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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

The chair of SEEN is being sued.

455 replies

PriOn1 · 19/03/2024 18:07

We can’t post Crowdfunder links here, but there is now a Crowdfunder entitled “Chair of SEEN sued for saying 'only women menstruate'by Elspeth Duemmer Wrigley”

Text from website:

Who are you?
I'm Elspeth Duemmer Wrigley. I work for an arms-length body to a government department (part of the Civil Service) and love my job. I'm also gender critical, and chair of a governmental department SEEN (Sex Equality and Equity Network). SEEN represents those who are gender critical in our workplace.
What can you tell us?
The way I describe the case is restrained by my situation. I am writing this in a personal capacity, but am still employed and must comply with my employer's code of conduct and the Nolan Principles of Public Life. This places certain restrictions on me.
I’ve given as much information as I can, but I hope that what I set out below is sufficient to understand what’s going on.
So what happened?
I work for an arms-length body to the main government department. The case has been brought by a claimant who is an employee of another arms-length body. The claimant is taking their own employer, the government department and me to court.
Among other matters, the claimant is suing the government department for allowing our departmental SEEN network to exist (on the basis that the existence of the network has the effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and/or offensive environment for the claimant).
What is the SEEN network?
SEEN (the Sex Equality and Equity Network) is an official cross-governmental staff network. We also have networks in three government departments (including the one being taken to court). SEEN is known as the gender critical network and is the only civil service network that clearly treats sex and sexual orientation as concepts defined in the Equality Act, which should never be conflated with or replaced by ‘gender identity’.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
48
Iamnotalemming · 19/03/2024 22:53

Just done my first MN inspired gardening! Flowers💪

JumpInAndSwim · 19/03/2024 22:54

Seeds planted.

Civil Servant SEEN member.

Impartiality, integrity & honesty my arse.

Shortpoet · 19/03/2024 23:02

Just donated.
It’s standing just £10 short of £19,000!

Reading the comments is heartening. People are fed up with this ongoing rubbish.

Boiledbeetle · 19/03/2024 23:02

£19,000 and 788 donations

The chair of SEEN is being sued.
Tallisker · 19/03/2024 23:04

Oh my word this is astonishing. She must be so buoyed up by this support. Go Elspeth!

Propertylover · 19/03/2024 23:11

SidewaysOtter · 19/03/2024 22:41

I should imagine GI beliefs are already protected under the Equality Act though and that’s fair enough. They are genuinely held beliefs, even if I - and many others - disagree with them. This case seems to hinge on the claimant saying that the defendant can’t hold the beliefs she does, and that’s already been disproved in the Forstater tribunal.

They have not yet been tested. GC are because of Maya. I am wondering if this could be the GI test case.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 19/03/2024 23:14

Donated. Am a SEEN member and it has provided light in a very dark tunnel. Sad that I'm too worried of the consequences to promote it on Facebook.

I imagine that's exactly why these people do these things. Not everyone can afford to take these risks. The process is the punishment.

UltraLiteLife · 19/03/2024 23:16

Thank you. This provides a lot of much-needed detail if it's an accurate account. EDW was one of "three key signatories" to the letter.

The confidential letter, seen by the Times, makes serious claims about a “small number of active gender ideologues” embedded in the civil service who brief against ministers and seek to alter official documents.
Duemmer Wrigley will appear at an employment tribunal next week accused of harassment for several comments and posts shared in the workplace. An employee of another body affiliated to Defra is suing the government department for allowing the network to exist and Duemmer Wrigley personally for her views.

The letter cites efforts from some staff to “remove contributions to government consultations that relate to sex instead of gender” and “quietly briefing external organisations on how to circumnavigate ministerial direction”.
It alleges there is an “active obfuscation of facts” among some trans activist civil servants to “prevent ministers seeing the impact of trans-inclusive policies” and evidence of internal policy being leaked to “partisan organisations”.

mb2512cat · 19/03/2024 23:16

This is completely crazy. If Elspeth is having to raise thousands to defend this, any ideas how the complainant is funding the case? Surely it’s just as expensive, if not more so, for them? They have to do the proving.

Anyway, now the Times have it: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lawyer-sued-saying-only-women-periods-trans-rights-3vfqc8bv8

Lawyer sued after saying only women have periods

Elspeth Duemmer Wrigley shared gender-critical statements at Defra

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lawyer-sued-saying-only-women-periods-trans-rights-3vfqc8bv8

UltraLiteLife · 19/03/2024 23:21

If Elspeth is having to raise thousands to defend this, any ideas how the complainant is funding the case?

Self-representation? An undisclosed patron or organisation? It will be interesting to see if this is YARMW outing (yet another Robin Moira White) with other familiar faces. (Can you imagine the mixed horror if the complainant has secured the services of someone whose work is largely admired?)

Snowypeaks · 19/03/2024 23:26

That letter is alarming. It describes a coup d'etat if a coup could be incremental. The genderists are operating a parallel system of government.

Tallisker · 19/03/2024 23:27

I wonder if the other side is being represented pro boner

Tallisker · 19/03/2024 23:28

Pro bono! Can't edit on my phone

Ereshkigalangcleg · 19/03/2024 23:28

Surely this action is going to completely Streisand the letter that SEEN sent?

Ereshkigalangcleg · 19/03/2024 23:29

Pro bono! Can't edit on my phone

No I think you had it right first time.

Slothtoes · 19/03/2024 23:50

I wish Elspeth well. Thank you to her for speaking up for women’s rights.

Whatsnewpussyhat · 19/03/2024 23:50

Another amazing, brave woman.

Hope she sees how much she is appreciated.

KnackeredandWiser · 19/03/2024 23:54

I'm a CS SEEN member, but I haven't had an email about this as of yet.

But I have donated. This is just ridiculous and surely this utter and total bollocks cannot be sustainable? I just fucking despair, the world has gone bonkers.

Boiledbeetle · 19/03/2024 23:56

£20,000

☀☀☀

The chair of SEEN is being sued.
ANewCreation · 19/03/2024 23:58

Gratifying to be able to take it over the 20k just before midnight!

The chair of SEEN is being sued.
partystress · 19/03/2024 23:59

Just donated. This is chilling. I have DC in the CS and the thought that their thinking is being policed in this way is horrifying.

Is there a local government SEEN?

SqueakyDinosaur · 20/03/2024 00:06

Donated. Appalled by the case: very heartened by the fact that in under a day, more than £20k has been raised. Women are pissed off with this nonsense.

ahagwearsapointybonnet · 20/03/2024 00:08

Out of interest, does anyone know whether the fact of being able to successfully crowdfund a case/defence, and so quickly, can be used in someone's favour in court? - to show that their views are widely shared and supported, for example? Pretty impressive to go from 0-£20k in a day, and it does show there is very high interest in the case, and plenty of people supporting her to the extent of putting their money where their mouth is!

ahagwearsapointybonnet · 20/03/2024 00:11

(And, of course, no "shadowy far-right organisations" bankrolling to the tune of thousands, but very obviously just a whole lot of ordinary women, and some men, who have had ABSOLUTELY ENOUGH of this nonsense and have donated what little they can to stop people like Elspeth having shit thrown at them just for speaking the truth!).