Jo Phoenix (born 1964) is an author and professor of Criminology in the United Kingdom. Phoenix writes about the policies and laws which surround various sexual activities, and the social conditions which underpin them. She is known for her
gender critical
Feminist views on transgender topics vary widely. Third-wave feminists and fourth-wave feminists tend to view the struggle for trans rights as an integral part of intersectional feminism. Former president of the American National Organization f ...
views, having founded the Gender Critical Research Network, and has sued her employer after they refused to act when her colleagues subjected her to sustained harassment and bullying.
Career
Phoenix has held academic posts as Lecturer in Criminology at the
University of Middlesex
Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries of ...
from 1998 - 2000, at University of Bath until 2000 and a variety of posts at University of Durham until 2013 (Reader in Criminology, made Professor in 2010, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health, Dean of Queens Campus) and Head of Law Department at University of Leicester. She was Professor of Criminology at the Open University, before moving to University of Reading. Phoenix is a trustee of the
Centre for Crime and Justice Studies
The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) is a charity based in the United Kingdom focusing on crime and the criminal justice system.Gibson, Bryan (2009)''The Pocket A-Z of Criminal Justice'' Waterside Press. p. 198. It seeks to brin ...
.
Her research areas include
sex
Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, oft ...
sexualities
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wit ...
,
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
policy and the experience of women in prison. She has written two books, ''Making Sense of Prostitution'' and ''Illegal and Illicit: Sex, Regulation and Social Control'' (with Susan Oerton). Phoenix edited ''Regulating Sex for Sale'' and several articles and book chapters on the sex industry and experiences of supporting transgender persons in the prison estate.
Reviewers of her books describe "the paradox that cannot have escaped the attention of many readers in the field: that the apparent increase in freedom, choice, and diversity in sexual matters is conversely and simultaneously matched by a ‘proliferation of laws, policies and guidelines which seek to determine the complex, vast and ever-increasing rules of engagement" Phoenix gave evidence to the UK Parliament regarding the multiple disadvantages that women experience in the criminal justice system, particularly working class women and women of colour. In relation to community-based punishments and services, she lobbied for continued provision of women-only, single sex spaces for women.
Freedom of speech
She is one of the two academic speakers (along with
Rosa Freedman
Rosa Anne Freedman, who has written as Rosa Davis, is a British professor of law, conflict, and global development at the University of Reading. Her principal area of research is the activities of the United Nations as they relate to human righ ...
) who received an apology from University of Essex in 2021 after their invitation to speak was withdrawn at short notice. In November 2021, Phoenix welcomed legal action against the University of Essex, claiming its policies breach free speech legislation. The Free Speech Union, led by Toby Young, took the action. An investigation found the decision to withdraw the invitation "amounted to a breach of Prof Phoenix's right to freedom of expression".
In 2021 she began a process of suing the Open University (her employer) for not protecting her against harassment in the workplace. She has stated that she hopes the "case will help to establish a line in the sand and make it clear that baseless accusations of transphobia simply for standing up for the rights of women is harassment especially when made in an academic context". She left the Open University to take up a professorial role at University of Reading in the School of Law.
Gender Critical Research Network
In June 2021, Phoenix and
Jon Pike
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan (name), Jonathan, derived from "Tetragrammaton, YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John (given name), John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned". Philosopher Kathleen Stock and Historian
Selina Todd
Selina Todd (born 1975) is an English historian and writer. From 2015, she has been Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Todd's research focuses on the history of the working-class, women and feminism in modern Britain. Since ...
are members.
The network was criticised in an open letter signed by 380 people, which called on the Open University to withhold support and funding. The letter said the network was "hostile to the rights of trans people" and said that academic freedom should not be "at the expense of marginalised groups". Phoenix has stated formally that she supports "the rights of trans individuals to be fully protected by the Equalities Act and welcome government reform of the
Gender Recognition Act
The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that allows people who have gender dysphoria to change their legal gender. It came into effect on 4 April 2005.
Operation of the law
The Gender Recognition Ac ...
in ways that are sympathetic to their needs" but proposes that an individual’s right to identify as a particular gender should not be the basis upon which provision of criminal justice is based.
The Open University's Vice-Chancellor's Executive found that "the formation of the GCRN was compatible with academic freedom, while also acknowledging that some staff found the content of the group's work to be challenging or concerning” and undertook a review of its policies and procedures.