Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

That argument is what is called reductio ad absurdum, and it will not reassure academics. I just gave the Minister an example of an objective of Athena SWAN that is not scientifically backed or demonstrable, namely, the idea that a person may determine their gender. I put the question to the Minister again regarding the case of an individual academic who has publicly rejected the Athena SWAN charter on the grounds that they believe it inhibits academic freedom or requires compliance with certain political ideas they contest and, unlike the example of Nazi Germany, legitimately contest having regard to logic and evidence. Given that this person might want to supervise PhD candidates in situations where applications for public funding are involved, can such an academic feel reassured that their rejection of the overly politicised dimension of Athena SWAN, as they believe it and can, no doubt, demonstrate, will not mean they will be victimised in the performance of their academic freedom?