the abuse Phoenix endured was harassment and the university’s failure to protect her from it made it complicit in this treatment.
I am not a professor or an academic of any kind. But even I know women do not have penises. Dicks. A cock and bollocks. Meat and two veg. The old sausage. Swinging bits. Knobs.
But that leaves potentially pecker, johnson, member, ding-dong, tackle, little or big buddy, or chap, tool, junk, or banana. Pretty sure they don’t have those either.
The woke left thought, with the arrival of the Internet and Social Media they had discovered the perfect mechanism for forcing others into compliant thinking or shutting up. They have taken advantage of the rules of polite society and played game theory, thinking they were exposing bigots – which they have defined as those who disagree with them. But instead the world has woken up to their game with definitions, and the definition of what it means to be woke has changed. The world sees these people as not just nasty and vindictive, but cry babies too. They have charged in the room and slammed the door shut thinking they have marked everyone outside as a bigot, but instead they are only just realising they have shut themselves in a stifling pen where everyone can see who they are, laugh at them and they are a sad, vindictive minority.
Stirling work by the tribunal and well done Prof Phoenix, hope she feels vindicated. Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the OU though does it? – if they’re prepared to act this despicably to a colleague, students don’t stand a chance. Go woke, go broke, perhaps…
The Employment judge Jennifer Young has displayed considerable bravery in arriving at such a strong and forthright decision and she should be commended.
The 368 signatories to the Leigh Downes letter should be hanging their cowardly heads in shame although such nasty, pompous pricks are surely without the necessary intelligence to enable any self-reflection. They do however provide a marvellous reason for avoiding the OU. An establishment of learning literally infested with hundreds of peanut brained, shuffling and shambolic cowards all of whom big themselves up within their sheep like herd.
Congratulations to Professor Jo Phoenix. I do hope she gets over this and realises that she is well blessed to be away from this scum, all of whom epitomise everything that is crummy , woke and lamentable in British education.
I started doing an OU degree when I retired but left when a comment from the tutor on one of my initial pieces of work replaced “uninterested” with “disinterested”. As I said to him at the tutorial, “if you don’t know the difference, we are not going to get on” I left soon afterwards.
Several people on here have mentioned this already but it bears repeating: “gender-critical” is a terrible, terrible term. It’s as Orwellian as it gets. The DS should stop amplifying the term by repeatedly using it.
It’s not “gender critical”, its’ “critical of scientifically unsubstantiated gender ideas”. I know it doesn’t quite have the same ring but still. Perhaps “gender traditionalist” if you need something short even if not entirely satisfactory either.
Thanks for this. I make no apology for repeating my post from earlier, in agreement with yours:
“I don’t like us to repeat the term “gender critical” because it makes it sound like those of us (actually probably 99.9% of the population of planet Earth historically and 99% of it now) who correctly identify that there are two sexes and that sex is determined by fate or God at conception are some kind of weird sect, whereas in fact people who believe that men can become women and vice versa are the loonies. I think the phrase was designed to give exactly that impression. Our enemies use corruption of the language to spread their evil.”
I push back continually by using” other” and explaining exactly why I don’t subscribe to the tick box censorship being forced upon me by the particular organisation ….small step but never backwards.
As all this is related to Marxist ideology and the destruction of the family the following YouTube about Kate Millet may provide some context for the origins of all this? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nxPHVZ42M4E
Feminism History EXPOSED in 1 minute
I’m more likely to refer to a trans woman as ‘she’ or a trans man as ‘he’ – out of politeness (not belief) if it’s someone I respect – than I am to refer to a ‘non-binary’ person as ‘they’. It makes no sense. If you’re going around claiming to be ‘non-binary’, just make up your mind one way or the other, and if you’re not sure, I can help you: Which bathrooms and changing rooms do you use? Or do you think you can choose whichever bathrooms and changing rooms you fancy, like a pervert?
It’s completely counter-intuitive to speak about one specific person as they or them, I don’t foresee it ever catching on, as people don’t want to sound silly.
I played rugby in my younger days. I absolutely loved it.
My brother played – a cracking scrum half. He loved it.
My Dad played in his youth. He loved it. He loved it when he was able to watch us play.
I suggest the authors of this report ask some 10 – 15 year olds currently playing rugby if they feel they are being abused. They might need to wear a helmet though.
