There is a new example of how free speech values are declining in England, particularly on college campuses this week. Students at Cardiff University launched an online petition trying to bar Germaine Greer, the Australian feminist author, from speaking at the school next month because of her views on transgender women. Rather than recognize that Greer has an opinion to share as part of the pluralistic academic forum, these students sought to bar her from sharing her views and engaging in a debate in the area. To its credit, the university has thus far stayed committed to free speech and refuses to bar Greer.
Rachael Melhuish, women’s officer at the Cardiff University Students’ Union, is reportedly the architect of the petition, which denounces how Greer has “demonstrated time and time again her misogynistic views towards trans women, including continually ‘misgendering’ trans women and denying the existence of transphobia altogether.”
England has seen the rise of calls for speech prosecutions, including this month. We have previously discussed the alarming rollback on free speech rights in the West, particularly in England ( here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here and here).
As we have seen in France and the United States, there is a distressing trend among students in becoming agents for censorship and intolerance of rivaling views. Once the defenders of free speech, college students now often treat the censorship of opposing views as an article of faith.
The controversy over Greer is a good example. Some 880 students signed a petition to bar Greer, 76, who wrote “The Female Eunuch.” The book is viewed as one of the classic feminist works and attacks “traditional” suburban, consumerist, nuclear family” values that Greer views as repressive for women. I do not agree with many of Greer’s views but she is a provocative and passionate voice to bring to a campus. Critics however cite a 2009 column in which Greer describes transgender women as mere parodies of women and reflecting “a man’s delusion that he is female.” She is also quoted as telling the Varsity, Cambridge University’s student newspaper, that transgender women do not know what it is like to have a vagina.
Greer correctly questions the basis for barring someone from speaking solely because you disagree with their values or arguments. She objected that “[w]hat they are saying is that because I don’t think surgery will turn a man into a woman I should not be allowed to speak anywhere. . . . That happens to be an opinion.”
The effort to ban Greer from the university is no noble act. It is actively seeking to prevent other students from hearing the views of a controversial figure. While some of us may disagree with Greer on many of her views, she is unquestionably one of the most influential figures in the area. Barring her is little different from maintaining a speech code at Cardiff.
Source: NY Times
@stevegroen
Did your 11:28 am comment say anything?
Seriously, I had trouble understanding your reply, other than it was a vague sort of criticism, but over what I cannot say.
Care to clarify?
So, when the infant, who’s had management “thereof” decided long before grade school, becomes an adult, the issue’s been decided for him/her by others?
Um….yes. This is what is called being a parent. You decide all sorts of things for your children LONG before grade school and even longer, during school and until they are adults or reach majority. Where they live, what they eat, what they wear or what you can afford to buy, what toys they can have, how much play time, television viewing, computer access, what chores they do, how they act towards other children and adults, what vacations they get to on………. ALL sorts of things. You as the parent, get to be the decider.
Fortunately, the rare rare occurrence of the genetic syndrome “infant with ambiguous genitalia” is something that very very few people/parents ever have to face. And yes, a decision needs to be made at a very young age for medical reasons.
If your child at some sort of later date decides that he/she would feel more comfortable as a member of the opposite sex, they can make these decisions on their own and for themselves, when they are not under your parental responsibilities you should not interfere. The boy/girl should make these irrevocable life changing physical decisions and alterations as a fully informed adult and not as a child.
Even so, if the boy decides he wants to be a girl, and in the words of Germaine Greer, lops off his dick and wears a dress and takes hormones to suppress his genetic and hormonal make up as a male…..it does not make him a woman. A pretend woman. But whatever floats his/her boat.
DBQ writes, “‘So, when the infant, who’s had management “thereof” decided long before grade school, becomes an adult, the issue’s been decided for him/her by others?’ . . . Um….yes. This is what is called being a parent. You decide all sorts of things for your children LONG before grade school and even longer, during school and until they are adults or reach majority. Where they live, what they eat, what they wear or what you can afford to buy, what toys they can have, how much play time, television viewing, computer access, what chores they do, how they act towards other children and adults, what vacations they get to on………. ALL sorts of things. You as the parent, get to be the decider.”
