Long interview with Baroness Falkner on a number is issues including trans rights vs women's rights

[IwantToRetire]

Falkner is “extremely concerned” about the tone of public debate about trans and women’s rights and warns that “there should be no disrespect for sincerely held beliefs”.

“But I also believe that we have a dangerous climate now, where the rights of trans people are not being upheld as well as they might be. It’s very distressing to see that there is such a rise in anti-trans hate crime.”

More broadly, Falkner believes the time has come for Parliament to update the Equality Act which the EHRC is responsible for policing – to clarify the balance between trans and women’s rights. Currently the country is reliant on court rulings, sometimes by “activist judges”, to clarify (or in some cases, make), the law.

And in order to avoid “endless litigation”, such as a case in which the Supreme Court has been asked to rule on whether the <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/5pLzH/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/02/18/snp-loses-bid-redefine-meaning-women-include-trans-people-public/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Scottish government was right to include trans women in its official definition of women.

“There are easier ways to do things and I think sometimes Parliament does have to assert its own primacy in terms of the legislation that it has passed.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/09/ehrc-baroness-falkner-interview/

Please note! I have picked out the paragraphs about sex and gender but the interview covers multiculturalism, extremism, as well as the experience of going through the complaint process.

... Falkner’s matter-of-fact manner does, however, give way to offer a glimpse of the private pain she felt last year. At one point, as she recounts her experience tears roll down her face, even if she appears determined to ignore them. ...

Also available at https://archive.ph/5pLzH

An interesting read by an impressive woman
Thanks @IwantToRetire for posting this.

I agree with her. The EA is unworkable. Nobody understands it. Experienced judges can't give a clear reading.

I hope the government will agree, and make the language crystal clear. This could really solve most of the issues we are seeing wrt sex/gender.

It would involve them making a definitive answer to the 'what is a woman' question, of course, which some may struggle with.

I was a bit surprised by some of what she said, but thought I would take time to think about them out of respect for her work and intergrity!

She's impressively self controlled isn't she?

"when asked if she agrees with supporters who claim that the allegations against her were motivated by activism among some officials “The thought did cross my mind in terms of the chronology of events and the way that they happened, that it might have had something to do with some of the decisions we as a board were taking. So I’m not going to deny that, but I don’t think I want to talk about it.”

She is absolutely exceptional & I desperately hope she’s reappointed: you’d have to be the worst sort of fool not to see she’s exactly the right person to be doing it. Which means, doubtless, some eejit is going to appoint a celebrity guinea pig in her place when the role comes up for renewal. Because our politicians are such an absolute shower. (I mean, Kemi Badenoch would doubtless reappoint her; but I’m assuming we’ll be deprived of that sanity by either reshuffle or election results.)