A Panel on Biological Sex in Anthropology Is Canceled

A panel titled “Let’s Talk about Sex Baby: Why biological sex remains a necessary analytic category in anthropology” was canceled over fears it would cause too much “harm.” The all-female panel was to feature a number of scholars who have defended biological sex as relevant in the sciences, and was slated to be presented at the American Anthropological Association and Canadian Anthropology Society’s joint annual conference in November. In a statement, the two anthropological associations said they deplatformed the panel to protect the transgender community: “The session was rejected because it relied on assumptions that run contrary to the settled science in our discipline, framed in ways that do harm to vulnerable members of our community.” But the panelists say they were blindsided and that none of them had been contacted about any concerns since the panel was approved back in July. They released their own statement, saying it was a “false accusation” that their ideas were advanced in such a way as to cause harm. Academic freedom advocates criticized the AAA and CAS for caving to political pressure.