Sir, – Despite concerns about it being a cover for left-wing indoctrination, all higher education authorities in Ireland have signed up the Athena SWAN Charter, which has been touted as advancing gender equality in higher education. Reading about Colette Colfer’s principled stand in relation to South Eastern Technological University’s new policy on use of preferred pronouns, it seems this headlong rush to the supposed sunny uplands of equality nirvana has been at the expense of freedom of expression (“Lecturer objects to university’s gender identity policy which describes refusal to use preferred pronouns as ‘unlawful’”, News, October 5th).
As he is topical this year, it’s worth recalling the words of J Robert Oppenheimer: “The scientist is free, and must be free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion, to correct any errors”. This is the antithesis of the compelled speech demand at South Eastern Technological University. – Yours, etc,
PAUL WILLIAMS,
Kilkee,
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Co Clare.