🧵It’s a year today since I was sacked from the front bench of the SNP Westminster Group having been wrongly accused of “transphobia”. Despite a continued campaign of bullying & harassment on account of my feminist beliefs & my sexuality 1/4
I’m enjoying life as a backbencher and benefiting from having more time to devote to my constituency and my work as Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. I’ve been fortified by the incredible level of support 2/4
I continue to receive from members of the public. But best of all the concerns of many women & lesbians which I have tried to articulate are now firmly in the public domain & have the support of @EHRC, the independent equalities & #humanrights regulator 3/4
There have been a number of significant court victories for those of us who believe in #freespeech & that #sexmatters & there will be more. The tide has turned & the bullies won’t win. #WomenWontWheesht 4/4
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🧵 My @ScotNational column on the co-operation agreement & how to make its worthy aspirations meaningful. Both parties have signed up to “doing politics better” “constructively & respectfully” & with “transparency & candour” 1/12 thenational.scot/politics/19541…
If we are to have respectful politics & transparent processes, then these values must apply across the board. There can be no areas carved out where anything goes & people can be abused and traduced for seeking honest debate and scrutiny of policy. 2/12
So far, in relation to the most totemic and controversial legislation in their policy programme , the approach of the partners to the co-operation agreement hasn’t lived up to the values they have now so clearly set out in writing. 3/12
The summary of the #Forstater judgment by discrimination law expert @akuareindorf should be essential reading on the importance of belief as a protected characteristic not just for employers but for service providers & membership organisations 1/
Such organisations should review their policies to avoid the potential sanctioning of discrimination, harassment or victimisation on the grounds of protected beliefs on sex & gender & avoid compelled speech. Also a reminder that #freedomofexpression 2/7
And the right to #FreedomOfSpeech includes ‘not only the inoffensive but the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome & the provocative provided it does not provoke violence’ 3/7
Here’s @thetimes view on what is a public & private sector scandal which could have significant legal implications for the feminists & lesbians who have been bullied to curry favour. thetimes.co.uk/article/the-ti…
.@TimesLucy has done a fantastic job of investigative journalism. She has revealed how
Documents show how the charity seeks to control what NHS trusts, Govt departments & local councils say on their social media accounts, demanding public support for its controversial views on gender identity, in return for points on its Top 100 Employers index
My thread on the criminal threats made against me on 1st February 2021 the day I was sacked from @theSNP Westminster front bench for as yet unspecified “behaviour”. scotsman.com/news/crime/you…
Grant Karte appeared at Edinburgh Sherriff Court this morning Friday 12 March and pled guilty to offences under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003
Some of the threats which Mr Karte made to me were of a sexual nature. A recent survey of parliamentarians showed that while politicians of both sexes receive abuse and threats, it is largely female politicians who receive threats of sexual violence.
The front page of today’s @heraldscotland wrongly states that I “am taking a defamation action against a Scots actor”. This is incorrect. There is no such action in court and I note the online version has been corrected to reflect this.
Article 10 of the ECHR (which is part of Scots law) protects the right to freedom of expression. It specifically states that the exercise of this right carries with it duties & responsibilities and may be subject to such restrictions or penalties as are
prescribed by law & are necessary in a democratic society. This is what permits us to legislate to criminalise hate speech & it is why individuals including MPs are entitled to take steps to protect their rights & reputations when people tell lies about them