Category: Legal Action
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FWS day 3: Suicide is Shameless
The arguments advanced by the Scottish government in court today boiled down to a simple proposition: banning men from women’s prisons puts transgender prisoners at increased risk of suicide, and that is “unacceptable”. Gerry Moynihan KC, acting for the Scottish government, told the judge, Lady Ross, that a blanket ban on men in women’s prisons…
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FWS day 2: Dawn of the Intervenors
Today brought a range of textures and styles from the learned folk arguing the toss in Edinburgh’s Court of Session. There was a lot of tedious guff, briefly enlivened – mainly by Janys Scott KC, who spoke for the Equality and Human Rights Commission as an intervenor (you can download their submission at the bottom…
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For Women Scotland back in court
Ten months after the Supreme Court confirmed trans-identifying men are not women, the campaign group For Women Scotland were back in court today aiming to give the Scottish government another shoeing. This time Trina Budge, Susan Smith and Marion Calder were at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, seeking to have the Scottish policy of…
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Mandy Clare: V for Victory
On the day I speak to her, Mandy Clare should have been in court, standing trial for assault by beating and criminal damage. Instead she is reflecting on a horrendous few months which saw her arrested, charged and suspended from her job simply for – in her view – doing her job as a local…
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Belfast Film Festival: Written Closings
As subscribers to the GenderBlog newsletter will know – yesterday was the final day of Morrison v Belfast Film Festival at the Belfast Employment Tribunal. Sara Morrison has made a claim against her former employer, alleging discrimination for her gender-critical/sex-realist beliefs and constructive dismissal. In yesterday’s newsletter I laid out the closing oral submissions from…
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Morrison: Written Closings
As subscribers to the GenderBlog newsletter will know – yesterday was the final day of Morrison v Belfast Film Festival at the Belfast Employment Tribunal. Sara Morrison has made a claim against her former employer, alleging discrimination for her gender-critical/sex-realist beliefs and constructive dismissal. In yesterday’s newsletter I laid out the closing oral submissions from…
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Morrison v Belfast Film Festival: Week 1
This employment tribunal is taking place at Killymeal House in Belfast. Sara Morrison is the Claimant. Belfast Film Festival (BFF) are the Respondent. Morrison is claiming discrimination against her for her gender critical (or as she prefers “sex realist”) views after she was socially cancelled for speaking at this Let Women Speak event (see 1hr…
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Tribunal bias claim: Panelist steps down
A member of the panel convened to decide the outcome of Sara Morrison’s discrimination claim against Belfast Film Festival has stepped down after Morrison’s legal team applied to have the entire judging panel removed. Professor Deborah Boyd voluntarily stepped down for health reasons after Morrison’s barrister Naomi Cunningham accused Boyd of bias and failing to…
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Sara Morrison v Belfast Film Festival
Sara Morrison used to be an inclusion and audience development co-ordinator working full time at Belfast Film Festival. She has an adult, trans-dentifying son. But she is a heretic. Because? “I just don’t want men in women’s spaces”, she says. It was expressing this sentiment in a public place (and criticising those who oppose it)…
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Rex v Linehan: the prosecution and defence cases in detail
Graham Linehan, the writer and campaigner, is on trial Westminster Magistrates’ Court for harassment and criminal damage. The agreed facts of the case are on the record. Between 11 and 27 October 2024 Linehan sent a number of tweets about the male Trans Rights Activist, Sophia Brooks. On 19 October, Brooks sought Linehan out and…