In response to David Wood's email regarding the use of homophobia as
a tactic, I agree wholeheartedly that whether or not the harrasser
who has been victimising Gill Valentine in such a horrendous way sees
herself as homophobic or not, or whether, as Sarah Holloway
suggested, it is a personal vedetta against Gill by somone with a
personal dislike for her, rather than an attack on lesbian
geographers per se, the nature of the harrassment remains resolutely
homophobic in its topics and wording. It is therefore apparent that
whilst measures definitely do need to be taken to deal with personal
harrassment, it is also our academic duty to instigate measures to
attempt to prevent future harrassment of other members of our
community, irrespective of what it is that they are being harrassed
about.
Indeed specifically in the case of this homophobic harrassment that
Gill is enduring, this type of agression could equally be levelled at
any lesbian geographer, or, alter the gender focus, and the
accusations of educating students in perversion, or dirtying the
discipline could be aimed at any gay geographer, male or female.
As with David's email, I am not entirely able to make concrete or
well-stuctured suggestions as to what actually we can do, but offer
my full (albeit perhaps unimportant) support to any measure which
attempts to prevent anyone having to go through the traumatic
experiences that Gill has, and still is, enduring.
Stuart Harwood
MA Student
Department of Geography
University of Sheffield
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