Dear Professor Galbraith,
I am contacting you as a parent of a 16 year old daughter who is considering her university options, and also as a woman who attended the FiLiA Conference at the Portsmouth Guildhall on October 16th 2021.
If you are not the correct person to whom I should address my concerns, I would be grateful if you could forward this email to the appropriate person.
There was a small group of protestors outside the venue on October 16th, who appear to be of the erroneous view that women who hold the protected belief that sex is immutable and binary, are 'transphobic' by so doing. Initially I was reassured that this was a calm and respectful protest and I support the rights of all to engage in this, as a fundamental human right pursuant to Article 10 ECHR.
However later that day I received further information which caused me significant concern. Some of the protestors produced signs and chalked pictures/slogans of a highly offensive and threatening nature; in essence offering threats of sexual violence to women. The journalist Julie Bindel has written about this here.
I was also informed that 'the Dean' and several 'heads of department' at your University were present at the protest against the conference. I note from information about your Executive Board that you have a variety of 'Executive Deans' and I am unaware of the identity of the particular Dean in question.
I would be grateful if you could confirm if any member of your academic staff was present at this protest and if so, if they were aware of the offensive and threatening signs/slogans directed against the women attending the conference.
I have a keen interest in ensuring both the physical safety and the intellectual freedom of my daughter. In the event that your University employs academic staff who either support this kind of offensive and threatening misogyny, or who participate in public demonstrations alongside those who do, I would not consider your institution a safe place for her.
I would therefore be grateful for your reassurance that Portsmouth University understands the importance - and indeed your statutory obligations - to promote freedom of speech and how such threatening behaviour towards women is a direct attack on that fundamental freedom.
Regards
SP
Very well played, Sarah. Thank you.
Great letter Sarah.