4 days ago
‘I was hounded out of my publishing job over gender-critical beliefs'
A publisher has claimed she was hounded out of her job because of her gender-critical beliefs.
Ursula Doyle sued Hachette, a large publishing house, where she worked until coming under fire from pro-transgender activists for publishing the 2021 book Material Girls.
The work by Kathleen Stock is critical of gender ideology, the belief that people can self-identify as men or women.
Ms Doyle claimed she was 'effectively punished' by Hachette for publishing the book and for her own gender-critical beliefs.
She resigned last year after being 'hounded out' of the company, which had 'created a hostile working environment for me and anyone else who shares my views'.
'Battle for sex realism'
She claimed this included Hachette rolling out a transgender inclusion policy that allowed biological men to use women's bathrooms in the office.
Following a legal battle funded by £63,000 in donations, Ms Doyle has now reached an undisclosed settlement with Hachette, according to her legal team.
She said in a statement: 'In bringing this case, I hoped to demonstrate conclusively that employers cannot allow staff to be subjected to abuse because of their lawful views, nor ignore women's rights to single-sex spaces.
'The battle for sex realism continues,' she added.
When launching her crowd-funded legal battle last year, Ms Doyle raised concerns that activists deliberately targeted the publishing industry to suppress free speech and stifle criticism of gender ideology.
She wrote: 'When you consider the impact these books have had on the conversations around sex and gender, it is easy to understand why publishing has been a key strategic target for gender identity activists.
'Their attempts to suppress all dissent at source have made the sector a hostile environment for anyone who dares to stand up for reality and freedom of expression.
'These tactics mean it is difficult for gender-critical books to find a publisher, and almost impossible for any authors who want to sell books on other topics to speak up on this subject.'
Online abuse
Ms Doyle claimed Hachette did nothing to protect her from online abuse directed at her for publishing Material Girls.
She said the policy allowed 'men who say they are women to use women's toilets and shower facilities', adding that it discriminated against women who worked for Hachette.
She also claimed Hachette undermined her by shifting responsibility for the paperback editions of Material Girls to another part of the company, which damaged her reputation as a publisher.
'Heavy five o'clock shadow'
Ms Doyle's legal battle came following a string of other rows over the influence of gender ideology in publishing.
In 2023, Gillian Philip, the children's author, claimed she was dropped by her employer after publicly supporting JK Rowling's critical views on transgender issues. She ultimately lost her legal battle.
That same year, Sibyl Ruth, the gender-critical editor, said she was dropped by a literary consultancy after stating that the idea of someone with a 'heavy five o'clock shadow' being a woman 'blows my mind'.
Works by authors sceptical of transgender activism became the subject of an internal 'grievance' within the library service of Calderdale council, a local authority affiliated with the controversial LGBT charity Stonewall.
The Telegraph revealed in 2023 that books critical of gender ideology were removed from public view by staff working for the council libraries service, and stashed out of sight in an off-limits storage space.
Hachette has not admitted any liability, Ms Doyle said despite the settlement.
