On the 21st April 2023, the Oxford Union released its termcard for Trinity Term 2023, containing an invitation for philosopher Kathleen Stock to speak at the Union. The invitation was met with near-instant condemnation by multiple LGBTQ+ students, welfare societies, and advocacy groups affiliated with the University of Oxford.
Stock has gained prominence through her gender critical views, arguing that proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act threatened a âsecure understanding of the concept âlesbianââ and womanhood more broadly, and that âmany trans women are still males with male genitaliaâ.
The Universityâs LGBTQ+ society was first to respond, releasing a tweet that stated it was âdismayed and appalledâ that the Oxford Union decided to âplatformâ Stock, arguing that, the Union was âdisregarding the welfare of its LGBTQ+ members under the guise of free speechâ. Stock retweeted their statement, saying that it was âprobably defamatoryâ, leading to more than 1 million views on the societyâs social media page. Within the statement, the society alleged that Stock had campaigned âagainst trans rightsâ, âsupporting conversion therapyâ, and supporting âhate groupsâ like the LGB Alliance.
Soon after this, a pile on ensued. The Telegraph wrote about the personal details of the societyâs President Amiad Haran Diman, and ZoĂ«-Rose Guy, the societyâs Secretary and de-facto Vice President. GB News ran multiple segments on the âno-platformingâ of Stock. This led to members of the society receiving thousands of hateful messages, and eventually the committee took down posts on social media for fear of retribution.
This led to members of the society receiving thousands of hateful messages, and eventually the committee took down posts on social media for fear of retribution.
Both Diman and Guy noted that the society, until recently, had a âpolicyâ of not getting involved with politics, and was instead a âwelfare societyâ. However, when the Union invited Stock, Diman and Guy both felt a responsibility to speak out. Diman commented that âmy interpretation of queer welfare […] is that it is also about making our trans members know someone is backing them and making sure there is a community that can stand up for itself. Threats to our community are threats to queer welfare.â
Diman also lamented that what they perceived as a local student issue had been âcynically exploited by the national mediaâ to fuel what is perceived as a national culture war. They also added that it âdoes change the debate because people are more scared of putting out a statement now, even about local issues, because it can become a national issue where a million people will see itâ.
Union President Matthew Dick first stated in a Union Standing Committee Meeting that he didnât âfeel responsibility for any wider thingâ regarding this treatment. The Union has since issued a statement stating that they ârespect the right of speech of those who disagree with our hosting of the event and condemn the doxxing and harassment that some of them have facedâ.
Union President Matthew Dick first stated in a Union Standing Committee Meeting that he didnât âfeel responsibility for any wider thingâ regarding this treatment.
Following this outburst of controversy, Oxford Union President Matthew Dick defended Stockâs right to her views, arguing that she had a valuable âacademic stanceâ on trans rights. Since the meeting, the Union have also pledged to allow anonymous questioning, prioritise LGBTQ+ questioning to challenge Stockâs views, and distribute âadditional welfare resourcesâ.
Evie Craggs, current Faith Representative of the SU LGBTQ+ campaign, criticised those perspectives. Craggs stated that âif you look back historically, you’ll have people using academics to justify slavery⊠academics and hate speech actually commingle a lot more than we think they doâ. Rosalie Chapman, incoming SU Vice-President for Welfare, pointed out that while Stock is a published academic on several issues, her work in her book Material Girls is ânot peer reviewed and not based on empirical research and facts.â Chapman went further, and stated that Stock was using her position to âlegitimise hatredâ.
Craggs also added that it is a âpersonal act getting up there against the weaponryâ of the culture war, noting that the fear alone of challenging a speaker who had a legion of supporters willing to attack trans voices would dispel many potential LGBTQ+ attendees. Guy stated that even with the proposed framework, the event amounts to âdebating the existence and the rights of an entire group of peopleâ, arguing that âit wouldn’t be acceptable for any other minority group eitherâ.
The feeling that the Union debates the existence and rights of minority groups was expressed in several interviews, and not just in the context of the Kathleen Stock event. Those involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy stressed the importance of peer support systems and the work of individual JCRs/MCRs as the most useful and effective welfare systems for trans students, separate from those of colleges, the University, or the Union.
