Associate Professor of Philosophy at Melbourne University, Holly Lawford-Smith, has lodged a complaint against her employer for not providing a safe workplace.

The complaint to WorkSafe Victoria “accuses her employer of occupational health and safety breaches, of bullying her for her political views, and of undermining the university’s stated commitment to academic freedom.”

The Assoc Professor is a gender-critical feminist who advocates for women’s sex-based rights, spaces and services. A two-year campaign by student activists, which has included personal targeting of Lawford-Smith via stickers, posters and intimidation, reached a climax after she attended the Melbourne Let Women Speak event:

“The institutional culture at Melbourne [University] and the way they allow gender-critical feminists to be treated is unacceptable and violates academic freedom and what a university should be about,” Lawford-Smith said.

“This is just the latest iteration of it. It has to stop, and they have to get a more constructive attitude towards this debate.”

The author of Gender Critical Feminism and a second book, Sex Matters, published by Oxford University Press, has for the past six weeks been the subject of an anonymous boycott campaign by student and trans rights activists against her second-year feminism class. She has also been the subject of disciplinary processes initiated by the university.

It is unacceptable that in 2023 women from all walks of life are having to engage in legal actions to defend their right to speak about women’s single-sex spaces and services. 

Biology matters and we should not be forced to deny reality for the sake of some men’s feelings.

Julia Gillard removed protections for sex from the Sex Discrimination Act in 2013. All that remains is protection for men and men who appropriate female stereotypes. It is now up to brave women like Lawford-Smith to fight for women’s rights at great personal cost.

Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has been expelled from her party room for defending women’s sex-based rights. 

Hobart City Councillor Louise Elliot has to answer a human rights complaint for ‘inciting hatred’ after advocating for female-only spaces.

Sall Grover is in the Federal Court for excluding males from her female only app Giggle.

Left wing feminist Angie Jones has been defamed for attending the Let Women Speak event.

Greens women have been expelled from their parties for declaring that sex matters.

I am facing applications for APVO’s and vilification complaints for identifying males in female sporting divisions.

They are trying to silence you by silencing us. The harder they try, the more people are waking up to their schemes. 

We won’t be silenced.