I’ve come to the conclusion that most left wingers are really thick and just believe what they are told to believe.
jburns75
2 years ago
People underestimate the degree to which this seditious cult has taken a grip on academia and public institutions.
thelightcavalry
2 years ago
By adopting the lingo of the nutcases – ‘gender-critical’, ‘transphobic’, etc – we validate their inversion of reality. That, of course, is their intent.
I have personal experience of a closed minded totalitarian attitude at the OU. Not anything gender view related but simply carrying out course administration. They are incompetent and will not own their mistakes or sort out the consequences of them. An all too typical example of a woke burocracy that pervades our public and academic sectors.
As a class, academics have never been very courageous or independent. Numerous examples down history show how a majority has always waved the flag for whatever the ruling zeitgeist is, be that Communism, Naziism, Imperialism, or anything else.
Motto: make use of academic expertise in a subject (but check the sources), but have no illusions that academics have anything useful to say in general that’s not equally well said by your plumber.
Hester
2 years ago
What a lovely set of people, sauggest if spotted on the street or met with you give them a wide birth.
Jackthegripper
2 years ago
And these odious creatures teach others! People like them make places of learning a hostile environment with their extremist, irrational hatred.
These ‘academics’ are ignorant propagandists that have no right to be in the education system, I despise them all.
How far has this cancerous ideology spread in centres of learning.
Peter1959
2 years ago
I should imagine the 368 signatories signed out of pure cowardice, lest the same treatment be meted out to them.
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I am not a professor or an academic of any kind. But even I know women do not have penises. Dicks. A cock and bollocks. Meat and two veg. The old sausage. Swinging bits. Knobs.
Women do not have any of them.
But that leaves potentially pecker, johnson, member, ding-dong, tackle, little or big buddy, or chap, tool, junk, or banana. Pretty sure they don’t have those either.
Forgot about those! Include John Thomas, privates, todger, chungus, chubby.
The woke left thought, with the arrival of the Internet and Social Media they had discovered the perfect mechanism for forcing others into compliant thinking or shutting up. They have taken advantage of the rules of polite society and played game theory, thinking they were exposing bigots – which they have defined as those who disagree with them. But instead the world has woken up to their game with definitions, and the definition of what it means to be woke has changed. The world sees these people as not just nasty and vindictive, but cry babies too. They have charged in the room and slammed the door shut thinking they have marked everyone outside as a bigot, but instead they are only just realising they have shut themselves in a stifling pen where everyone can see who they are, laugh at them and they are a sad, vindictive minority.
Ho hum.
Stirling work by the tribunal and well done Prof Phoenix, hope she feels vindicated. Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the OU though does it? – if they’re prepared to act this despicably to a colleague, students don’t stand a chance. Go woke, go broke, perhaps…
The Employment judge Jennifer Young has displayed considerable bravery in arriving at such a strong and forthright decision and she should be commended.
The 368 signatories to the Leigh Downes letter should be hanging their cowardly heads in shame although such nasty, pompous pricks are surely without the necessary intelligence to enable any self-reflection. They do however provide a marvellous reason for avoiding the OU. An establishment of learning literally infested with hundreds of peanut brained, shuffling and shambolic cowards all of whom big themselves up within their sheep like herd.
Congratulations to Professor Jo Phoenix. I do hope she gets over this and realises that she is well blessed to be away from this scum, all of whom epitomise everything that is crummy , woke and lamentable in British education.
I await the recruitment campaign for 368 new staff to fill the aca
..demic void – or should that be establish where none existed??
I started doing an OU degree when I retired but left when a comment from the tutor on one of my initial pieces of work replaced “uninterested” with “disinterested”. As I said to him at the tutorial, “if you don’t know the difference, we are not going to get on” I left soon afterwards.
Several people on here have mentioned this already but it bears repeating: “gender-critical” is a terrible, terrible term. It’s as Orwellian as it gets. The DS should stop amplifying the term by repeatedly using it.
It’s not “gender critical”, its’ “critical of scientifically unsubstantiated gender ideas”. I know it doesn’t quite have the same ring but still. Perhaps “gender traditionalist” if you need something short even if not entirely satisfactory either.
Actually, how about gender realists vs gender fantasists.
