Mick Hartley

The trans activists are out at Sussex University, targeting Kathleen Stock – professor of philosophy, gender critical feminist, and author of Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism. 

A targeted campaign against a philosophy professor accused of transphobia has been condemned as harassment by the University of Sussex.

Posters demanding the university fire Kathleen Stock appeared on campus this morning, and smoke bombs were set off as a masked protester held a banner saying Stock Out at the entrance to campus.

The protesters say Professor Stock seeks to exclude and endanger trans people by, for example, supporting female-only spaces and sport and questioning the safety of puberty blocking drugs prescribed to minors.

The campaign has been publicly supported by one of Stock’s colleagues, art history lecturer Francesco Ventrella.

In her latest book, Material Girls, Stock argued the discussion around trans theory and the definition of what a woman is had become surrounded by toxicity.

This is not the first time she has faced calls for her sacking.

This latest campaign today posted a “mission statement” on its Instagram page which said: “Stock is one of this wretched island’s most prominent transphobes, espousing a bastardized variation of ‘radical feminism’ that excludes and endangers trans people.

“She has spent years campaigning for the exclusion of trans people from ‘women’s only spaces’ and against trans and non-binary people’s right to self-identify as any gender.”

Well yes. A transphobe now seems to be defined as anyone who disputes the dogmas of gender identity, such as "trans women are women", and believes that women-only spaces should be for, um, women only. Quite how trans people are "endangered" by this remains a mystery.

It concludes: “Our demand is simple: fire Kathleen Stock. Until then, you’ll see us around.”

No debate, no discussion. Anyone deviating from the correct trans views must be silenced. But at least the university authorities are standing firm. For the moment.

A University of Sussex spokesperson said: “We were extremely concerned to see the harassment towards our staff member and took immediate action in response to this, which we continue to do.

“We are deeply committed to being a safe and inclusive university, which values and advances equality and diversity, seeks to resolve conflicts, advances good relations and upholds lawful free speech.

“As a university community, we must be able to have complex discussions without bullying or harassment. We will always take swift action when this occurs.

“Our role as a university is to facilitate such conversations to advance shared understanding and common agreement. We insist that these are carried out respectfully and are always protective of our staff and students.”

Update: see Dennis Kavanagh – Anatomy of a botched cancellation.