Surely Mridul Wadhwa has to go now? Report into ERCC out.

Thanks, Red.

x post

Too busy c + p the whole thing!

Receipts

https://x.com/hightreebud/status/1837820599697072343

Trina AT hightreebud
Here's what Sandy Brindley says. GUARANTEED women-only spaces in EVERY rape crisis centre in Scotland. Reiterated in the Times today: "one thing that has remained core is protecting spaces for women. It has never changed and it never should". So let's have a look see... 1/n

Argyll & Bute Rape Crisis Centre. “We offer support to survivors who are over the age of 12, regardless of their gender.” Nothing about women-only spaces but they have a dedicated LGBTI page and a charter award from LGBT Youth Scotland "making sure we are inclusive". 2/n

As part of the charter award LGBTYS use their "Stronger Together: Guidance for women's services on the inclusion of trans women". 3/n

This guidance misrepresents the law and advises rape crisis centres that it is not acceptable to exclude TW from a women's service. If any woman objects it is her who should be removed and educated in the same way as a racist or homophobe.
More here: https://murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2019/02/22/the-case-for-due-diligence-assessing-and-owning-policy-and-practice/ 4/n

Rape Crisis Scotland removed the guidance from their website in 2019 after the section on re-educating women was highlighted on Twitter. They claimed to be "not aware" of it despite Wadhwa, then employed at Forth Valley RC, busy promoting its message. 5/n

So the guidance is now back in rape crisis centres via the back door, with centres paying LGBTYS £2,000 a pop for the charter privilege. And just to rub salt in it, LGBTYS also took £100k from the Scottish Gov Equally Safe fund for women to sell it back to the VAWG sector. 6/n

It beggars believe Sandy Brindley is still claiming to be shocked that Edinburgh RCC failed to provide a protected women-only service and should not have hired Wadhwa without a GRC, esp when RCS itself signed up for doing just that since 2016! 7/n

Dumfries & Galloway RASAC doesn't seem to have a website. Edinburgh RCC has learnt little from its tribunal loss and the Ling report, offering a paltry few hours for women, which may include men according to the word salad explanation. And a gold charter award, of course. 8/n

Fife RASAC "support services to anyone 12+, of any gender". Nothing about women-only, not even on the group support page. Does have a dedicated "LGBTQIA+ survivors" page. Forth Valley RCC, "survivors of all genders over 13". Nothing about women-only spaces. 9/n

Glasgow & Clyde RCC Women and girls only. Wonderfully robust statement: "We are an organisation that is rooted in feminist values...This prioritises the provision and safeguarding of single-sex service spaces..." 10/n

Lanarkshire RCC "support to women and girls (12ys+)". Nothing about women-only spaces but does have a dedicated inclusive services web page for LGBTI+ Moray RC "support for anyone (age 11 and over)". Groups are for all adults, so are mixed-sex. LGBT charter award holder. 11/n

Orkney RSAS "support for anyone (age 13 and over)". LGBT inclusion matters so much it is all they can display at their premises. Not sure this is welcoming to any woman looking for a women-only service. 12/n

RASAC Perth & Kinross "support anyone who identifies as a woman and young people (aged 12-18)". No actual women-only spaces here then. Another holder of a charter award from LGBTYS. 13/n

RASAS Highland "support all genders – women, men, non-binary, trans & gender non-conforming." Nothing about women-only services, but helping uphold their LGBT charter is a transwoman on the Board. Despite the job advert seeking a woman. 14/n

RC Grampian "support & information to anyone over 11 years old". Any assurances given to Sandy Brindley of protected women-only spaces in reality include men. Quelle surprise for the centre that was flying the trans flag in response to the tribunal result. 15/n

Scottish Borders RCC are "inclusive to self-identifying females". The only "reassurance" here is that they will work with LGBT people to reduce any barriers (women's voices?) to their inclusion. 16/n

Compass Centre, Shetland "Whatever your gender, you are welcome here." Nothing about women-only spaces and the only reassurance here is reserved for transwomen and their inclusion. LGBTYS charter award holder. 17/n

STAR Centre, Ayrshire "anyone aged 13+ (women, girls, men, boys and those who identify as transgender or non-binary)". Men are welcome to self-identify into the few hours of women-only spaces. Has two LGBT charter marks with a warning on pronoun use. 18/n

Western Isles RCC, "anyone, of any gender, over the age of 13". But no LGBTYS charter award and no mention of LGBT on the website, so group work may actually be women-only. 19/n

Women's RASAC, Dundee & Angus. Despite having "women" in the centre's name, don't get too hopeful as it's for "self-identifying women". TW specifically included and they're working towards a silver charter from LGBTYS. 20/n

