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Debates at Swiss universities are being shut down and hence freedom of speech is being attacked by trans and queer activists.

Two conferences aimed at debating sex and gender at the University of Geneva in April and May 2022 were shut down by aggressive activists. The first conference, entitled “La médicalisation précoce des enfants transgenres" (early medicalization of transgender children), was organized by the Société Suisse de psychoanalyse (Swiss Society for Psychoanalysis) and included discussion of the recently-published book La fabrique de l’enfant transgenre, by psychoanalysts Caroline Eliacheff and Céline Masson. The conference was considered “transphobic” by a group of activists, who eventually succeeded in shutting it down. The second conference, organized by the Department of French Literature of the University of Geneva, was aimed at presenting Eric Marty’s book, Le Sexe des Modernes. Activists protested violently, accused the book of being “transphobic”, and again were successful in stopping the event. 

In both cases, activists refused to participate in the debate, and used intimidation and violence to cancel the events. At a political level, while the Liberal Party (PLR/FDP) defended the importance of freedom of expression, the Social Democrat Party (SP) reacted very leniently to these acts of violence. Reports stated that the University of Geneva had filed a criminal charge, but at the end retracted it, and showed no desire to re-invite the cancelled guest-speakers to a future event.

It is not the first time that the University of Geneva’s freedom of expression has been challenged, but the response of the university to these forms of coercion and censorship lacks courage. Universities are giving in to the terror of activists, who create an intimidating and hostile environment for speakers, staff and students alike. 

Femina Helvetica would like university leaders to rebuild a culture of academic freedom and legal compliance. As Marco Cattaneo, the University of Geneva’s spokesperson, said in 2021: “Scientific debate must be able to take place freely at the university, within the limits of the law and within the limits of academic competence. Prohibiting debate is contrary to the scientific approach itself”. 

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Links to supporting documentation of this issue:

1. Article in Le Temps entitled « La Liberté d’expression menacée à l’Uni de Genève » (Freedom of expression threatened at Geneva University), 02 May 2022
   https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/geneve/liberte-dexpression-menacee-luni-geneve

2. Article in Le Temps entitled « Yves Flückiger : La liberté d’expression est malmenée à l’université » (Yves Flückiger : Freedom of expression is bullied at the university », 16 mai 2022
   https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/geneve/yves-fluckiger-liberte-dexpression-malmenee-luniversite

3. Article in Le Temps entitled « L’Université de Genève porte plainte après une nouvelle conférence bâillonnée par des militants LGBTIQ+ » (The University of Geneva files a complaint after a new conference silenced by LGBTIQ+ activists), 18 May 2022
   https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/geneve/luniversite-geneve-porte-plainte-apres-une-nouvelle-conference-baillonnee-militants

4. Article in Le Temps entitled « A Genève, les étudiants sont divisés sur la méthode des militants LGBTIQ+ » (In Geneva, students are divided on the method used by LGBTIQ+ activists), 20 May 2022
   https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/geneve/geneve-etudiants-divises-methode-militants-lgbtiq

5. Article in Le Temps entitled « Liberté d’expression en danger à l’université » (Freedom of expression at risk at university), 25 May 2022
   https://www.letemps.ch/opinions/liberte-dexpression-danger-luniversite