Simon Fanshawe was officially installed as University of Edinburgh’s rector in a ceremony at the university’s Playfair Library on Wednesday 16 October.
The primary role of the rector is to champion the views of students and staff at the University Court, where decisions on issues including staff salary and university property are made.
Fanshawe – an activist, author and broadcaster well known for co-founding the charity Stonewall in 1989 – was elected as Rector in February 2024 after an unopposed contest.
Previous Rectors at the University of Edinburgh include, discoverer of penicillin, Alexander Fleming, as well as former Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Winston Churchill.
Fanshawe’s election caused controversy within the university community.
In 2019, Stonewall distanced itself from Fanshawe after he signed an open letter claiming the charity had made mistakes that “undermine women’s sex-based rights and protections”.
The self-described “provocateur with a purpose” proceeded to become an early supporter of LGB Alliance.
According to its website, the advocacy group aims to assert “the right of lesbians, bisexuals and gay men to define themselves as same-sex attracted.”
“We reject the co-opting of rare medical Differences in Sexual Development (DSDs/intersex conditions) in order to cast doubt on the binary nature of sex,” the group states.
In reaction to Fanshawe’s election, the University of Edinburgh’s Staff Pride Network expressed their “disappointment”.
The Edinburgh University Students’ Association’s Trans and Non-Binary Liberation Officer Robyn Woof resigned from the post after the appointment was announced, saying in her resignation statement that:
“It is quite clear to me that it’s impossible for me to achieve anything campaigning against transphobia through the university’s official processes so I am resigning in protest and will instead begin a campaign of direct action.”
In response to accusations of transphobia, Fanshawe wrote on X:
“I do not and never have campaigned against the legitimacy of trans people…. We need rigorous discussion on how we reach the best solutions for all.”
Others have celebrated the appointment, with Academics for Academic Freedom thanking him for taking on the role, and saying they were “looking forward” to working with him.
Upon official installation as Rector, Fanshawe said:
“In addition to an intellectual love of Edinburgh… and of the value of Higher Education, I also spent a good part of my childhood here.”
He promised to help “promote the free exchange of ideas” among the university community and “facilitate bridges across any divides”.
Alongside this, Fanshawe pledged to bring improvement to “bring about improvements to student experience and support” and “build a greater sense of academic community”.
Fanshawe will be the university’s 55th Rector, and hold the role until 2027.