The biologist Marie-Luise Vollbrecht has made up for her initially canceled lecture on gender biology at Berlin’s Humboldt University. That caused the next scandal.
After heated debates in recent weeks, everything remained quiet at the start of the event on Thursday afternoon.
Critics accuse the biologist of having a hostile attitude towards transsexuals. Vollbrecht’s central thesis is that there are only two sexes in humans and that these are maintained until the end of life. Some scientists also argue that this view is simplistic.
The doctoral student Vollbrecht was originally supposed to give the presentation during a long night of science in early July. After a call for protests, the university canceled the lecture with reference to safety concerns and was severely scolded for it.
On the fringes of the event, Berlin history professor Gabriele Metzler criticized Vollbrecht for not wanting to answer questions from the audience. It is unscientific to avoid the technical debate. “The university really shouldn’t give a stage there,” said Metzler, who teaches at the HU. Vollbrecht, on the other hand, said she was glad “that I’m not tipping over here from all the excitement”.
A panel discussion with Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger was planned at the university for the evening. Then the next scandal: Biologist Vollbrecht canceled her participation in the discussion and instead appeared on YouTube in a conversation with three other gender critics. All three had previously made similar statements to Vollbrecht.
Stark-Watzinger had previously expressed concern about academic freedom. The universities are required to also enable critical debates, said the FDP politician of the German Press Agency. “We all have to endure that.” Stark-Watzinger also said: “In view of the cancellation, it was particularly important to me to emphasize the importance of academic freedom and open debate.”
