British Academic Claims She Was ‘No-Platformed’ by Canadian Government Over Gender Stance

Male and female bathroom signs can be seen at Perth Airport, Australia, on Oct. 31, 2023. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

A British sociology professor says the Canadian government abruptly “no-platformed” her after it found out her planned presentation was about gender issues.

Alice Sullivan from University College London said the Department of Justice cancelled her presentation.

“No-platformed by Canada’s Department of Justice,” Ms. Sullivan said in a March 14 post on X, formerly Twitter.

“I was due to give a talk to mark International Women’s Day,” she continued. “The topic was ‘Why do we need data on sex and gender identity?’”

Ms. Sullivan told The Telegraph that it was not until she had submitted parts of her presentation that she was told it was cancelled.

“After I sent my slides, I received a phone call from a member of the department saying she had been told to cancel the event,” she told the publication.

“She was not authorized to give me any explanation but indicated that, of course, we both knew what the reason was...you are not allowed to talk about sex in Canada,” Ms. Sullivan added.

She explained that the government data collection in Canada uses gender, not sex.

“My talk would have discussed the value of collecting data on both, rather than avoiding data collection on sex.”

Statistics Canada has started collecting census information using gender identity rather than biological sex. Government departments and agencies have been directed to collect gender information by default, a 2018 report by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said.

“The distinction between sex and gender is very important for those who have a gender identity or lived experience that does not align with their sex at birth,” the report said. “Studies have shown that people who have identity documents that do not correspond with their lived gender are more likely to face discrimination and violence.”

The Department of Justice told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that an “employee-organized event meant to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) was cancelled in favour of promoting an event offered by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS).”

It said the CSPS event “aligned more closely with the theme of the International Women’s Day 2024 – Investing in Women and Accelerating Progress.”

The email also said that Ms. Sullivan had been given notice of the cancellation “well in advance ... more than two weeks prior to the original event date.”

Ms. Sullivan said that she has not been given a written explanation for the cancellation.

“My request for a written explanation of the cancellation was ignored and promised honorarium not paid,” she said in a subsequent post on X.

Ms. Sullivan told The Telegraph that the cancellation was “shocking.”

“Surely they should want to open up the conversation,” she said. “Clearly, there are some people in the Department of Justice who want to do that, or I wouldn’t have been invited in the first place, but they have been shut down.”