A prominent college within Oxford University has recently announced its stringent transgender harassment policy, threatening expulsion for students who violate it, including the incorrect use of pronouns.
The college has issued a comprehensive Trans Inclusion Statement that explicitly defines “transphobic harassment” and emphasizes the severity of consequences for those engaging in such behavior, ranging from disciplinary action to expulsion or dismissal.
The definition of “transphobia” outlined by the institution includes various behaviors, such as disputing or denying the validity of a trans person’s identity, refusing to treat individuals in accordance with their affirmed identity, and using incorrect names or pronouns, also known as misgendering.
While acknowledging that a comprehensive definition of transphobia is challenging, the college aligns itself with the United Kingdom’s Equality Act of 2010, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, despite the terminology discrepancy between “gender reassignment” in the law and “gender identity” in the college’s statement.
The decision to issue the Trans Inclusion Statement came after a controversial seminar featuring Kathleen Stock, a “gender-critical feminist” and former professor at the University of Sussex. During Stock’s address, a trans activist staged a disruptive protest, drawing attention to the event.
In her book promotion for “Material Girls,” Stock expressed support for protecting trans people from discrimination and violence but voiced concerns about the fairness of allowing biological men to use the same facilities as women. She proposed the idea of “third spaces” as a potential compromise.
While the college acknowledges the rights of those holding gender-critical beliefs, it emphasizes that such speech should not constitute harassment or disregard the rights and freedoms of others, as stated in the conclusion of the Trans Inclusion Statement.
The language surrounding the prohibition of denying or disputing the validity of a trans person’s identity mirrors the accusations made against Stock during the protests, raising questions about the college’s commitment to free speech and religious liberty.
Demonstrators held signs proclaiming “Our existence is not a debate,” and protest organizer Amaid Haran Diman expressed skepticism about Stock’s intentions, stating that she appears to be the face of a trans-exclusionary movement and does not engage in polite exchanges of ideas. Diman described Stock’s online persona as antagonistic, bigoted, and intolerant.
The introduction of this new regulation at the Oxford University College highlights the ongoing tension between strict controls on speech and the principles of free expression, a topic that is currently being challenged legally in the United States and sparking debates around the world.