Standing Up to the 'Angry Mob'
Legal academics from around the UK respond to the 'angry mob' mentality responsible for threatening and hounding Kathleen Stock, a lecturer at Sussex University.
The 'angry mob' seem to think they are entitled to mount a terror campaign against anyone who disagrees with their point of view.
Supporting Sussex in Supporting Academic Freedom
Dr Mahon O’Brien
Head of Department
Department of Philosophy
University of Sussex
Professor Kate O’Riordan
Dean
School of Media, Arts and Humanities
University of Sussex
Dear Dr O’Brien and Professor O’Riordan,
Open Letter from Legal Academics in Support of Sussex’s University’s Defence of Academic Freedom
We are writing as legal academics in the UK to express our support for the University of Sussex in its defence of academic freedom following the harassment campaign targeting your colleague, Professor Kathleen Stock, for her academic work and public interventions on the questions surrounding the legal recognition of sex and gender identity. We note the open letter written to you by our colleagues in academic philosophy and we wish to offer our support in similar terms to theirs.
While not all of us agree with Professor Stock’s views, we are convinced of the importance of making space within universities and within public life for respectful debate and discussion, particularly in relation to pressing issues of public policy. As legal scholars it is essential to our practice that we teach students how to criticise arguments. We also teach them that one way to respect and take seriously ideas and arguments is to challenge them where they may seem weak, so that if people ultimately come to agree with these positions they do so on the basis of the strongest grounding.
Professor Stock is engaged with the question of whether sex should be replaced with self-identified gender in all legal, political, and social contexts, as is currently being advocated for in the UK. She may be correct that there remain important contexts where it is sex rather than gender identity that matters, or she may be mistaken. We recognise that these matters are deeply, personally important for many people who disagree with her, as they are for many of those who agree with her. The views and concerns of all those with an interest in this question need to be treated seriously and respectfully. However, unless she and others involved in this debate are permitted to raise their concerns on this matter, and to offer reasoned argument without fear of harassment, the danger remains that public policy in respect of gender identification will be made without adequate reflection and scrutiny. We believe such reflection and scrutiny to be among the most important purposes of the mission of a university.
We are therefore heartened to hear Sussex’s Vice-Chancellor speaking out in support of Professor Stock’s academic freedom and in favour of keeping open debate and discussion of this important, though sensitive, issue. We are aware that, in a climate where universities are dependent on their students for fee income, there can be a cost to individual institutions in defending the rights of colleagues to express unpopular opinions or raise difficult questions challenging popular orthodoxies. With that in mind we are writing to express our solidarity with Sussex University and our hope that the university will maintain a robust defence of Professor Stock’s right to express her opinions and publish her arguments in her current position as a member of its professorial staff.
Yours sincerely,
[To add your name to the list below, please email lawopenlettertosussexuni@gmail.com with your name and affiliation. All academic staff, including emeritus and retired, and graduate students in UK Law Departments are welcome to sign.]
