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

It's a really scary prospect @LesNot.

I just don't get what they are trying to achieve by this. Who is providing the funding? Is due diligence a thing of the past, or is there some kind of evidence out there that suggests there are better outcomes this way (I'll eat my hat!).

Safeguarding 101.

Ask the difficult questions.
Think the unthinkable.
Consider the possibility that the lovely, reasonable, personable person explaining their innocent intentions to you is actually a skilled manipulator and liar.

Yes, after repeated pointing out, you do have to wonder about motivations.

On the other hand, Mermaids are up to five, separate, safeguarding catastrophes, any one of which would have caused devastation and/or ended most services or settings, and yet their only concern is how mean it is for people to upset them by noticing and commenting on it.

Capacity is a real issue in this movement.

I've been busy working on the disclosures the last few weeks. I've had to submit everything (emails, WhatsApp messages etc) that are relevant to the case.

Received the disclosures from the other side last week. There is a case management hearing coming up soon to decide what will be included in the hearing bundle.

While the thought of having my personal messages made public is a bit awful there is nothing I'm ashamed of or regret saying. I can't speak for the other side.

Sending you my best, Sarah.

Thank you. I will post another update after the case management hearing.

At the moment the case is scheduled for June 2024.

I hope you have plenty of solid support around you. I can imagine this must all be upsetting and stressful.

I'm wishing you the best, too. I really, really hope that you win your case, it's a travesty that you're having to go through this at all, but hopefully, your experience will benefit other women.

Thank you. I know from online messages that I have lots of support, even if I don't know people IRL, and that really helps.

Sadly no support from local MPs. Eddie Izzard is campaigning to become Labour MP in my constituency. I've reached out a number of times to discuss the need for 1 single sex support group in addition to all the mixed sex support groups but Eddie won't engage.

Lets hope there is something in their emails etc that make them look like total arseholes! More so than they already do at least!

I obviously can't comment on that @Boiledbeetle

So I will leave it to your imagination what a rape crisis centre staffed by trans activists would say about women who are traumatised by men.

Best wishes for the case hearing. I can well imagine what the centre's messages might say!

Doesn't surprise me that Izzard isn't interested in single sex spaces, he'd have to exclude himself. And we all know that excluding anyone isn't kind and progressive <sigh>

I noticed Freda Wallace having a go at you on one of the twitter threads about that, but as ever failing to back up the rhetoric with any actual evidence.

The evidence starts to crumble under scrutiny.

I've been accused of all sorts hateful and abusive behaviour with absolutely no evidence to back it up.

I wonder if these people are conscious of what they are doing? Women who refuse to be subservient are accused of being abusive.

Would love to see how asserting my legal rights as a woman is abusive!

Sarah, have just PM'd you.

Lets hope there is something in their emails etc that make them look like total arseholes! More so than they already do at least!

One useful thing about these activist group members is how unsophisticated most of them are. And certainly how unsophisticated they would have been when Sarah first stood up like Oliver Twist asking Mr Bumble for more.

They had it all their own way for so long, they are so sure they're in the right and that everyone who matters agrees with them, that they can't see how they really look from the outside. They will happily tell everyone exactly what they think in words of few syllables. No filter, because they never needed one and anyway who needs a filter when you have Right On Your Side. Like their gloriously bonkers Pride banner saying that they think trans is "hot"... I like to imagine them explaining that one in court. "And what exactly did you mean by "hot"?"

I hope and expect they will have damned themselves a million ways. They might have learnt caution from losing Mermaids' attack on LGBA, from Allison Bailley, from Jo Phoenix and so many other cases... but back then it was full steam ahead.

Sarah I dunno if you are going to win - the law is a funny thing - but I do feel pretty confident that that they'll make utter tits of themselves in court. And whatever happens, you have been amazing.

While the thought of having my personal messages made public is a bit awful there is nothing I'm ashamed of or regret saying.

I am sure they will only illustrate the gross disrespect of a group you turned to for support. Shame on them and shame on those who fund them, and dont fund a women only service.

Will the court be open to the public?

Have you been given any support about appearing in court?

I hope you have a friend who will be with you.

I am sure you are going to be a total star!

Sarah, thank you for speaking up, you are an astoundingly gutsy woman. Courage to you, and all our love and support.

Well excluding any men who want to be present and use those traumatised women and their misfortunes for their own purposes isn't kind or progressive.

Exclude away any actual women, that's fine. The gay ones, the BAME ones, the disabled ones, the traumatised ones - in fact just get rid of all the raped women who want support with their rape and aren't able to enable men as the price of it. Exclude away. That's fine. That's kind. That's progressive. That's just punishment to them for failing to be male centric about their rape.

And that tells you everything you need to know about Izzard and the lobby he has aligned himself with. I've just been called 'extreme' for saying something similar on another thread - that I have to write out something like this and there are still people going noooo it's not really like that, don't exaggerate makes me despair.

Really pulling for you here, Sarah, and I applaud your bravery and fortitude!

A belated happy new year! And thank you for the supportive messages

If there are no further delays the case is due to start in 5 months.

I will be keeping a close eye on this case starting today, Adams vs Edinburgh Rape Crisis.

https://x.com/tribunaltweets/status/1746830866020442400?s=46&t=NGJBRqkXgp1UazF5I8yjXA

Congratulations!! Full speed ahead!

Oh my goodness, I haven't seen any publicity about the case in Edinburgh, thanks for posting about it.

And Happy New Year to you, and hope the next 5 months are as stress free as possible.

Happy new year to you too, Sarah. Fingers crossed that 2024 will be the year where we really turn a corner thanks to brave women like you.

Thread re Adams v Edinburgh Rape Crisis tribunal:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4985570-another-gc-employment-tribunal-adams-vs-edinburgh-rape-crsis

I didn't know about this one. Some quite shocking information already. It sounds like there were likely a lot of women let down by the service.