Yours is an extremely traditional position, wherein the parent is the final arbiter of the child’s decisions even when the child becomes an adult. And I presume your position is that the decision of whom the child marries is ultimately the parents’?
The Taliban would love you.
Transgendered women face the same hurdles that all women face. Feminism should be inclusive to these women who choose to live as a woman for whatever their reasons may be. My opinion, I’m sure others will disagree.
DBQ – Thanks, great interview. That woman is wonderful. A real independent mind.
Q: “If a man is gender reassigned and outwardly- and he feels inwardly as a woman, in your opinion can he be a woman or not?”
A: “No.”
Q: “Do you understand how people feel that’s insulting?”
A:”I don’t care! People get insulted all the time. Australians get insulted every day of the week.”
—–
Freedom of speech.
“GG: I’m not saying people should not be allowed to go through that procedure, what I’m saying is that it doesn’t make them a woman. It happens to be an opinion, it’s not a prohibition. Carry on if that’s what you think it is you want to do. I’ve been accused of inciting violence agains transexual people, that’s absolute nonsense.”
http://thefederalist.com/2015/10/26/feminist-germaine-greer-on-transgenderism-surgery-hormones-dont-magically-make-you-female/?utm_source=The+Federalist+List&utm_campaign=f1cd85793e-RSS_The_Federalist_Daily_Updates_w_Transom&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cfcb868ceb-f1cd85793e-79248369
FULL INTERVIEW
The clip at the BBC site was cut off a bit. The interviewer just refused to accept that Ms Greer has the opinion that she has and went on and on until Ms Greer finally dropped a couple of F bombs. I loved it!
because of her views on transgender women. ….FIFY transgender PEOPLERather than recognize that Greer has an opinion to share as part of the pluralistic academic forum, these students sought to bar her from sharing her views and engaging in a debate in the area. To its credit, the university has thus far stayed committed to free speech and refuses to bar Greer.
Transgender PEOPLE not women. Her opinion, which is genetically correct is that you can alter yourself from a man to look like a woman (or vice versa) but that does not change the fact that you are still male.
Here is a link to her interview on BBC. I didn’t think much about Germaine Greer when I was growing up because basically, I think that feminism has gone off the rails and is a crock of warm spit. Bunch of strident harpies who hate men. However, listening to her interview and seeing the grand old lady drop some F bombs I was impressed and may go back and look at some of her writings. She seems imminently sane, someone who doesn’t take everything so prudishly seriously and an old gal who would be fun to have a beer with.
The interview is only about 3 minutes. Watch it!!
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34625512
“hermaphrodites”
The medical term is: “infant with ambiguous genitalia”, that is, a congenital discrepancy between external genitalia and gonadal and chromosomal sex.
The management thereof is decided long before grade school, so your question is evidence of enough ignorance about the issue as to disqualify your input.
KCFleming writes, “‘hermaphrodites’ . . . The medical term is: ‘infant with ambiguous genitalia’, that is, a congenital discrepancy between external genitalia and gonadal and chromosomal sex. . . . The management thereof is decided long before grade school, so your question is evidence of enough ignorance about the issue as to disqualify your input.”
So, when the infant, who’s had management “thereof” decided long before grade school, becomes an adult, the issue’s been decided for him/her by others? One of us may be ignorant, but I don’t know that I am the guilty here.
Yours is a simplified world and for you alone.
Max, I thought chewing gum was only an offense in Singapore? Wonders never cease.
I hope this incident encourages that young lady to become a civil rights attorney.
KCFleming, and hermaphrodites, which restroom in your kingdom?
Yes, males who believe they are female are mentally ill.
