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

[ReappearingWoman]

Anne Sinnot, Labour councillor (Cambridge) has resigned.

"Ann Sinnott stood down from Cambridge council claiming that the authority was treating women with contempt and was acting in “dereliction of the law”. She said a policy that resulted in single-sex facilities, such as toilets or changing rooms, being “abolished at a stroke” was undermining women’s rights and was a breach of the equality act."

I don't have a clicky link or share token. Hopefully someone else will add?

I presume that there is a way to access motions made by Cambridge Council?

Thank you Ann. On behalf of my daughters and myself, and all women and girls. 🌺

Thanks Ann - for all women and girls and especially those attending colleges in Cambridge - very close to my heart as it used to be on my patch and I was in the city regularly.

Hi Ann. I really admire the stand you are taking

Appreciate you taking a stand on this - wish there were more women in public office like you- great role model!!

@Tryingtolisten. Donkeyskins post was very well written with plenty of valid points especially on gatekeeping, I've already said it and will state it once more, woman's spaces are exactly that woman's spaces and no male even in the course of transitioning deserves nor should be there, Many woman have suffered grievously at the hands of men and must be protected at all costs . If I can live as me without infringing on their spaces/refuges or changing rooms then so can everyone else who identifies as TS or TW/TG etc. 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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

pencils

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Thankyou @AnnMSinnott

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