Big update on Rape Crisis legal challenge

[IamSarah]

I know many of you have been waiting for an update so first of all thank you for your patience and the many messages of support.

I am suing Survivors Network, the Sussex Rape Crisis service, as it refused to offer a single sex women’s group in addition to the mixed sex women’s groups. By mixed sex I mean inclusive of any males who identify as women.

I’ve been granted anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case and it was submitted to Brighton County Court today.

I am being represented by law firm Didlaw and my Barrister is Naomi Cunningham (Chair of Sex Matters). So far they have acted pro bono which I am incredibly grateful for as it has taken a lot of time. The team are confident I have a good case but this is unchartered territory for women’s rights.

Many of you have very kindly offered to be involved and help with gardening. I don’t think I’m allowed to share details on here so please go to my Twitter page http://twitter.com/SarahSurviving/ which has all the info in a pinned post.

Of you’re not on Twitter feel free to send me a DM for more information on how you can help the case. Any publicity you can give the crowd funder would really help.

Thank you everyone.

Sarah x

Why is this not being upheld when it's literally the example of the law???

As mentioned elsewhere in the thread, the real issue is the funders.

A group of funders have decided to bankroll a service that openly does not provide women only services.

Brighton Council is one of them.

None of these funders nor the Council have equally decided to fund a service that provides women only services as permitted by the EA.

Hopsitals could apply the single sex exemptions. Any number of organisations could.

But the instance here is that funders dont say, which they could, we will fund you so long as you provide women only services.

However they will say, in Scotland and probably elsewhere, we will not fund you unless you are trans inclusive.

Follow the money - and who controls the money.

My case will be a test case.

The law gives the example of rape crisis counselling when the EA exception CAN be applied.

Survivors Network chose not to apply the exception and not to offer one single sex group despite this being a proportionate and legitimate request.

I am claiming this is indirect discrimination.

And we are all behind you. You are an incredible woman. All you wanted was a safe space to process trauma, and they forced you into a corner, so you came out a warrior.

I am claiming this is indirect discrimination.

And this is certainly something funders, particularly local councils should also be challenged on.

Thanks for taking this on, on behalf of all women.

Who do these people think they are, telling women their feelings about sharing toilets with male people are wrong, when the male people in question feel entitled to use women's toilets purely on the basis of their own feelings about their own personal identities?

How the hell can anyone not see the blatant misogyny here?

😡

Sorry, I know this thread is about rape support groups, not toilets, which I think is even worse.

Thank you I am the one going to court but we are all doing this together.

The obvious questions - to anyone with a grip:

"So male feelings matter and must be heard, but female feelings do not and must be overcome? Entirely on a binary sex-based basis? Doesn't this entirely destroy your argument that these men have become women in any real sense as apart from a kind illusion that women must indulge because men are more important than they are? What are you going to do with all the women you've just excluded? These are tax payer services, why should those women pay taxes for men to have lovely life affirming choices from everything when they're so unimportant they can have nothing? Have you ever noticed the other eight protected characteristics?"

Usually at this point they've thrown a cognitive dissonance tantrum and run away shouting that you're a <insert a lot of name calling> and if you were the Right Kind of Person you'd get it.

Colonialist snobbery on crack. This is the equivalent of insisting that the only available services are for Catholics only and you must convert if you want rape crisis support. Your own faith? Well it's stupid and inferior and not what The Right Kind of People believe in, get thee to a reservation/gulag. Or recant nicely and you can have what your taxes paid for.

Sarah, I hope the compensation makes up for the past few years of hell and seriously hurts the pockets of these religious, prejudiced nuts. If you as a service cannot understand or value your service users as an entire population and have absolutely no grip on DEI beyond 'it's all about trans people, mostly the male ones', you should never have been permitted through a funding process, however cheap you are.

Excellent post @FroodwithaKaren and thank you.

Male feelings matter and must be heard, but female feelings do not and must be overcome entirely on a binary sex-based basis

That pretty much sums it up.

There will be more updates on my case soon as quite a bit is happening. My solicitors are due to update the funding page with the info.

