Bristol council bans women who raised trans issues from meetings

[BristolW0man]

From the Times:

Bristol city council has banned two gender-critical women from stepping foot in City Hall after they asked Green Party councillors if the Supreme Court judgment on trans identity was “offensive or transphobic”.

The council alleged the questioning of the two councillors in the public lobby after a heated council meeting last month, in which Green councillors staged walkouts and held trans rights placards, was carried out “in a way that they found intimidating”.

The council has banned Wendy Stephenson, chair of the council’s independent remuneration panel, and Phoebe Beedell, a retired academic researcher, from attending any council meetings for six months because of their “unacceptable behaviour”.

Bristol council bans women who raised trans issues from meetings

Fucking hell! 😡

There's a classic from a they/they Green councillor:

“At this point, Cllr Jenni Bartle interjected, stating that the judgment was ‘just an interpretation of the law’. Dr Beedell turned to Cllr Bartle and noted that it was nonetheless the law, and asked again whether quoting it was offensive. Both councillors declined to answer and turned away,” the letter states.

The Greens are really going to end up with egg on their face over all of this (not just in Bristol).

I am so happy to see BCC being dragged through the press! Their behaviour has been appalling and the sooner they are voted out the better!

I really hope the LGA starts to take notice, too! Really surprised they haven’t already!

Thank you OP. This is chilling news.

Absolutely chilling that democracy can be subverted in this way by members of a political party. Not to mention completely unacceptable.

Is there any way of complaining about this over and above Bristol Council/the Green Party? Who is there to step in if these institutions do wrong?

The Greens have 34 councillors on BCC with several who are "trans" which seems a remarkably high proportion as even among Bristol Greens I doubt that 10% are trans identifying.

Tony Dyer, of the ruling Green Party, told a council meeting that his party colleagues did not have to listen to opinions they found offensive.
“This is a democracy,” he told a woman in the public gallery. “You have the right to come here and make statements. Councillors have the right to decide whether those statements are offensive to them and how they want to respond.”

but they do not have the right to go there and make statements any more

I and some other mumsnetters have submitted formal complaints under Article 10 of the Human Rights act, the Council's own procedures and on a point of democracy and the responsibility of councillors to listen to all points of view. If anyone would like a copy of the letter please DM me.

@BunfightBetty If you start with an official complaint it can be escalated to the local government ombudsman if the response you get is unsatisfactory. Wendy and Phoebe are taking the decision to judicial review themselves.
I have submitted an official complaint leaning on Article10 of the Human Rights Act and also on the council’s own code of practice and the Nolan Principles. I can send you a copy of my letter or you can draft your own. This is the official way to submit complaints.

Good on you, Mxflamingnoravera.

There's also the option of complaints to the GPEW, although at this point they seem to have gone all in as an anti women, anti-democracy party, so I'm not sure its worth it.

Thanks for that info, great to know that there's an Ombudsman overseeing these twats who've decided they can do away with democratic process if it doesn't suit them.

Well done for complaining! The more the better.

I hate to ask, but as you've been so helpful.... Do you know if anyone can complain about a council, or do you have to live within its area? Just thinking that it's not possible to complain to an MP unless they're your MP - is it the same for council processes?

@BunfightBetty Anyone can complain about democracy issues, it is not limited to those living in Bristol as far as I can see.

There's a thread about women [allegedly] not complaining about trans-IDing men in women's spaces
What FOI Data Shows About Trans Women in Single Sex Spaces | Mumsnet

This is a good example of what happens to women who dare to raise their voices - banned from their own City Hall.

The women are proceeding with seeking a judicial review, article here, and X post from Women of Wessex:

Gender-critical campaigners launch judicial review proceedings over council chamber ban

https://x.com/WomenOfWessex/status/2013618236659527846?s=20

Bristol. International City of Incels 2026.

I’m going to be honest and say I’ve never voted in council elections. I am going to from now on as I think low voter turnout means that you get this sort of result.

Well done to those women. Hopefully this will get plenty of coverage and enlighten both those who think voting Green is a harmless way to register a protest vote and those who think the Greens are a nice, cuddly party of people who just care about the planet.

THIS

If you do not vote then you cannot complain about the muppets who get elected

only by turning up and marking the box can you effect change

Make sure that the term "Cancel culture" appears in any complaint about this issue! My bet would be that Bristol Council would very much prefer not to have that said about them. But of course it's exactly what they're doing, trying to make sure that anyone associated with the gender-critical viewpoint gets excluded from any public appearance.

👏🏻

Lets GO!!!!

Very important case.

No sign of a gardening site yet.

It will have huge implications. Remember Local//Welsh/Scottish elections are coming up and if the Greens/Scottish Greens get in they will be using any power they get to witch hunt anyone who thinks differently than them about human biology. This is who they are. This is their BIGGEST priority not the environment, not taxing the rich, not stopping racism, ending wars, stopping rape, helping the poor or anything else. The most important thing for them is giving power to men in dresses. Make sure everyone knows it.

If this sexism can be stopped in Bristol it means roll back everywhere.

I always vote, which I guess means I am perfectly entitled to rage, gnash, complain and rant.

However, there's more to it than just voting, and sometimes reasonable arguments for not voting.

Fucking brilliant. Massive power to them.

Scared of being sued / negative publicity.

What do you mean here? Who is scared?