Transgender
Trans activists protest Kathleen Stock’s Oxford Union speech
Around 200 protestors gathered outside the Oxford Union earlier this week as academic Kathleen Stock was due to address students.
Professor Stock, author of ‘Material Girls’, said she was “very determined” for the talk to go ahead, despite receiving opposition to her invitation.
She added that it was, "important that people can hear what I have to say".
Professor Stock is well known for holding ‘gender-critical’ views, and in 2021 had to leave her job at the University of Sussex after receiving fierce criticism.
In response to the protests, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated:
"Agree or disagree with her, Professor Stock is an important figure in this argument. Students should be allowed to hear and debate her views. "University should be an environment where debate is supported, not stifled. "We mustn't allow a small but vocal few to shut down discussion."
The protestors said they were not there to stifle Professor Stock’s right to freedom of speech, rather, they opposed the Union’s facilitation of what they describe as ‘anti-trans’ views.
Two protestors inside the hall were removed by security, another had glued themselves to the floor.
Stock explained that her views do not amount to hate speech, as some protestors claimed, stating:
"It's not hate speech to say that males cannot be women. "You can believe what you like, and I'm not stopping anybody believing any different, but it's certainly not hate speech to say that and that's basically the most controversial thing, I think."
She also highlighted the importance of testing controversial views in public, stating:
"It's important younger generations are exposed to ideas they haven't come across before. Sometimes that will be very challenging to them. "Controversial and difficult ideas need to be tested in the public square, we need to think about them properly and we also need to enable discussion of ideas that seem attractive to people because if you try and shut it down there will be massive public resentment."
Dr Michael Biggs, associate professor of sociology, agreed and emphasised that it is "absolutely crucial you understand views you disagree with".
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