Trans pride parade to protest Melbourne uni response to professor’s website

A rally at Melbourne University will protest the university's response to a staff member’s website labelled ‘transphobic’.

University of Melbourne‘s Dr Holly Lawford-Smith. Picture: Supplied

Melbourne University students and staff will hold a trans pride rally on campus at 1pm in response to a non-university website set up by staff member Dr Holly Lawford-Smith that they claim is transphobic.

Dr Lawford-Smith’s website ‘noconflicttheysaid.org’ is a collection of stories by women impacted by males identifying as females in women’s spaces.

University of Melbourne Student Union Queer Officer Amy Bright said the website allows cis women to detail negative experiences they had specifically with trans women.
“The website’s rhetoric promotes a sort of gender policing that frequently leads to transphobic harassment in women’s spaces”, UMSU Queer Officer Amy Bright said.

“The University of Melbourne’s response to Dr. Lawford-Smith’s pattern of transphobic behaviour has been disappointing, but not surprising. They have again used the weak excuse of “academic freedom” to protect her hateful rhetoric.”

She said trans women had a right to use women’s spaces.

“When a staff member with a sizeable platform abuses their power to spread fear, they will inevitably legitimise violence against trans students,” Ms Bright said.

“Just today, a transphobic message was posted onto the windows of a prominent building – and this only proves the point: when academics are allowed to indulge in transphobia, hate speech will grow and fester.”

She called for the university to publicly oppose Dr Lawford-Smith’s website and remove transphobic content from courses and tutorials.

Protesters are also demanding the university revise its academic freedom and freedom of speech policies.

“Academic freedom does not equal academic privilege; speech intended to cause harm to others is not protected by law. Why would it be protected by the University? When will the University actually commit to diversity and inclusion?” Ms Bright said.

Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell said universities were about teaching, research, debate and discussion with freedom of speech part of the bedrock of the university.

“We have a strong policy to guide our obligations around freedom of expression to ensure that we remain respectful, fair and lawful at all times within the university and in the wider community,” he said.

Professor Maskell said he was constantly encouraging staff, students and visitors to work together to ensure that everyone on the campuses felt safe and respected.

“This means we must all recognise the right for alternative viewpoints to be expressed within our community,” he said.

“Equally, we must ensure there is no place for disrespectful comments or behaviour towards individuals or particular groups on University of Melbourne campuses or in the broader community.”

The rally will include speakers from UMSU Queer Department, the National Union of Students, and the University of Melbourne National Tertiary Education Union before travelling around the Parkville campus.