Open University Prof ‘hounded out of job’ for upholding biological sex wins case

A gender-critical professor who quit the Open University after it failed to safeguard her from death threats and harassment has been vindicated by an Employment Tribunal.

After joining the university as Chair in Criminology in 2016, Professor Jo Phoenix suffered increasing vitriol as she publicly spoke against gender self-identification and set up a network for those with like-minded views.

The Watford Employment Tribunal has now ruled that the Open University “failed to protect” her because “they did not want to be seen to give any kind of support to academics with gender critical beliefs”.

‘Hounded’

Welcoming the ruling, Phoenix said: “The last few years have been well and truly punishing. The tribunal was bruising and hard, and it took me to very dark places, but we are winning.

This is a message to all universities: you cannot stand back and allow gender critical academics to be hounded out of their jobs.

“I really hope that one of the outcomes of all of this is that any academic or student out there who is afraid to speak will feel a little bit braver today because we’ve got the law on our side.”

She added: “This is a message to all universities: you cannot stand back and allow gender critical academics to be hounded out of their jobs.”

Open University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Blackman said the university will consider whether to appeal the judgment.

Free speech

In December, the Office for Students (OfS) committed to protecting the free speech of students, staff and visitors as it published proposals for a new ‘free speech complaints scheme’.

The scheme will allow those whose lawful free speech has been stifled or restricted on English campuses to “seek redress for any loss they have suffered as a result”.

A statement from the OfS indicated the scheme would form “part of wider proposals to secure free speech within the law, including academic freedom, in English higher education”.