The fate of Kate Smurthwaite’s comedy show, cancelled by Goldsmith’s College in London last month (“What could be more absurd than censorship on campus”, Nick Cohen, Comment) is part of a worrying pattern of intimidation and silencing of individuals whose views are deemed “transphobic” or “whorephobic”. Most of the people so labelled are feminists or pro-feminist men, some have experience in the sex industry, some are transgender.
Last month, there were calls for the Cambridge Union to withdraw a speaking invitation to Germaine Greer; then the Green party came under pressure to repudiate the philosophy lecturer Rupert Read after he questioned the arguments put forward by some trans-activists. The feminist activist and writer Julie Bindel has been “no-platformed” by the National Union of Students for several years.
“No platforming” used to be a tactic used against self-proclaimed fascists and Holocaust-deniers. But today it is being used to prevent the expression of feminist arguments critical of the sex industry and of some demands made by trans activists. The feminists who hold these views have never advocated or engaged in violence against any group of people. Yet it is argued that the mere presence of anyone said to hold those views is a threat to a protected minority group’s safety.
You do not have to agree with the views that are being silenced to find these tactics illiberal and undemocratic. Universities have a particular responsibility to resist this kind of bullying. We call on universities and other organisations to stand up to attempts at intimidation and affirm their support for the basic principles of democratic political exchange.
Beatrix Campbell
Lynne Alderson
Ruth Ahnert
Dr Lucy Allen
Nimko Ali
Dr Kerri Andrews
Lisa Appignanesi
Prof. John Barrell
Prof Mary Beard
Melissa Benn
Rosa Bennathan
Katie Beswick
Dr Sue Black
Prof Jenny Bourne Taylor
Alison Boydell
Fiona Broadfoot
Paul Burston
Dianne Butterworth
Prof Deborah Cameron
Ivy Cameron
Dr Rosie Campbell
Cynthia Cockburn
Anna Coote
Caroline Criado-Perez
Hannah Curtis
Dr Liz Davies
Kim Darwood
Dr Sukhwant Dhaliwal
Jane Diblin
Sarah Ditum
Stella Duffy
Dr Victoria Dutchman-Smith
Louise Evan-Wong
Dr Katharine Edgar
Jayne Egerton
Carol Fox
Kim Graham
Rahila Gupta
Prof Catherine Hall
Prof Jalna Hanmer
Jeremy Hardy
Dr James Harrison
Heather Harvey
Lorrie Hearts
Prof Nicholas Hewitt
Dr Rachel Hewitt
Deborah Hyde
Bridget Irving
Susan Jack
Darren Johnson MLA
Claire Jones
Jane Clare Jones
Judith Jones
Prof Liz Kelly
Karen Hanna Kruzycka
Jenny Landreth
Claire Lazarus
Kate Leigh
Prof Alison Light
Prof Ruth Lister
Dr Julia Long
Sonia Long
Prof Joni Lovenduski
David Lusted
Dr Samantha Lyle
Shakila Maan
Dr Finn Mackay
Nancy Mackeith
Rosina Mcrae
Sarah Maguire
Dr Sarah Mansfield
Elizabeth Mansfield
Heather McRobie
Gia Milinovich
Lucinda Montefiore
Dr Helen Mott
Hannah Mudge
Sonali Naik
Dr Peter Newbon
Jill Nicholls
Sian Norris
Juliet Oosthuysen
Sue O’Sullivan
Femi Otitoju
Ursula Owen
Sue Parrish
Pragna Patel
Louise Pennington
Cat Peters
Prof Jill Radford
Dale Rapley
Dr Rebecca Reilly-Cooper
Dr Victoria Rimell
Roweena Russell
Dr Adam Rutherford
Gita Sahgal
Dr Joan Scanlon
Sandhya Sharma
Vanessa Shaw
Dr Ben Schiller
Prof Sophie Scott
Shelley Silas
Karen Ingala Smith
Prof Francesca Stavrakopoulou
Sian Steans
Mary-Ann Stephenson
Prof Ann Stewart
Marina Strinkovsky
Southall Black Sisters
Julka Szymanska
Felicity Tarnell
Peter Tatchell
Steve Trafford
Dr Sue Tate
Dr Matthew Taunton
Lisa-Marie Taylor
Helen Thompson
Dr Megan Todd
Janet Veitch
Judith Vidal-Hall
Nicky Wallace
Dr Jim Walsh
Liz Waterhouse
Prof Nicole Westmarland
Lisa Whelan
Dr Michael Whitworth
Jim Wild
Dr Heather Williams
Clair Wills
Prof Alan Winfield
Harriet Wistrich
Miranda Yardley
The need to help suicidal men
In 1997, when my son, Stuart, killed himself aged 27, I suddenly became aware that almost everyone I spoke to seemed to have been affected by suicide or known someone who had been (“Fragility of the strong, silent male”, Comment).
In the late 90s, there was a flurry of concern about the suicides of young men and Calm was founded not long after this. The Samaritans were already established for people with the assertiveness to seek help for suicidal feelings. Councils started to prepare suicide strategies and Mental Health First Aid is providing as many people as possible with the skills to help.
People who had known Stuart set up the Stuart Low Trust . Since 2001, we have been tackling the social isolation that can lead to suicide, providing activities that welcome people on the receiving end of racism, poverty, xenophobia, disability hate crime and the general climate of thought that mental ill health means that someone is dangerous and best avoided. Many might like to follow Anthony Clare’s advice to “find meaning and fulfilment ... in love, family and personal relationships”, but these options are beyond their reach.
Virginia Low
London N1
SNP’s policy of silence
After years of the SNP government in Scotland, voters in hugely deprived areas of Glasgow have apparently decided to switch from Labour to…SNP! Kevin McKenna (“In the poor heart of Glasgow, political loyalties melt away”, News) says this is because they are tired of Labour’s “broken promises and infidelity”. He goes on to quote figures that demonstrate the appalling differences in life expectancy, and educational and health outcomes between the most and least deprived areas of Scotland. The best he can offer from the current SNP administration’s point of view is that their recently retired chief medical officer “is optimistic that the Scottish government is beginning to grasp” the need for “early intervention strategies”.
Last week, it was revealed that the interest in parties such as Ukip, the SNP and Greens was greatly inflated by social media bandwagons. The SNP’s response is to maintain their long-term policy of silence on the reality of issues in Scotland and manufacture a phoney referendum mark 2, led by Salmond, in Westminster.
Carolyn Kirton
Aberdeen
Vitalise vegans with vitamins
You ask: “Is this the week that veganism finally came of age?” (“From Beyoncé to the Baftas, vegan culture gets star status”, News). Vegans avoid foods of animal origin and it is true that you can get almost all of the nutrients you need in this way. The crucial exception is vitamin B12, required for the production of red blood cells. Its lack causes pernicious anaemia. The Vegan Society’s website does make a clear statement that all vegans should take a vitamin B12 supplement .
Dr Brian Curwain
Former Chair of Science Committee
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
A boo and a hiss for Barbara
Oh, Barbara Ellen, for once I’m disappointed in your column with your views on Wolf Hall (“Good news if you can’t sleep – Wolf Hall is on next”Comment). My friends and I were riveted by the Tudoresque atmosphere, understated acting, dim candlelight and stunning tableaux. And if you had a problem with the diction, either turn up the sound or put on the subtitles and enjoy something magnificently different.
Glendra Read
Ealing, west London