| Dr Elena Abrusci, Lecturer in Law, Brunel University London | |||
| Peter Alldridge, Drapers’ Professor of Law, Queen Mary University of London | |||
| Professor Merris Amos, Professor of Human Rights Law, Queen Mary University of London | |||
| Dr Rob Amos, Assistant Professor in Environmental Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Dr Arianna Andreangeli, Senior Lecturer in European Law, University of Edinburgh Law School | |||
| Professor Rosemary Auchmuty, Department of Law, University of Reading | |||
| Dr Cressida Auckland, Assistant Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Nick Barber, Professor of Constitutional Law and Theory, University of Oxford | |||
| Eduardo Baistrocchi, Associate Professor of Tax Law, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Andrea Biondi, Professor of European Union Law, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London | |||
| Professor Robert Black QC FRSE, Professor Emeritus of Scots Law, University of Edinburgh Law School | |||
| Dr Michael Blackwell, Associate Professor of Law, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Alan Bogg, Professor of Labour Law, University of Bristol Law School | |||
| Dr Jacco Bomhoff, Associate Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Dr Catherine Briddick, Departmental Lecturer in Gender and International Human Rights and Refugee Law, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Susan Bright, Professor of Land Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Douglas Brodie, Professor of Employment Law, University of Strathclyde | |||
| Dr Anna Bryson, School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast | |||
| Professor Ian Cram, Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law, School of Law, University of Leeds | |||
| Dr Qiang Cai, Lecturer, Law School, University of Aberdeen | |||
| Professor John W Cairns, University of Edinburgh Law School | |||
| Dr Peter Candy, Early Career Fellow in Legal History, University of Edinburgh Law School | |||
| Dr Conor Casey, Lecturer in Law, University of Liverpool | |||
| Professor Ruth Chang, Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Mindy Chen-Wishart, Dean, Professor of the Law of Contract, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Shazia Choudhry, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Anna Christie, Lecturer in Banking, Corporate & Financial Law, University of Edinburgh Law School | |||
| Professor Hugh Collins, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Rachel Condry, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Robert Craig, Lecturer in Law, University of Bristol Law School | |||
| Dr Manoj Dias-Abey, School of Law, University of Bristol | |||
| Professor Andrew Dickinson, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Alan Dignam, School of Law, Queen Mary University of London | |||
| Professor Martin Dixon, Professor of the Law of Real Property, University of Cambridge | |||
| Professor Michael Doherty, Professor of Law, Lancaster University | |||
| Professor Gillian Douglas, Professor Emerita of Law, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London | |||
| Professor Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, Anniversary Chair in Law, Queen Mary University of London | |||
| Professor Piet Eeckhout, Dean, Faculty of Laws, UCL | |||
| Professor Richard Ekins, Professor of Law and Constitutional Government, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Mark Elliott, Professor of Public Law, University of Cambridge | |||
| Dr Charlotte Elves, Singer Fellow in Medical Law and Ethics, Exeter College, University of Oxford | |||
| Dr David Erdos, Associate Professor in Law and the Open Society, University of Cambridge | |||
| Dr John Fanning, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Liverpool | |||
| Kim Fawcett, Teaching Fellow in Criminal Law and PhD Cand, University of Durham | |||
| Professor Pamela R Ferguson, Professor of Scots Law and Director of the Healthcare law and Ethics, University of Dundee | |||
| Professor Liz Fisher, Professor of Environmental Law, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor John Fitzpatrick, Professor Emeritus of Law, University of Kent | |||
| Dr Michael Foran, Lecturer in Public Law, University of Strathclyde | |||
| Professor David Fraser, Professor of Law and Social Theory, University of Nottingham | |||
| Professor Rosa Freedman, Professor of Law, Conflict and Global Development, University of Reading | |||
| Dr Sandra Frisby, Associate Professor and Reader in Company and Commercial Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Almut Gadow, Associate Lecturer, School of Law, Open University | |||
| Professor Dev Saif Gangjee, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Dr Jodi Gardner, University Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge | |||
