Uni of Melbourne VC slams balaclava-wearing transgender activists over campus vandalism

Duncan Maskell slams ‘disgraceful’ vandals — who were apparently targeting outspoken feminist philosopher Holly Lawford-Smith — and has referred the matter to police.

Holly Lawford Smith is a philosopher whose sceptical views on transgender have led to abuse and intimidation from trans activists. Picture: David Geraghty / The Australian.

University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Duncan Maskell has slammed “disgraceful” campus vandalism by balaclava-wearing pro-transgender activists – who were apparently targeting outspoken feminist philosopher Holly Lawford-Smith – and has referred the matter to police.

In a hard-hitting statement sent to the university’s staff on Friday afternoon, Mr Maskell warned: “The type of criminal behaviour seen last night has the potential to incite further physical and psychological harassment, endangering people’s well-being and safety, and it needs to stop right now.’’

The Australian understands that around midnight on Thursday, two activists smashed windows and sprayed graffiti with words to the effect “Trans – we are not safe’’ across the university’s Sidney Myer Asia Centre Building in Swanston Street in inner Melbourne.

Mr Maskell said: “Two individuals were caught on CCTV purposefully damaging university property and putting up graffiti pertaining to transgender issues. This activity follows the distribution of material on our campuses and social media platforms recently that seeks to vilify individual members of our community. This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and stands in direct opposition to the values we hold as a university.

“Let me be unequivocally clear – such intentional acts of damage, violence or vilification against others will not be tolerated. Resorting to violence and causing damage on our campuses is disgraceful.’’

Professor Duncan Maskell vice-chancellor, University of Melbourne. Picture: Supplied

The vandalism occurred as the university prepares to post security guards outside feminist philosophy lectures by gender critical feminist and University of Melbourne associate professor, Holly Lawford-Smith, which start next week. Security guards were requested by Ms Lawford-Smith – who believes that biological sex is more important than gender identity – after she and her students were subjected to what she calls an “authoritarian” and “gross” boycott by self-described transphobia activists.

These activists urged students to boycott Ms Lawford-Smith’s lectures, and they put up posters around campus declaring, “Only a fascist takes feminism”, “Are you on the side of fascists?’’ and “Our demands: Transphobes and Nazis off campus”.

The attempted boycott, by an anonymous group called Fight Transphobia UniMelb, followed Ms Lawford-Smith’s attendance at the recent Melbourne Let Women Speak rally that was gate-crashed by neo-Nazis. After that rally, she was twice investigated by Melbourne University, and cleared both times.

“I hate it,’’ the academic said of the campaign targeting her students. “It’s really inappropriate. It should never have gone beyond me … It’s really unfair on them. They shouldn’t have to be fearful about ideas at any university. It’s just so authoritarian and gross.’’ She said “this is the first time they (activists) have targeted other students’’ and revealed that in 2021, activists targeted tutors teaching her courses.

The philosopher, who was overseas when the vandalism occurred, earlier lodged a formal complaint with WorkSafe Victoria, alleging that Melbourne University has failed to uphold academic freedom and provide her with a safe work environment.

She said her intensive feminism course, which runs for three weeks, mostly deals with disagreements within second-wave feminism over issues such as prostitution, beauty and “sex abolitionism versus gender abolitionism’’. “There is one lecture called trans/gender and that’s on whether gender identity should replace sex for all purposes,’’ she said. She said she looks at the question of gender identity “from both sides” in the course, adding: “In general you don’t ever teach from your perspective.’’

A trans rights poster put up outside academic Holly Lawford-Smith's lecture theatre. Source: Twitter

One of Ms Lawford-Smith’s students, who did not want to be named, said posters labelling those who take the feminist philosophy class as “fascists” were “certainly defamatory; a sort of targeted reputational attrition, or smear campaign’’. This student was both relieved and dumbfounded at “the sheer absurdity of this escapade having come to a point of a class teaching feminism requiring security’’.

Another feminism student said: “(It) strikes me as rather ironic that the group which advocates for respectfully addressing others according to the ways they identify … is so aggressive in labelling others (who presumably don’t identify as fascists).” When this student spoke to The Australian earlier this month, he said: “There are posters everywhere slandering Holly Lawford-Smith and her students … I think it’s great that the university is upholding its free speech value and not caving in to activist pressure. But I don’t think it’s done enough to defuse the hostility she’s faced.’’

Mr Maskell said the safety of transgender people was “a constant and deep concern for the university’’ but that “resorting to this kind of violent behaviour (vandalism) is never the right answer, especially in the context of an inclusive university environment where the freedom to express ideas and speech must be fostered and not shut down.’’

Ms Lawford-Smith estimates that only a handful of people are involved in the “hardcore” protests. She said many students were “absolutely fed up and don’t agree with it’’ but fear being targeted by trans activists, resulting in a “false consensus’’.

The vandalism and security guard developments follows Melbourne University’s recent adoption of its first LGBTQIA+ inclusion action policy, which invites students to give “feedback related to curriculum and assessment that may impact the wellbeing of student cohorts from diverse backgrounds’’.

Ms Lawford-Smith feared this policy may be used as a “bludgeon” to target gender critical feminists. She said the university was “cheerfully introducing” formal processes for “complaining against teaching you don’t like … For me it feels very obvious and targeted. Who else are LGBTQIA+ students going to be complaining about?’’ However, a university spokesperson said: “Any students who wish to provide feedback on curriculum … at the University of Melbourne can follow this process’’.

In 2021, the radical feminist started a website, No Conflict They Said.Org encouraging anonymous posters to document their experiences of trans women – including biological males who transition under self-ID laws – accessing spaces such as women’s toilets, changing rooms, rape shelters and sports teams. Almost 100 academics signed a petition calling the website “transphobic”, but the university cleared her of wrongdoing.

In a statement on its website, Fight Transphobia UniMelb takes responsibility for the boycott posters and claims “Lawford-Smith’s actions have directly harmed trans and gender-diverse people’’. The website says students “taking her subject enables the university to legitimate and fund the harm’’. The group apologised to students who felt intimidated by their actions.