Police force accused of bias after shunning ‘trans women are men' sign
Vanessa Jardine, head of Northumbria Police, declined a request to be photographed alongside the poster at the force's headquarters after it was presented to officers during a protest outside the building.
In contrast, several of its officers were said to be 'more than happy' to pose alongside pro-trans signs at an LGBTQ event which warned anti-trans protesters: 'Pride is no place for terfs or racists. Be afraid'.
Harry Miller, a gender critical activist, said he carried out the protest in March because he wanted its chief constable to 'assure women that they will not be investigated for saying trans women are men'.
In a video of the protest, Mr Miller is seen asking two officers outside the police headquarters if they can get the chief constable to come outside and hold the sign.
He said: 'We didn't even ask the chief to agree with the sentiment, only to guarantee the rights of others to say it. She refused. Additionally, every single officer we approached to hold the sign recoiled at the idea.
'We asked an inspector to simply endorse the message verbally and anonymously. He acted like we'd asked him to commit blasphemy.'
Officers 'happy to pose with terf sign'
In April, Supreme Court judges unanimously ruled that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act referred to biological sex, not acquired gender.
Mr Miller said the chief constable's position was in stark contrast to the position her officers took at last summer's Northern Pride.
At the event, Mr Miller 'disguised' himself as a pro-trans activist and asked police officers to pose alongside placards he had made.
One read: 'Pride is no place for terfs or racists. Be afraid', while another said: 'No LGB without the T'.
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