Hounded out of my job in publishing

by Ursula Doyle

Hounded out of my job in publishing

by Ursula Doyle
Ursula Doyle
Case Owner
I have worked in publishing for 30 years. I have left my job after four years of hounding and abuse from peers who think I should not express my GC opinions nor publish authors who share them.
29
days to go
£51,905
pledged of £100,000 stretch target from 1707 pledges
Pledge now
Ursula Doyle
Case Owner
I have worked in publishing for 30 years. I have left my job after four years of hounding and abuse from peers who think I should not express my GC opinions nor publish authors who share them.
Pledge now

This case is raising funds for its stretch target. Your pledge will be collected within the next 24-48 hours (and it only takes two minutes to pledge!)

Latest: Aug. 15, 2024

Preliminary hearing done

We have passed the first hurdle in my case. The Preliminary Hearing took place this week on 13 August. It dealt mostly with administrative matters such as scheduling the various steps in the case, th…

Read more

Who am I, and what's the story?

My name is Ursula Doyle, and I have worked in book publishing for more than thirty years. Since 2008 I have worked at Hachette UK, one of the UK’s leading publishing groups, first at its Virago imprint (a sub-brand of the publisher) before setting up my own imprint, Fleet, in 2016. Fleet publishes a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, and Fleet authors have between them won numerous awards, including four Pulitzers.

In 2021 I published Kathleen Stock’s influential book on sex and gender, Material Girls. Since then, I have been a target for abuse by colleagues in the book industry, who have used social media to accuse me of - among other things - bigotry, prejudice, transphobia and hatred, often tagging in my employer, Hachette, and Hachette’s Pride network. 

Hachette have done nothing to protect me, and have created a hostile working environment for me and anyone else who shares my views. When two of Fleet's authors complained that my views were transphobic, the company agreed to move paperback editions of the authors' books away from the imprint to another part of the business, damaging my reputation both inside and outside the company. I became ill with stress and associated conditions, and finally resigned. I am bringing a claim of discrimination on the grounds of my gender-critical belief (sometimes known as 'sex realism'), and of sex discrimination.

Why should my case matter to anyone but me? 

I was effectively punished for having published Kathleen Stock’s book Material Girls. Numerous gender-critical authors, including Helen Joyce (Trans) and Abigail Shrier (Irreversible Damage), have struggled to find publishers for their books, and the careers of children’s writers Rachel Rooney and Gillian Philip were ended because of their gender-critical views.

When you consider the impact these books have had on the conversations around sex and gender, it is easy to understand why publishing has been a key strategic target for gender identity activists. Their attempts to suppress all dissent at source have made the sector a hostile environment for anyone who dares to stand up for reality and freedom of expression. These tactics mean it is difficult for gender-critical books to find a publisher, and almost impossible for any authors who want to sell books on other topics to speak up on this subject. 

Hachette also discriminated against me (and all women working for them) by introducing a trans-inclusion policy which explicitly allows men who say they are women to use women’s toilets and shower facilities. I am challenging this policy and hope to show that this is not compliant with the law. 

This is the first case that takes on the culture of fear in publishing, an industry which has largely capitulated to activists who loudly proclaim a set of beliefs as fact. 

How strong is my case? 

My lawyers say it is strong. It is clear on the face of the contemporaneous documents that the authors were allowed to move imprints because they objected to the fact that my imprint had published Kathleen Stock. If Hachette had let an author move imprints because they had learned that its publisher was gay, or Jewish, or black, that would be obviously unlawful. It makes no difference that the protected characteristic that caused the treatment was belief: all protected characteristics are equal under the law. 

My legal team 

I am represented by Richard Linskell of Gunnercooke LLP and Naomi Cunningham of Outer Temple Chambers

What do I need the money for? 

I need to raise the initial target to cover my legal fees for preparing for and attending the procedural hearing in August, preparing documents for disclosure, reviewing the other side's documents, and preparing a trial bundle. If I can raise this sum, I will then be able to fundraise for the rest of the case which will include all the steps before and up to the hearing, which is likely to be some time in 2025. 

