Queen’s Uni threatens to discipline staff and students for ‘misgendering’

Queen’s University Belfast has said that referring to a gender-confused person’s biological sex is “transphobic abuse”.

In its updated Trans Equality Policy, which was created in 2016, the University stated that “repeated or intentional use of incorrect pronouns or name” will be treated under the Bullying and Harassment Policy as a disciplinary offence.

The guidance, which applies to staff, students, employees and visitors, recommends that men who identify as women should be allowed to access female-only facilities.

Stonewall

The policy states: “Trans and non-binary people should be addressed with the pronouns and their affirmed name at all times, from the moment they ask to be.”

helping us to create an inclusive environment and meet our commitments as part of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index

In a page titled “Asking about Sex / Gender Identity”, it adds: “Asking questions about sex or gender identity in the right way sends a powerful signal to our LGBT colleagues, helping us to create an inclusive environment and meet our commitments as part of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.”

The guidelines referenced the controversial LGBT lobby group several times, explaining that its ‘best practice’ questions were written “in line with Stonewall UK guidance”.

Promotion

Last year, King’s College London came under fire from one of its own staff for informing employees that collaborating with Stonewall could help them get promoted.

In the university’s guidance on how to become a reader or professor, it instructed academics to “detail specific activity undertaken to support the university’s equality, diversity and inclusion ambitions”. One example was ‘participating in Stonewall LGBTQ groups’.

Dr John Armstrong, Reader in Financial Mathematics at King’s, told The Daily Telegraph: “We are being told that if we campaign on Stonewall’s behalf it will help with promotion. This clear bias is discriminatory and undermines the impartiality and credibility of KCL research.”