Durham Union’s Helen Joyce invitation sparks controversy
By Finn Watton and Hugh Ludford
The Durham Union Society’s (DUS) decision to invite gender critical activist and journalist Helen Joyce has been met with backlash from the Students’ Union, QueerSphere, and the Trans Association.
Helen Joyce, author of the book ‘Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality’’ is set to speak at DUS on Monday 15th June.
After DUS’ decision to invite Joyce, the Durham SU, the SU Community Officer, Durham SU Trans Association, and QueerSphere published a statement on Joyce’s invitation.
“DUS have invited Helen Joyce, a journalist and gender critical activist, to speak in June. Fundamentally, that’s DUS’ legal right.
The statement went on to say that “the Associations, with Durham SU’s support, [have] asked DUS to account for itself.”
“The right to shock and offend isn’t a duty to do so. DUS isn’t neutral when it repeatedly invites provocative speakers only to sell tickets rather than encourage genuine debate. Inviting her is an irresponsible and uncaring decision.
“We’ll be meeting with DUS in the next few weeks to ask for confidence that its event design will support the audience in exercising their right to challenge. DUS has hosted too many addresses from reactionary individuals in the past for us to simply take it at its word. We hope the society is sincere in wanting debate, not a rally.”
The SU have also planned an alternative event on the night, “centring trans voices.”
Further, they “urge those who choose to attend DUS’s event to ask Helen Joyce the difficult questions she needs to answer about her views.”
Inviting her is an irresponsible and uncaring decision – Durham SU
Alyssa Livingstone, President of Durham SU’s Trans Association, spoke to Palatinate about DUS’ decision to invite Joyce, saying that the Association has been taking steps to work with DUS on “how to mitigate this kind of thing happening in the future” to make Durham “as liveable for trans people as possible.”
The Trans Association was not consulted prior to the announcement of Joyce’s address, according to Livingstone. She told Palatinate that she would have liked some non-Union Trans Association members to have been invited to attend, as the event is currently members-only.
This is despite DUS’ EDI Plan from 25th June 2025 outlining that “any association should be informed well in advance of any debate concerning its members taking place” and that members of said associations should be “invited to attend as a minimum”.
Livingstone called the decision to host Joyce “irresponsible” and claimed that many trans people are feeling “very very nervous, depressed and struggling to confront the fact that Helen Joyce is coming to Durham.”
While Livingstone ruled out a Trans Association protest of the event, she outlined plans for the “welfare-focussed” event to coincide with Joyce’s address to “celebrate trans joy”.
Regarding the planned event, Livingstone posted on the Overheard at Durham Facebook group that it will aim to include a “variety of speakers, performers, activities and social spaces to engage with, alongside platforms to express our rage at recent attempts, however futile, to push us out of public life.”
The Free Speech Union, who sponsor DUS through their ‘Ian Mactaggart Programme’, took to LinkedIn to respond to Durham SU’s statement, saying “campus cancel culture strikes again!” and accusing the SU of attacking DUS.
The FSU argued the SU was “weaponising the supposed vulnerability of one group of students to undermine the free speech rights of another”, and reiterated that it will support the DUS against “student bureaucrats and activists [who] try to restrict the lawful free speech rights of students and debating societies.”
In response, Durham SU President Abi Taylor told Palatinate “We met with DUS today, and it was very clear that nobody believes the students’ union or any student has restricted the lawful free speech of any of its members or guests.
“The snowflakes at the FSU, once again, have confused ‘criticism’ with ‘hostile environment’, and exercised its right to free speech by inventing nonsense.”
The snowflakes at the FSU, once again, have confused ‘criticism’ with ‘hostile environment’, and exercised its right to free speech by inventing nonsense – Abi Taylor, President of Durham SU
The Durham Union’s Standing Committee told Palatinate:
“The Durham Union Society rejects the notion that this event has been organised for shock value or offence. Helen Joyce’s work engages with serious legal, political, and social questions, and the Society does not take the sensitivity of the topic lightly.
“Invitations are issued at the President’s discretion and neither themself nor the Durham Union Society endorses the views of any of the speakers that it hosts.
“The purpose of the event is to allow members to hear, question, and challenge a public figure whose views are the subject of significant public debate. The event will be a moderated discussion, with questions from the chair and the audience. Members will be able to submit anonymous questions in advance and have the opportunity to question Helen Joyce at the dispatch boxes. The Union’s Equalities Officer and Welfare Officer will also be present and available to members as needed.
The Durham Union Society rejects the notion that this event has been organised for shock value or offence – DUS Standing Committee
“It is false to suggest that the Society invites speakers in order to sell tickets. The Durham Union Society does not sell tickets to its speaker events. This was clarified in our meeting with representatives of Durham SU, Queer Sphere, and the Trans Association. Both sides also expressed openness to collaborating on future events where appropriate. Furthermore, the Society has worked closely with the University throughout the planning process to ensure a safe environment and the smooth running of the evening.
“The Society does not accept that it is in breach of its EDI Plan, and we are committed to its continued implementation.”
Image: “Pemberton Buildings, Palace Green Durham“ by Tilman2007 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
