Labour councillor quits in row over facilities for trans people - The Times

Johnny Best article, by includes reference to Sarah Brown (former lib dem Cambridge cllr) trans rights activism:

'The story of my first brush with trans activism and what I learned.'

(extract)
"In 2005 I became the artistic director of Manchester’s Queer Up North Festival. QUN took place annually in Manchester between 1992 and 2011 and had a tradition of disruptive, provocative performance work centred around sexuality and gender" (continues)

"In 2007 QUN began a drive to programme a greater variety of events aimed at our lesbian audience. Like many LGBT or queer organisations, we’d been a bit gay men-centric. One of the artists I researched was a hugely talented singer songwriter — Bitch — yet to perform in the UK. She is top-notch musician who’d appeared in John Cameron Mitchell’s gorgeous film ‘Shortbus’ — I felt confident she would find an appreciative audience in Manchester.

So I invited her. She accepted and the event quickly sold out.

Then, a few weeks before the festival, I got an email.

It informed me that Bitch had performed at Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, which had a policy of admitting only natal women. Apparently not only had Bitch appeared at the festival, she’d defended its women-born-women admission policy as well. Therefore, the email argued, Bitch was transphobic and the event must be cancelled.

Today, this sort of email from trans activists is commonplace, but in 2008 it was something new. As one of the authors of this email, Sarah Brown , recounts in the new book Trans Britain - Our Journey from the Shadows, what was about to happen between a small group of trans activists and Queer Up North would become the prototype for the many campaigns which were to follow — and which continue today." (continues)

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/a3337410-Artistic-Director-of-Queer-Up-North-speaks-out-on-trans-activism-Stonewall-and-womens-rights

2011 Cambridge First Interview with Sarah Brown: 'Cambridge couple battle prejudice after sex change'
(extracts)
"In fact she [Sarah Brown] was named at the weekend as one of the most influential LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people in the Independent on Sunday’s ‘pink list’ for her role in pushing for greater visibility and respect for transgender people in society.

She describes herself as “probably the only ‘out’ transgender activist serving as an elected politican in the UK”.

Sarah came in at number 28 on the list – one place ahead of TV fashionista Gok Wan." (continues)

"While Sarah is currently the only transgender member of Cambridge City Council, she is not the first. In 2007 Jenny Bailey – a former Liberal Democrat councillor who is transgender – was sworn in as the city’s mayor.

“Jenny is a good friend of mine and I’m very grateful to her that she has almost paved the way,” she said.

“I’m enjoying being a councillor and love this city and want to do the right thing by it.”

But while she feels “very humbled, thrilled and bowled over” to be nominated and appear on the ‘pink list’, Sarah remarked that being transgender is only one aspect of her life.

“I am still the same person 
and I love climbing mountains,” she said.

“If I have a random conversation I’d rather have it about climbing.”

Leader of Cambridge City Council Cllr Sian Reid said Sarah deserved national recognition after fighting many battles.

“Sarah is an extremely effective member of the city council who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise,” said Cllr Reid.

“She gives the LGBT community in Cambridge and beyond a strong voice and her work goes a long way to breaking down barriers and encouraging greater acceptance.”

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111101214325/www.cambridgefirst.co.uk/news/interview_cambridge_couple_battle_prejudice_after_sex_change_1_1111876" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20111101214325/www.cambridgefirst.co.uk/news/interview_cambridge_couple_battle_prejudice_after_sex_change_1_1111876

Relevent to the concerns raised by @AnnMSinnott

This article was published yesterday. Two girls aged 10 and 12 were seriously assaulted :

(extract)
"the accused had been to the toilets with a carer and was walking towards the exit when the young child walked past.

Miss Lumsden said: “The accused (said their) mobile phone was still in the toilets and returned to them, alone.

“The young girl was in a cubicle and was sitting with her leggings and pants down when she saw a hand holding a mobile phone over the partition wall.

“The girl shouted and the person rushed out of the adjacent cubicle.”

The young girl then left the toilets and was described as looking “shocked”. The matter was reported to the police who retrieved in-store CCTV footage from the time of the incident.

Investigators were able to identify the teenager, whose accommodation in Kirkcaldy was searched.

A 12-second video clip of the girl on the toilet, followed by footage of the teenager running away, were recovered when an iPad and a mobile phone were seized.