What am I doing to keep costs down? 

I know times are tough, and money is tight. I have already nearly exhausted my savings, so if I am to continue with the case, I need your help. But I don’t take your generosity for granted, and neither do my lawyers. They have agreed to act on the basis of a 'conditional fee agreement' under which they will bill me at a heavily discounted rate for all work on the case unless it is successful. If I win (or settle advantageously), I will pay their 'success fee' out of any compensation, not out of the crowdfunder. 

Talking of settlement… 

I don’t think my case is likely to settle, and having come this far I would be very reluctant to settle except on terms that will strike a public blow for freedom of speech in publishing. I can’t promise that there are no circumstances under which I might feel I have to accept a confidential settlement, but I do promise that I will keep it well in mind that people who have donated will want to know that their money has affected more than my bank balance. 

Thank you! 

Many thanks for reading this far, and if you can donate, I am extremely grateful. If you can’t afford to donate, please don’t – but you can still help a lot by sharing this link with all your networks. 
 

Update 3

Ursula Doyle

Aug. 15, 2024

Preliminary hearing done

We have passed the first hurdle in my case. The Preliminary Hearing took place this week on 13 August. It dealt mostly with administrative matters such as scheduling the various steps in the case, the length of the hearing, and so on, but also covered a couple of matters of substance.

The main news is that the final hearing will take place next year, from the 8-17 September 2025. So, it's a marathon, not a sprint, partly because of a backlog in employment cases. But there is plenty of work to do to prepare for the tribunal between now and then. 

Of the substantial matters discussed, we were firstly given permission to extend my claim to include indirect sex discrimination on the grounds of the company’s trans-inclusion policy. This claim, if successful, could mean that all employers will have to review their policies; it is the part of my case that has the widest application.

The other big issue was related to Hachette’s request for anonymity for the two authors who are named in my Particulars of Claim, who demanded to move from my imprint, Fleet, on the grounds both of my GC views and those of other authors on the list. The company's agreeing to their demands ultimately made my position untenable. The request for anonymity was rejected. But more of that later.

So, onward. Thank you very much indeed for your support; I am fully aware that I wouldn't have got this far without it. 

Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Ursula

Update 2

Ursula Doyle

July 21, 2024

coverage in the Sunday Times

Hello,

I don't have much to report this week except to let you know that Hadley Freeman has written about my case in her column in today's Sunday Times:

Full (paywalled) article is here: Will the trans activists ever accept they lost? (thetimes.com) 

'The publisher Hachette . . . is facing a claim of discrimination from a former editor, Ursula Doyle, who says she was pushed out of her job after publishing feminist books including Kathleen Stock's bestselling Material Girls, which is critical of gender theory. Last weekend, Doyle launched a crowdfunder for her case and reached her [initial] goal - £30,000 - in less than a day, proving that the time when women who refused to say two plus two equals unicorns could be quietly shoved out of their jobs is over.'

My initial target of £30k was to cover the legal costs which will be incurred by the procedural hearing on 13 August. Thanks to people's amazing generosity, that was raised in less than a day, and so my page automatically updated to the 'stretch' target of £100k. I hope that will cover most of the costs up to and including the tribunal (which will be some time next year), although there is a possibility that figure will rise.

I have been collating documents for the tribunal bundle this week - there are quite a lot of them to get through. Doing this myself will I hope help to keep costs down.

Thank you very much indeed for your support, and have a good week.

Ursula

Update 1

Ursula Doyle

July 15, 2024

success in less than a day

As you might have seen, the initial £30k target for funding my case against Hachette was met in less than a day, with more than 1,200 people contributing. I cannot thank you enough. It means I can go forward to the procedural hearing on 13 August in the knowledge the associated legal fees are covered, which is a huge relief.

Your incredible generosity also makes it clear to publishing companies that there are lots of us who care about this case and others like it, and will I hope make it a little bit less terrifying for others to speak out.

I will update this page when anything significant happens. But mainly, thank you for your contributions and your lovely messages, which were very cheering to read.

Have a good week.

    There are no public comments on this case page.