Oxford University students calling for gender-critical feminist Kathleen Stock to be no-platformed have been slammed over their “insanity” by social commentator Tonia Buxton.
It comes as the university’s LGBTQ+ society called on the Oxford Union to rescind its “misguided” invitation to the academic, where she is set to speak about her views on gender identity theory at the end of May.
The society said in a statement it was “dismayed and appalled” that the debating group had “decided to platform the transphobic and exclusionary speaker Kathleen Stock”.
Speaking on GB News, Tonia Buxton questioned the validity of the academic’s status as a debating society given the society’s demands to effectively shut down her point of view.
Tonia Buxton has hit out at a 'vile' plot to no-platform Kathleen Stock
GB News / PA
Buxton said: “She’s coming back to talk at the Oxford Union at the debating society. What does a debate mean?
“They say they are ‘dismayed and appalled’ that she’s going to go and have a debate. Isn’t she allowed to make her point? Isn’t this the whole point of debating?”
Stock is a former philosophy professor who resigned from her role at Sussex University in 2021 after receiving backlash over claims including the idea that “transwomen are women” is a fiction.
She is a married lesbian who believes womanhood and manhood reflect biological sex, as opposed to gender or gender identity.
An Oxford University society has hit out at plans to platform Kathleen Stock
PA
Buxton hit out at factions opposed to Stock, who is now a visiting fellow at the University of Austin, Texas, saying some of the abuse directed towards her has been “vile”.
She told Andrew Pierce and Bev Turner: “These trans activists are so vile and so frightening that she was forced to quit her job.
“They are really frightening. They aren’t winning in this situation as she is going to Oxford, but you have to be made of steel to even be able to debate this.
“It’s just insanity. They’re saying Kathleen Stock wants conversion therapy, do you even know what conversion therapy is in the trans debate? It’s a conversation.”
A statement from the university’s LGBTQ+ society accused the union of “disregarding the welfare” of their members “under the guise of free speech”.
In response to the statement, Stock argued that the society are “probably” being “defamatory” in their remarks.
The Oxford Union announced on Monday that it will reject calls to no-platform Stock as it remains unwavering in its commitment to free speech.
A spokesperson said: “The Union aims to challenge Professor Kathleen Stock’s views and provide a platform for members to question her beliefs in a ‘mini-debate’ format, where members will have an automatic right of reply to their questions, so to uphold the freedom of expression of our members as well that of Professor Stock.”