Battle of Ideas is an annual conference run by the Academy of Ideas, which platforms anti-trans speakers under the guise of "open debate."
Battle of Ideas is the flagship event of Academy of Ideas, directed by Claire Fox.
Battle of Ideas sessions have:
- Featured gender-critical speakers
- Framed trans rights as "debate" topics
- Presented anti-trans positions as legitimate "ideas"
- Provided networking opportunities for anti-trans figures
By framing opposition to trans rights as an "idea" to be debated, Battle of Ideas:
- Legitimises anti-trans positions as reasonable discourse
- Creates false equivalence between trans rights and their opposition
- Provides a respectable venue for anti-trans networking
- Connects media figures, academics, and activists opposed to trans rights
Battle of Ideas connects to:
- Spiked — shared RCP origins, personnel
- Claire Fox — director of Academy of Ideas
- Maurice Glasman — Spiked columnist, speaker
- Gender-critical academics and commentators