Economics lecturer who said 'only female people menstruate' branded transphobic by LGBT and feminist students
When University of Exeter lecturer Dr Eva Poen responded to a tweet by a Twitter user, she probably should have taken a few seconds to consider her response.
Replying to a Twitter user, who tweeted, "Not everyone who menstruates is female. Not everyone who is female menstruates. Let's shift our language," Dr Poen wrote, "Only female people menstruate. Only female people go through menopause."
Since the tweet, she has turned her account private. She has been accused of transphobia by feminist and LGBT students. Undergraduates at the University of Exeter accused Dr Poen of "openly singling out trans people" in her posts.
The LGBTQ+ society at the University of Exeter condemned the comments. "Dr Poen is openly singling out trans people. There's one transphobic tweet after another - she's very public about her opinions," Adam Deloit, the society's transgender representative said. "It's a constant bashing of trans people."
The 22-year-old Deloit identities as non-binary "they" and finds the lecturer's comments an "attack on trans people".
"What she is doing isn't a debate. It's constant harassment and discrimination. I don't think anyone who sees her tweets can say that they are not an attack on trans people," the second-year history student said.
"She can try to define us out of our existence, but we are still here. The fact that the university tolerates her is really frustrating."
"It's shocking that a lecturer at the University of Exeter would feel so comfortable saying such transphobic comments publicly," a spokesperson for the university's Feminist society said.
"Dr Poen is a person who is in regular contact with students. If there are transgender and non-binary people in her lectures who are having to interact with someone who holds these transphobic views — it is very distressing for those communities. The university must investigate the allegations thoroughly and look at it from, if nothing else, a well-being standpoint for groups of students within that community."
Upset Twitter users have asked for the lecturer to be reported for "spreading vitriol".
Earlier when responding to the insurance company Aviva promoting LGBT+ inclusion in sports, Dr Poen wrote, "Let's keep female sports for female people."
"Stay in your lane, Aviva. We don't tell you how to do insurance; it would be great if you could stop telling women to give up their hard-earned place in society. Women's sport is not yours to give away," she had added.