A second incident took place at the Morrison’s store in Kirkcaldy on March 4.

The court was told a 10-year-old girl had been inside the toilets while her father waited outside.

Miss Lumsden said: “The complainer’s dad then heard his daughter screaming and came running out of the bathroom, looking as if she was running away from someone.

“She explained that a crazy man with long hair was in the bathroom and had grabbed her face and pushed her into a cubicle, before demanding she take her trousers off.

“She said the person had said they would stab her mum. She was upset and inconsolable.”

Police officers attended and found the cubicle locked inside the female toilets.

A male voice was heard coming from inside, saying: “I’ve been silly. I bumped into her. I’ve been silly.”

www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/702003/fife-teen-on-sex-offenders-register-after-supermarket-child-attacks/

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3329936-teen-films-girl-in-toilet

the person convicted had "been in the social care system from the age of three and had been actively engaging with mental health services"

thread which includes both the toolkit and resources produced for professionals working with young people in the care system questioning their gender identity & specifically for the children & young people (Tara Hewitt was an adviser: co founder & of TELI) :

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3324578-Vunerabilities-of-Looked-After-Children-Social-Work-CP-restricted-by-affirmation-requirement-Trans-Youth-in-Care-Toolkit

As expected...

That Spectator article needed a penis fact box.

Ann Sinnott writing in The Spectator today

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/08/ive-quit-the-labour-party-because-it-has-betrayed-women/

Not a lot of sympathy from the BTL posters so far, but they generally seem to dislike feminists.

Re Cambridge City Council:

Zoe O'Connell is a current Cambridge City councillor & also a partner of Sarah Brown.
democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=1348

2013 Guardian interview with Zoe O'Connell, Sarah Brown and Sylvia Knight:
(extract)
"Living in Cambridge, they rarely experience discrimination or abuse. Sarah is not the city's first openly trans councillor, and when they pop down to their local real-ale pub: "No one bats an eyelid. We're probably some of the less 'out there' people," says Zoe."
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/20/greatest-sexual-taboo-polyamorous-transgender

Zoe O'Connell's IPSO complaint against The Sunday Times reporting of Fairplay for Women's statistics about trans inmates & prison estates was not upheld. Date complaint received: 19/11/2017
Date decision issued: 26/03/2018

Details:
www.ipso.co.uk/rulings-and-resolution-statements/ruling/?id=20177-17

Complaint against David Davies' hosting at Westminster Venice Allen's 'We Need to Talk' also not upheld.

Thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3263172-Andrew-Gilligan-Latest-bullying-transgender-complaint-swiftly-rejected-by-parliamentary-standards-committee

Thankyou @AnnMSinnott

They have in-house solicitors, will probably have consulted them.

I also think that it would have also been relevent if Sarah Brown was involved with other groups with a vested interest, was Cllr Brown involved with 'Press for Change' prior to this for example?

www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jan/22/voices-from-trans-community-prejudice

Would that have meant any women present would also have had to declare an interest?

Quite.

I would think it would be procedure for a trans Cllr to give testimony/context and then recuse themselves from the decision making?

Of course (former) Cllr Brown has the right to speak on the topic, very important that minority voices are heard, but this should really have had legal counsel before being made policy, as it does actually breach the law.

10/48/SR

Declarations of interest

Members are asked to declare at this stage any interests that they may have in an item shown on this agenda. If any member of the Committee is unsure whether or not they should declare an interest on a particular matter, they should seek advice from the Head of Legal Services before the meeting.

Minutes:
None

In the video above, Ann Sinnott comments that as a transwoman herself, Sarah Brown would have had a conflict of interests in this matter and discusses how it would be standard council process to recuse oneself.

pencils

Yes, yes it was! And when they were just a Cllr rookie too...

It was very good of Cllr Brown to step in as a substitute when Boyce sent apologies, wasn't it?

The Chair welcomed Cllr Brown and Mr John Williamson (Deputy Chief Executive – Cambridgeshire Horizons) to their first meeting.

What a productive first meeting Cllr Brown had!

I wonder who Cllr Boyce is.

Bloody hell! It's so blatantly undemocratic. I understand they were worried about genuine transphobia but it just shows their ingrained misogyny and disdain for women.

Here are the minutes from the Cambridge City Council meeting where they chose to play fast and loose with the EA when it was only 10 days old.

The committee received apologies for absence from Cllr Boyce, Cllr Brown attended as a substitute.