@stevegroen
Yes, males who believe they are are mentally ill.
Similarly, underweight anorexic women who believe they are too fat should not be told that they are correct simply because they feel it.
And schizophrenics who believe they are reading other people’s thought aren’t’ correct simply because they think it so.
“…can be successfully cured with conversion therapy?”
False choice.
john smith, Check out Camille Paglia. She writes and speaks eloquently[albeit rapid fire] on the intolerance on campus and in feminism.
This is what the Education Industry has created. A generation of intolerant, myopic, people who hate anyone that does not comport w/ their distorted world view. They’ll be on the ballots soon.
Wow I never heard of this lady, and I’m so pleased that finally there is a feminist I can agree with, about something! Of course “sex” cant be changed. You can cut off your member, but your dna determines sex. It’s ridiculous to pretend otherwise. http://jezebel.com/germaine-greer-says-caitlyn-jenner-transgender-women-a-1738550360 But the lunatics have taken over the asylum!
John Smith writes, “Wow I never heard of this lady, and I’m so pleased that finally there is a feminist I can agree with, about something! Of course “sex” cant be changed. You can cut off your member, but your dna determines sex. It’s ridiculous to pretend otherwise. http://jezebel.com/germaine-greer-says-caitlyn-jenner-transgender-women-a-1738550360 But the lunatics have taken over the asylum!”
I’m not so sure you’re right or that Germaine Greer has contemplated this matter enough on the notion that it’s always been so in our culture. Help me to understand how you would treat – in terms of legal status – a person who has both male and female genitalia. For instance, in your kingdom would that person be required to use a women’s or men’s restroom in public fora?
And is it your position that males who believe they are females principally, and females conversely, are under some psychological impediment that can be successfully cured with conversion therapy?
stevegroen – if one has their gender reassigned, does an xx suddenly become an xy and an xy become xx? If you leave your DNA at a crime scene are the police looking for a man or a woman?
What Annie wrote, “What misogynistic nonsense.”
stevegroen – if you are a woman shouldn’t your DNA be xx not xy? And if you are a man who is sexually reassigned to be a woman, how can someone be misogynistic about you since it requires that you be xx, but you are really xy?
Paul writes, “stevegroen – if you are a woman shouldn’t your DNA be xx not xy? And if you are a man who is sexually reassigned to be a woman, how can someone be misogynistic about you since it requires that you be xx, but you are really xy?”
I’m amazed that you’re so certain xy and xx chromosomes exclusively determine gender. (And by the way, those letters constitute chromosomes, not the DNA on them.)
Geneticists don’t even know for sure what causes gender. It can result from mutation at a level far smaller than chromosomes. Yet, you think you know. Is this for police-profiling purposes under the current data-mining regime, or to comfort a fear of the unknown or both?
There’s been absolute silence on this blog regarding how to treat a hermaphrodite (DBQ to her credit, allowed that it’s his or her choice when he or she becomes and adult), let alone pseudohermaphroditism which apparently much of the time doesn’t even manifest itself until puberty. Are you willing to allow them their right to choose their gender or is it your decision and not theirs?
It’s the same with transgender individuals. It’s none of your damned business. Let people alone.
stevegroen – you are correct it is the chromosomes that are xx and xy. However, I remember the sports scandals where the Soviets were using men in their women’s divisions. That is finally why they started testing for chromosomes.
Personally I don’t care if someone is transexual, however I find the mental problem interesting.
It is difficult to understand how people can be so fearful of different ideas. These students should organize to be given time for a rebuttal argument to be given immediately following her speech.
It is inadvisable to get underwrought about feminism.
Here is Cornell getting huffy about its students being interviewed.
http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/10/streisand-effect-cornell-shuts-down-jesse-watters-on-air-during-student-interviews/
I was thinking about going back to take a few classes, but I do not think I could tolerate the students.
During the 60s and 70s we fought to get these people on campus to speak. Now they are fighting to keep them off.