Academic Freedom and Narratives of Transgender Identity

Abstract

Several of the other contributors to this round-table — Lara Rae, Jarvis Brownlie, Noah Schulz – have noted that Professor Joanne Boucher’s talk, “The Commodification of the Human Body: The Case of Transgender Identities,” raises issues of free speech and academic freedom. The media coverage of the event and the statement issued by the University of Winnipeg presented the question in a standard framework that pits the support of a “healthy and inclusive society” and respect and support of the members of our 2SLGBTQ+ community against free speech and academic freedom. In this case, the University of Winnipeg seems to have ‘balanced’ those competing ideals by siding with the latter, with many feeling the former was sacrificed.