10/57/SR - Annual Review of Equalities (near the bottom of the page):

Councillor Brown proposed a number of amendments to strengthen the protection for transgender employees and service users. Other members of the committee expressed support for the proposal, although it was noted additional notice about the amendment would have aided the debate. The Head of Strategy and Partnership advised the committee of a number of proposed amendments to address the concerns raised. The Scrutiny Committee endorsed the following amendments by 5 votes to 0;

· Insert into “Employment Practices” section - We will not exclude transgender people from positions, which require a gender-appropriate candidate.

· Insert into the “Valuing our customers – delivering services” section - transgender people will not be excluded from gender-appropriate single sex/sex segregated facilities operated by the council

Shit stinks.

Venice Allen interviews with Ann Sinnott who talks more about Cambridge Council's actions, the wider context for her resignation and also explains the role that Sarah Brown (Lib Dem counseller) played with respect application of the Equalities Act 2010.

SarahAr "a man in male clothing aggressively asserted his right to be there to shocked women, who all turned silently away."
You said "The police should have been called"

Who would have done what?

Can we also reasonably call the police to stop someone who doesn't even identify as female, like Travis Alabanza, Pips Bunce or Eddie Izzard, demanding access to women's toilets / changing rooms if they want it?

Catching up a bit.

SarahAr "a man in male clothing aggressively asserted his right to be there to shocked women, who all turned silently away."

You said "The police should have been called"

Are you under the impression that men are allowed in wearing dresses only? If so you reveal a deeper ignorance than I'd previously thought you capable of. Which is really saying something.

For the record Transwomen are men

#sexmatters
#sexnotgender

Cambridge Varsity article:

'Cambridge councillor resigns in protest of policy for transgender women to access women’s bathrooms
CUSU LGBT+ condemned Ann Sinnott’s opposition to transgender women access to women’s facilities'

(extract)
"Ann Sinnott, a Labour Party Cambridge city councillor, has resigned in protest against a policy allowing self-defining transgender people to access council-owned women’s facilities.

Sinnott resigned on Monday over the policy, which was first proposed in 2010 by Sarah Brown, a transgender Liberal Democrat councillor who lost her seat to Sinnott in 2014.

The policy, which applies exclusively to property owned by the council, states that “transgender people will not be excluded from gender-appropriate sex/single-sex segregated facilities”.

Got a story for us?

Seen something you think Varsity should be talking about? Contact our News team at [email protected].

Sinnott told The Times that Cambridge council was acting in “dereliction of the law”, claiming that the abolition of single-sex facilities “at a stroke” goes against the 2010 Equality Act.

Sinnott’s resignation was prompted in part by concerns regarding the policy’s wording. The Labour councillor claimed that “transgender” is an “umbrella term” allowing “infinitely higher numbers” of people to access to all-female facilities.

Sinnott suggested the term “gender reassignment” be used instead, with this being a characteristic protected under equality law, referring exclusively to those either undergoing or planning to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

The CUSU LGBT+ Campaign has disputed Sinnott's claim that the policy violates the 2010 Equality Act, arguing that the Act is “literally a legal protection for many different minorities, including trans people”. They added that the difference in wording “does not open up women’s spaces to anyone other than those who should already be there”. (continues)

www.varsity.co.uk/news/15961

See Ann Sinnott's comment re accuracy of quotes
twitter.com/AnnMSinnott/status/1025685649557528577

Oh I am crap at remembering names, but hers is one to remember. Anne Sinnot, Anne Sinnot, Anne Sinnot. I hope she runs for Parliament.

Thank you for taking a stand Ann, you have integrity and courage

A perfect example of why is the recent story of the sex offender in Aberdeen who has changed names and very much their appearance during sentence prior to release and wandering about with the freedom to demand access to these spaces.

thread discussing article:
(extract)
"A BEARDED paedophile has started a secret new life as a woman after transitioning while serving time in a Scottish jail.

Christopher Noble, 32, transitioned to Christyl Knight while behind bars for keeping a stash of over 4,000 vile pictures and videos of kids as young as six months old.

The con is desperate for a fresh start but child protection expert Claude Knights [recently retired head of Kidscape] said: “Allowing these individuals to hide a secret past is a dangerous practice.”

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3324391-Paedophile-expert-warns-of-transitioning-as-a-ploy