Whistleblowers at EHRC say that Kishwer Falkner is the victim of a 'witch-hunt by trans lobby'

[IwantToRetire]

Relations are said to have soured after she backed legal reforms guarding the rights of biological women in single-sex spaces such as hospital wards and toilets.

The employees at the Equality and Human Rights Commission are said to have compiled a dossier, setting out more than 40 complaints aimed at Baroness Falkner by a dozen current and former colleagues. A source said: 'People within the organisation are deeply concerned that this is a witch-hunt.

'The timing is extremely questionable. There is no doubt in my mind that this is ideologically motivated and is a way to take a scalp in revenge. ...

Baroness Falkner is said to have been left 'heartbroken' by the allegations but those close to her said her 'conscience was clear'. They branded the move by EHRC staff a 'failed coup d'etat'.

Members of the commission's board, which is headed by Baroness Falkner, have called for an overhaul of the 2010 Equality Act, which refers to gender and sex interchangeably.

They argue it should be amended to explicitly define sex as 'biological sex' to bring legal clarity in areas including sport and ensure only 'biological women' can use single-sex spaces.

Staff from the executive team were said to having been pushing to allow for gender self-identification, allowing trans people to state their chosen gender without any medical diagnosis.

A second source said: 'The executive just refused to accept the board's decision. There were strenuous efforts to reject it and it was around this time allegations were starting to be made.

'There is a very progressive, activist-inclined staff who are influenced by organisations and groups like Stonewall.'

The source said senior executives had grown accustomed to calling the shots at the commission but this changed when Baroness Falkner took over to provide 'real leadership'.

They said the complaints felt like a move to 'get her', adding: 'This process of finding fault with Kishwer is clearly political.' The dossier is said to have made claims of discrimination, including transphobia, bullying and harassment. ...

Full story (sorry!) at DM https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12112707/Whistleblowers-human-rights-commission-say-boss-facing-witch-hunt-trans-lobby.html

You can make a complaint via an online form at https://www.channel4.com/4viewers/contact-us

Thank you. I will do that. It was appallingly biased. ‘Some women’s groups” indeed.

Maybe they present the trans activists' case first and then counter with the other side?

I'm an optimist, despite everything.

It would be news to say that a formal complaint has been lodged, but it isn't news to then report the substance of the complaint as though it is fact.

Just so unprofessional and such an illustration of yet another institution captured. It is appalling that we can only get the other side of the story via the DM etc..

I saw that C4 news also asks for information about news that should be investigated. I would suggest they investigate the C4 news team!!

Investigations team

If you have information, or know something that should be investigated, you can contact the Channel 4 News Investigations Team.

https://twitter.com/suepascoe001/status/1661066994232311817

'As far as I am concerned, the@EHRCChair
+@ehrc
she chairs have cumulatively reached the point where they have failed in their duties to protect the individual human rights of transgender people. There is no duty to balance off one group’s rights off with another'

I thought balancing rights was the whole point of the EHRC?

'In a statement to Channel 4 News, the EHRC Chief Executive said: “We have a duty to deal with complaints in confidence. We are also required to protect the integrity of internal investigations. We urge all media to avoid prejudicing the outcome.'

Oh, I wonder if Channel 4's pre-emptive report might prejudice the outcome? Gosh, it'd be a pity if the 'investigation' was jeopardised because of foolhardy media coverage.

Particularly as CH4 News seem to have gone to Emma L (can’t remember the surname) and done a “well guess what she said about you, right, I think it’s terrible, what do you think about what she said, hun?”.

As a gay women who chooses not to have a gender i think the harassment, of Women and Men who support women having full rights at work, and in society a very serious matter . After all, we all agree your gender is your choice, unlike being conceived with two XX chromosomes. We have seen women cancelled from speaking public ally, sacked and disciplined at work for verbalising their sincerely held belief that you can change your gender but not your sex. I object at myself or anyone else being forced to lie to stay in a job.

I support the changes to the Equal rights act which make it clear sex is a protected status.

I thought it was irresponsible to interview the quizzer because she wasn't there, and won't have any direct info about what was said. She has no more of an insight than I do, except to say how it would feel of it was true. Its for the investigation to find out what's happened.

