“Once more unto the breach…”

Progress, of a sort, with the Open University regarding the Gender Critical Research Network

I have received a reply today following my pursuit of a formal complaint to the Open University regarding the Gender Critical Research Network. To say I’m unimpressed is to put it very mildly indeed. However, in many ways, that makes it simpler to respond to, and easier to be very clear in my meaning. Things are being pared down to the quick, here. As you will see, the points I am responding to that I’ve received are in quote marks and inset. Please feel free to comment to me or to the Open University if you are so inclined.

Thank you for your email. I would respond to your points as follows:

“The Gender Critical Research Network is a self-organised group set up by individuals, some of which may be University Staff and also external academics to the University, but importantly the group is not set up by the University so I cannot agree with your statement that the reputation of the University is under attack.”

This group carries both the Open University name and logo, with the Open University’s permission and approval. They make much of being affiliated to the OU, and the status that carrying the Open University name gives them. People see this, and see the Open University as condoning what this group stands for; the principles of gender critical thinking. As I have demonstrated and provided evidence for repeatedly, ‘gender critical’ is equated with transphobia, and therefore this can only harm the Open University’s reputation for inclusion and for standing against discrimination. Transphobia is hate speech, and goes against the Open University’s own Gender Inclusion and EDI policies. If you can see any other outcome of the association between the Open University’s name and the term ‘Gender Critical’ I would be very interested to hear it, as I would any other valid or realistic interpretation of ‘Gender Critical’.

“I am keen to understand the specifics of how you feel the Gender Critical Research Network has created a ‘hostile, discriminatory environment’ for you, as you had worded it in your complaint. Until I have this specific detail I can only suggest that you opt out of viewing content from this academic group as it is not part of the University and therefore not a part of your study programme. I hope this suggestion does not dismiss your feelings toward the group and is taken as intended, as advice to support your future study progression. You have been working with your student support team recently and I would recommend following up with them once more to discuss your progression if you feel it may be impacted in future.”

If this group is not part of the university, it should not carry the university name or logo. I am aware it is not a direct part of my personal studies at the university. However, I am making a deliberate effort this year to take part in the wider activities and opportunities being an OU student offers me. I have written for The Hoot student magazine several times now, and am an active part of the OU Pride group, and was proud to represent them in the first of the Student Insight panels as part of this year’s Freshers activities. I take an active interest in what goes on in the OUSA forums, and took part in the discussion there when a gender critical student group was proposed.

As someone with transgender family and close friends, and as someone who is an active part of my OU communities – both the LGBTQ+ and the OUSA – I don’t think I can just close my eyes to the presence of a Gender Critical Research Network, and ignore what it is doing. I can speak up about this. I can pay attention to what this group are saying and doing, and I know from both experience and those who have taken the time to get in touch with me, that this is a position of privilege I have, and I am doing all this with that at the forefront of my mind. There are many trans, non-binary and gender non conforming people at the Open University, and there are many who even here do not feel able to speak up for themselves where there may be conflict or disagreement. They should not have to justify their right to work and study at a place where those who deny their rights and lived experience are not given a platform. In this situation, it’s not a question of anyone else’s definition or experience of what gender critical means. What matters is what it means to trans, non-binary and gender non conforming staff and students, and indeed their allies and the wider LGBTQ+ community, as it’s very rare to find transphobia existing in a vacuum where other bigotry is not waiting in the wings.

You are telling me just to not look, and that is dismissing my feelings towards this group, and I am both surprised and disappointed at this suggestion. The hostile and discriminatory environment you wish to know about has been created by my university’s administration. Their decision to not only allow that a research network based on gender critical principles is a worthwhile and valid pursuit, but one that the university is happy to qualify by publicly demonstrating their approval in allowing the use of their name and logo, is precisely what has done this. Gender critical beliefs are inherently hostile and discriminatory. This is an unavoidable truth. It is one thing to accept that there are people with gender critical beliefs at the university, just as there will be anywhere else. It is another to find the university governing body condoning those beliefs, and allowing them an established place from which to propagate.

“I have reviewed your social media complaint related to hate speech with the attached documents and I can see that the posts you have shared are the opinions of individuals within social media channels that do not aim to attack you directly. The posts are clearly demonstrating an opinion that you feel strongly opposed to and I do not want to dismiss how viewing these comments must make you feel as they are clearly opposing views to yours. However, as I cannot see any intent within the posts that may have intention to impact on you directly I can only advise that you distance yourself from those people on social media who share opposing views to yours in the future. I respect that you acknowledge people must have their own independent views and opinions and these will sometimes differ compared with your own views and opinions but only you can take action in how much of those differing views you choose to surround yourself with and the impact it will have on you personally.”

I do take responsibility for how much I ‘surround myself’ with the opinions of those with differing views on social media, and I always have. I have been using the internet since the early 1990’s, and back then I was a SysOp on Compuserve; I was one of the first to fill that role in the UK. I am aware of how to deal with opposing views on the internet, and how to do so without contravening the rules on the use of hate speech or discriminatory behaviour towards those with protected characteristics. Someone does not have to be oppressing me personally for me to recognise the oppression, and when I see that, I am going to point it out. In fact, I am going to follow the correct procedures and report it, as I have done here. These opinions are being posted on a public forum. Their interviews and podcasts are being promoted as coming from part of the Open University, a place where I’m a student, and they are on a subject I have not only a personal interest in, but am interested in as part of my studies in psychology. Why would I close my eyes to difficult or opposing points of view? I am not reporting this because of injury directly to myself. I am reporting it because it is wrong.

Nevertheless, if I see someone expressing biphobia, or bi erasure, how is that not attacking me directly, as a bi woman? Does that mocking disregard of the fact that bi and pan people exist, and continue to exist when they have relationships with people of genders other than their own apply to everyone but me? I am honestly offended that your response to this is that it’s my own fault for looking, and I should know better in future, when university staff are posting discriminatory and offensive messages like this. I will not look the other way. No. I struggle to believe that the university’s official position on this is that we should just all pretend they aren’t there.

“For the reasons above I cannot uphold your complaint regarding the Gender Critical Research Network. If you wish to submit a formal complaint regarding this matter you should complete the online form”

I am attaching this to the online form, and will also be posting it online, as I have all my correspondence on this matter, and will continue to do so. I look forward to your earliest response and reiterate my hopes for an acceptable resolution to this:

Either:

• The Open University Gender Critical Research Network cease to use the Open University name, and continue as a truly independent network.
• The Open University Gender Critical Research Network remove the discriminatory term ‘Gender Critical’ from their name, and begin operating within the inclusive standards that any group carrying the OU name should be doing.

SJR