The cancellation of a lecture on sex and gender has heated tempers and brought a lot of criticism to Berlin’s Humboldt University. A police car is ready for the catch-up date, but there are no protests.
After weeks of argument, the Berlin biologist Marie-Luise Vollbrecht has made up for her gender lecture, which had been canceled at the beginning of July. A police car was parked in front of the Humboldt University for security. The 32-year-old doctoral student spoke for about half an hour, but there were no protests. In a panel discussion, the university then tried to work through the complex controversy. University President Peter Frensch said it was never the intention to cancel the lecture, only to move it. Vollbrecht initially only gave the lecture on YouTube because of the protest.
The doctoral student was originally scheduled to give the presentation during a Long Night of Science on July 2nd. After announced protests, the university canceled the lecture because of security concerns. Vollbrecht’s central thesis is that there are only two sexes in humans that you keep for life. Critics accuse her of a hostile attitude towards transsexuals, also because of earlier statements.
Vollbrecht was criticized along with other authors in June. In a “Welt” article, you wrote critically about public service broadcasting, where, in your opinion, “the fact that there are only two sexes” had been “denied” in broadcasts. The post also said children were “indoctrinated” and “intrusively sexualized.”
The Humboldt University was severely scolded for its actions. Frensch spoke of a “shitstorm” that broke out over the university. Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger had also expressed concern about academic freedom. At the panel discussion in the evening, the FDP politician said that a university would have to make security considerations in such a case. But that “needs to be explained, of course”. Open debates are important. She herself supports the line of the traffic light coalition and the planned self-determination law, which is intended to make life easier for trans and intersex people. The question of the freedom of science separates them from this substantive position. “It’s a society-wide debate that we have to have,” said Stark-Watzinger.
Vollbrecht had canceled her participation in the panel discussion. Among the reasons she gave were that too many people had been invited to the podium and that the composition was unbalanced.
