Defend Nic Shall

This Friday, 14 June, a trans student and pro-trans activist, Nic Shall, will face the University of Bristol’s disciplinary board for writing an open letter to the University calling for the cancellation of the “A Woman’s Place UK” (WPUK) event in Bristol.

WPUK are an organisation campaigning against proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA). These reforms would allow trans people to change the gender on their birth certificates by self-declaration without requiring a medical diagnosis through a long, intrusive, expensive and degrading procedure.

More broadly WPUK oppose gender self-definition, and to do so they often encouraging distrust and fear of trans people, especially trans women, and seriously misrepresenting trans experiences. The open letter described the event as “a platform for hate speech” and called for it to be cancelled on this basis.

Transphobia is extremely prevalent in our society with around 40% of trans and nonbinary people having experienced hate crimes over the previous year, and institutions often refusing to acknowledge the gender they identify as. Campaigning against transphobia is vital and must be supported, whether against classical right-wing transphobia or against the facilitation of transphobia by ideas or organisations (such as WPUK) on the left. I have consistently argued for this to be done through protest, discussion and education, rather than attempted no-platforming, but regardless of what your opinion on this strategy is, we must stand in solidarity with pro-trans activists facing victimisation for opposing transphobia.

Nic is facing possible expulsion at this disciplinary hearing, as the University alleges that describing WPUK’s event as “a platform for hate speech” is “false information” and that the letter has “brought the University into disrepute” and attempts to “suppress fellow students' freedom of speech”. Threatening disciplinary action for a petition is a clear attack on freedom of expression and organisation, and must be fought on basic democratic grounds.

The Orwellian doublethink of the university claiming to do this in the name of free speech demonstrates the superficial nature of their alleged commitment to free speech. The silence of many right-wing “free speech” campaigners on the repressive power of institutions such as the university, or of government policies such as the racist “prevent strategy”, exposes their inconsistencies and limitations.

Oppressed groups and the left are consistently the main victims of repression and silencing by oppressive and powerful institutions in capitalist society.

For this reason, attempting to encourage repressive institutions to silence people with bigoted opinions is a short-sighted strategy. For this reason too, oppressed groups and the left have often been – historically at least – the loudest and most consistent advocates of free expression and organisation.

We must stand in solidarity with Nic, both in defence of democratic rights and in solidarity against transphobia.

People will be assembling outside Senate House with banners from 10.30am to support Nic going into their hearing, organised by Sisters Uncut Bristol.