Dr. Rebecca Tuvel is Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2017, she became the target of an intense online backlash after publishing “In Defense of Transracialism” in the feminist journal Hypatia. Her article argued that philosophical arguments supporting transgender identities extend to transracial identities, and sparked great controversy including an open letter demanding retraction, a public apology from most of the journal’s associate editors, and many personal attacks from within academia. Vigorous defenses of her scholarship followed, and the controversy ultimately led to the resignation of Hypatia’s associate editors and restructuring of the journal’s governance.
For her intellectual courage and steadfast commitment to free inquiry, the Columbia Academic Freedom Council is honored to present Dr. Rebecca Tuvel with the 2025 Academic Freedom Award.
