Thread by @JoPhoenix1

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Is it hypocritical to write about threats to academic freedom whilst denying it to others?

A cautionary tale about conceptual imperialism, political dogmatism & asserting The Truth

TLDR: stopping the @AHFdoco is only defensible if one thinks trans theory is The Truth.

https://twitter.com/drsarahliu/status/1651599682894741506

I agree with much of what @DrSarahLiu says *in principle*. Academic freedom is under threat by bad faith actors world over. Look at Bolsonaro when he was elected. He shut down much of what sociology depts studied.

But @DrSarahLiu’s reduction ie AF without ‘accountability’ leads to hate speech etc or intrusion of bad faith ideologies is overly simplified and generalised.

In the UK the laws are quite clear - academic freedom ENDS at unlawful speech. Harassment and bullying are

examples of unlawful speech. Calling someone a transphobe for holding a protected belief, asking for them to be discriminated against, likening them to Holocaust deniers, stopping them practising their AF is unlawful. Transphobe is not a neutral term. It is a term that is meant

to shame, to monster a person and to state that they are not welcome or part of the community of the good.

And doing all this whilst singing and dancing does not make it any less censorious.

I don’t like name calling or ppl playing the person and not the ideas.

My view: academics who support the censoring of academic freedom re sex based rights and GC generally treat trans theory and gender identity theory as The Truth, rather than

just another theory about sex (biology), gender (norms) and identity.

When framed like this, I suggest, it is shocking that academics are involved in trying to stop any counter arguments being expressed.

or even screening a film @AHFdoco that does nothing more than express an alternative (to trans theory) set of ideas about sex and gender

and women’s identities. The film - I am in it - is not an anti-trans film. It is a film about women talking about women by women who define woman as they see fit.

So bottom line - unless you seriously claim that trans theory is The Only Truth and are happy with the dogmatism

and the conceptual imperialism you are practising by stopping academics from defining their terms of reference how they

choose (ie by imposing your concepts and definitions without discussion) then you may find yourself on the wrong side of legal history once my employment tribunal is over.

#PhoenixRising

crowdjustice.com/case/harassed-…