Latest news with #SarahPedersen
Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Charity ‘feared funding cut' over links with gender-critical academic
A Scottish academic has claimed she was compelled to step down from a charity over fears that Scottish government funding would be cut due to its association with her. Professor Sarah Pedersen, dean of the graduate school at Robert Gordon University, said the charity's Edinburgh head office told her it was anxious that funding would be pulled because of her gender-critical views. She declined to identify the charity. After appearing at an Edinburgh University event on trans rights, Pedersen said she endured non-platforming and aggression from students who allegedly compiled a 'dossier' of 'evil things' she was alleged to have done, including retweeting a social media post from Johann Lamont, the gender-critical former Scottish Labour leader. The lecturer has now called for John Swinney, the first minister, to show immediate leadership on the issue of sex and gender in Scotland. • Times view: Kirk fiasco shows SNP must stop dragging its feet on single-sex spaces Pedersen is one of a handful of UK academics who put their name to a UK government-commissioned report by Professor Alice Sullivan, a companion piece of research to a report earlier this year that found health boards, rape crisis services and police in Scotland had failed to record accurate data on sex and gender. They gave evidence that those who have challenged the theory that sex is always less important than gender identity have been bullied, harassed and blocked from career progression. The report, 'Barriers to research on sex and gender', features personal accounts from UK academics, including those from the University of Edinburgh and Robert Gordon University. In what is described as the most extensive research of its kind conducted in the UK, Sullivan has collected and analysed evidence on the impact of a 'hostile culture' that has developed in university campuses over the past decade. Pedersen said she was taken aback by the number of research participants who wished to remain anonymous, demonstrating the 'chilling effect' of discrimination against gender critical academics. Pedersen thought 'long and hard' about whether or not to go on the record but said she was supported by Robert Gordon University, which had encouraged 'academic freedom throughout'. The report contains other accounts of the personal and professional impact of universities tolerating and encouraging the behaviour of a small minority of staff. Campaigns were often co-ordinated through LGBT+ networks, which were embedded in management EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) structures, it found. One of the most difficult experiences involved Pedersen being invited to step down from the charity she chaired. The organisation's umbrella body in Edinburgh said that Scottish government funding might be pulled due to the charity's association with her. 'I'm not sure how credible a concern that was in reality but I think the fact that it was the head office in Edinburgh that told our committee this made it credible,' she said. • Keir Starmer says trans ruling must be enacted 'as soon as possible' 'It certainly made me feel that I could not continue in my role, because if we didn't get funding, and if the charity had to close or reduce its services, then I would feel tremendously guilty.' Sullivan has made 20 recommendations to the government and academic institutions to defend high-quality research and protect individual academics from professional and personal attack. One of the routes to improvement, Pedersen believes, would be a sense of leadership on the issue from the Scottish government. 'Keir Starmer came out firmly with a position a couple of days ago, but we've not had that lead from John Swinney,' she said. 'And I think that until that happens, things will continue to stall.' The Scottish government has been contacted for comment.
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Scottish gender critical academic trained in security 'duck and cover' manoeuvres at universities
Universities have allowed the suppression of free speech and enabled violence and harassment of gender critical academics, a new report has found. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... One Scottish academic has told how she was compelled to step down from a charity over fears the Scottish Government would cease its funding due to the association with her. Professor Sarah Pedersen, from Robert Gordon University, who also endured no-platforming and aggression from students, said the charity's Edinburgh head office said it was afraid funding would be pulled. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The UK government-commissioned report by Professor Alice Sullivan is a companion piece of research to a report earlier this year that found health boards, rape crisis services and police in Scotland had failed to record accurate data on sex and gender. Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. The report, 'Barriers to research on sex and gender', features personal accounts from UK academics, including those from the University of Edinburgh and Robert Gordon University. They give evidence that those who have challenged the theory that sex is always less important than gender identity have been bullied, harassed and blocked from career progression. In what is described as the most extensive research of its kind conducted in the UK, Prof Sullivan has collected and analysed evidence on the impact of a 'hostile culture' that has developed in university campuses over the past decade. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Researchers investigating vital issues have been subjected to sustained campaigns of intimidation simply for acknowledging the biological and social importance of sex,' Prof Sullivan, professor of sociology at the UCL Social Research Institute, said. 'When fundamental issues cannot be investigated or debated openly, this undermines our academic institutions, it hurts individuals and it compromises the integrity of research. 