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!

When I put the words ensuring equal treatment for lesbians the first site that came up was Stonewall - the irony! I found it via the Peak Trans site.

What type though?

Am now beginning to think that legal actions are the only way forward

I think you might be right. It clarifies the matter very well - and I think when a light is shone on these issues, rather than a murky Twitter torch, the problems become very clear.

There's been regulatory capture - that needs to be reversed, case by case maybe, until we are reclaiming all the words stolen, all the rights threatened, all the things that belong to us, that our foremothers fought for.

Going to fetch another spade.

So glad this is happening, I said at the time that something needed to be done. Disgraceful behaviour by the staff. From memory, they also claimed the women were waving placards when there were none, confirmed by many camera angels right? Then said the t-shirts were offesive to trans people. And now claiming the women were abusive to the staff? There will surely be proof of this then, given the usual cctv in a place like that, along with how the entire thing seemed to be filmed by multiple people. I have to say though, from what I watched, there was no abuse at all. Not even when the policeman was being quite silly.

Their banners were rolled away and their placards not on display. The staff recognised one or more and challenged them asking if they were at the protest.

From the Telegraph article:

"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."

Presumably they wouldn't have been offended by the bloke's t-shirt saying "Bum Boy" though? (picture attribution: www.peaktrans.org/blog-a-gay-man-and-several-lesbians-walked-into-a-bar/)

Was the colleague there? Surely bar staff would need to be slightly more ‘resilient’ than risk having to lock themselves into a safe room at the sight of a T-shirt?

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.

Ideology meets reality.

Also, if transwomen are women, how come a t shirt reading that a lesbian is a women who loves women is offensive?! I kind of get the 'adult human female' protests, when I twist everything in my head enough. But the lesbian one, not sure where the issue actually is as self identified tw would class themselves in the woman category so..not offensive?!

Thanks Staffori I was kindly given directions for where to plant my spade

Surely if TWAW then they are adult human females so there's nothing for the colleague to be upset about. Only if the staff believed TWAactuallyNW could the tshirt be seen as a upsetting truth....

Only if the staff believed TWAactuallyNW could the tshirt be seen as a upsetting truth....

Exactly. Bloody transphobes.

I have got my spade out tonight. Good luck to Anne and Julia.

Allyougoodpeople exactly !

They have enough money put aside in case they lose, right? I don’t want to be all doom and gloom but a local group to me launched a case against the local council. It looked like a no brainer they would win (it was less contentious than trans stuff) but the judge ruled against them and lumbered them with the councils costs. They’re obligated to meet those personally and they run into ££,£££. It was really shocking and I wouldn’t want that to happen to anyone else

What case was that? If there's a lesson to be learnt, I'm happy to research it.I

Meanwhile, I agree that it has come to this - legal actions - because there's no other way now. I am hopeful support will be forthcoming from the many, for the many. 🌄