The University of Edinburgh has announced the (uncontested) appointment of a new rector: Simon Fanshawe. In much of the reporting around this he has variously been described as a writer, an activist, a comedian and a consultant, but he is probably best known for being one of the founders of Stonewall.
But Fanshawe is a controversial figure because of his more recent past, specifically his strong links to a small but particularly vocal fringe group called the LGB Alliance. This trans-exclusionary organisation has been described as a hate group by various LGBTQ organisations and prominent campaigners and, in 2022, was revealed to have a secret office at the infamous “Tufton Street nerve centre of Britain’s most influential right-wing think tanks.”
Unsurprisingly, the appointment has provoked some significant concerns. You might even wonder if that could, perhaps, have been the point of the nomination – after all, culture wars don’t fight themselves. Simon Fanshawe has defended his appointment – you can read more here.
But it would be nice if we could try to remember that there are actual human beings affected by all this. One of them is a PhD student at the university who also teaches postgrad classes and researches areas like historical linguistics. They are also trans, and explained to me how they felt about the appointment:
“To start with, I've always felt incredibly safe at the University of Edinburgh within my department. The academic faculty is amazing--they're all well-educated on transgender needs, and my supervisors and friends in the faculty have been pillars of support through my transition. They've gone truly above and beyond, and I would be a far more miserable person if I hadn't had such a strong foundation to stand on. I'm immensely grateful for this, and want the world to know that the University is more than capable of supporting students like myself.
The unfortunate decision to appoint Simon Fanshawe as Rector has turned a safe environment into a hostile one. Key decision-makers in the university often do not argue for our needs, but this one will actively place us in harm's way. It breaks my heart.
I love this university: I love my community here, my work, and the long tradition that it stands for. If there was no one else available for the job, I don't understand why the University chose to harm its students rather than re-advertise the position more broadly. We did not elect this man. We did not choose him. We are speaking out about this now--as many of us are hearing about the decision for the first time--and I cannot fathom that the University does not listen.”