'The suppression of research often harms the very groups that activists claim to support.' Prof Pedersen said she was 'taken aback' by the number of research participants who wished to remain anonymous, demonstrating the 'chilling effect' of discrimination against gender critical academics. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She thought 'long and hard' about whether or not to go on the record, but said she was supported by Robert Gordon University, which has encouraged 'academic freedom throughout'. Speaking to The Scotsman, Prof Pedersen described her involvement at a situation at the University of Edinburgh, which became notorious because of an attack on the feminist writer Julie Bindel. Prof Pedersen was on the panel alongside Ms Bindel and said that, before the event, the six participants were given a one-hour security briefing. In what the academic said was an unprecedented step, the group was trained in 'duck and cover' manoeuvres and how to exit the stage should they be attacked. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'One of the panellists was so frightened she went out and threw up,' Prof Pedersen said. 'And then, of course, Julie was attacked and I only found out about that as I was walking by myself late at night down to Waverley Station, so that was really frightening.' Prof Pedersen said the same crowd of activists shouting have been seen at various university events she had undertaken. The professor had written a book about the website Mumsnet and she faced attempts to have her blacklisted. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'That was brutal, to be frank with you,' she said, describing people who had never met her or read the book demanding she be removed from panels and events. In some cases, the campaign was successful and invitations were rescinded, Prof Pedersen said. Students at the university put together a 'dossier' of 'evil things' she was alleged to have done, including retweeting a social media post from the gender-critical former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont. In the report are other accounts of the personal and professional impact of universities tolerating and encouraging the behaviour of a small minority of staff. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Campaigns are often co-ordinated through LGBT+ networks, which are embedded in management EDI structures, the report found. One of the most difficult scenarios involved Prof Pedersen being invited to step down from the charity she chaired. The organisation's umbrella body in Edinburgh said that Scottish Government funding might be pulled due to the charity's association with her. 'I'm not sure how credible a concern that was in reality, but I think the fact that it was the head office in Edinburgh that told our committee this made it credible,' she said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It certainly made me feel that I could not continue in my role, because if we didn't get funding, and if the charity had to close or reduce its services, then I would feel tremendously guilty.' Prof Sullivan has made 20 recommendations to the government and academic institutions to defend high-quality research and protect individual academics from professional and personal attack. One of the routes to improvement, Prof Pedersen said she believed, would be a sense of leadership on the issue from the Scottish Government. 'Keir Starmer came out firmly with a position a couple of days ago, but we've not had that lead from John Swinney,' she said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And I think that until that happens, things will continue to stall.' The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment. A UK government spokeswoman said: 'We are taking strong action to protect academic freedom and free speech, which are fundamental to our world-leading universities. 'This includes introducing new duties on universities to ensure they are robust in promoting and protecting free speech on campus. 'It also comes alongside the firm steps the Office for Students is already taking, through fines and new guidance, to ensure universities remain beacons of academic freedom.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Universities UK spokeswoman said: 'We agree that universities must protect and defend academic freedom and freedom of speech.' The organisation added: 'These are complex issues. In practice universities are bound by law to protect the free speech of individuals who have very different views on contentious topics.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Universities have been infiltrated by 'chilling' diversity culture, warns Scots academic
Universities have been infiltrated by a 'chilling' diversity culture that is stifling research into controversial issues such as puberty blockers, a major report warns. The review, commissioned by the last Tory government, said academics are being 'bullied, harassed and blocked from career progression' if they dare to question transgender ideology. It says Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) staff are 'over-reaching' and sometimes even 'generate harassment' against academics. It warns many EDI departments have been captured by trans activists, and calls for their power to be scaled back. The 433-page document, the most extensive research of its kind, also records dozens of personal accounts of academics being shut down. In one example, a paper was rejected by numerous journals because reviewers 'objected to the findings' that puberty blockers may not be safe. Its writer, Professor Sallie Baxendale, a consultant clinical neuropsychologist, was told her research 'risked stigmatising an already stigmatised group'. Another academic told how they had been 'ostracised' by a colleague for 'providing balance' during a seminar discussion of puberty blockers. Robert Gordon University academic Sarah Pedersen said the attacks against her were 'chilling' and were all but ignored by the Scottish government. The report accuses universities of presiding over 'systemic and institutionalised suppression' of academic freedom, with 'far-reaching chilling effects'. Titled 'Barriers to research on sex and gender', it is led by Alice Sullivan, Professor of Sociology at the UCL Social Research Institute. She said: 'Researchers investigating vital issues have been subjected to sustained campaigns of intimidation simply for acknowledging the biological and social importance of sex. 