Gender-critical academic dumps professor title 'in disgust' over universities' 'dim-witted' trans policies

Oxford students protest Kathleen Stock

Eliana Silver

By Eliana Silver


Published: 28/03/2025

- 14:55

This comes after the Office for Students imposed a record £585,000 fine on the University of Sussex for failing to protect her academic freedom

Kathleen Stock has renounced her academic title in "disgust" at her former profession whilst criticising "dim-witted, claustrophobic" transgender policies still in place at British universities.

The gender-critical philosophy professor made the comments following the University of Sussex receiving a record £585,000 fine from the Office for Students for failing to defend her freedom of speech.


Stock, who resigned from Sussex in 2021 after what she described as a "medieval experience" of campus ostracism, accused university leaders of pandering to "student victimhood".

In an opinion piece published on UnHerd, she declared she was "a civilian now, with nobody looking over my shoulder".

Kathleen Stock OBE

Stock accused university leaders of pandering to 'student victimhood'

PA

Stock specifically criticised Sussex University's policy requiring that "any materials within relevant courses and modules will positively represent trans people and trans lives".

She likened this to "an instruction from a client to an advertising agency" rather than a "serious pedagogical commitment".

The former professor also took aim at UCL's guidance, which she claimed reduces lecturers to "deferential intellectual lackeys" by requiring unquestioning acceptance of trans people's views on offensive language.

Leeds University's trans-equality policy was similarly criticised for combining two clauses from Sussex's breached guidelines.

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Stock highlighted the ambiguity in defining harmful speech, especially when organisations like Stonewall expanded "transphobia" to include denying someone's gender identity.

Stock's criticism comes after the Office for Students imposed a record £585,000 fine on the University of Sussex for failing to protect her academic freedom.

The watchdog's decision was announced just one day before Stock published her scathing critique.

In her article, Stock claimed that during her time at Sussex, then vice-chancellor Adam Tickell was "powerless" in addressing problems caused by the university's policies.

\u200bPeople protest in Oxford before the appearance of Professor Kathleen Stock

The mother of two, who came out as a lesbian at 40, endured years of bullying and harassment over her views on trans issues

PA

Despite initially praising the university's leadership approach as "admirable and decent" when she resigned in 2021, Stock has now adopted a more critical stance towards her former employer.

Stock accused university managers of defining concepts like "abuse" and "harassment" too loosely "to pander to rapidly expanding notions of student victimhood and the crazed demands of moronic campaigners".

The mother of two, who came out as a lesbian at 40, endured years of bullying and harassment over her views on trans issues.

She described her experience at Sussex as "medieval" with campus ostracism and protests ultimately leading to her resignation.

Stock argued that university policies were treating lecturers like advertising agencies, instructing them to promote trans ideology.

She claimed many of these restrictive policies remain in place "across the land, right now".

A University of Sussex spokesman said the circumstances that led to Stock's departure were "deeply regrettable".

They added: "Sussex has consistently and publicly defended her right to pursue her academic work and to express her gender-critical beliefs".

\u200bThe University of SussexThe University of Sussex has been hit with a record £585,000 fine by the Office for Students (OfS)

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"Academic freedom and freedom of speech are foundational elements of a university, and the university is committed to ensuring that diversity in all its forms, particularly diversity of thought and identity, are able to flourish at Sussex".

The university confirmed it had removed the phrase requiring positive representation of trans people from its policy statement within three weeks of Vice-Chancellor Professor Sasha Roseneil's arrival in 2022.

A UCL spokesman said: "We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming community where all students are enabled to meet their full potential and are respected as individuals.

"This guidance was produced to provide practical support for students transitioning gender and for staff who are supporting them through the process. It does not impact on UCL's deep commitment to freedom of speech".