I hope the barrister is genuinely independent. This report from Channel 4 news definitely was not. It adds to the bullying.

The interview did seem unethical in so many ways. It started with the obligatory 'if true', but then ran away with that if. Plus I thnk it was Cathy Newman who referred to "those comments" - not 'those alleged comments'.

The 'special report' was a vicious hatchet-job. I lost count of the voices they aired making vague but serious complaints against Falkner - and there were none of the voices the Times reported who expressed concerns that Falkner was the victim of an ideological witch-hunt. Getting Nokes to speak was just the icing on a very nasty cake.

Caroline Nokes!🤦‍♀️

Complaint submitted.

They won't give up without a fight

Cue her theme song.

Even in their statement, they're saying "LGBTQ+". Why? There is no "Q+" under the EQA or HRA. There's no appeasing a group that will TWICE leave piss outside your office, so stop pandering.

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/news/our-response-media-commentary-about-internal-investigation

I've submitted a detailed complaint to Channel 4, but imagine it will go into the ether around their ideological bunker. Do C4 have an independent complaints reviewer for complaints about broadcasts? Or are they signed up to any ombudsman-type scheme?

It's probably Ofcom.

Anyone know why my earlier thread was deleted? Perhaps it was the mention of lipstick….

@Ramblingnamechanger didn't see it so can't say but if it also contained mention of a bloke....?

IwantToRetire

Seven officials reportedly quit in the months following the Commission's handling of proposals to reform the Equality

That quote is from that Channel 4 Twitter feed you posted regarding the EHCR.

It is misleading to say the EA would be reformed. The point is the meaning of the protected characteristic Sex has become conflated with the separate protected characteristic, Gender Reassignment. They were not originally intended to mean the same thing - obviously . The idea would be to clarify the meaning of Sex so this wouldn’t be muddled by the word gender.

Ian Acheson, who was the chief operating officer of the EHRC from 2012 to 2015, said: "I spent an enormous amount of my time looking inwards to the organisation trying to deal with multiple factional disputes by a politicised workforce, more than delivering the core mission of a fairer Britain.

"I am saddened but not surprised that Baroness Falkner finds herself in this position because there will still be significant numbers of staff within the organisation who remain ideologically opposed to both the government of the day and that anything other than unconditional acceptance of people's declaration of their gender identity is acceptable, along with the implications for the safety and dignity of women and girls.

"Any attempt at nuance is therefore smeared as 'transphobic'. I think the organisation has been subverted by that orthodoxy and is taking it out on the chair."

Baroness Falkner determined to fight attempted coup by 'young, liberal civil servants' (yahoo.com)

I wish they wouldn't call them liberal, they are any thing but liberal. They sound far more like the elitist self agrandising spoilt brats written about in the article that this thread is based on Ambitious young people will do anything to get ahead and they have learned that “cancelling”, virtue signalling and silencing is the way to do it

Ofcom online complaints form for tv programmes

https://ofcomforms.secure.force.com/formentry/SitesFormCSLEStandardsComplaints

Boiled well yes that might have been it I guess. I did think that we were now allowed to tell the truth ,but it seems not…

An employment barrister, Gavin Mansfield KC, of Littleton Chambers, has been drafted in to investigate the 40 complaints, in an investigation costing taxpayers £100,000. Lady Falkner is having to pay tens of thousands of pounds from her own pocket for lawyers to defend herself.

Human rights boss draws fire of civil servants 'unhappy with her trans stance' (yahoo.com)

Well that is obviously why they have started the complaints procedure, not only the cost to her financially but by effectively making her unable to comment on policy whilst under investigation.

This from the article I linked to just upthread:

... it was "hardly a surprise" that 20 staff in an organisation with 240 staff were disgruntled and pointed out that no formal complaints had been filed, but rather senior executives had "blindsided" others by escalating the issues to a KC-led probe rather than an internal inquiry.

(Conveniently) Baroness Falkner cannot speak herself during the investigation - itself running more than three times longer than the predicted 20 days ...