'When fundamental issues cannot be investigated or debated openly, this undermines our academic institutions, it hurts individuals and it compromises the integrity of research.' The paper is the second instalment of a review originally commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology under the Tories. The first instalment, published in March, found that biological sex had been erased from official data in the police, NHS and even the military. Among the many testimonies is that of Aberdeen-born Professor Kathleen Stock, who was hounded out of her job at Sussex University in 2021 for her gender critical views. And Professor of communication and media at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Sarah Pedersen told how she came under attack because of her gender-critical views. She warned of the 'chilling effect' on the university sector, and said: 'I don't think the Scottish Government has helped in the slightest. 'There has been a dereliction of duty towards things like freedom of speech and academic freedom. 'The statements made by, for example, Nicola Sturgeon about gender-critical women have definitely cast those of us who research the subject as being on the wrong side.' While she praised Robert Gordon University for supporting her and academic freedom, Prof Pedersen said other universities north of the Border had not been as supportive. She said: 'This report clearly demonstrates the chilling effect that the cancellation of high-profile gender-critical academics has had on the whole sector. 'My personal experiences of disruption, no-platforming and personal attacks have impacted not just my academic career but also my work for third-sector organisations, who were warned away from working with me.' She told how she was attending one event at the University of Edinburgh which included prominent feminist author Julie Bindel. Prof Pedersen said: 'We had an hour-long security briefing, which was one of the most terrifying things I've ever sat through - discussing duck and cover and what to do when we were attacked by the audience.' The latest report highlights concerns that EDI departments are being used as 'levers for activists pursuing agendas which are not compatible with the truth-seeking mission of universities'. It says EDI policies have a 'tendency' to 'promote highly contentious theories such as gender-identity theory as unchallengeable fact'. Universities are also tolerating 'toxic' behaviour by 'a small minority of university staff' who 'de-platform' gender-critical academics, it says. And it adds: 'The targets of these campaigns have disproportionately been lesbians.' There are also concerns about 'ethics committees', which 'use their positions to impose particular viewpoints or to block research that they dislike'. Giving evidence to the report, Professor Stock detailed the long campaign against her including one incident in 2020 when she 'became aware of a Sussex student's social media account in which they referred approvingly to my death'. The image was of a man with a gun to his dead complete with the words: 'Lay your weary head down Kathleen'. She made a complaint to the university, but was never informed of its outcome. Prof Stock told how she had been 'subject to a sustained campaign of intimidation from protestors on campus' in September and October 2021 who said they would 'come to campus every day until I was fired or resigned'. She said: 'Posters were placed in major thoroughfares describing me as a transphobe; stickers saying the same were placed in the bathrooms I used; a manifesto defaming me was distributed throughout my building; an open day was disrupted with a large protest, graffiti and flares, and there were several sub-protests. 'The nature of the protest was widely described in the Press at the time. In tandem with a statement by Sussex branch of UCU that expressed approval of the campaign, I was eventually caused to resign.' A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'The Scottish Government fully supports individuals' rights to freedom of expression and believes universities to be places where freedom of expression should always be promoted and fostered - but this should be done in a courteous and respectful manner. 'Universities in Scotland are expected to comply with relevant legal requirements, and carefully consider existing Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on freedom of expression for higher education providers in Scotland.' A UK Government spokesman said: 'We are taking strong action to protect academic freedom and free speech, which are fundamental to our world-leading universities. 'This includes introducing new duties on universities to ensure they are robust in promoting and protecting free speech on campus. 'It also comes alongside the firm steps the Office for Students is already taking, through fines and new guidance, to ensure universities remain beacons of academic freedom.' A spokesman for Universities UK, which represents vice chancellors, said: 'We agree that universities must protect and defend academic freedom and freedom of speech. 'They are bound to do so by law and, in England, there is a new regulatory approach under the Freedom of Speech Act which is about to come into force. 'These are complex issues. In practice universities are bound by law to protect the free speech of individuals who have very different views on contentious topics. 'They are required both to allow and facilitate protest, and to prevent that protest creating an intimidatory or chilling environment on campus or from preventing staff and students from pursuing their work and studies. 'We will carefully consider this report as part of our work in supporting universities as they navigate these difficult issues.'
