Mixed sex changing rooms in a Brighton secondary school - part 3 - we're really cooking now

[SingleSexSpacesInSchools]

Hello friends.

I'll let the press do the talking...

https://www.gbnews.com/news/trans-school-court-changing-rooms

However, it seems to me that the GLP acting on behalf of the school and council cannot be right and within the principles both PUBLIC bodies are supposed to operate under.

I'm surprised the Governors aren't jumping ship. This is from askaclerk.co.uk "The only situation where a governor could be liable is if they act criminally or dishonestly. The law states that governors in maintained schools will not be personally liable if they act in “good faith” – honestly, sincerely and with good intentions.
An obvious example that would not meet the standards of good faith is if a governor committed fraud because this would involve lying to others for personal gain."

Does pushing an ideology and approving actions by the school that do not accord with the Supreme Court Judgement and law around toilets and changing rooms in schools count as not in 'good faith'? Maybe that will get tested in court too? Let's hope.

I find it difficult to believe that ANY governor could think forcing girls to undress in front of male bodied children is in 'good faith' especially after a year of OP patiently pointing out that he and his daughter are really not ok with this nor about them keeping other parents in the dark either about this failure to adhere with the law and safeguarding principles.

I don't understand the finance side, because GLP have a crowdfunder but I fully expect the real work will be done (and invoiced for) by Leigh Day, and that the school will have access to public funds of some sort.

OTOH I don't think it's considered unethical to instruct lawyers who are as batshit as the client.

I've just had a horrible thought, which is that Phillipson might stick her oar in again.....

BTW in an idle moment I clicked on a link on the GLP site to their shop. In amazing news, they offer a rather nice tote bag inscribed with the slogan, "Protect Our Right To Swim".

I kid you not.

The 'in good faith' aspect in interesting.
As @SingleSexSpacesInSchools knows, this matter was to my knowledge brought to the attention of the Governing Body of this school over seven years ago. That's a long time to be thinking it over, researching, doing due diligence, surely?
Though I suspect the school are going to hide behind guidance from Brighton and Hove City Council, so it is good they are also included in this action.

It's not rocket science to understand that there are multiple laws that prohibit male bodies in girls single sex toilets and changing rooms in secondary schools.

If a Governor can't understand that - especially after it's patiently explained to them by a parent multiple times - they should resign their position as they are too stupid to do the job. A key component of the job is making sure the school is safeguarding properly.

Allowing boys into girls changing rooms is a safeguarding failure even if all the girls said they were fine with it. Which they definitely haven't done and the parents haven't even been informed.

They can try to word salad their way out of it as much as they like by trying to redefine the meaning of words but word salad doesn't negate the real world safeguarding risk of penises in girls spaces. Especially when the supreme court has ruled that their highly biased and misogynistic reinterpretation of commonly understood words is incorrect in terms of the Equality Act 2010 (and therefore by extension in other laws too).

There was also a successful case brought be parents in Scotland last year. Schools across Scotland are now having to change their toilets and changing rooms to make them SS based on biological sex.
Its the same law across the land so surely the governors must have realised after the Supreme Court and then the Scottish school case that their provision was not legal?

Brighton Hove City Council updated their foundation policy document a year ago to move all risk onto school Governors. They had legal advice from an undeclared source that prepared their position in case this kind of legal challenge occurred.

see school policy section of this article

https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2025/01/31/transgender-healthcare-and-schools-policies-come-under-spotlight/

I wonder if the governors involved appreciate the degree of change that happened here.

We have seen other agencies in court who preferred to look utterly incompetent rather than honestly admit these were intentional decisions.

The legal advice will be very easy to trace, and to discern if the source is politically biased.

Clearly not.

The Monaghan advice was pretty easy to understand, and legally founded enough to inspire the Council to protect themselves.

Over a year ago.

After six years of complaining by parents.

And endless national court cases.

others can shed light on this more than me. But apparently Brighton Schools have received top quality guidance that the trans inclusion toolkit is absolutely legal and untouchable …..

Hmm. The new KCSIE guidelines out for consultation and to be enforced in Sept 26 would suggest otherwise? They are 100% clear that pupils must not undress / shower / sleep in dormitories in front of or with the other sex. Given the previous trans capture at the DfE we can safely assume that that's only in there after top quality legal advice?

We've also had the Darlington case which found that expecting adult female nurses to share a changing room with a biological male was "violating the dignity" of the nurses and "creating for them a hostile, humiliating and degrading environment".

It's difficult to believe any court would find differently for girls in school.

Excellent news. Well, not really, because excellent news would be the school admitting they’re putting an ideology before safeguarding children, and then, you know, not doing that.
But so many people are behind you.

Cant believe it has to come to this.

They absolutely deserve to stand under oath and defend the decisions they’ve made.
And I suspect discovery will be very interesting

https://archive.ph/wx5I archive version of the newspaper article linked above.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lHodrULc7WA&pp=0gcJCZoBo7VqN5tD
Interview with Raphael quoted towards the end of the above article claiming he's a woman. Must be true as he has a pretty tea dress on.

And they identify as complying with the Equality Act. And identify as this practice in no way being harmful or distressing to girls.

I will be most interested to see how that top quality guidance stands up.

That took me to the GLP website where there is a Crowdfunder entitled
"Stop powerful men abusing their power" (to do with sexual misconduct and the fact that women aren't believed when they speak out).

You couldn't make it up.

Just a quick reminder that there is an anonymity order in place. So please no guessing or naming the school or anyone involved.

@SingleSexSpacesInSchools and his daughter have been magnificent in making this challenge, and we owe them both a huge debt of gratitude.

As a PP said, the risk of this action comes from social ostracisation. Brighton has a huge number of sex realist people, but also a prevailing culture which is very condemnatory towards anyone who isn't perceived to 'be kind'.

Having the threads on here has been a huge support I expect. It would be great to know if any posters are also from Brighton.

And lastly, the SJane poster sounded to me like a parent of a trans child. You know, the ones that Helen Joyce talks about who have supported their child so far they cannot bear to think differently now, as the mental cost is so great.
Very, very sad. Lashing out, grip on reality long since lost.

We can all speculate about the abusive post persons motivations. But that does not garner sympathy from me because whomsoever they might be they made direct threats.

If i were the OP i would be demanding to have this persons identity disclosed to me by mumsnet, by a court order if needs be, and i would subsequently seek to have them prosecuted.

or at the very least have a protective order against them.

time for zero tolerance to this nonsense.

I have to diagree. Much as the post was horrible to read, I didn't take it as a threat, more a realistic warning of what would happen should names be brought into the public domain.

I think it speaks to how difficult it is to have this conversation, especially in a place like Brighton. The poster may well be in complete disagrement with the OP, but I dont think they were trying to intimidate (though I can't recall the exact wording now, tbf). I don't think this issue needs any more drama. What the OP is doing is powerful enough 💪💐

I think you're right.

Often there's a TRA invented backstory, but the posting goes back too far.

It was a deliberate attempt to intimidate.

I agree.

I agree it was a deliberate attempt to intimidate but I think it's a woman.

Maybe the police could drop around to their place of work and ask them to 'check their thinking'

Nice idea, thank you.