Women doused in water at University of Melbourne protest over ‘transphobic’ website

An academic says she’s furious her supporters were abused for backing her website about transgender people using “women-only spaces”.

A Melbourne academic who started a website about transgender people using “women-only spaces” says she has been left furious after her female supporters were harassed at an on-campus protest.

University of Melbourne political philosophy senior lecturer Holly Lawford-Smith, who launched the “No Conflict They Said” website in February, asked women to share “how your use of women-only spaces has been impacted”.

Footage of a heated protest at the university ­between the Queer Political Action Collective and the academic’s supporters last week shows women being verbally abused and having water thrown at them.

Protesters pour water on Dr Holly Lawford-Smith’s supporters at Melbourne University.

“I found it really hard to watch, I found it surreal being off campus but knowing I had supporters there,” Dr Lawford-Smith said.

“The intimidation of the big male stamping over small women, the throwing of water — I found that really shocking.

“I have panicked in the past about the risks at protests of angry people throwing something much worse.”

She said the university had not questioned the freedom of her research.

“No one has talked about research but there is talk of my teaching, because one of the goals of my opponents — even before the website — is to get my teaching of feminism taken off me, rebranded or having a statement saying it has nothing to do with gender studies,” Dr Lawford-Smith said.

“It’s a bit weird there hasn’t been an official response from the university, so I am starting to feel a bit uneasy ... I would’ve expected a strong, clear statement by now.”

The heated clash was caught on video.

Dr Lawford-Smith said she received hundreds of abusive emails over the website.

“I know this is an issue that causes a lot of feeling … but the thing that made me most furious is that there are genuine submissions … from women that felt negatively or threatened in these spaces,” she said.

An open letter describing the website as “transphobic” was signed by dozens of ­academics, including staff from the University of Melbourne and other universities. It argues the site’s stories will “promote the harmful stereotype of trans people as predatory”.

Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell said in February the university was “absolutely committed” to diversity, ­inclusion and the wellbeing of its community.

“Freedom of speech is part of the bedrock of the University of Melbourne and we have a strong policy to guide our obligations around freedom of ­expression to ensure we ­remain respectful, fair and lawful,” he said.

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