NewsThe Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (ISW) Program at the University of Amsterdam “definitely distances itself” from the statements made by lecturer Laurens Buijs. It was in the university newspaper, among other things Folia He criticizes the university’s diversity policy and the “non-binary phenomenon”.
In an email to the students, program director Michaela Hordik wrote that she had received reports from students about statements Buijs made on social media and that an opinion piece in Folia She was brought to the attention of an interview with Radio 1.
In the opinion piece, Buijs writes, among other things, that “diversity policy in its current form is a Trojan horse, in which an extreme ‘wake up’ ideology is introduced into the organization and normalized at lightning speed.”
Buijs also “criticizes the ‘non-binary’ phenomenon and the obsession associated with ‘pronouns‘ (personal pronouns). I see this phenomenon as empty noise in modern high society, without a scientific basis in biology, psychology and anthropology. There is strong evidence for queer women, men, and transgender people. But the emancipation of a minority group that departs entirely from the “gender binary” is, in my opinion, a dangerous pseudoscientific delusion.
According to the lecturer, it is not possible to have a discussion on these kinds of topics without being accused of discrimination. Students and colleagues say my views violate their “safe space” and see it as “micro-aggressive.”
Whistleblowing policy
In the letter to the students, Hordijk writes that teachers, administrators, and support staff ‘categorically distance themselves’ from Buijs’ judgments and hurtful statements about non-dualism. ISW is a program where everyone is welcome and can count on having their identity/identity respected. Hordijk also wrote that he was discussing with various parties how the conversation might be conducted at the university “about identity and academic freedom”.
If the UvA wants to attach consequences to Buijs’ statements or wants to speak with him, that’s not possible at the moment: Buijs has appealed to the whistleblower scheme. He did so with the UvA Executive Board and asked them to “investigate the troubling developments and come up with a plan of action to save academic freedom”. The UvA must first await the results of this investigation through the whistleblower scheme.
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