Mermaids vs LGB Alliance and Charity Commissioner - First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) Thread 3

[nauticant]

The Tribunal started on 9 September, witness testimony started on 12 September.

To obtain access to view the proceedings, send a request email to [email protected] about case CA/2021/0013 - Mermaids vs Charity Commissioner and LGB Alliance and ask for permission to join. You then have to provide certain information and agree to a judge's direction in order to be able to join.

There is also live tweeting from twitter.com/tribunaltweets.

Abbreviations:

J or judge: Presiding Judge, Judge Lynn Griffin
AJ or Judge: Assisted by Judge Joe Neville
MG: Mermaids counsel is Michael Gibbon KC
KM: LGB Alliance counsel is Karon Monaghan KC
AR: Karon is assisted by Akua Reindorf
IS: Charity Commission counsel is Iain Steele

(Also the witnesses, PR: Paul Roberts, JN: John Nicolson. BB: Belinda Bell, BJ: Beverley Jackson, KH: Kate Harris, and EG: Eileen Gallagher.)

Thread 1: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4629679-mermaids-versus-lgb-alliance-in-court-today
Thread 2: mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4632780-mermaids-vs-lgb-alliance-and-charity-commissioner-first-tier-tribunal-general-regulatory-chameber-thread-2
Thread 3: ongoing

Witnesses for the applicant (Mermaids):

Paul Roberts - CEO of LGBT Consortium (12 September)
John Nicolson MP - Deputy Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights (13 September)
Dr Belinda Bell - Chair of trustees of Mermaids (13 September)

Witnesses for the respondent (LGB Alliance):

Beverley Jackson - Co-founder and trustee of LGB Alliance (13-14 September)
Kate Harris - Co-founder and trustee of LGB Alliance (14-15 September)
Eileen Gallagher OBE - Chair of trustees of LGB Alliance (15 September)

Witness Statements:

Paul Roberts: lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Paul-Roberts-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
John Nicolson MP - lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/John-Nicolson-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Dr Belinda Bell: lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Belinda-Bell-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Beverley Jackson: lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Bev-Jackson-Witness-Statement-Exhibits-1.pdf
Kate Harris: lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Kate-Harris-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf
Eileen Gallagher (two statements): lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Eileen-Gallagher-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Eileen-Gallagher-Second-Witness-Statement-Exhibits.pdf

Submissions:

lgballiance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Volume-4-Submissions-CA.2021.0013.pdf

(Header format follows the gold standard established by @ickky)

post updated by MNHQ at OP's request

Allison Bailey on the case in the chat about how many are waiting to get in.

Miranda Yardley looks totally badass in his photo in that Daily Mail article. I noticed the article uses male pronouns for him, so I am too.

Thanks ickky.

The instructions on how to view the hearing are in the OP @GruffaIo, second paragraph.

I'm in now.

I've been stuck in the virtual lobby so far......

Sound is not good for Gibbons

I missed pretty much everything MG said, his mic is rubbish.

Gibbons clearer now

good morning

Why don't they do a quick sound check every morning? They know the mics are pony at times.

That Bernard Randall stuff is hair raising!

On 1 July 2019, a Derbyshire police officer, Richard Barker, responded to the report to Prevent saying that the sermon posed no counter-terrorism risk. However, documents reveal that according to the DSL, he gave his personal opinion that the sermon “was wholly inappropriate for a school, and society in general.”

I've not seen the sermon (or read the Cass report), but that seems a bit strong.

@nauticant sorry, I glossed over that!

MG suggesting contested understanding of wording of Equalities Act?

Is anyone else in but can't hear or see anything?

KH: "You mean [a lesbian can be] a man with a penis?"

Kate's crying...

Gibbons questioning why LGBA use sex rather than gender.

(Paraphrase) KH - deeply dangerous to replace sex with gender...articles of association clear on this...you mean that a lesbian can have a penis?

Gibbons - that is how Mr Roberts would understand it

KH -

All rise, get KH a glass of water

Bev's straight there with a hug...

Oh no! My heart is breaking for her.

Morning all
I'm supposed to be working from home cough cough today. As luck would have it there's a rather noisy film crew behind my house so I can't. I shall have to spend my time here and on TT instead.

😢Poor Kate

Most people would have the same understanding as LGBA on the words.

watch Bev hug Kate has made me cry too

<easily led>

I think being presented again with the concept that a man with a penis can be a lesbian if he says he is was just too much for KH.

Honestly, the stress that Bev and Kate are being put through is unforgivable.