UPenn scholar says Claudine Gay and Harvard bosses' silence when professor was pressured for saying there are only two genders makes a mockery of university's claims to respect different viewpoints

A UPenn professor says Harvard and its former President Claudine Gay's claims of welcoming all points of view are inconsistent with the treatment of a professor who said there are only two genders.

Jonathan Zimmerman highlighted the case of Carole Hooven, a former lecturer in Harvard's Department of Evolutionary Biology, in a column for the Philly researcher.

Hooven says she was pushed to quit her job after angering students who claimed her comments were transphobic.

Zimmerman says the college and Gay have made no attempt to defend Hooven's right to free speech — despite claims that Harvard considers the concept sacrosanct in the wake of recent anti-Semitic protests.

Zimmerman said, “Harvard talks a good game about different views, but doesn't really protect them. And that is very bad news for higher education.'

Claudine Gay, dean of the faculty at the time, did not express any support for Hooven's right to freedom of expression. Gay and Harvard have argued in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks that free speech is sacrosanct

In 2021, Hoover says she was removed from her position due to circumstances that arose in the aftermath of an interview she gave on Fox News discussing her book, T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us.

During the interview, she said there are only two biological sexes: male and female – although she made a concerted effort to say that sex is a category separate from gender and that all gender identities should be treated with respect.

“We can treat people with respect and respect their gender identity and use their preferred pronouns, so understanding the facts about biology doesn't stop us from treating people with respect,” she said.

Her words landed her in the crosshairs of the director of her department's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.

“This dangerous language perpetuates a system of discrimination against non-cis people,” wrote director Laura Simone Lewis.

“It runs counter to our Task Force work, which aims to create a safe space for scientists of ALL gender identities and races.”

The online backlash against Hooven escalated and she soon became persona non grata on the Harvard campus.

She remembers the time she walked around campus hoping no one would recognize her as the “transphobe” she was labeled.

Her previously popular lecture course was canceled because no graduate students agreed to serve as her TAs.

Laura Simone Lewis, director of her department's Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce, was critical of Hooven's words on Twitter.

Ultimately, Hoover's mental health deteriorated to the point that she felt she had no choice but to resign.

“Another person in the same situation might have stayed, but not me,” she wrote.

At the time, Claudine Gay was dean of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Zimmerman points out that Gay was questioned about the Hoover incident during her now infamous testimony before Congress.

“In what world is a call for violence against Jews protected speech, but the belief that sex is biological and binary is not?” Rep. Tim Walberg asked her.

She responded with an answer about Harvard's strong support for “constructive dialogue, even on the most complex and divisive issues,” an example of what exactly didn't happen in Hoover's case.

Colleges accused of canceling positions they find offensive or distasteful or allowing students to cancel positions have begun defending the right of staff and students to free speech in the wake of the massacre of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas on October 7 and the subsequent bombardment of Gaza, killing tens of thousands.

Claudine Gay issued multiple statements in the aftermath of October 7, after her initial statement was accused of not sufficiently condemning the Hamas massacre.

She was subsequently accused of plagiarism and resigned from her job later this week. Gay returns to her old job at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill also lost her job on October 7. She, Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth all appeared before Congress, where they were asked about campus protests.

The leaders' answers about how context was needed to decide whether the call to slaughter Jews violated university rules angered many.

Kornbluth has resisted calls to resign, with MIT defending her so far.

Harvard's Corporation – the board that oversees the university's operations – is said to have since met with professors who have implored the college to strengthen free speech protections for students and staff – and remain neutral on news events.