Mridul Wadhwa, transwoman CEO of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre

[ArabellaScott]

Mridul Wadhwa is in the news again.

For those of us in Scotland this has been ongoing for the past few years, but it seems we could use a thread to gather the history:

Current threads on the ET here:

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

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4985570-another-gc-employment-tribunal-adams-vs-edinburgh-rape-crsis?page=38&reply=132347125

Article:

https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/scotlands-rape-crisis-centres-in-turmoil-as-gender-ideology-threatens-female-only-service-susan-dalgety-4485282

(It's paywalled, but readable on archive dot ph if you copy and paste in the link.)

'Roz Adams, a support counsellor, is claiming constructive dismissal after she was subjected to a nine-month disciplinary process where she was accused of being “transphobic”. She had suggested that the centre tell a woman survivor that one of its advice workers was “a woman at birth that now identifies as non-binary”.'
...
'... evidence at this week’s tribunal further revealed Wadhwa’s strong views, including a suggestion at a public meeting in Edinburgh University last year that firing staff can be as important as hiring them when creating “inclusive” workplaces.

A witness, who had attended the event, said that when asked how best to bring staff on board if they were not sure about trans-inclusive policies, <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/o/HrIeD/twitter.com/tribunaltweets/status/1748005894032409083?s=20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wadhwa replied: “Fire them.” But perhaps the most harrowing evidence to emerge from the tribunal, which is expected to end next week, was on the first day, when Roz Adams told of a woman who was refused support from ERCC because she asked if the service was women-only. <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/o/HrIeD/twitter.com/tribunaltweets/status/1746920470769709129?s=20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">She explained that the woman, in her 60s, had wanted a female-only group therapy context. On being told the ERCC was “trans inclusive”, the woman asked “is that women-only?” and later received an email saying she was not suitable to use its service.

It also emerged that the Edinburgh centre refuses to refer women to <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/o/HrIeD/beirasplace.org.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beira’s Place, the female-only sexual support service set up by author <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/o/HrIeD/twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1747234409336447039?s=20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JK Rowling a year ago, even though they have <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/o/HrIeD/www.ercc.scot/who-we-support-and-our-services/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">closed the waiting list for their advocacy services. Adams, who now works at Beira’s Place, told the tribunal that ERCC “have made it very clear they won't refer people on to our services”.'

Yep, I also recall Wadhwa being performatively upset about the meeting afterwards on twitter to people who had not attended. Those tweets are long gone, so thank goodness MN keeps a record!

Of the people who did attend, multiple attendees alleged that MW had been disrespectful to women speaking at the meeting. I can't find exact descriptions of MW's behaviour, but I found a tweet from Joan McAlpine to MW preserved in the thread!

Joan McAlpine: I am surprised someone like yourself with such seniority in the VAW sector laughed at women discussing male power & women's boundaries, in a considered way - often saying how difficult it was because they did not wish to split progressive movements.

Doesn't MW sound like an ideal counsellor and support worker?

If I'm reading the site right, it's a two year course, studied part-time. There's even a teaching centre in Edinburgh

Mumsnetters have been asking how MW is qualified to counsel clients since at least 2021, if not earlier, so MW's definitely had a long enough stretch of time to fit that in.

RethinkingLife I was "counselled" by someone with such a basic qualification.

A former Amazon Warehouse manager who spent the first session telling me all about himself, and how he went into Mental Health work as a vocation after trying to jump off the roof of the City Bus Station. Dangerous fecker. Not even up to actively listening.

I didn't do a second session. I did make a formal complaint about him however.

The whole area of counselling and therapy needs tightly regulating. Vulnerable people don't realise just how loosely "qualified" some of these people are. I can imagine MW is too self absorbed to be any genuine support. Another dangerous fecker imo.

Vulnerable people don't realise just how loosely "qualified" some of these people are.

Couldn't agree more. I think people would be taken aback by the qualifications of the 'Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners' upon whom Talking Therapies (was IAPT) depends and the poverty of the evidence base for Talking Therapies. It's difficult not to see this deskilling as money saving rather than therapeutic and over-optimistic interpretation of impact and patient outcomes.

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychological-therapies/roles/psychological-wellbeing-practitioner

That’s an interesting statement

Should we think the same about women who choose to work with vulnerable men?

I’m no MW apologist or trans rights activist. I think trans people have no place in women’s services myself except as staff where appropriate

Clearly not because women do not overwhelming present a threat to men.