| Professor Conor Gearty FBA, Professor of Human Rights Law, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Martin George, Professor of Land Law, City, University of London | |||
| Dr Giulia Gentile, Fellow in Law, LSE Law School | |||
| Dr Nicholas Gervassis, Assistant Professor in Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Dr Chris Gill, Senior Lecturer in Public Law, University of Glasgow | |||
| Dr Imogen Goold, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Stephen Greer, Professor of Human Rights, University of Bristol | |||
| Dr Julius Grower, Yates Glazebook Fellow in Law, Jesus College, University of Cambridge | |||
| Professor Roger Halson, Professor of Contract and Commercial Law, University of Leeds | |||
| Professor James Harrison, School of Law, University of Warwick | |||
| Dr Barbara Havelková, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Kristin Heimark, Associate Lecturer, Public & Criminal law, Open University | |||
| Professor Eric Heinze, Professor of Law and Humanities, Queen Mary University of London | |||
| Professor Veerle Heyvaert, LSE Law School | |||
| Dr Hayley J Hooper, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Dr Adrian Hunt, Senior Lecturer in Law, Birmingham Law School | |||
| Dr Martin Husovec, Assistant Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor David Ibbetson, Regius Professor of Civil Law, University of Cambridge | |||
| Dr Brian Christopher Jones, Lecturer in Law, University of Sheffield | |||
| Professor Anthony Julius, Chair of Law and the Arts, Faculty of Laws, UCL | |||
| Dr Vicky Kemp, Principal Research Fellow, School of Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Professor Jeff Kenner, Chair of European Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Professor David Kershaw, Dean, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Tarunabh Khaitan, Professor of Public Law and Legal Theory, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Celia Kitzinger, Honorary Professor, School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University | |||
| Dr Kyriakos N Kotsoglou, Senior Lecturer in Law, Northumbria University | |||
| Professor Nicola Lacey, LSE Law School | |||
| Per Laleng, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Kent | |||
| Sian Lewis-Anthony, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Kent | |||
| Professor Eva Lomnicka, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London | |||
| Professor Martin Loughlin, Professor of Public Law, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Joan Loughrey, School of Law, University of Leeds | |||
| Dr John MacLeod, Senior Lecturer in Private Law, University of Edinburgh Law School | |||
| Dr Paul MacMahon, Assistant Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Wade Mansell, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Kent | |||
| Mr Nicholas J McBride, College Lecturer in Law, Pembroke College, Cambridge | |||
| Dr Christopher McCorkindale, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Strathclyde | |||
| Professor Kieran McEvoy, Professor of Law and Transitional Justice, Queen’s University Belfast | |||
| Dr Ming-Sung Kuo, Associate Professor of Law, University of Warwick | |||
| Dr David McGrogan, Associate Professor of Law, Northumbria Law School | |||
| Professor Aileen McHarg, Professor of Public Law and Human Rights, Durham Law School | |||
| Professor Gráinne McKeever, Professor of Law and Social Justice, Ulster University | |||
| Professor David Mead, Professor of UK Human Rights Law, UEA Law School | |||
| James Mendelsohn, Senior Lecturer in Law, UWE Bristol | |||
| Dr Mario Mendez, Reader in Law, Queen Mary University of London | |||
| Robert Merkin QC, Professor of Law, Universities of Exeter and Reading | |||
| Dr Lucinda Miller, Associate Professor, Faculty of Laws, UCL | |||
| Dr Emma Milne, Assistant Professor in Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, Durham Law School | |||
| Maeve Malone, Lecturer and Researcher in Intellectual Property Law and Healthcare Law and Ethics, University of Dundee | |||
| Laura Menachemson, Criminal Law teacher, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Marko Milanovic, Professor of Public International Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Professor Kai Möller, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Richard Moorhead, Professor of Law and Professional Ethics, University of Exeter | |||
| Rebecca Moosavian, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Leeds | |||
| Dr Jonathan Morgan, Reader in English Law, University of Cambridge | |||
| Dr Caroline Morris, Reader in Public Law, Queen Mary University of London | |||
| Lisa Mountford, Lecturer, Law Department, Keele University | |||
| Dr Jo Murkens, Associate Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Andrew Murray, LSE Law School | |||
