Louisa Clarence-Smith has written a piece in today’s Telegraph about the Free Speech Union’s latest case: Dr. Almut Gadow, an Open University Law Lecturer who was sacked for gross misconduct after raising concerns about the inclusion of gender identity ideology in the law curriculum. Among other things, students were expected to use the preferred gender pronouns of trans-identifying male prisoners. Here’s an extract:
Dr. Almut Gadow, 43, has alleged that in 2021-22, the University’s equality, diversity and inclusion department announced plans to “incorporate its political ideologies” across the curriculum.
She claimed that she raised concerns about requirements, including introducing diverse gender identities into the curriculum and teaching students to use offenders’ preferred pronouns.
She said she argued that a criminal lawyer’s role “is to present facts” and that “sex is a relevant fact for offences involving perpetrators’ and/or victims’ bodies”.
Dr. Gadow also argued that “no offender should be allowed to dictate the language of his case in a way which masks relevant facts”.
She also told colleagues that not holding a gender identity belief was a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
Dr. Gadow was told that her posts relating to gender identity in the online forum amounted to “serious insubordination” because she had been told it was not the place for such discussions.
She was told that her persistence in posting comments on issues relating to gender identity and gender identity belief, paedophilia, and sex offending amounted to “serious bullying and harassment”.
The content of several of her posts was a breach of the university’s transgender staff policy because they may “create an environment in the forum that isn’t inclusive, trans-friendly, or respectful”, she was told.
She was sacked for gross misconduct in November.
Dr. Gadow, who is being supported by the Free Speech Union and is crowdfunding for her case, claims she was harassed, discriminated against, and unfairly dismissed because she rejects gender ideology and believes in academic freedom.
She told the Telegraph that she believed the university’s “liberating curriculum” policy was “effectively a checklist of ideological compliance”.
