Interview: Leeds student challenges LSR suspension after producing gender-critical content

A Leeds student has challenged her suspension from Leeds Student Radio, following her production of gender-critical content.

Connie Shaw, a third-year philosophy, religion and ethics student at the University of Leeds, spoke to The Leeds Tab about her permanent suspension from Leeds Student Radio (LSR), which she alleges is due to her gender-critical views.

Connie, 20, was suspended from her role following an article she wrote about gender ideology at the university and for conducting interviews with Charlie Bentley-Astor, a detransitioner, and Graham Linehan, an Irish comedy writer who has received widespread backlash for his gender-critical views.

The student was told if she wanted to run again for the committee she would need to take a mandatory training course about online conduct and provide a written apology to the wider membership for bringing LSR into disrepute, but Connie told The Leeds Tab: “If I did that, I wouldn’t know what I’d be apologising for”.

The outcome of the investigation saw Connie removed from her position as day time editor, a role she was elected for in May and began in September, overseeing shows like Women’s Hour and LGBTQ+ Hour.

Although allegations of misconduct were dropped, the suspension was due to Connie allegedly having brought the university into disrepute.

Connie claimed the university could not tell her how she had brought the institution into disrepute: “I went to that interview and was told the investigation wasn’t to do with my right to hold gender-critical views.

“But I was also asked: How do you maintain an inclusive environment when your choice to publicly post your views online makes some people feel unincluded?

“So there it was. On the one hand, they were saying it wasn’t about my views, but it became very obvious to me it was about my views.”

Most Read

Vanessa reveals heartbreaking reason she unexpectedly quit The Ultimatum with Dave

OnlyFans model Lily Phillips reduced to tears after sleeping with 100 men in 24 hours

How rich is Benny Blanco?! That whopping diamond ring has nothing on his net worth

During the investigation, Connie was questioned about how she was able to support trans people and trans rights activists on LSR considering her personal stance on gender.

Connie told The Leeds Tab: “I made the point that I had made sure I put trans rights activists both on Women’s Hour and on LGBTQ+ Hour because I believe in freedom of speech and that a student radio station should be reflecting the views of students, regardless of my own views.

“I wouldn’t not select a presenter for Politics Hour because they wrote something in their application that I disagreed with when I asked them what their political stance was.”

Connie with members of the Women’s Rights Network

Connie said that during the interview, she was presented with printed copies of her article and her X account, including screenshots of comments that weren’t made by her.

She asked the board: “What relevance has this got? Because I didn’t say those things,” referring to the screenshots of comments.

Wondering whether she was “being held responsible for what strangers on the internet say,” Connie claimed the university told her she could be held responsible for “creating a certain culture as a result of her posts”.

According to Connie, she was also asked by the Leeds University Union how her article will impact the reputation of LSR.

She replied: “Well, it’s not a criticism. It’s just an observation about how gender ideology is pushed in universities.”

The Leeds Tab asked Connie how she would respond to arguments made by students that she shouldn’t oversee their radio shows due to her views.

She said: “I can still oversee a good radio show even if I disagree with what’s being said on it. I’m there to help students with production and their ideas.

“Not once have I told them what they should and shouldn’t be doing. I made that very clear when I took them for training that the show was theirs.”

Connie added that before the investigation was over, the poster advertising her as the day time editor in the union was taken down.

“My face was taken down off the wall and my name was taken off the website, so it felt like I had already been found guilty,” she said.

According to Connie, the only evidence the university holds that warrants her suspension is the article on Linehan’s Substack and her “media productions”, referring to her podcast.

When Connie began her role as day time editor, she also started her own podcast that was separate from LSR. She ensured the podcast was unaffiliated with LSR because she felt the university wouldn’t be happy about the views being platformed on it.

It was on her personal podcast that she conducted the interview with Bentley-Astor, a detranisitioner. A detransitioner is someone who previously identified as transgender and received medical and/or surgical interventions, but stopped taking these interventions and no longer identifies as transgender in the same way.

Connie received backlash from students, both online and publicly, for conducting this interview.

She claimed the person who helped her edit the podcast received a formal complaint against them from a separate University of Leeds society. This person was told by the committee of their society they must distance themselves from Connie and her work, otherwise further action would be taken.

It was at this point that Connie decided to purchase a Free Speech Union membership. The Free Speech Union is a British, non-partisan organisation that stands up for the right to free speech for its members.

Talking about her motivations to join the group, Connie told The Leeds Tab: “Because I thought: If that could happen to someone who just helped me edit, then what could happen to me, who actually made the podcast?”

Connie later conducted an interview with Linehan on her personal podcast and on 29^th October 2024, the day after the interview, Linehan published an article Connie had written for his Substack.

The article, titled: “Gender Madness at the University of Leeds”, discusses Connie’s experiences of perceived student censorship following her interview with Bentley-Astor and the Leeds Debating Society refusing to collaborate with Connie in organising a debate.

She criticised initiatives on campus like a gender expression fund run by the Students’ Union that allows transgender students to receive grants for chest binders, clothes and make-up.

Connie also discussed some of the questions she had been set for a feminist philosophy module at the university, arguing that academia has been “hijacked by gender ideology”.

Connie said: “I spoke about how the feminist philosophy course I’m taking is very biased in the sense that the questions were pushing students towards a certain direction.

“And I didn’t realise this at the time, but there are actually no gender-critical reading papers on the reading list.”

On 30^th October 2024, the day after the article’s publication, Connie says she received the email telling her she’d been suspended from LSR and was under investigation.

The Free Speech Union (FSU) is now appealing the decision on Connie’s behalf and have warned the university of potential legal action.

The FSU stated in a letter that Connie’s treatment is contrary to the Equality Act 2010, which counts gender-critical views among its “protected beliefs”, and have promised to support her financially if she chooses to lodge a discrimination claim.

Connie added: “The way the investigation was carried out is completely contrary to the union’s policy, because there are two different guidelines as to whether a complaint is dealt with within the society itself or by the union, and they’ve put the two procedures together and done a mash-up of both.

“So they haven’t even followed their own policy, which is the basis of my appeal, and the fact that my views are protected specifically in the Equality Act. So I believe I’ve been unlawfully dismissed.”

A Leeds University Union spokesperson said: “Inclusivity is one of our core values, helping to ensure that everyone can enjoy their university experience, free from discrimination.

“Due to an ongoing appeal, we are unable to comment on this case.”

The University of Leeds did not respond to a request for comment.

Featured image via Connie Shaw