Humboldt University wants to make up for the lecture by biologist Marie-Luise Vollbrecht on sex and gender on July 14, which was canceled during the "Long Night of Science".

That said the university spokesman Boris Nitzsche of the German Press Agency.

The RBB had reported about it first.

Michael Hanfeld

responsible editor for feuilleton online and "media".

  • Follow I follow

The lecture is to be combined with a panel discussion on July 14, to which Federal Science Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) and Berlin Science Senator Ulrike Gote (Greens) have been invited.

“We are primarily concerned with the question: How can we guarantee academic freedom?

How do universities and politicians have to position themselves for this?” said university spokesman Nitzsche.

As the German Press Agency writes, the lecture should be taken up, contextualized and discussed.

Initially, the university had said that there would be a follow-up meeting "to which Mrs. Vollbrecht but also representatives of RefRat and trans groups would be invited" so that "the topic could be discussed in a manner appropriate to the university".

What was the real reason for the cancellation?

The university canceled the lecture entitled “Gender is not (gender)gender, sex, gender and why there are two genders in biology” without hesitation.

At first it was said that this was done for security reasons.

Then the university spokeswoman Birgit Mangelsdorf added another justification in a reply to FAZ.NET, in which she referred to an article in the “Welt” that Marie-Luise Vollbrecht had co-written.

"The lecture was canceled in the interest of the overall event 'Long Night of Science'," Birgit Mangelsdorf said at the request of FAZ.NET on Sunday, "to allow actors and visitors to participate undisturbed in this festival of science in Berlin The university's council of speakers (RefRat) "sent an e-mail to the entire student body on Friday" in which "he called for participation in a demonstration against Ms. Vollbrecht's lecture.

As a result, counter-actions by Vollbrecht supporters were announced and prepared.

We therefore had to reckon with a possible escalation that would overshadow the entire 'Long Night of Science'."

Speaker contradicts the speaker

"Basically," the spokeswoman told FAZ.NET, Humboldt University sees itself "as a place where no one should be discriminated against, whether because of their religion, their supposed race, their sexual identity or any other characteristic , which is seen as a distinguishing feature.” The “opinions” that Ms. Vollbrecht represented in an article in the newspaper “Die Welt” on June 1 were “not in line with the HU’s mission statement and the values ​​it represents.

The HU is committed to 'mutual respect for the other'.

We therefore expressly distance ourselves from the article and the opinions expressed in it.”

The university spokesman Nitzsche now told the German Press Agency that the cancellation of the lecture was all about safety.

“Following questions to the police, we canceled the event because we feared the situation would escalate.

A demonstration and a counter-demonstration were announced,” said the spokesman.

It must be possible for controversial people to give lectures.

"Universities are currently not well positioned to handle such situations," said Nitzsche.

The decision has nothing to do with the article in the "world".

The statements of the university remain contradictory.