TERF island strikes again. Bad fucking news. 'The University of Sussex has been fined £585,000 by the higher education regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), for failing to uphold freedom of speech' ie they've been fined for protecting trans students and staff www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

anandamide.bsky.social • 71 days ago

TERF island strikes again. Bad fucking news.

'The University of Sussex has been fined £585,000 by the higher education regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), for failing to uphold freedom of speech'

ie they've been fined for protecting trans students and staff

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9vr4vjzgqo

Comments

zoonie.bsky.social•71 days ago

That will also embolden right wing students inviting far right speakers

anandamide.bsky.social•71 days ago

'The OfS criticised the university's policy statement on Trans and Non-Binary equality, saying its requirement to "positively represent trans people" and an assertion that "transphobic propaganda [would] not be tolerated" could lead staff and students to "self-censor"'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9vr4vjzgqo

anandamide.bsky.social•71 days ago

Just to hammer the point home:

'Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said free speech and academic freedom were "non-negotiables" in universities... If you go to university you must be prepared to have your views challenged, hear contrary opinions and be exposed to uncomfortable truths'

hypereutectoid.bsky.social•70 days ago

Fuck her. Just fuck her.

adfjhajasd.bsky.social•71 days ago

"unless your views are incredible bigoted, in which case they must never be challenged, and it's actually a hate crime if you hear contrary opinions and uncomfortable truths"

notmcanix.bsky.social•70 days ago

Really interesting how the uncomfortable truths are always what right wingers want to say, and never them having to hear the uncomfortable truths

pbastronaut.bsky.social•70 days ago

In that case I expect Bridget Phillipson to be extremely receptive to my opinions on what should be done to present and former cabinet ministers.

anandamide.bsky.social•71 days ago

Labour desperate to prove they're just a different hand holding the gun to our heads

sarahviktoria.bsky.social•70 days ago

It's the same hand, same gun, just a different badge.

loukas.bsky.social•70 days ago

The cages aren't even bigger and the chains aren't even longer any more.

mrpostsgood.bsky.social•70 days ago

Unless you're a transphobe apparently then your views must be heard and taken seriously

dougalmcflurry.bsky.social•71 days ago

The 'uncomfortable truths' bit made me see very fucking red.

anandamide.bsky.social•71 days ago

Fucking enraging. And at a fundamental level, even if you don't give a fuck about trans people, if as a politician you don't understand *this late into the game* that this is part of a fascist wedge strategy then you are worse than useless. Or just fascist.

dougalmcflurry.bsky.social•70 days ago

Politics to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

stephaniejane.bsky.social•70 days ago

Oh, it got worse. They’re taking the brakes off.

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markbrophy.bsky.social•70 days ago

The next one to knock on my door will hear some very uncomfortable truths

alexanderhay.bsky.social•70 days ago

Well, no. One goes to university for an education. That alone places limits on the conversation (unless you don't mind lecturers turning up as clowns and only making honking noises). For some reason, however, I doubt Phillipson would like being called a twat at a university either.

kernowshark.bsky.social•70 days ago

I wonder how negotiable the "free speech" would be if the abuse had been racist or antisemitic or literally any other minority.

Appalling precedent they just set, not only for us.

biolucy.bsky.social•70 days ago

Irony is they didn't even protect the students, they tried to suppress them.

nevereverdave.bsky.social•70 days ago

Better article on this imo. Sussex Uni are fighting it. Stock & Trans Students are arguably removable from the underlying principles equation to be hammered out.

https://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2025/03/university-of-sussex-fined-585000-for-free-speech-violation/

jgf.bsky.social•70 days ago

This article is very low resolution and repeats its main point about three times. The nub of the debate is whether the 'trans and non-binary statement' which was revised and redrafted, breached registration condition E1 in any of its stages. But there are other questions https://tinyurl.com/2kfnn383.

nevereverdave.bsky.social•70 days ago

Really useful reading thanks. 👍 On the protected belief point laced through all of this, Forstater's Employment Tribunal appeal judge place heavy emphasis on the care required on actual expression of those beliefs in terms of other legislation. It's reflected in this article too.

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