Legal action launched in row between National Theatre and lesbian group

[LangCleg]

Legal action is being launched in a dispute between the National Theatre and a group of lesbian claimants.

A group of women claim their human rights were violated when they were refused service at a theatre bar in July this year.

They allege they were turned away for sporting t-shirts with definitions, including “Lesbian – noun - a woman who loves other women”, before being confronted and asked to leave by security.

Go, Julia, Anne et al!

Woohoo! Right behind you!

Best of luck.

There's probably a crowdfunder and it's probably a legal one and it's probably asking for equal treatment for lesbians...

Sounds like the sort of thing Julia Long and Anne Ruzylo would do.

Excellent!
(Am I missing a search term or am I too early? “Crowdfunding, lesbian, national theatre, legal” isn’t getting me where I want to go)

The crowd approach to justice is so important, I think.

The crowd approach to justice is so important, I think.

Me too. Also, we should note that Julia Long and Anne Ruzylo prioritise Ensuring Equal Treatment For Lesbians.

excellent posts here today.

It was reading a tiny paragraph about this incident which eventually led me to this forum. Initially, I couldn’t quite believe what I was reading. Now I am not surprised. I wish them the best of luck.

Ah found it. So important to find crowd justice, particularly when looking to support equal treatment for lesbians.
Good luck Anne and Julia.

Spade out, hole dug

Nod’s as good as a wink but sadly I am apparently internet blind
I shall find the information elsewhere

Great. Good luck to them.

^In legal documents seen by The Telegraph, it is claimed that the lesbian women were turned away due to staff feeling their t-shirts would offend a transgender colleague
“It’s a kind of liberal, inclusive enemy, which I think obfuscates it, makes it a lot harder for people to see,” said Dr Julia Long, who was among the women present at the National on July 5 this year, and in whose name the legal action is being launched
“If the National Theatre can get away with barring lesbians from their premises for wearing t-shirts saying who we are, that is terrifying.”^
From the Telegraph, which unfortunately doesn’t do share tokens I can use on this forum

My spade has been utilised...

It's certainly be very useful to have the definitions (offensiveness) of "woman" and "lesbian" and defined in court.

Remember the excellent blog written at the time www.peaktrans.org/blog-a-gay-man-and-several-lesbians-walked-into-a-bar/

Gibbonsgibbonsgibbons Try the front page of the site I just linked to.

This is another harrop moment. The definition of a lesbian is, all by itself, offensive.

Let's have it.

Reading Twitter the MRA are saying that they were refused service due to the fact they were protesting at the Stonewall conference

Legally and unaggressively at an unrelated event elsewhere. So now you have to be vetted and cleared by staff?

@ItsChristmaaaaaaaaas completely agree, no wrong doing on their part whatsoever. Madness how anyone could think they shouldn't be served at a bar because they have been at a protest.

I remember when it happened and it made me feel so angry and helpless. Maybe the wind is changing.

Again I say - I’d rather walk into a pub and see that crowd of women than a crowd they type of people who decided they couldn’t be there...

Well that is good news.

Am now beginning to think that legal actions are the only way forward as campaigning may make some slight changes but an gain doesn't hold.

Wasn't there a thread started about supporting lesbians.

It would be good to post a link there to the story with additional instructions about digging.

But the bottom line is - ‘women’ aren’t taken seriously.

We... respect and value our trans staff.... if the behaviour of visitors impinges on their ability to feel supported and safe, we will take action.

Oh be honest.

If the existence of visitors impinges on the ability to feel supported and safe. The 'behaviour' was merely existing as a visible lesbian in a public space, which someone else interpreted as placing a boundary around their body that male people couldn't cross.

Oh the horror.

I thought the single trans member of staff wasn’t there... the allies decided it was the thing to do (I guess they had ‘The Training’)