Sarah, can I please ask - I am aware there is a different service in Brighton for women survivors of violence and domestic abuse, I can't remember the name (RAISE?) but am interested to know what stance they take on this issue, or are they all the same in Brighton?

Did you mean Rise? https://www.riseuk.org.uk/about-us

Yes I think I did, thanks @IwantToRetire . From a quick glance they clearly state they provide for all women, including trans people (which is fair enough) but it's not very clear if they provide single sex group support. I'm assuming they don't. I know someone who is doing a fund raiser for them and want to know if I should avoid.

I know someone who is doing a fund raiser for them and want to know if I should avoid.

I think they should just ask. It makes it clearer for them and will let Rise know that the issue of women only services is important.

From memory they were one of the groups that Brighton cut money from and gave it to a generic support group (ie dismissing the ethos behind DV services). And as they do offer trans services it shows that funding is as much about going to the cheapest bid as any politics.

My understanding is that like many DV services they primarily have women only services, but do also offer separate services to trans / LGB survivors.

This is a recent article, and I think written if a way to avoid anything "contraversial" ie that women need there on services. https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2023/03/08/160942/

Rise in Brighton loses £5 million contract
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19089879.rise-brighton-loses-13-million-seven-year-contract/

Councillor Dee Simson said that the furore surrounding how RISE lost a key contract – with the council, East Sussex County Council and the Office of the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner – would not have happened if a cross-party working group that should have monitored the recommissioning process had been set up.
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19386346.brighton-councils-reaction-rise-loses-contract/

RISE is a wonderful charity. It absolutely needs support, if you are going to donate to a women's refuge in Brighton please donate to RISE. They do provide single sex support for domestic violence survivors. They also help trans survivors separately.

That's fantastic to know, thank you @IamSarah I will donate 😊

@IamSarah You've probably seen this but if not then hope you "enjoy" the irony as others may well do as well.

Brighton & Hove City Council is asking for your comments on the draft Brighton & Hove Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2023 to 2026.

The draft strategy outlines our partnership approach to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Brighton & Hove and we’re inviting residents, partner agencies, businesses and community organisations to help us shape the plans.

And includes this:

Supporting survivors to ensure anyone affected by VAWG receives high quality trauma-informed support. We want to make sure specialist support is available to all adults and children and everyone knows where to go find help and advice.

Do you think they will accept that women only provision is specialist support and they at last start thinking about funding it?!

Consultation closes 1 January 2024.

https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2023/have-your-say-draft-strategy-tackling-violence-against-women-and-girls

Thank you @IwantToRetire for sharing, yes I have responded along with many other local women. We continually respond to these consultations requesting option of single sex support and I'm ever hopeful that we will be listened to one day.

Brighton Sisters Salon wrote a good Twitter/X thread about it:

x.com/sisterssalon2/status/1720361667442168209?s=46&t=NGJBRqkXgp1UazF5I8yjXA

Thanks @IamSarah The survey asks what role we're responding in, and it's possible to respond as a non-resident which is good news. I will think about what to say and give RISE a mention as a suitable organisation for support. I only hope that ticking the "non-resident" box wont mean my response will be discounted.

it's possible to respond as a non-resident which is good news

Thanks for spotting that. Will definitely try and make a response, but have a think about how to do it in a "constructive" way!

Someone just sent me this. Massive safeguarding fail.

Not only mixing vulnerable, teenage girls with boys but potentially mixed adults and children.

Surely they must realise that it's not appropriate for a 14 year old sexual abuse / assault survivor to share a support group with an 18 year old man?

That's another charity begging for some Emma Barnett scrutiny.

Never thought I'd say that...

What could possibly go wrong that idea????

Fuck me do these people not have any safeguarding training at all, or even a brain in their head?

How badly does a child or a woman have to be hurt in order for people to see the utter lunacy of some these ideas?

This is really concerning. YY to needing Emma Barnett scrutiny, and from the baroness!

At this stage, after so many NGOs have set up groups that include vulnerable children with young adults, I have to wonder if it's a feature and not a bug. What if they know it's a safeguarding issue, and that's the point?