The Lesbian and Gay News Summary

A new campaign to ‘replatform’ radical feminists is the latest victory for free speech

“At last, though, those who have gone into higher education to broaden their minds rather than narrow their eyes are fighting back. This year has already seen the launch of the Free Speech Champions student project to fight the plague of no-platforming, after a survey found that more than a quarter of students censored their own views on hot topics lest they say the “wrong” thing with 40 per cent believing their careers would be harmed if they expressed their true thoughts. As if to prove the point, one of the braver ones, Thomas Inns, was suspended from the student union at Falmouth University for sending a sarcastic email. The censorious cry-bullies who hounded him have grown up (if not become adult) emboldened by the herd safety of social media, so I was pleased to see that fans of free speech will soon be fighting back on this front. From March 16 to April 30, the Cambridge Radical Feminist Network will be running an online lecture series aiming to “replatform” such enemies of the skittish sheeple as Maya Forstater, Kathleen Stock and, of course, Professor Selina Todd, who, after falling foul of the trans lobby, needed “protection” from the #BeKind thugs while lecturing at Oxford.” – Julie Burchill, The Sunday Telegraph

University forced to apologise and compensate PhD student over ‘transphobic’ tweets

“A university has been forced to apologise and pay compensation to a PhD student subjected to a lengthy disciplinary probe over “transphobic” tweets, in the first case of its kind. Jonathan Best, 50, was investigated for six months by Huddersfield University after a fellow student filed an anonymous complaint about 13 tweets from his account, and his writings on transgender issues. One tweet cited by the complainant stated “every trans woman is part of the same sex class as me. We’re all male”. They accused Mr Best of “misgendering” trans people and asked: “Could a trans woman student be expected to feel comfortable or respected being taught by him?” Officials at the university launched a formal probe and summoned the music tutor to disciplinary hearings, later alleging he had potentially been “offensive” and not respected others’ “feelings”. But in the first free speech case of its kind, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education – which handles student complaints – has now criticised multiple “procedural failings” with the university’s investigation and ordered it to apologise and pay him £800.” – The Sunday Telegraph

Justin Welby condemns Nigerian archbishop’s gay ‘virus’ comments

“The archbishop of Canterbury has issued a rare public condemnation of a fellow Anglican primate who described homosexuality as a “deadly virus” which should be “radically expunged and excised”. Justin Welby, who is the leader of the global Anglican church, said the comments made by Henry Ndukuba, the archbishop of Nigeria, were unacceptable and dehumanising. His criticism was endorsed by senior Church of England colleagues, including Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, and Sarah Mullally, the bishop of London. In response to a statement on the pastoral care of gay people issued by the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) in January, Ndukuba said: “The deadly ‘virus’ of homosexuality has infiltrated ACNA. This is likened to a yeast that should be urgently and radically expunged and excised lest it affects the whole dough.” In a statement, Welby said: “I completely disagree with and condemn this language. It is unacceptable. It dehumanises those human beings of whom the statement speaks.” He said he had written to Ndukuba to make clear his language was incompatible with the agreed teaching of the Anglican Communion, which condemns homophobia while restating the traditional Christian view of marriage. – The Guardian

How Britain became the world capital of woke: UK companies have more diversity and inclusion executives than anywhere else in the world

“The UK is becoming the diversity and inclusion capital of the business world. British organisations employ twice as many inclusion professionals per capita as any other country in the world, according to LinkedIn. This week, the City lost one of its most powerful diversity champions. Dimple Agarwal’s role was not a tick-box exercise to make Deloitte’s accountants and consultants feel a sense of belonging at the firm. She was deputy chief executive, likely to have been earning a pay package well in excess of the average £731,000 handed to the firm’s partners last year. Agarwal’s initiatives included a Black Action Plan in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and increasing paid leave for “non-birthing parents” as part of “our commitment to inclusion, where we are creating an environment of respect, dignity and belonging for all”. She championed respect but staff complained that she was making their working lives a misery. An investigation was launched into claims Agarwal bullied subordinates, was aggressive on calls and emails during the pandemic and scheduled meetings with blatant disregard for work-life balance despite publicly championing employee wellbeing.  Richard Houston, Deloitte’s UK chief executive, confirmed to staff on Friday that Agarwal will quit her twin roles as UK deputy chief and as head of “people and purpose” in Europe. – The Sunday Telegraph

Trans prisoners’ needs ‘cannot come at a cost to the safety’ of female inmates, former prison governors warn

“Trans prisoners’ needs “cannot come at a cost to the safety” of female inmates, a coalition of prison governors, barristers and academics have warned. The comments come after a judicial review was held at the High Court this week over the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) policy of placing trans women in women’s prisons. The current policy is being challenged by a prisoner, who cannot be identified and is known only as FDJ, who claims she was sexually assaulted behind bars in 2017. FDJ claims that she was sexually assaulted in prison by a trans woman, known as J, who had convictions for “serious sexual offences against women”. J was being housed in the general population of a women’s prison. However as the hearing came to a close, a group of barristers, Oxbridge academics, prison officers – including Ian Acheson, former prison governor at HMP Erlestoke and who also held a senior role at HMP Wandsworth – criticised the government over concerns “that the rights of women in prison to single-sex spaces are not being upheld”. The intervention came as lawyers for the government told the High Court that they do not know, and are unlikely to ever know, how many transgender inmates there are in prisons across the country. Lord Justice Holroyde and Mr Justice Swift will reserve judgment to a later date.” – The Daily Telegraph