Feminist student loses negligence case against 'woke' Bristol University over claims bosses backed trans activists who threatened her with 'violence' for saying only biological women can give birth

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A PhD student has lost her attempt to sue Bristol University after claiming they colluded with trans activists who wanted to 'cancel her' when she said only biological women can give birth.

Raquel Rosario-Sanchez had alleged university chiefs had failed to protect her when the row blew up over the use of the word 'maternity'.

Feminist Ms Rosario-Sanchez said Bristol - dubbed the country's 'wokest' university  - did not tackle transgender activists who targeted her in a two-year hate campaign.

She took them to court to sue them for negligence, breach of contract and sex discrimination.

But yesterday His Honour Judge Ralton said 'no actionable breach of duty has been identified' and dismissed all of her claims.

This morning Ms Rosario-Sanchez, who is from the Dominican Republic, said: 'The judgment, nonetheless, confirms that I was indeed the victim of the 'violent, threatening, intimidating behaviour or language' by trans activist students, and that, there was a 'failure to respect the right of others to freedom of belief and speech'.

'In his decision, HHJ Judge Ralton acknowledged that I was threatened with physical violence, and finds that 'provocative, offensive and shocking speech is likely to be legally permissible whilst speech threatening physical violence is not'.

'It took a tremendous amount of tenacity and determination to bring this case to trial, but I felt resolute that the public must be made aware that this is how academic institutions are treating students like me when nobody is watching. 

Raquel Rosario-Sanchez (pictured) wa s suing Bristol University over claims of sex discrimination and negligence after she says they failed to protect her from trans activists' harassment

PhD student Ms Rosario Sanchez (pictured) claimed she was labelled transphobic in a row over the word 'maternity' when she reminded her colleagues only biological women can give birth

'Today, there is one thing that truly belongs only to me. And that is a deep sense of pride, respect, and admiration for the woman I have become over the course of these very difficult years.

'The risk to me is not over: I have lost my case, and I may now have to meet the University's legal costs.

'To risk the loss of my academic dreams, financial ruin and reputational damage is a frightening prospect for anyone, and especially at my age. But I am glad that when the moment of truth came, I took these risks in order to do the right thing and object to injustice.'

As part of her civil action, Ms Rosario-Sanchez claimed when she pointed out that only a biological woman can give birth, she was reported to human resources bosses, investigated by the university and ordered to apologise.

The women's studies student said she was also targeted for attending feminist meetings that opposed allowing men who identify as women into female-only spaces such as toilets and domestic violence refuges.

Rosario-Sanchez, who previously claimed the university 'colluded' with the trans activists to 'cancel her', says she was also harassed over her involvement with the campaigning group Woman's Place UK. 

She also claims Bristol University dismissed a complaint about men being allowed in the female changing rooms at the pool.

A female lecturer contacted Ms Rosario-Sanchez and said she had written to the university's director of sport to say that she and her eight-year-old daughter had come across men who were male-bodied and 'wearing men's clothes' in the changing area. 

The University of Bristol was also facing claims that its staff objected to the use of the word 'maternity' and allowed men identifying as women to use its campus swimming pool 

Raquel Rosario-Sanchez claimed uni bosses failed to tackle transgender activists who subjected her to a two-year hate campaign for attending feminist meetings that opposed allowing men who identify as women into female-only spaces such as toilets and domestic violence refuges

She claimed that when she spoke to the pool staff, she was told that 'people could use the changing room they were comfortable in, whatever their sex'. The director of sport, she said, backed this approach.

Earlier in the hearing, Ms Rosario Sanchez told the court the university failed to take her fears of harassment and unacceptable behaviour against her seriously.

Questioned by Bristol University's defence team, Ms Rosario-Sanchez repeated a claim that university staff cooperated with advocates of a campaign to 'cancel' her.

She said: 'I just feel very sad. I just want to live my life, go to campus, not face humiliation and until that point I was so hopeful I was going to get that.

'I'm referring as collusion to this email chain demonstrating that staff members were in direct communication with trans activists trying to cancel the meeting.

'Staff members at the University of Bristol were themselves seeking to cancel the meeting'.

When asked to confirm what specific communications she was referring to, she explained that according to the emails Suzanne Doyle, co-chair of the UoB's LGBT+ Staff Network, had been in contact with Trans Students' Officer, Spencer Blackwell, in the Student Union.

The email was requesting that Suzanne Doyle share the petition advocating for the prohibition, or 'cancelling' of Ms Rosario-Sanchez and Woman's Place UK's proposed meeting on campus.

Ms Rosario-Sanchez said: 'The purpose of the open letter was to cancel me, and the way that they were going about it was by intimidating me and other women.

'So when I say they were colluding, they were not just sharing a piece of paper - they were sharing an open letter about targeting and cancelling our meeting'.

Questioning Ms Rosario-Sanchez further about support she received from the university, she was asked whether she had received an email listing options for support from the university.

Ms Rosario-Sanchez said she had received this email, and that she understood the limitations of what support the university could offer as the event was not on or related to university premises.

Ms Rosario-Sanchez accepted that the Student's Union was not the same as the university, but explained that the motion proposed to the Students Union was seeking to ban women such as her from speaking on the university campus.

Reading out emails regarding the proposal of the motion to ban her from speaking, Ms Rosario-Sanchez explained that she felt efforts to target her were 'escalating'.

The university had previously offered to post on social media a condemnation of efforts to limit freedom of speech.

A spokesperson for the University of Bristol said: 'Following a complaint from Ms Rosario Sanchez about the conduct of fellow students stemming from an external event held off campus, the university has found itself at the centre of a highly-polarised debate around gender identity and rights.

'From the outset, we have sought to remain neutral in our management of this conflict and to follow our internal complaints procedure.

'While we are pleased the judge found this to be the case, dismissing all claims made against us, we acknowledge that this has been an incredibly challenging period for everyone involved.

'We wish Ms Rosario Sanchez all the best for the future, especially with the completion of her PhD.'

The university had rejected Ms Rosario-Sanchez concerns that the campaign against her was escalating, suggesting she failed to provide evidence of this escalation.  

Ms Rosario-Sanchez describes herself as a feminist writer, campaigner and researcher from the Dominican Republic.

She was was accepted on a PhD course at the University of Bristol in January 2018.

Rosario-Sanchez lists her academic specialism as 'ending violence against girls and women'.