Those involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy stressed the importance of peer support systems and the work of individual JCRs/MCRs…
The 2018 Trans Report, conducted by the LGBTQ+ SU Campaign with 52 responses, cites a 2016 Welfare Report in which 43% of students said their first port of call for welfare were their JCR representatives, with 83% of students suggesting they were satisfied by the support they were given. While many perceive colleges as conservative, JCRs/MCRs present opportunities for support towards trans students, which is reflected in the provision accessible at this level.
A Gender Expression fund is available at 22 of 29 undergraduate Colleges surveyed in an unpublished SU Campaign document of LGBTQ+ provisions seen by The Oxford Student. A wide range of funding is available depending on the college. Wadham, for example, has a cap of ÂŁ70 per request for reimbursement, while Exeter is the only College with an unlimited amount available to students.
At present, several JCRs have passed motions condemning the Oxford Union for âplatformingâ Kathleen Stock, with a motion passed by St Anneâs College stating: âAll committee members involved must take responsibility for the recent harm that they have caused and must proceed to act in solidarity with the trans community.â The Oxford Student can confirm that similar motions have also been passed at St Hildaâs College and Mansfield College, while a number of other Colleges are also in the process of passing similar motions. At Exeter College, the JCR is in the process of proposing a motion to condemn the Union and call on its students to boycott the Union in protest of Stockâs invitation and other welfare concerns.
âAll committee members involved must take responsibility for the recent harm that they have caused and must proceed to act in solidarity with the trans community.â
There was also a general agreement that while students are broadly accepting of trans people, institutions and staff can cause more discomfort and create barriers for trans students. Joel Aston, current co-chair of the SUâs LGBTQ+ campaign, stated that an important figure in their College previously said that they were âchoosing to be the target of all of this because [theyâre] out and presentâ. According to the 2018 report mentioned above, only 12% of trans students said they would know how to report a member of administrative staff for transphobia, while the figure is only slightly higher at 15% for academic staff. We spoke to many students who generally agreed that attempts to increase trans visibility and report instances of concern were often ignored or neglected.
Only 43% of students felt that staff were able to deal with these issues. These statistics generally point towards the idea that on average, trans students lack confidence in their Colleges to be supportive environments for them to express their trans identity.
What interviewees recognised as causing difficulty in more traditional support networks, is the reality that much of the abuse students receive comes from external sources, with social media being particularly important. Looking at the examples of Diman and Guy, students are put at risk online for their gender identities and allyship, but it is often more difficult for welfare systems to find ways to support them. The burden in this case fell on other students to expose abuse and give help to students in need, in the face of unprecedented danger. Joel Aston, current co-chair of the SUâs LGBTQ+ campaign, stated that âstudents have to do most of the work when it comes to changing these institutionsâ.
…much of the abuse students receive comes from external sources, with social media being particularly important.
The general trend of trusting peers and friends more than the staff in place to give support speaks volumes of the openness and welcoming nature of Oxfordâs students towards trans issues. Discussions around trans issues have been improved and much progress has been made at times where trans issues dominated national headlines. Following the murder of Brianna Ghey on the 11th February 2023, a candle-lit Vigil was held in Radcliffe Square in which hundreds of allies attended out of solidarity. The event included speeches by numerous trans students and activists who discussed their frustrations at the constant battles faced by trans people in order to fight for their right to exist. A high turnout and participation from various activist groups, namely the LGBTQ+ SU Campaign and OxACT (Oxford Against Conversion Therapy), reflected the notion that when national discussions have impacted Oxford, there has been a sentiment of solidarity and support from fellow students and allies.
Joel Aston, current co-chair of the SUâs LGBTQ+ campaign, emphasised the importance of that allyship in letting trans people live. âWhen things have changed, it’s been the people who have been at the top of that power structure, the people who’ve been in that privilege who started advocating, fighting, and listening to those communities.â
The Oxford Union said in comment to the Oxford Student that, âthe Union entirely condemns all harassment LGBTQ society members have faced since opposing this event.â and that âthe Union believes that free speech is a two way street and respects the views of those, who might oppose to this event going and condemns those who might try to harass anyone voicing this opposition.Â
Additional reporting by Daisy Outram.
Image credit: delfidelarua7 on commons.wikimedia.org
Image description: Christ Church College’s Tom Quad