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Nigel Biggar vs. transgender people

Nigel Biggar is a British Anglican priest, retired academic, and anti-transgender activist.

Background

Nigel John Biggar was born on March 14, 1955 in Castle Douglas, Scotland. Biggar earned a bachelor’s degree from Worcester College, Oxford in 1976 and a master’s degree in 1988. Biggar then earned a master’s degree from University of Chicago in 1980 and a master’s degree from Regent College in 1981. Biggar earned a doctorate from University of Chicago in 1986.

Biggar returned to the UK as a research associate at conservative evangelical think tank Latimer House. From 1987 to 1994 Biggar taught at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Biggar was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1990 and as a priest in 1991. In the 1990s, Biggar served as chaplain and fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. In 1999 Biggar was appointed chair of theology at University of Leeds. In 2004, Biggar took the same position at Trinity College, Dublin. In 2007, Biggar was appointed a professorship at University of Oxford and became a canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. Biggar retired in September 2022.

Biggar has written extensively about colonialism and empire, focusing on ethics and morality. Biggar’s 2023 book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, was dropped by publisher Bloomsbury and was later published by HarperCollins. The book’s controversial views were condemned by peers and praised in the conservative lay press.

In 2025, Biggar was made Baron Biggar of Castle Douglas in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright.

Anti-trans activism

Biggar is a member of the anti-trans Free Speech Union and signed the 2023 Westminster Declaration, open letter signed by many key anti-transgender extremists. Biggar has written anti-trans pieces in The Times, UnHerd, and The Critic, as well as on a personal Substack. Biggar was a guest on anti-trans podcast TRIGGERnometry.

References

Shields, Kara (August 15, 2018). Not feminist enough: Biggar’s “academic” lack of understanding aids and abets transphobia making him complicit. Political Theology https://politicaltheology.com/not-feminist-enough/

Selected writing by Biggar

Biggar, Nigel (February 27, 2025). Culture War in Britain: Part 2. Gender and Race. The Biggar Picture https://www.nigelbiggar.co.uk/p/culture-war-in-britain-part-2

Biggar, Nigel (April 17, 2024). Dissent is not hatred: We must resist the idea that disagreement with modish beliefs is reducible to ill-feeling. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/dissent-is-not-hatred/

Biggar, Nigel (August 2, 2018). Obsession with gender identity goes too far. The Times https://www.thetimes.com/comment/article/obsession-with-gender-identity-goes-too-far-vjcr30g8t

Biggar, Nigel (February 1, 2019). Why aren’t illiberal universities challenged? UnHerd https://unherd.com/2019/02/why-are-illiberal-universities-unchallenged/

Resources

Substack (substack.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

X/Twitter (x.com)

UnHerd (unherd.com)

The Critic (thecritic.co.uk)

Conservative Home (conservativehome.com)