Australian academic and feminist writer Germaine Greer has defended her views on transgender issues, amid calls for the cancellation of one of her upcoming lectures in Wales.
Greer is scheduled to deliver a lecture called Women & Power: The Lessons of the 20th Century at Cardiff University on November 18.
But those plans are looking shaky after a student involved in the university’s student union started a petition calling for the event to be cancelled because Greer’s views on transgender issues are “problematic”.
“Greer has demonstrated time and time again her misogynistic views towards trans women, including continually misgendering trans women and denying the existence of transphobia altogether,” the petition says.
“While debate in a university should be encouraged, hosting a speaker with such problematic and hateful views towards marginalised and vulnerable groups is dangerous.”
But Greer has since come out in defence of her views, telling BBC Newsnight she is “not about to walk on eggshells”.
“Apparently people have decided that because I don’t think that post-operative transgender men are women, I’m not to be allowed to talk,” she said.
“I’m not saying that people should not be allowed to go through that procedure, what I’m saying is it doesn’t make them a woman.
“It happens to be an opinion, it’s not a prohibition.”
Since being posted on change.org on Friday, the petition has garnered the support of over 1,400 people.
The petition’s author, Rachael Melhuish, claims that Greer’s views are “trans-exlusionary” and incite hatred towards the transgender community.
“Such attitudes contribute to the high levels of stigma, hatred and violence towards trans people — particularly trans women — both in the UK and across the world,” the petitions says.
But Greer told BBC News that the claims were “nonsense”.
“I don’t even talk about it, they’re not my issue. I haven’t published anything about transgender for years,” she said.
“I’ve had things thrown at me, I’ve been accused of things I have never done or said, people seem to have no concern about evidence or indeed, even about libel.”
When asked whether she will still deliver the lecture, Greer appeared pessimistic.
“I’m getting a bit old for all this. I’m 76. I don’t want to go down there and be screamed at and have things thrown at me,” she told BBC News.
“Bugger it. It’s not that interesting or rewarding.”
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
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Top Comments
This begs the question: why even bother distinguishing between the genders? What difference does gender actually make these days in society? Who really cares who is "transgender"? Gender only matters for some 'official' purposes such as passports, drivers licences and if you go to prison. Women and men are treated the same anyway. I don't understand why there are still separate toilets for men and women....
Look, I disagree with her, and those below bleating about how transgender people aren't the sex they identify with. More to the point, what is to be gained from deciding who is and who isn't a woman, regardless of how that woman identifies? Like seriously, what is the point of her saying that someone who has had surgery to align their body with a woman's body, who presents as a woman and who lives there lives a woman, is not a woman?
Believe what you want, but what exactly is to be gained from spouting your opinion if all it will do is hurt and encourage discrimination against a group of people?