I’ve been lurking - I emailed Bella Sankey (Lead Member) as a constituent my email and her reply below:
Dear Cllr Sankey
I was dismayed to read the article in the Argus about the recent events with Cllr Thomson. Her dismissal from the development role, her forced apology and her required re-education for expressing views held by many - including the leadership of the Labour Party, that biological sex cannot be changed and that there are complicated balances of rights to be considered when weighing up the rights of women and trans people seems disproportionate and potentially unlawful given that her views are protected under the Equality Act.
I am very aware that the debate has become toxic and that politically there is a delicate path to be found but to require an adult woman to disavow reasonable and widely held views is to dismiss not just her but all of us who feel this matter requires a more nuanced and woman centred view.
Regards,
Dear Emily,
Many thanks for your email.
We respect everyone’s right to hold their own beliefs and acknowledge that the Courts have deemed gender critical beliefs to be a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. Indeed, it was the Labour Party that brought in the Equality Act 2010, which as well as protecting those who have undergone gender reassignment from discrimination and harassment, also provided in law protection for single-sex spaces.
We of course respect the rights of those who advocate for single-sex spaces as protected under the law. We also recognise that a person holding gender critical beliefs may or may not be transphobic.
However, we believe Cllr Thomson’s retweets crossed a line – in particular by endorsing a tweet which described a trans person as being analogous to a person seeking to become a dog and further seemingly questioning the right of trans people to exist.
We reserve the right to challenge any expression of beliefs which causes harm or undermines the dignity and safety of others. At a bare minimum, discussion of this topic must ensure and uphold the respect and dignity of trans people and Cllr Thomson’s retweets fell short of this standard. Cllr Thomson offered an immediate apology and has asked to be supported in understanding better the lived experience of trans people.
Across all our equalities work, we seek to take an intersectional and nuanced approach understanding the diversity and complexities of individuals. We are responsive to and respectful of the diversity of the city’s population.
With best wishes,
Bella
Any ideas for a snappy reply?