| Dr Aruna Nair, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Dr Annika Newnham, Associate Professor of Law, University of Reading | |||
| Danny Nicol, Retired Professor of Public Law, University of Westminster | |||
| Professor Donald Nicolson OBE, Department of Law, University of Essex | |||
| Professor Alan Norrie FBA, Warwick Law School | |||
| Dr Kyriaki Noussia, Associate Professor in Commercial Law, University of Reading | |||
| Professor Colm O’Cinneide, Faculty of Laws, UCL | |||
| Maureen O’Hara, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Coventry | |||
| Professor Catherine O’Regan, Professor of Human Rights Law and Director, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford | |||
| Dr Janet O’Sullivan, Associate Professor, University of Cambridge | |||
| Professor Phoebe Okowa, Professor of Public International Law, Queen Mary, University of London | |||
| Dr Philipp Paech, Associate Professor of Financial Law and Regulation, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Dennis Patterson, Professor of Legal Philosophy, University of Surrey | |||
| Dr Mona Paulsen, Assistant Professor of Law, LSE Law School | |||
| Dr Alasdair Peterson, Lecturer in Private Law, University of Glasgow, School of Law | |||
| Dr Dionysios Pelekis, Teaching Associate in Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Professor Richard Percival, Professor of Criminal Law and Practice, University of Sheffield | |||
| Professor Gavin Phillipson, University of Bristol Law School | |||
| Professor Eva Pils, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London | |||
| Professor Aurora Plomer, Professor of Intellectual Property & Human Rights, University of Bristol Law School | |||
| Professor Thomas Poole, LSE Law School | |||
| Dr Hannah Quirk, Reader in Criminal Law, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London | |||
| William Ralston, Senior Lecturer in Law, Northumbria Law School | |||
| Professor Peter Ramsay, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Christine Riefa, Department of Law, University of Reading | |||
| Professor Paul Roberts, Professor of Criminal Jurisprudence, University of Nottingham | |||
| Dr Ian Roxan, Associate Professor of Law, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Bernard Ryan, School of Law, University of Leicester | |||
| Dr Nicholas Sage, Assistant Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Irit Samet, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London | |||
| Dr Candida Saunders, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Edmund Schuster, Associate Professor of Corporate Law, LSE Law School | |||
| Dr Andrew Scott, Associate Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Helen Scott, Professor of Private Law, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Sangeeta Shah, Associate Professor in Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Dr Liron Shmilovits, Fellow, College Teaching Officer in Law, Wolfson College, University of Cambridge | |||
| Professor Andrew Steven, Professor of Property Law, University of Edinburgh Law School | |||
| Dr Umberto Igor Stramignoni, Post Major Review Assistant Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor John Strawson, Department of Law, University of East London | |||
| Professor Lorraine Talbot, Chair of Company Law in Context, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham | |||
| Rachel Taylor, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oxford | |||
| Professor Andrew Tettenborn, Professor of Commercial Law, University of Swansea | |||
| Professor Gareth Thomas, Professor Emeritus of Employment and Discrimination Law, University of East Anglia | |||
| Dr Sean Thomas, Reader, The York Law School, University of York | |||
| Dr Matt Thomason, Assistant Professor in Law, University of Nottingham | |||
| Professor Adam Tomkins, John Millar Professor of Public Law, University of Glasgow | |||
| Dr Sarah Trotter, Assistant Professor, LSE Law School | |||
| Professor Guglielmo Verdirame QC, Professor of International Law, King’s College London | |||
| Professor Emmanuel Voyiakis, LSE Law School | |||
| Dr Derek Whayman, Lecturer in Law, Newcastle University | |||
| Professor Robert Wintemute, Professor of Human Rights Law, King’s College London | |||
| Scott Wortley, Lecturer in Commercial Law, University of Edinburgh | |||
| Dr Ben Yong, Associate Professor of Public Law and Human Rights, Durham Law School, University of Durham | |||
| Sheona York, Clinic solicitor and Reader in Law, University of Kent Law School | |||
| Paul Yowell, Associate Professor of Law, University of Oxford | |||
[To add your name to the list above, please email lawopenlettertosussexuni@gmail.com with your name and affiliation. All academic staff, including emeritus and retired, and graduate students in UK Law Departments are welcome to sign.]
Please pass on the letter to academic lawyers you think would like to sign.
