A feminist philosopher targeted by trans activists has lodged a formal complaint against the University of Melbourne, alleging it failed to provide a safe workplace.
Associate professor of philosophy Holly Lawford-Smith, in a complaint lodged last week with WorkSafe Victoria, accuses her employer of occupational health and safety breaches, of bullying her for her political views, and of undermining the university’s stated commitment to academic freedom.
The gender-critical feminist, who is opposed to trans women having access to women-only spaces and services, said she lodged the complaint following a two-year campaign against her that reached a crescendo following her attendance at the now notorious Let Women Speak rally, which was gatecrashed by neo-Nazis.
A university source, speaking confidentially to discuss internal matters, confirmed the university investigated Lawford-Smith’s attendance at the rally, where she was invited to speak by UK organiser Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, and found she had no case to answer. A separate review into her social posts is ongoing. Lawford-Smith declined to comment on the investigations.
Lawford-Smith is one of a shrinking number of academics working in Australian universities who approach questions about sex and gender from a radical feminist perspective. Her teachings maintain that sex distinctions between males and females, rather than gender identity, should be prioritised when considering women’s rights.
She has engaged workplace law expert Stuart Wood, KC, who represented former James Cook University physicist Peter Ridd in a high-profile academic freedom dispute, and Holding Redlich workplace law expert Ben Marshall to represent her.
“It can’t be that every two years I have to pay $15,000 in lawyer fees or fear for my capacity to pay my mortgage,” she said. “That is just not a state that a person can work in. There has to be a point where it stops, and I think this is the point.”
Source: Target of trans rights campaign lodges WorkSafe claim against University of Melbourne
I’ve experienced this kind of stuff in the work place and it makes life hell.
Holly is clearly doing it tough.
That Melbourne Uni sees fit to vet her social media rather than shut this crap down is slightly nauseating and denotes a uni hierarchy that has no leaders amongst it.
Kind of like the Vic Liberals. Also slightly nauseating… (and I’m a Liberal voter too so that’s saying something… actually, not ‘slightly nauseating’ more projectile vomiting…actually…)
I forget the name of the contributor to this on line forum who said we are facing a ‘war’ but I totally agree with her. And as such we need to think strategically in our fight to stamp out this twisted trans philosophical anomaly. Safe work places are essential, trans rights when they trample on women’s rights are not essential.
Good God but these people are insufferable! And any one who supports them must be very confused.