SUPRA has been made aware of an upcoming talk at the University of Sydney by controversial Melbourne University Associate Professor Holly Lawford-Smith. We express our concern regarding A/Prof Lawford-Smith and reject the presence of Lawford-Smith at our University. We remind the University of its duty of care for all students, particularly transgender women.
SUPRA is committed to free speech and academic freedom. This includes robust, informed debate and lawful protest that is free from discrimination, intimidation and harassment. We also agree with the University of Sydney Vice Chancellor that: ‘Now more than ever it is important for us to be guided by our values of diversity, inclusion, and the principle of disagreeing well. Our campuses must continue to be a welcoming and safe space for all students.’
We express deep concerns about the actions of A/Prof Lawford-Smith, and believe that they are not in line with the values of the University of Sydney, nor our Staff and Visitor Code of Conduct. In 2021, Lawford-Smith launched a website designed to collect and display anonymous stories of individuals opposed to the inclusion of transgender women in women’s spaces. This directly contradicts the University of Sydney’s own Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination Policy (2015). Some of the stories currently hosted make direct reference to the University of Sydney and it’s facilities, which puts Lawford-Smith herself (as the editor of the site) in breach of the University’s Staff and Visitor Code of Conduct Section 20, Part 2, as well as the Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination Policy, Section 15, Part 1(d). Lawford-Smith and her website have since been condemned by more than 1400 staff and students of the University of Melbourne.
Lawford-Smith has demonstrated a willingness to use inflammatory and derisive language in public settings when discussing transgender people. In a TV interview given in October 2023, Lawford-Smith asserted that the gender identity of trans people and their protection from discrimination was dependent ‘on a lie’ and characterised transgender women as an inherent threat to other women. In May last year, she spoke at the Let Women Speak rally in Melbourne. This event was attended and supported by members of the neo-Nazi organisation National Socialist Network who performed anti-semitic gestures and engaged in hate speech directed at the LGBTQIA+ community as well as other marginalised groups. During her remarks Lawford-Smith intentionally misgendered and mocked a deceased trans woman. Her attendance was criticised by colleagues, students, and the trans community.
While SUPRA encourages free expression and dialogue, we reiterate that these discussions must be held respectfully and in good faith. If they are not, we question the place of academics who engage in egregiously harmful behaviour as invited guests at the University of Sydney.
SUPRA reiterates that trans women are women. We encourage students to consider the value of supporting this event and stand in solidarity with trans students and their allies.
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