London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Sussex University probed over trans rights row

Sussex University probed over trans rights row

England’s higher education watchdog is investigating whether Sussex University failed to uphold its freedom of speech obligations after a high-profile transgender rights row saw a professor resign after getting death threats.

The Office for Students (OfS) announced on Tuesday it had “identified potential concerns” that merited “further scrutiny” of the university’s conduct.

While the OfS did not specify what prompted the investigation, it was announced in the House of Lords on the same day that it was in response to acclaimed philosophy professor Kathleen Stock’s resignation from the university last month, after activists and student groups called for her dismissal over allegedly “transphobic” views on gender identity.

The OfS probe will focus on whether the university “met its obligations for academic freedom and freedom of speech within the law for all students and staff, whatever their views.” In its statement, the watchdog said academic staff were entitled to “freely express lawful views, no matter how controversial they are, without fear of losing their jobs or privileges.”

Stock’s case is set to be taken up by the House of Lords, where the school system under-secretary of state, Diana Barran, said on Tuesday that “no academic should have to fear for their personal safety” as a consequence of expressing their beliefs. Meanwhile, Labour peer Philip Hunt pointed out that other academics were “facing similar abuse... for basically gender critical views.”


Stock, who describes herself as a feminist, has previously criticised ideas championed by transgender rights groups such as gender identity – the debate over which, she said, has “allowed a few students with totalitarian tendencies to have a disproportionate chilling effect on the rest.”

Last month, flyers were posted around the university campus and several people in masks held up signs that read: “Stock Out.” The campaign, by an online group called ‘Anti Terf Sussex’, called for Stock to be fired for “espousing a bastardised variation of radical feminism.”

In response, the university said it would not tolerate threats to “cherished academic freedoms” with its vice-chancellor promising to “take any action necessary” to protect these rights. When announcing her resignation, Stock thanked the university for stating that bullying and harassment for legally held beliefs were unacceptable but noted it had been “a very difficult few years.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×