An honour to have been reelected to @ucu.org.uk NEC. I'll be serving my final two years (before an enforced rest - term limits are good actually) as Women's Rep. Thanks to all those who voted, I'm privileged that members trust me for a third term.
And from our wonderful contributors Geth! Your chapter is so insightful and important.
My chapter explores the racialised functions of medical evidence in sexual violence trials in colonial Kenya, arguing that these have a lasting legacy for the treatment of survivors today. I am so excited to see it in physical form soon.
The collection brings together case studies from Kenya, Argentina, Australia, the UK and the US to explore and historicise how medical and psychiatric practitioners respond to sexual violence
Delighted that this edited collection, which I co-edited with colleagues Emma Yapp and Adeline Moussion Esteve during my postdoc at @bbkhistorical.bsky.social will be published in April in Palgrave's Genders and Sexualities in History series
link.springer.com/book/9783032...
To talk about destroying opponents just for having the temerity to exercise a basic right in any democratic organisation- to stand for election or to disagree - is truly disturbing. This is not how we should treat each other in a union.
This looks great! I have an idea for an article that I've been meaning to write but I'm not quite sure it fits - would you mind if I DM you or email?
11 January 2023, Grady tells UCU senior managers in secret WhatsApp group chat "every single decision we make/thing we do has to be seen through the below lense... Re-elect GS".
11 January 2023, in response to Grady's instruction that everything UCU does has to be "Re-elect GS", a senior manager replies "And has been, hopefully"
🚨🧵The 2024 UCU General Secretary was so corrupt that @vickyblake.bsky.social + I are fighting a Certification Officer case to re-run it, 10 Feb. Grady won by 182 votes from 114,310 members, turnout 15%.
In secret, Grady ordered UCU managers to "Re-elect GS" +said she'd "destroy" her opponents...
I have witnessed injustice after injustice occur to members of @uniteucu.bsky.social - utterly shameful to see UCU threaten the livelihood of a single mother of 3 for being a TU health and safety representative and fighting for a safer workplace. This threatens the wellbeing of a whole family.
The @timeshighered.bsky.social has reported that @ewanmg.bsky.social and I have applied to the Certification Officer regarding concerns over the 2024 UCU general secretary election. UCU has characterised this as “smearing”, via a spokesperson.
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/jo-grad...
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A group of us are working together to bring something which goes further and is more inclusive than this proposal. More when we have something confirmed.
Delegates to the meetings electing the equalities standing committees are self nominated to get around precisely the power dynamics described in the blog. Self nomination would circumvent these and result in elections which are voted for by and for the people reps are supposed to represent.
Adopting the same for equalities committees - by definition marginalised members - means potentially requiring them to disclose protected characteristics even more widely than under the current rule. So, I would propose a solution that goes further - why not allow self-nomination?
I'm broadly sympathetic to the impetus behind this, but the proposed solution isn't going to fix the problem. NEC nominations require 10 signatures from at least two branches - arguably also a major barrier to new activists and marginalised people
Latest publication: ‘An Inclusive History of LGBTQ+ Aversion Therapy: Past Harms and Future Address in a UK Context’.
Co-authored with four excellent collaborators including @rebeccawynter.bsky.social (the others are not here yet).
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
So proud of fantastic Edinburgh UCU comrades and friends 🥲 an important win in a thoroughly bleak landscape
Namibia to mark German colonial genocide for first time with memorial day as claims for reparations continue
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It’s taken the English-language media a few days to report this but I think it’s major. Olmert was a hawk from the Israeli right, sidekick of Sharon, rejected Camp David, oversaw the 2009 Gaza war — so when even he is talking about war crimes, that’s significant
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
Thank you Anna. Unfortunately the motion fell off the agenda due to time. If we need to bring it back next year, we will. The issue isn't going anywhere and neither are survivors in UCU.
Powerful words from @the1752group.bsky.social, who work to end sexual misconduct in universities:
"The Supreme Court judgement risks making trans and non-binary people even more unsafe...these shameful figures on the prevalence of sexual violence and harassment...are likely to grow even higher."
Can't pretend I'm not bitterly disappointed that this fell off the agenda due to time. It's painful for survivors to bring these issues and to have to repeat often vexatious and triggering debates. But, we'll try again next year.
I used to live 2 mins from RAMM and considered it my personal collection. Loved that place. Glad to see wonderful things still happening
Reminder that this is on the agenda at UCU Congress this coming weekend
Cc: @lottelydia.bsky.social @annabull.bsky.social @alixdietzel.bsky.social @vickyblake.bsky.social @the1752group.bsky.social
It's almost like people are making excuses for things they don't want to do for other reasons isn't it
Delighted to be one of those elected as Associate Fellow yesterday 🥳
Do I know any #skystorians heading to the Oxford Weston Library anytime soon who might be able to take photos of a file?
thank you my love. and thank you for your support in this work, always. I know it matters to us both (and is partly how we became friends!) Almost can't believe we're still having the same arguments but I'm really hoping delegates will stand with survivors, and evidence, here.
Honestly, I feel sick at having to stand up at Congress for what must be the 6th year in a row to speak about attitudes to GBV in our union. As a survivor, it's wearing and the trauma symptoms are strong this week in the run-up. Please stand with survivors and support this motion this week.
I'll end with two practical steps:
Find out who your congress delegates are and urge them to support HE38 - and ask them how they voted when they get back.
Pass the @the1752group.bsky.social model motion in your own branch.
"But what if my wife wants to study a degree at my institution?"
On these edge cases: no one is asking anyone to get a divorce! This is about staff *entering into* new relationships with students.
