Dr Michael Foran, Associate Professor of Law and Fellow of Keble College, has cancelled the remaining lectures in a series on sex, gender identity, and the law, following protests at two of the events.
The lecture series, hosted by Keble College, examined themes from Foran’s recent book Sex, Gender Identity and the Law. Topics included the legal treatment of sex, single-sex spaces, and gender-identity beliefs, and sexual consent.
Foran is an expert in equality and anti-discrimination law, whose work has been cited by the UK Supreme Court. His lecture series was delivered alongside the publication of his book, which traces the history of how sex has changed within UK law, and its implications for ongoing controversies over single-sex spaces, freedom of expression, and sexual intimacy. Protesters said his positions on sex and gender identity, and his associations with certain campaign groups, motivated their demonstrations. They told Cherwell: “We have a moral responsibility to challenge transphobic rhetoric, even when it’s dressed up in academia.”
The protesters also argued that Foran’s associations with organisations such as Sex Matters and the Women’s Rights Network, which they described as working to “erode the rights of trans people”, made his platforming by the University a harmful rather than neutral act. They further argued that his work “weaponises the language of feminism to pit women’s rights against trans rights”.
Footage of the protests, which has circulated widely on social media, appears to show protesters standing to read statements before leaving the events. A statement shared by individuals involved in the protests, including the Oxford LGBTQ+ Society’s President, who appeared in footage circulated online, disputed characterisations of their actions as harassment or bullying. They told Cherwell they had “read out short statements, and left peacefully”, and that Foran had been able to continue delivering his lectures after they left. The statement said the decision to cancel the remaining events “was entirely his own” and not something the protesters had called for.
The protestors also told Cherwell that engaging with Foran through the lectures’ question-and-answer sessions would have required them to challenge his views within a format that he controlled. They added that the protest allowed them to “create our own space for expression”, and rejected suggestions that their actions were “anti-intellectual”.
In a statement posted on social media following the cancellations, Foran described the decision to cancel his remaining lectures as “deeply lamentable” and said that disagreement with a speaker’s views should be expressed through debate rather than disruption.
The protests attracted significant attention online, including from former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who criticised them on social media, describing them as an attack on free speech. Protesters have argued that their actions constituted a peaceful and lawful form of political expression, and rejected media portrayals of their actions as intimidating or harassing.
The University of Oxford told Cherwell: “Freedom of speech and academic freedom are fundamental to the University of Oxford. Members of our academic community must be able to teach, research, speak and debate within the law, including on issues that are controversial or strongly contested. Equally, we support the right to lawful protest and civil disagreement.”
The University added that despite interruptions at the start, the first two talks proceeded and continued uninterrupted, and said it was “concerned that the series will not now be completed as planned”. It confirmed it would work with Foran to explore how the remaining events might take place.
