Ben Cooper trying to establish communications between individuals at Stonewall & individuals at Garden Court Chambers. Arguing names of individuals is relevant and they put in public domain.
Ben Cooper QC discussing individuals who had made complaints to Garden Court Chambers. Discussion is can these individuals be publicly named or should they be redacted in papers. These individuals have connections with Stonewall.
Robin Moira White confirming that the three individuals under discussion ARE members of Stonewall’s trans advisory group. They have assisted Stonewall but are not employees. RMW saying their names should not be public domain.
Judge Stout: Stonewall has not produced evidence to show that principal of open justice should be discarded. If this was a full hearing my judgement would be different.
Judge Stout: If their names were made public their article 8 rights would be impacted. Order of redaction only for this hearing. May be different at full hearing.
Ben Cooper QC: Only this week has claimant received application to strike out. Disclosure has yet to be completed. Some things are still redacted which shouldn’t be.
Ben Cooper QC: I can’t begin to embark on cross examination in a hearing of this kind. There isn’t the time. It would be a 2-3 day exercise. Please rule she can’t be called at this time.
Anthony Johnston: Claimant has still not named those she accuses of discrimination/victimisation. Do these individuals have authority to act for chambers. Wants Miss Khan called.
Judge Stout: There would not be a fair opportunity to test Miss Khan’s evidence today. Disclosure has not been completed. Application to call Miss Khan today denied.
Still discussing the fact that claimant has not named individuals who discriminated at this stage (unable to name all individuals without disclosure being completed).
Ben Cooper QC: Gender critical beliefs held/expressed by claimant are those held by a women’s movement of female feminists. Indirect discrimination on grounds of sex, also on grounds of sexual orientation, many that hold these beliefs are lesbians.
Ben Cooper QC is reading from an email sent by @BluskyeAllison in December 2018 objecting to Garden Court Chambers association with Stonewall due to them breaching Equality Act.
Ben Cooper QC: It is the claimants case that through the membership of the Stonewall diversity champion programme, Stonewall enforced its views on Garden Court Chambers
Ben Cooper QC: Stephen Lui (SP?) is the Barrister who was liaising with Stonewall re what Garden Court Chambers could offer re Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme.
Ben Cooper QC speaking about WhatsApp messages discussing claimant, can see which is Michelle Brewer but not who all others are. Language towards claimant @BluskyeAllison is described as ‘fruity’
Ongoing discussion between Ben Cooper QC and Judge Stout re who are the redacted individuals in Michelle Brewers text/WhatsApp messages. Are they members of Garden Court Chambers?
Ben Cooper QC: plainly nonsense, as can be seen from texts, that Garden Court Chambers didn’t realise that putting out a tweet was ‘making a public statement’
Ben Cooper QC emails show explicit threat that if Garden Court Chambers don’t expel claimant (@BluskyeAllison) Stonewall will sever ties causing reputational damage
Ben Cooper QC talking about cotton ceiling and that calling someone a bigot is coercion ie a lesbian being called ‘transphobic’ for not wanting to have sex with a woman with a penis.
Ben Cooper QC saying it cannot be disputed that the inducement to discriminate against the claimant came from Stonewall. Redacting of emails proves it knew this was inappropriate.
Ben Cooper QC questions to be asked re if Michelle Brewer was acting on behalf of chambers or as an individual when liaising with Stonewall. Was Brewer acting as an agent of chambers?
Discussion between Ben Cooper QC and Judge Stout over which section to use. Are individuals liable as individuals or as agents of Garden Court Chambers?
Main takeaways three members of Stonewall’s trans advisory group currently have their names redacted in documents - this may not be the case at the full hearing.
Judy Khan QC of Garden Court Chambers refused permission to testify today as not time for...
Ben Cooper QC for the claimant to cross examine.
Ben Cooper QC arguing against strike out - there was clearly communications from Stonewall to Garden Court Chambers that acted as inducement to discrimination that @BluskyeAllison suffered.
We strongly recommend that schools do not work with or use materials produced by Stonewall while they are facing accusations of discrimination on the grounds of Belief, Sex & Sexual Orientation.
It is an important case to follow for any #schools & #teachers working with Stonewall. The CPS ‘hate crimes’ schools pack, produced in conjunction with #Stonewall has now been permanently withdrawn, but the judicial review of the relationship between CPS...
The @CareQualityComm inspection report which found @TaviAndPort#GIDS service to be ‘inadequate’ is a truly shocking read. We are appalled at the spin that this is just about waiting times. It is not. This is a #safeguarding scandal. Full report here:
Questions must be asked (and answered) about why so many children were experiencing distress around gender in the first place. What has gone wrong in our society? Why are we failing to challenge gender stereotypes? What are children looking at online?
The regulatory capture in our society has gone so far that even the @CareQualityComm report into this scandal uses highly contested, ideological language such as ‘assigned sex at birth’. This must stop. Sex is observed at birth, usually by medical professionals.
THREAD
We have been sent these screenshots from a Facebook group of teachers unofficially affiliated with a major union.
We are disturbed to see this misinformation and lack of understanding of safeguarding being circulated.
We agree that it is important for school staff to be mindful of any trans-identified student in their care, suffering from mental distress (or any students experiencing mental distress for whatever reason).
We understand that the #KeiraBell case will have caused distress to some, especially given the dangerous narrative being irresponsibly pushed that this will make children suicidal and was an attack on their rights, not an action to safeguard and protect them.
Safe Schools Alliance believe that school should be a safe environment for children to learn to discuss difficult issues respectfully, allowing for differences of opinion.
There will be serious knock-on effects for the rest of society if children are not given the opportunity to have open, honest and respectful discussions, and to be able to ‘agree to disagree’ with others.
Children should not be criminalised unless absolutely necessary; robust school policies that place safeguarding at their core, and acknowledge that children may need guidance in learning these skills, are best placed to deal with ‘non-crime hate incidents’. #edutwitter
From today’s judgement in the #KeiraBell case: “The third Intervener is @Transgendertrd, an organisation that provides evidence- based information & resources for parents & schools concerning children with GD. @cwknews is the director of that organisation...
she has filed a witness statement in these proceedings.
She set out concerns about the lack of evidence as to the impacts & effectiveness of PBs & in relation to which patients it is most likely to help. Much of her evidence focused on the increase of referrals to GIDS of...
teenage natal girls & the cultural factors, including material on the internet & social media, which may play a part in this. She said that GIDS does not offer young people with GD a range of ways to interpret their experience, & the GIDS pathway offers a minimal challenge to...