Surely Mridul Wadhwa has to go now? Report into ERCC out.

[GargoylesofBeelzebub]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13842189/Edinburgh-Crisis-Centre-designed-protect-women-suffered-sexual-violence-condemned-failing-damning-report.html

Pretty scathing. Wadhwa cannot stay surely?

The reporting of this has been noticeably bloodless. If you look at the scandal around the appointment, the predictions that harm would come, the astonishing Employment Tribunal and then the eye-popping report both proving the predictions right, and finally the "jump or you'll be pushed" resignation, then in most other scandals these compelling details would be up front and centre, even if only briefly touch upon.

Instead we get reporting that is largely stripped of highly relevant detail that would both inform the audience and be of significant interest.

Yes.

'Male 'transwoman' takes CEO job of rape crisis centre, and then goes on to harm, abuse, and discriminate against women'

'and still isn't sacked'

Unless the board who appointed him changes and the culture changes, they will just wait for the ''fuss'' to die down and carry on, as they have done in most of the women's centres and other women's facilities. The women who protest will continue to be monstered.

Totally agree. It needs to be made clear to people not in the know that women rape survivors were told they could not ask for support from women. If they did, they were called bigoted.

Unless the readers/listeners to all the coverage understand already that a transwoman/trans woman is a man/male/biologically male/whatever I'm afraid a lot of this is going to pass them by. It's all so obscured it would be easy to assume that MW was a [real] woman who just identified in a particular way.

Important to get into the general public consciousness that TW = always male. Yes, they'll fudge language again down the next step, and come up with something else to confuse, but for now it would really help. Not sure how to, because every time you'd think something was so bad that it would break through - Isla Bryson, MW, Tickle/Giggle, Lia Thomas, Olympics/Paralympics, raped women in US jails - it doesn't. Do we need something to happen in England itself, perhaps in the actual Commons chamber or Buckingham Palace on camera, for it to be a good-enough story?

I agree nauticant. Rani remained noticeably detached from this piece and I imagine Lorna Gordon went as far as she felt she could. Imagine the difference if it had been Emma Barnett presenting.

This report seems quite detailed (at last!!). Shame about the she/her etc, but I assume it’s in the Editorial Guidelines (the BBC Ten Commandments effectively)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2edeyzz0xmo.amp

It didn’t fit with Rani’s “celebrate the trans” position.

I'm find the image of MW that this reporting uses is quite informative. Other pictures of MW may give people who are unaware of this story a more accurate understanding

Why are they using female pronouns? This is a man, and the fact of him being a man is absolutely central to the story.

Lorna did well, although I suspect she was treading on eggshells a little. I’m glad she mentioned Beira’s Place and JKR. She could have gone further than she did about the awful behaviour of MW but it will hopefully be enough to give the fence-sitters some food for thought.

How is someone like Rani going to fit an abusive male harming women by using a 'trans' identity into her worldview, I wonder.

I’m glad she mentioned Beira’s Place and JKR.

Yes, and made it clear that JKR had set it up to provide Edinburgh with a female only service.

I noticed that this started with a few "she/hers" and then became "they". I didn't notice if the first bit was RR and the rest LG

Rani said WH were going to follow the story.

We need to make sure they do continue to.

Well reported on Woman's Hour. Hurrah for JKR and the centre's promise to work with her refuge.

Lets do a summary of Wadhwa sexism:

• Applied for a job advertised only for women under exemptions in the EA

• Only told them he was trans once he got the job.

• Two months into the job did an interview say:

Sexual violence happens to bigoted people as well… If you bring unacceptable beliefs that are discriminatory in nature [into the centre], we will begin to work with you on your journey of recovery from trauma. But please also expect to be challenged on your prejudices… If you have to reframe your trauma, I think it is important as part of that reframing… you also have to rethink your relationship with prejudice. Otherwise, you can’t really, in my view, recover from trauma, and I think that’s a very important message that I am often discussing with my colleagues… Because, you know, to me, therapy is political.

By his own admission, he made therapy as a political tool to enforce adherence of women to his ideology. This was deliberate. He was deliberately targetting vulnerable rape victims to spread his political agenda. Two months in. Thats why he wanted the job.

• Has no qualifications to do counselling yet insisted on taking such sessions. This would not be consistent with safeguarding.

• Didn't forfill other basic legal safeguarding requirements such as making sure the data protection policy mentioned the current law - it hadn't been updated for SEVEN years. Safeguarding training more generally wasn't up to date.

