The Open University is looking for a public affairs manager. Why might that be? The embattled institution could certainly do with a rethink on how it approaches “interactions with key stakeholders.”
Jo Phoenix, a professor of criminology formerly at the Open University (OU) yesterday announced that she had won a tribunal case against the institution which failed to protect her from harassment over her gender-critial views that biological sex is real and matters.
Professor Phoenix was compared to a “racist uncle at the Christmas table” by colleagues who disagreed with her signing a letter to The Sunday Times criticising the LGBT+ charity Stonewall’s close relationship with universities.
The letter said: “Universities are creating an intimidating and hostile environment for staff and students who recognise that sex matters. Most of the victims are female, and many are gay, lesbian or bisexual. It is now clear that many university leaders lack the courage or capacity to tackle the problem. Almost all universities remain members of the Stonewall Champions scheme, which promulgates misleading information about the Equality Act.”
Phoenix, who established the Gender Critical Research Network (GCRN) at the OU was judged to have experienced victimisation and harassment, as well as discrimination.
After Phoenix set up the GCRN, 368 colleagues signed a letter calling the network transphobic and pressured the university to abandon its affiliation with it.
The tribunal found that Louise Westmarland, the head of discipline in social policy and criminology at the OU “was effectively telling the claimant off for having expressed gender-critical beliefs”.
The tribunal panel concluded: “Professor Westmarland knew that likening the claimant to a racist was upsetting for the claimant. We conclude that its purpose was to violate the claimant’s dignity because inherent in the comment is an insult of being put in the same category as racists.”
Phoenix resigned from the OU in December 2021 and has since been diagnosed with acute PTSD because of the ordeal, meaning she hasn’t been able to work in months.
In a surprising twist that shows the University has learnt absolutely nothing, Professor Tim Blackman, vice-chancellor of the OU, said the university may appeal the disappointing judgement: “We acknowledge that we can learn from this judgment and are considering the findings very carefully.
“We are deeply concerned about the wellbeing of everyone involved in the case and acknowledge the significant impact it has had on Prof Phoenix, the witnesses and many other colleagues. Our priority has been to protect freedom of speech while respecting legal rights and protections. We are disappointed by the judgment and will need time to consider it in detail, including our right to appeal.”
Hello, McFly, anybody home? Maybe the message will get through after the second tribunal defeat.
The Hound sends its congratulations to Jo Phoenix and all other defenders of sanity and reason.
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