A UPenn professor says Harvard and its former president Claudine Gay's claim to accept all viewpoints is inconsistent with their treatment of a professor who said there are only two genders.
In his Philly Inquirer column, Jonathan Zimmerman highlighted the case of Carole Hooven, a former lecturer in the Department of Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University.
Hooven says she was driven to quit her job after angering students who claimed her comments were transphobic.
Zimmerman says the college and Gay have made no attempt to defend Hooven's right to free speech – despite claims that Harvard considers the concept sacrosanct in the wake of recent anti-Semitic protests.
Zimmerman said, “Harvard talks a good game about different views, but it doesn’t really protect them. “And that’s very bad news for higher education.”
Former Harvard lecturer Carole Hooven was forced out of her position in 2021 after saying there were only two genders
At the time, Claudine Gay, then dean of the faculty, expressed no support for Hooven's right to free speech. Gay and Harvard asserted in the wake of the October 7 attacks that freedom of speech is sacrosanct
In 2021, Hoover said that she was forced out of her position due to conditions given following an interview she gave on Fox News about her book T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us became.
During the interview, she said that there are only two biological sexes: male and female – although she took pains to say that sex is a separate category from gender and that all gender identities should be treated with respect.
“We can treat people with respect and respect their gender identity and use their preferred pronouns. “So understanding the facts about biology doesn’t stop us from treating people with respect,” she said.
Her words came into the crosshairs of the head of her department's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.
“This dangerous language perpetuates a system of discrimination against non-cis people,” wrote director Laura Simone Lewis.
“It directly contradicts the work of our task force to create a safe space for scientists of ALL gender identities and races.”
The online reaction to Hooven escalated and she soon became persona non grata on the Harvard campus.
She remembers the time she walked around campus hoping no one would recognize her as the “transphobic” she was labeled as.
Her previously popular lecture course was canceled because no graduate student agreed to serve as a TA.
Laura Simone Lewis, the head of her department's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, was critical of Hooven's words on Twitter
Eventually, Hoover's mental health deteriorated to the point where she felt she had no choice but to resign.
“Another person in the same situation might have stayed, but I couldn’t,” she wrote.
At the time, Claudine Gay was dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard.
Zimmerman points out that Gay was questioned about the Hoover incident during her now infamous testimony before Congress.
“In what world is a call to violence against Jews protected speech, but the belief that sex is biological and binary is not?” Rep. Tim Walberg asked her.
She responded with a response about Harvard's firm support of “constructive dialogue, even on the most complex and contentious issues,” an example of exactly what did not happen in the Hoover case.
Following the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas and the subsequent bombing of Gaza that left dozens dead, colleges accused of rejecting or permitting views they find offensive or distasteful have started to cancel views, defending the freedom of expression of staff and students by thousands.
Claudine Gay made several statements after October 7, after her first statement was accused of not sufficiently condemning the Hamas massacre.
She was subsequently accused of plagiarism and resigned from her job later that week. Gay will return to her old job at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Liz Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania, also lost her job on October 7. She, Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth all appeared before Congress, where they were asked about protests on campus.
Leaders' responses about the need for context to determine whether calling for the massacre of Jews violated college rules angered many.
Kornbluth has resisted calls for her resignation, although MIT has so far defended her.
The Harvard Society – the board that oversees the college's governance – is said to have since met with professors who have called on the college to strengthen free speech protections for students and employees – and to remain neutral in news events.