Thread by @RebeccaMKBull

#MayaAppeal

Ben Cooper’s closing submissions in Maya’s appeal against the original Employment Tribunal Judgment (that her beliefs are not worthy of respect in a democratic society) are playing on my mind this evening.

I thought maybe they should play on your mind too...

Ben Cooper QC submitted that no one disputes that gender identity beliefs meet the Grainger criteria for section 10 of the Equality Act

(Translation: those people who believe in gender identity are protected from discrimination)

The effect of the original Employment Tribunal Judgment is that Maya must be required to subordinate her use of language to the opposing view in this important debate (about sex and gender) .

Her lack of belief in gender identity - the fact that she does not hold the belief that gender identity determines sex is not even a protected lack of belief.

(People who lack beliefs may often be conferred protection from discrimination under the Equality Act eg atheists)

This has the effect of - and here I quote from my notes of BCQC’s submissions

“State mandated adherence to gender identity theory.

The effect of the Employment Tribunal Judgment is that if an employer goes to work tomorrow and decrees that employees must chant a creed...

...A creed that Transwomen are women then the Employer can do that and employees must comply regardless of whether they have those beliefs on not.”