Connie Shaw, a student at the University of Leeds and former Daytime Editor at Leeds Student Radio (LSR), was suspended from her committee position. This was after expressing her ‘gender critical’ views in her podcast “the fringe” and in an article for the Substack entitled: “Gender Madness at the University of Leeds”. The Leeds Student Union said she had breached their code of conduct and thus could no longer remain on a committee.
This story, alongside others such as the removal of fact checking on Meta and Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform X, has reignited debate about the role of social media and journalism in the development of public opinion. Connie Shaw’s suspension also raised questions about the integrity and impartiality of student media, and its role in university cultures.
I spoke to Connie Shaw about her suspension, and the country-wide debate that has ensued about whether university inclusion policies are excluding those with ‘gender critical’ views. The question has been posed: is a gender critical perspective inherently transphobic? Should the media be covering opinions that differ from that of their audience?
The question has been posed: is a gender critical perspective inherently transphobic?
Connie referred to herself as “a gender critical feminist.” She said that she “do[es] not believe in gender identity” and there is not “any way that someone could properly express their gender critical views without being called transphobic.”
Shaw believes that freedom of speech should give everyone at university the right to speak their opinions, be that in social situations, in seminars or in public forums like podcasts or the radio.
Shaw herself told Exeposé that “Transgenderism is an attack on free speech because of the blasphemy laws.”
It should be noted that blasphemy laws were formally abolished in 2008, and it’s argued by humanitarians that freedom of expression is stifled by these laws.
Shaw argued that the right to express her opinion is “protected by the law” but was removed from her position as Daytime Editor due to university policies.
This debate is outlined in the Human Rights Act in which Article 10 “protects your right to hold your own opinions” including in “television and radio broadcasting” but that “you also have a duty to behave responsibly and to respect other people’s rights.” These rights can therefore be restricted to “protect the rights of other people”.
As Shaw has said, everyone is allowed to have their own opinion according to freedom of speech laws, however she considers the consequences of her actions to be a “punish[ment]”. It could be interpreted that she is using freedom of speech as an attempt to evade consequence by appearing publicly to present her suspension from LSR as unjust.
The suspension was due to infringement of policy, but Shaw also criticises the censorship of her opinion.
The suspension was due to infringement of policy, but Shaw also criticises the censorship of her opinion.
Exeposé’s articles are reviewed and approved by the Students Guild along with a media law consultant to ensure that we have upheld the university policies and the law. This is to make certain that all publications in association with the University of Exeter reflect their values. Whilst there is an obligation to remain within the University’s policies, student media relies on the expertise of others, so many would argue this regulation and relationaship is crucial when upholding an expected standard of impartiality and professionalism. Leeds Student Radio equally operates from the Leeds Student Union.
Shaw expressed her frustration in being ‘cancelled’ because her opinions differ from an academic norm. “I feel like I’m doing the right thing” she said, pointing out that people have thanked her both publicly and privately for sharing her views. According to Shaw, universities should encourage debates. Students are “wrapped up” in campus life and in academia, whereas outside of universities Shaw argued there was statistical evidence to suggest that most people have the same opinion as her.
When it comes to those at university, “if they do [agree with her] they don’t say anything.”
When asked how she feels knowing that her comments may be harmful or invalidating to those who are transgender or gender queer, after a long pause, she said: “They might feel like it’s harmful but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t say it.”
Many are likely to now question whether the forum of university should facilitate potentially harmful conversations. Shaw and I discussed how humanities modules which deal with gender, queerness and femininity are perhaps unwelcoming to those who believe that changing gender is not possible.
…there is also an argument to suggest that ‘gender critical’ opinions play a part in the discrimination that an already marginalised community has to bear.
Do university policies of inclusion and decency, threaten the notion of freedom of speech? There is evidently an unwelcoming atmosphere to this kind of opinion, but there is also an argument to suggest that ‘gender critical’ opinions play a part in the discrimination that an already marginalised community has to bear.
The University of Exeter’s LGBTQ+ Society’s Committee have provided their perspective on Connie Shaw’s comments and the role of university journalism: “We are disappointed that Exeposé has chosen to platform someone with such hateful and transphobic views in this article. Trans people are a vulnerable minority, with anti-trans hate crimes rising by 186% in the past five years according to Home Office figures, and this sort of rhetoric further emboldens the harassment and attacks against our trans community. Trans women and transfem people are at an especially high risk of violence and discrimination, and we want to ensure that we work to make Exeter University a welcoming space for all women, whether they are trans or cis, regardless of how they choose to present or express their gender. We would not accept these sorts of comments from any member of our student radio station, Xpression FM or any other member of our staff and student body, and we do not feel that it is appropriate to give them an audience in print.”
We would not accept these sorts of comments from any member of our student radio station, Xpression FM or any other member of our staff and student body, and we do not feel that it is appropriate to give them an audience in print.
University of Exeter’s LGBTQ+ Society
The 2021 Census, which for the first time asked about gender identity, revealed that 0.5% of the population said that the gender they identify with, is not the same as their sex registered at birth.
At a time where hate crimes towards trans people have increased, and many of these are verbal forms of harrassment, debates which interrogate the validity of gender identity could be enouraging harmful conversations and behaviours, even if unintentionally.
Its clear from the Human Rights Act, that freedom of speech is a vital freedom, but it is not this which Connie Shaw questions, it is the consequences. The right to speak publically about any matter does not mean that student media, or any other media platform, are required to allow content that they believe opposes their values to be spoken on their public facing platforms. Most radio stations ban swearing and work to ensure that hateful lagnuage and misinformation do not occur on their shows.
As seen by Connie Shaw’s article in the Substack, there are media outlets willing to share ‘gender critical’ perspectives. Student media’s need to uphold University policy, ISPO Editor’s Code of Practice and the law, will, from time to time, mean that some people are asked to no longer be a part of the society. That is as much their right.
Editorial Note:
LGBTQ+ society make a crucial point of whether Exeposé should publicise opinions that differ from the university norm. The objective of this article is to discuss freedom of speech using a contentious current debate, to highlight the controversial and perhaps differing opinions of university students compared to wider society.
Exeposé prides itself in being a welcoming environment for people of all gender identities and has chosen to publicise this discussion to bring trans people and gender nonconforming persons into the conversation, where they have previously been excluded. We are not putting their rights up for debate but are instead posing an alternative perspective from the media’s reception of this story that has been saturated by major media outlets- with little consultation of university students or the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s clear that not all beliefs are accepted in university spaces. The issue, though, is at what point freedom of speech, creates an unwelcoming environment for trans or gender queer students and fosters a culture that veers ever closer to hate speech.
There are still many questions to be answered about the place for freedom of speech in universities. Exeposé will continue to interrogate the policies at the University of Exeter and in student societies to meet its commitment to the university community- to inform and engage with matters that are important to them.
To end, the freedom to speak does not mean freedom from consequence.
– Katie Matthews, Online Editor-in-Chief