More than 100 people gathered outside a Swansea theatre in protest against an event taking place on International Women's Day. Taliesin theatre, located at Swansea University's Singleton Campus, hosted three female academics for a discussion on "the threat posed to academic freedom by the erasure of sex categories". While the event was taking place protesters stood in the rain armed with homemade signs.
A description of the event read: "Silencing Women: Academic Freedom and Unthinkable Thoughts. Professors Jo Phoenix, Alice Sullivan, and Judith Suissa have been targeted and intimidated for standing up for sex-based research and rights. Come and join them for the evening to hear about their personal experiences in their fight for academic freedom."
Ahead of the event taking place a member of the public set up an online petition as he felt Swansea University and Taliesin theatre were giving a platform to anti-trans views he felt should not be permitted to be publicised. The petition, set up on Change.org, raised more than 900 signatures and can be read in full here. It's understood the in-person protest was arranged in support of the online petition by Swansea University's LGBTQ+ Society and Swansea Socialist Students. For more stories about Swansea go here and you can also get the biggest Swansea news stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
Founder of the petition Henry Hobson said he, and others, felt the work of "gender-critical" academics, such as the trio speaking at the Taliesin event, "has a negative effect on societal attitudes towards trans people" and that if the event were allowed to go ahead it would "encourage transphobia in Swansea" and "be to the detriment of the safety of trans people" locally.
But Swansea University said the event was permitted to go ahead as the university "has a duty to ensure freedom of expression and freedom of speech within the law" but added it was committed to championing and promoting "equality, diversity and inclusion" and seeks to challenge homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia and support all LGBT+ people within the community.
After the online petition was created a spokeswoman for the event organisers, Outspoken Women, who said the group was made up of lesbian and bisexual women, said: "We are thrilled that our event, Silencing Women: Academic Freedom and Unthinkable Thoughts, is going ahead tonight despite numerous attempts to shut it down by those who wilfully misunderstand our purpose and opinions. Women will be gathering today on International Women’s Day [IWD] to hear professors Jo Phoenix, Judith Suissa, and Alice Sulllivan talk about the erasure of sex categories in academia and the harassment suffered by women who stand up for maintaining factual records and research. "
Journalist Joan Smith, who chaired the event, added: "It’s fantastic to be in Wales on IWD talking about the importance of free speech and women being able to meet each other freely." One of the speakers, Reading University professor of criminology Jo Phoenix, added: "I congratulate the organisers of this event, Outspoken Women, for making it possible to speak about what’s happening to feminist academics. It’s a fundamental right to be able to self-organise in a democratic society."
What did supporters of the petition say?
Among the signatures one supporter wrote: "I consider the decision to host this event to be a direct attack on my trans students as well as directly contravening Swansea University's ethos and diversity policy," while another supporter said: "Swansea University has so far seemed a relatively safe and comfortable place for me to be out as a trans person. We have many trans students and colleagues and by allowing this kind of event to take place on our campus it threatens their safety. The university needs to show commitment to its EDI principles and this is a good opportunity to do so."
Another signatory commented: "I'm a current student at Swansea. I am trans. Reading this [online petition] left a cold pit in my stomach. My lecturers have always made me feel safe. Other students have always made me feel safe. But seeing the university with a claimed commitment to the rights of people like me hosting unchallenged talks by people who oppose my right to exist, who fuel the moral panic driving hate crimes against people like me, is chilling. This is hate speech under the guise of a moral panic and if the people who claim to stand for our rights either don't see this, or do see it but don't care, then I no longer feel safe here."
What did Swansea University and Taliesin Arts Centre say?
We contacted Swansea University and Taliesin Arts Centre in response to people's concerns on the event. Prior to the event taking place a spokesman for Swansea University and Swansea University Students' Union said: "The organisers of this event approached Taliesin Arts Centre to make a private hire booking late last year. The university has a statutory duty to ensure freedom of expression and freedom of speech within the law. The duty is not limited to ideas and opinions that are always favourably received but extends to those ideas and opinions with which some members of our university community may passionately disagree.
"In the circumstances the university engaged in discussions with Swansea University Students’ Union regarding the event and concluded, with the acknowledgement of the students’ union, that in order to discharge its statutory duty the university should accept the booking. While this event was not proposed by the university, the students’ union, or the Taliesin we take on board the concerns that this has caused some members of our staff and student body and the wider community. We would like to reassure staff and students that we continue to be committed to championing and promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion and seek to challenge homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia and support all LGBT+ people within our community.
"The security and safety of university students, staff, and visitors is of the utmost importance therefore, as with other events, we are working closely with university security colleagues, external agencies, and the event organisers to ensure the event is well-planned and organised."
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