Statement of support for trans students
Thursday 04-02-2021 - 17:39
In an article published in Palatinate, Durham SU was featured, and comments included, regarding the removal of Angelos Sofocleous from two student publication roles he held in 2018. Angelos was Deputy Editor of The Bubble and Assistant Editor of the Philosophy Society Journal, Critque. The upheld complaint pertained to the process of which Sofocleous was removed from those positions by the student groups and was not a comment on any specific views he made public.
Sofocleous has a legal right to freedom of speech, and student groups are rightly entitled to hold their leaders accountable for their speech, because freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences. However, for student groups to hold their leaders accountable, they have agreed procedures in place to ensure fairness and transparency. The upheld complaint only considered whether these procedures were followed correctly, and they were not, so an apology was offered.
Ewan Swift, Welfare and Liberation Officer, said: "Durham Students’ Union is proud of the work it does alongside student groups to support trans students in making the University, Students’ Union and broader community a more inclusive and less hostile environment for our trans siblings. From responding to the Gender Recognition Act in 2018 to supporting the Trans Association to host Durham’s first Trans Pride, we are committed to students leading change for trans students and the broader LGBT+ community. Our priority now is to speak with Durham SU’s Trans Association to ensure they are clear on what happened regarding this case in 2018 and if there is additional support they need in relation to this matter."
