Help! HR complaint about my (pretty unexceptional) views

This article by Peter Daly may useful to you: www.linkedin.com/pulse/forstater-judgment-what-next-peter-daly

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Make sure you take time to look after yourself. Talk to your women friends, spend time with them. Go for walks in nature. Do some yoga, watch or read something exciting - make sure you get a mental break from this as often as you can.

Thank you for standing up for women and girls.

are you in a union?

I'll just add have a look at the Free Speech Union. I understand this ia the kind of thing they help with

It's worth making contact with Legal Feminist group
legalfeminist.org.uk/

and/or Sex Matters Organisation sex-matters.org/

they don't seem to be very critical thinkers, and have used the word "TERF" before to refer to people like JKR, which I happen to think is far worse

OP continuing the list of ideas

1. Raise a complaint against people who have said TERF and criticised women, for creating a hostile environment for women.It doesn't belong in the workplace. Go on the offensive.

1. Consider taking sick leave to take time to care for you. And to provide evidence on what impact this is having. And to take time out to plan a response.

TedImgoingmad has it absolutely right.

1. Get everything in writing.
2. Go to a lawyer.
3. Ask for meetings to be recorded or transcribed verbatim.
4. Always have a witness present. Preferably a lawyer.
5. Avoid being alone with the complainant [probably not hard!] as they may try to provoke you.

Yes definitely get it all in writing.

Do you have household insurance that covers legal costs? Many people don't know that's possible, but it's sometimes the case. You could then enlist the support of a good GC solicitor.

Agree that you need to stick icily to facts, and say you want everything in writing. I'd also keep a written note on everything that is said, and email after every discussion on the phone or in person, setting out what you believed the conversation to have been. And yes to having someone with you at any meeting.

Silencing women who point out that sexism impacts us, and we have a right to a say in how we are defined, in law and in language, as a class. How terribly inclusive and diverse - and how in breach of the law, given such beliefs now have legal standing, and most of those holding them (as their own slur admits, with their F) are women.

Do you have written evidence of your reasonable interpretation of gender, e.g. emails with reasonable comments? (E.g. I support women's spaces, which is obv not transphobic).

So sorry you are going through this. If it was me, I'd approach it as 2 issues.

First issue: you need to ensure that you are not going to be subject to disciplinary proceedings resulting in a warning or worse.

Has the complaint been set out in writing? Make sure it is given to you in black and white.

Make sure you have a clear account of exactly what the complaint is. Don't try to second guess it by trying to figure out what they think they thought you said. If the complaints are not clear/make no sense, require that they clarify them. Also require proper citations, i.e., "On X date, in Y document, RightSide said Z".

Answer each and every complaint in writing, citing evidence (or lack thereof in respect of the false claims). Take this to an employment solicitor and get advice. Make sure it is just right, and make sure it is filed with HR under cover of a formal letter , preferably from a solicitor.

Don't attend any meetings without a witness present, again, preferably a solicitor, but otherwise someone you trust. Take someone reliable who can take copious notes while you talk/listen (very hard to take notes and absorb what's going on when you are scared).

Though even if I had said what I understand they claimed I said, I don't think it would be worthy of complaint).

I wouldn't go down this route. Just cold hard facts: this is what I said, these things I did not say, none of it was transphobic (or whatever their complaint is).

So second issue: you say you want to make a stand. If/how you do that depends, I would have thought, on the outcome of the first issue, and will depend on your employment environment as to what is appropriate. It may be achieved simply by dealing with issue 1. Hard to tell without further details.

Good luck

Do they know you are a gender critical feminist? Or do they just think you are transphobic?

I would read all relevant policies (complaint, grievance, diversity, social media), decide on the outcome I wanted (eg complaint not founded, still employed in same department) and then get employment law advice. In my case I'm a union member and I hope they would treat me as a member.