17 rape crisis centres. One explicitly for women-only (Glasgow & Clyde) and one possibly offering women-only spaces within a mixed-sex service (Western Isles). The majority explicitly state they work on the basis of self-ID, which is not law in Scotland. 21/n

This is the law, as ruled by recent judicial reviews. The section in red is under appeal to the UK Supreme Court. By definition, in the Equality Act, women's spaces exclude biological males. Those without a GRC are the sex they were born as. 22/n

Yet when the CEO of Rape Crisis Scotland talks of "woman" she displays her ignorance of the law & gives an offensive penis-including definition of who she welcomes into female rape survivors' spaces. It has taken her 11 months to come up with this! 23/n

This is the fundamental problem we are facing with women's services. Most have long been co-opted to include all men, not just TW. 24/n

The whole sector needs a reset starting with sacking Brindley and addressing what women, who are 94% of rape victims, actually want. Which is separate-sex services, as recommended by the Scottish Gov review, & which Brindley has ignored since June 2023. 25/n

The Scottish Gov should also consider implementing the SNP 2021 manifesto commitment to fund a separate complementary service for men. 26/26

Twitter thread is fully evidenced throughout with those all important screenshots (we know how much screenshots are valued to hold power to account within ethical principles and all that).

Sandy 'I didn't know' Brindley is a liar.

https://x.com/hightreebud/status/1837820599697072343?s=46&t=SPorwN-mokktL467rcZ57g

Brilliant, fairly long thread on Twitter, highlighting the reality lie of "women only" rape crisis services in Scotland. All the receipts.

Talking of peeps the newspaper claims it's been trying, in vain, to get a response from Maggie Personpeeps about this.

Oh dear oh dear.

This is dated 4th Dec 2020 and is on Rape Crisis Scotland's website:
https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/news/news/faculty-of-advocate-investigation-boys-club-accused-of-closing-ranks-to-protect-their-own/

Sandy Brindley, Chief Executive of Rape Crisis Scotland said:
“It’s hard to see this latest move by the Faculty as anything other than a boy’s club closing ranks to protect one of their own. Gordon Jackson’s behaviour in the aftermath of the Salmond trial was completely inappropriate and unprofessional. At the time he made these comments, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. It is unacceptable that over 8 months later he has still faced absolutely no sanction for recklessly and publicly naming two complainers, whose anonymity was protected by a court order, and talking about details of the case on public transport.

Gordon Jackson is a powerful public figure, he is a QC, the former Dean of the Faculty of Advocates and has a legal team representing him in this process. The ten women from the case have no legal representation, with representations being made by Rape Crisis Scotland. This feels like an imbalance that Jackson is using to his advantage to delay the process.

The Faculty of Advocates have a huge role to play in upholding law in Scotland but they are not above it. Like all of us, Jackson must be held accountable for his actions. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Jackson is being allowed to pull the strings in his own investigation, fobbing it off until he is able to retire in peace. This is unacceptable, and in our view undermines public confidence in the Faculty of Advocates."

Dear Sandy.

"It is hard to see this latest move by RCS as anything other than a TRA club closing ranks to protect its ongoing agaenda. Your behaviour over the last couple of years during Wadhwa's tenure was completely inappropriate and unprofessional.

At the time Wadhwa made comments in an interview about 'reframing trauma' and 'therapy is political' and that survivors were bigots, you were the Head of RCS. Yet you merely brushed over these comments because you were told they were 'taken out of context'. You then brought your partner to a meeting with survivors who wanted assurances over single sex provision, who hagued them and told them their request was illegal. They did not know who your partner was and were not consulted about their presence. This further retraumatised them. You did not address the issues over Wadhwa's misconduct and workplace bullying and harassment and continued to support Wadhwa's position after the tribunal. It wasn't until five months later when the report into ERCC came out that Wadhwa resigned without any comment from yourself prior to this since the conclusion of the employeement tribunal.

You have subsequently gone on record saying you have no roll in the appointment of Wadhwa and no influence over whether they should stay in the job, despite the 'misquoted' above mentioned interview which did significant damage to the reputation of ERCC and actual harm to survivors which is detailed in your own report. You did not stay - you continue to be vocal in your support for Wadhwa after this interview.

You have subsequently gone on record that you were not aware of issues relating to single sex provision until October last year. This is despite the meeting with survivors being documented. A letter concerning this is in the Scottish Parliament Archives. It predates October last year by some considerable time. Indeed long enough for Joanne to set up an alternative single sex service to provide provision for those women you have failed.

As pressure has grown, and calls for your resignation have been made, women you have an inappropriately close relationship with emailed a newspaper to defend you. When questions were raised about this, you accused others of weaponising survivors. You then offered a journalist the telephone numbers of survivors to prove they were telling the truth. Just why did you have those telephone numbers? You now decide it is appropriate to go on record, saying that you are a victim of an unfair witchhunt led by Joanne and that you have been distressed by this.