• Instead he allowed allowed male non-binary and trans individuals to access the service without thought: One had a history of predatory behaviour for eight years. He was convicted of physically attacking two women; perpetrating domestic abuse against a man, whom he’d blackmailed into having sex over several months, by threatening to falsely accuse the victim of rape if he didn’t submit. The judge presiding over his trial observed that this individual had shown “hostility towards women, lack of concern for others, sexual preoccupation, and deviant sexual preferences.”

• Fostered a culture and made it known publicly that anyone applying for a job who was gender critical would not be welcome.

• Did not even ensure that there was a Employee Handbook so that workers could uphold their own rights and obligations to themselves and to clients.

• Fostered a culture of work where questioning sex v gender was not acceptable, leading to the work tribunal involving Roz Adams which found in favour of Roz citing harassment and unlawful discrimination.

• Used the displinary process against Adams as a show trial to other members of staff by assuming her to be guilty from “the outset” to “make an example of because of her gender critical beliefs" humilating her in the process.

• The court found in the case of a 60 year old woman asking for female only services “she was advised that ERCC [was] trans inclusive,” and when she said she was uneasy about seeing someone who was not biologically female, “she was advised that she was not suitable… and excluded from the service".

• According to court documents, Wadhwa refused to refer clients to Beira’s Place or even mention its existence.

• Refused to take the stand in court, instead forcing very junior staff to do so instead and defend the workplace culture that he had created. The employment tribunal made the point about saying the Wadhwa was the invisible hand behind everything

• This report by Rape Crisis Scotland found that he was chief executive who “who did not understand the limits on her role’s authority” and it said Wadhwa “failed to set professional standards of behaviour” within the organisation. Repeatedly he did not keep Trustees in the loop and failed to share appropriate information with them.

• Put his political agenda ahead of women, failing to centre women: decisions regarding Self ID were made unilaterally and were not refered to the board as they should have been. Women were only mentioned once in strategy document which also used dubious language which both inappropriate and to rised boundary issues.

• Wadhwa personal conduct was found to be directly responsible for women self excluding and being harmed.

• Got onto a women's only shortlist to become an SNP MSP

• Then quit the SNP when it backed a law allowing rape victims to ensure that their medical examinations would be conducted by someone of the same sex

• Tried numerous times to smear, slur and shame women. Regarding Beira's place he said:

“This new organisation has been founded on a platform of exclusion, misinformation and what I would describe as white feminist imperialism, that interesting combination of the flaws of white feminism and the white saviourism of colonialists and of course capitalism of which the founder is a beneficiary,” And when numerous Scottish women opposed the controversial Gender Recognition (Scotland) Bill in 2022, Wadhwa claimed they were all “exposing themselves as being on the right, and being very comfortable with fascists and those who would want to eliminate anybody who is not cisgendered [i.e. not trans-identified] and white in our society.”

• All these actions have exposed the ERCC to a huge financial and reputational hit. At the expense of women. He has created a situation where they have lost funding and now will have to make redunacies. Meaning they are not able to help as many vulnerable women.

• Wadhwa refused to accept any responsibility for this, and instead some what belligerently remained in the job, rather than recognising that a change in culture had to happen and that was unlikely to be possible with someone who had been identified as domineering and overstepping their remit remaining in post.

• Even after the employment tribunal Wadhwa failed to implement Trustee requests. This eventually resulted in Wadhwa going on paid leave. Whilst a redunacy consultation was ongoing.

• It has taken until this point for Wadhwa to leave the job. Even then it hasn't been due to removal. Throughout Wadhwa has been supported by people who have enabled all of the above without regard for women. To the point that Wadhwa STILL is listed as being a victim.

Never at a single point of this, has Wadhwa put the interests of raped women first. NOT ONCE. And thats why I use male pronouns. I do not owe this man respect.

And thats the biggest travisty. No one stepped in and did anything about it. They all cheerled him on.

Excellent summary @RedToothBrush thank you.

That's the kind of summary WH needs to include.

The women who were responsible for recruitment did not do any gatekeeping or due diligence and should bear some responsibility.

I only skim read the report but this seemed pretty clear.

It seems to confirm not only the legality of organisations in this field having single-sex services but also that organisations who don't provide them have a duty to refer onwards.

Sandy Brindley is culpable and should be gone. Hopefully #BrindleyMustGo will trend - although her account is now deleted.

I would dearly love to know what those young trustees that stood up at the employment tribunal and spouted their ideology think of that report.

Particularly Katie Horsburgh whom the judge blasted as being dogmatic and the most hardline adherent to gender ideology.

I suspect this sorry saga at ERCC has not yet run its course unfortunately.

is this also the guy with apparent interest into whether women orgasmed during rape. Not at all inappropriate and creepy, oh no!