How about this for a new headline:
Common Person Expressing Facts About Human Biology Hounded and Denounced By Mentally Ill Gang of Nasties
Facts that are accepted by almost everyone on this planet, and have been since the beginning of time.
Or
A Woman Expressing Facts About Human Biology Hounded and Denounced By Mentally Ill Gang of Nasties
Thanks for this. I make no apology for repeating my post from earlier, in agreement with yours:
“I don’t like us to repeat the term “gender critical” because it makes it sound like those of us (actually probably 99.9% of the population of planet Earth historically and 99% of it now) who correctly identify that there are two sexes and that sex is determined by fate or God at conception are some kind of weird sect, whereas in fact people who believe that men can become women and vice versa are the loonies. I think the phrase was designed to give exactly that impression. Our enemies use corruption of the language to spread their evil.”
Language matters.
I push back continually by using” other” and explaining exactly why I don’t subscribe to the tick box censorship being forced upon me by the particular organisation ….small step but never backwards.
So agree. ‘Gender-critical’? What on earth does that mean? TERF? Can’t even remember what it stands for. Please let’s not use their silly language.
As all this is related to Marxist ideology and the destruction of the family the following YouTube about Kate Millet may provide some context for the origins of all this?
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nxPHVZ42M4E
Feminism History EXPOSED in 1 minute
Mallory Millet wrote about her sister in the following SubStack
https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=07b485ae-810a-45d5-97cf-df4fb92b116a&subId=658146
Excellent substack article, thank you!
I’m more likely to refer to a trans woman as ‘she’ or a trans man as ‘he’ – out of politeness (not belief) if it’s someone I respect – than I am to refer to a ‘non-binary’ person as ‘they’. It makes no sense. If you’re going around claiming to be ‘non-binary’, just make up your mind one way or the other, and if you’re not sure, I can help you: Which bathrooms and changing rooms do you use? Or do you think you can choose whichever bathrooms and changing rooms you fancy, like a pervert?
It’s completely counter-intuitive to speak about one specific person as they or them, I don’t foresee it ever catching on, as people don’t want to sound silly.
Just what proportion of the staff there are undemocratic and closed minded.
Who ever thought such people should be in an academic institution.
We are awash with organisations calling themselves “academic”.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/02/01/rugby-is-a-form-of-child-abuse-study-says/
Un …firkin…believable!
I played rugby in my younger days. I absolutely loved it.
My brother played – a cracking scrum half. He loved it.
My Dad played in his youth. He loved it. He loved it when he was able to watch us play.
I suggest the authors of this report ask some 10 – 15 year olds currently playing rugby if they feel they are being abused. They might need to wear a helmet though.
Child abuse? G T F!
“…a female who identifies as non-binary ….”
I’ve come to the conclusion that most left wingers are really thick and just believe what they are told to believe.
People underestimate the degree to which this seditious cult has taken a grip on academia and public institutions.
By adopting the lingo of the nutcases – ‘gender-critical’, ‘transphobic’, etc – we validate their inversion of reality. That, of course, is their intent.
Four women, a cuck and a beardy…
I have personal experience of a closed minded totalitarian attitude at the OU. Not anything gender view related but simply carrying out course administration. They are incompetent and will not own their mistakes or sort out the consequences of them. An all too typical example of a woke burocracy that pervades our public and academic sectors.
As a class, academics have never been very courageous or independent. Numerous examples down history show how a majority has always waved the flag for whatever the ruling zeitgeist is, be that Communism, Naziism, Imperialism, or anything else.
Motto: make use of academic expertise in a subject (but check the sources), but have no illusions that academics have anything useful to say in general that’s not equally well said by your plumber.
What a lovely set of people, sauggest if spotted on the street or met with you give them a wide birth.
And these odious creatures teach others! People like them make places of learning a hostile environment with their extremist, irrational hatred.
These ‘academics’ are ignorant propagandists that have no right to be in the education system, I despise them all.
How far has this cancerous ideology spread in centres of learning.
I should imagine the 368 signatories signed out of pure cowardice, lest the same treatment be meted out to them.
Open University – Harold Wilson’s greatest legacy or so he said. What do you expect?
This little group of scaredy cats ( except the non binery thing ) need to resit their biology exams !!..