Left-wing activists at Oxford University are demanding that broadcaster Jenni Murray is banned from speaking

Left-wing activists at Oxford University are demanding that broadcaster Jenni Murray is banned from speaking there because they think she hates transgender people.

Dame Jenni sparked a row when she said transgender women, who have previously lived as men 'with all the privilege that entails', do not have the shared experience of growing up female.

Now Oxford University Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer Society says it is 'deeply disappointed' that she was asked to speak in one of the university's theatres.

The broadcaster spoke as planned today for the Oxford Literary Festival.

Before the event the LGBTQ society said: 'We, the undersigned, are deeply disappointed at Oxford Literary Festival's decision to host Jenni Murray to speak on feminism and women's history on April 2nd 2017 in the Sheldonian Theatre, and call for action to publicly condemn, if not entirely remove, her.'

It added: 'To give Murray a speaking position at a large and prestigious event like the Oxford Literary Festival, which involves paying her an author fee of £150, is to both endorse and reward her transphobic views. Transmisogyny will be propagated, validated and above all normalised.'

Dame Jenni said: 'I made very clear in my article that I fully support the right of trans women to be accorded the respect and protection I would demand for any human being, regardless of sex or gender. It saddens me that those of us dubbed 'cis' women [those born female]... are not accorded the same respect.'

The university said: 'Oxford is committed to supporting transgender students and staff and to providing an inclusive environment that promotes equality and diversity. We are also committed to freedom of expression.'

Dame Jenni sparked a row when she said transgender women, who have previously lived as men 'with all the privilege that entails', do not have the shared experience of growing up female

Dame Jenni caused controversy in a Sunday Times article where she wrote about interviewing India Willoughby, a well-known reporter on regional ITV's Border News.

Miss Willoughby was a man, Jonathan, until 2010 but returned five years later after having £14,000 gender reassignment surgery.

She became the first trans woman to present an all-female TV chat show when she co-hosted Loose Women.

In an article, Dame Jenni described interviewing Miss Willoughby for Woman's Hour, adding: 'India held firmly to her belief that she was a "real woman", ignoring the fact she had spent all of her life before transition enjoying the privileged position in our society generally accorded to a man.'