You are a powerful public figure with influential friends within the Scottish Government. The women who you have let down have no voice. Joanne has had to set up because you, the person who was supposed to be their champion, failed them on multiple occasions. You used your position to silence them in a meeting. This feels like an imbalance of power that you used to promote the agenda of trans activists above and before the women you were duty bound to help.

Rape Crisis Scotland has a huge role to play in protecting and supporting women. You decided this was not your responsibility. Like all of us, you must be held accountable for his actions. You’d be forgiven for thinking that you are being allowed to pull the strings in your own public accountability, fobbing it off until you are able to retire in peace. This is unacceptable, and in our view undermines public confidence in Rape Crisis Scotland.

Your momentual level of hypocrisy and continued abdication of responsibility is purely corrupt and rottent to the core. I hope you read your own words and some one in the scottish parliament gets the balls to call you out on it forcing you out on your ear without a nice fat payout".

as one MSP put it, because to admit they got this matter wrong would be to admit their stupidity and their cowardice.

your stupidity and cowardice is there for all to see whether you admit it or not

You can see it as much in an absence of responses. A year or so ago all of this would have prompted furious lectures from MSPs on the bigoted, homophobic, probably racist women criticising Brindley, RCS, ERCC, Wadhwa.

Saw it also in the Scotgov discussion on Cass.

The trans activism mantras and catechisms and chants have got quieter and quieter; if there's a peep now it's coming from the most extreme extremists of the Greens.

Someone fling up some golden bridges and let the buggers start rewriting history.

Absolutely superb response from JKR. I have never loved a public figure so much in my life.

I've had no reply to my emails as yet.

I'm still waiting, on reflection, for Scotland's leadership to face up to the humiliation that without a philanthropist's extreme generosity and sense of public duty - in spite of the way she is constantly treated for it - the women Beira's place have helped would have had nothing . And they wouldn't have cared. And many would further have said that those women deserved it.

"It's me or her"..... What does she envisage, that JKR is going to be 'fired' instead of her?

JKR nailing it as usual. Brindley's actions are multiply indefensible. And she still appears to lack a grasp of reality.

She is on her way out.

Not just you, Eyeballs.

I bet the journalist was twinkling when Sandy said those lines to him. Copy of gold.

It’s almost a farce if it wasn’t so serious.

Is it just me struggling to believe that as Brindley clearly loathes JKR and all she stands for, that she’d even have her books in the house?

‘Brindley’s little girl looked up at her and said: “That’s one of my favourite authors, mummy.”
By now Brindley’s eyes are twinkling as she recounts the incident. “What I didn’t then say was: ‘Well, it’s me or her!” she says, dissolving into laughter.’

hope that chunk is acceptable to be cut and pasted

It is quoting the article but I don't believe she actually said the 'me or JKR' line. I think it was a passing fancy or something that came to her later.

The whole anecdote though was a whole look at how JKR hurts her young fans.

Thank you for posting this. I am not on X.

She is a magnificent woman. First she gets a generation of children who had completely lost interest in reading to discover books and get excited by them again. And now she is a powerful, frank, spokeswoman for people who have been so disenfranchised that they have no public clout to speak out themselves. She puts her money where her mouth is. She is brave and egoless. I am in awe.

Links to the articles for those not on twitter
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rape-crisis-chief-offered-phone-33723265?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/leading-feminist-furious-rape-crisis-33722301?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

To alter a famous film quote a little bit, that JKR thread has just blown the bloody doors off and rightly so.

I genuinely do not know how Brindley could have misjudged that interview more at this point.

Is this actually a quote from the Times because I can't read it and that archive link won't work for me:

“I’m never upset in front of my daughter. She said, ‘What’s wrong?’” Brindley recalls. “I said, ‘Someone’s calling for my resignation’. She asked: ‘Who?’ I told her: ‘JK Rowling.’”
Brindley’s little girl looked up at her and said: “That’s one of my favourite authors, mummy.”

By now Brindley’s eyes are twinkling as she recounts the incident. “What I didn’t then say was: ‘Well, it’s me or her!” she says, dissolving into laughter.

She actually said it was her or JKR?!

Jesus wept.

If she tattooed I AM A TRA on her forehead she couldn't look more loopy. She is definitely in the JKR is an evil witch camp DESPITE the fact she set up a rape centre of her own. I mean, to have what seems to be a bitterness about JKR having done this, AFTER the whole thing with ERCC refusing to signpost onward is off the scale.

She needs to go. NOW.

Although, looking at JK’s Twitter feed, she wants to harm lovely huntsmen spiders… I will refrain from discussing fire in connection to her.