Latest news with #sexbasedrights
Telegraph
13-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Women standing up for their rights have been punished, claims UN expert
The United Nations' expert for women and girls has said organisations 'punished' those who stand up for sex-based rights. Reem Alsalem said public bodies that do not support women's right to single-sex spaces are going 'against what is now the law of the land', in reference to Sandie Peggie, the nurse at the centre of an employment tribunal against NHS Fife. Ms Peggie was suspended by NHS Fife from her role at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy in 2024 after she complained about having to share changing facilities with Dr Beth Upton, who is male but identifies as a woman. Ms Alsalem, who has been re-appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur for Women and Girls, urged the Scottish government to speed up the release of its guidance following the recent Supreme Court judgment that 'sex' in equality law refers to biological sex and not gender identity. 'Particularly since the Supreme Court ruling, punishing women because they indicate their support for their sex-based right at work seems to me to be very problematic and goes against what is now the law of the land,' she said. 'No ambiguity' Guidance clarifying how the Supreme Court judgment is to be implemented in practice is expected from the Scottish government, but no publication date has been given. It said that it was waiting for advice from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Consultation on the guidance closed on July 1. Ms Alsalem said: 'I do not think we should pause or put on hold any action awaiting this guidance, and I don't think the Supreme Court said that either. 'While it is good you will have guidance, I do agree with those who say that there is a lot that can and should be implemented. 'It is not that there is ambiguity about all aspects of what the supreme court says.' Ms Alsalem has been a vocal critic of the Scottish government's reforms to gender recognition legislation, warning in 2022 that proposals for self-identification could 'open the door for violent males who identify as men to abuse the process of acquiring a gender certificate and the rights that are associated with it'. Ministers had pushed back on this suggestion with Shona Robison, the then-social justice secretary, saying there was no body of evidence pointing to 'bad faith actors' trying to use statutory processes to abuse women and girls. 'Exploitation and abuse' In June, Ms Alsalem presented a report to the UN Human Rights Council in which she assesses gender-based violence in the UK. 'Women and girls, as well as their male allies, who wish to reassert their needs and rights based on their sex and have asserted the immutable nature of sex, have been ostracised, attacked and punished by State and non-State actors, including political parties, universities, private employers and the media, for their beliefs and opinions,' she wrote. She also called for Police Scotland to clarify its approach to data collection and end its current practice of conflating biological sex with gender identity. 'The conflation of sex and gender data in particular prioritising self-identified gender – erases biological sex records, distorting the male-driven nature of violence against women and girls and hindering root-cause analysis,' she said. 'This approach undermines crime statistics and policy effectiveness in relation to violence against women and girls.' In her report, Ms Alsalem backed proposed legislation, by Ash Regan, the Alba MSP, that criminalised men for paying for sex and decriminalised women working in prostitution. 'The data emanating from countries that apply the Nordic model shows very clearly that it works,' she said. 'And data that comes from countries that legalise all aspects of prostitution, I don't use the term sex work, because you are not doing work, and you are not selling sex. 'It is exploitation and abuse, and it's not a regular job.' However, she said the Bill did not go far enough and should be extended, as in Sweden, to cover websites such as Only Fans.
Times
13-07-2025
- Health
- Times
UN expert demands Scottish government uphold sex-based rights
The United Nations expert on the rights of women and girls has told SNP ministers to immediately implement the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of 'sex' in law. Reem Alsalem, newly re-appointed as the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, said there should be no 'pause' in action to ensure the sex-based rights of women were upheld and the Scottish government should 'actually get on with it and do it' 'I do not think we should pause or put on hold any action awaiting this guidance, and I don't think the Supreme Court said that either,' she said. Scottish ministers said they were waiting for guidance from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) before implementing the court ruling, which has significant implications for single-sex spaces such as changing rooms, refuges and lavatories as well as in sports, healthcare and public appointments. An EHRC consultation on the guidance closed on July 1. Alsalem said: 'While it is good you will have guidance, I do agree with those who say that there is a lot that can and should be implemented. It is not that there is ambiguity about all aspects of what the Supreme Court says.' The Supreme Court ruled this year against Scottish ministers in favour of the campaign group For Women Scotland, finding that 'sex' in equality law referred to biological sex and not gender identity. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Alsalem also said that organisations had 'punished' those who stood up for their sex-based rights. Referring specifically to Sandie Peggie, the nurse at the centre of an employment tribunal against NHS Fife, Alsalem said that public bodies that failed to support a woman's right to single-sex spaces were going 'against what is now the law of the land'. 'Particularly since the Supreme Court ruling, punishing women because they indicate their support for their sex-based right at work seems to me to be very problematic and goes against what is now the law of the land,' Alsalem said of the Peggie case. Peggie, a nurse at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, was suspended by NHS Fife last year after she complained about having to share changing facilities with Dr Beth Upton, who is male but identifies as a woman. • Sandie Peggie tribunal: NHS Fife in major 'blunder' as trans discrimination case resumes Alsalem was a vocal critic of the Scottish government's reforms to gender recognition legislation, warning in 2022 that proposals for self-identification could 'open the door for violent males who identify as men to abuse the process of acquiring a gender certificate and the rights that are associated with it'. Ministers pushed back on this suggestion and Shona Robison, then the social justice secretary, said there was no body of evidence pointing to 'bad-faith actors' trying to use statutory processes to abuse women and girls. In calling for the Scottish government to act, Alsalem added: 'If businesses and state-affiliated institutions and government entities recognise that this is the right thing to do, and now this has also been said clearly by the Supreme Court, they actually get on with it and do it.' Last month she presented a report to the UN human rights council in which she assessed gender-based violence in the UK. She wrote in the report: 'Women and girls, as well as their male allies, who wish to reassert their needs and rights based on their sex and have asserted the immutable nature of sex have been ostracised, attacked and punished by state and non-state actors, including political parties, universities, private employers and the media, for their beliefs and opinions.' Her findings said that the UK and Scottish governments must ensure the Supreme Court ruling was upheld by employers and healthcare providers and that it was incumbent on ministers to provide guidance on how to ensure the protection of single-sex spaces. A spokesman for the Scottish government said it had made it 'clear' that it accepted the Supreme Court's findings and that 'detailed work' was 'ongoing' to draft guidance. Alsalem also said it was of importance that Police Scotland clarified its approach to data collection and ended its practice of conflating biological sex with gender identity. 'The conflation of sex and gender data, in particular prioritising self-identified gender, erases biological sex records, distorting the male-driven nature of violence against women and girls and hindering root-cause analysis,' she said. 'This approach undermines crime statistics and policy effectiveness in relation to violence against women and girls.' The government spokesman added: 'We have already updated our guidance for the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018 and are amending the recruitment process for appointments to regulated public bodies. In addition, Police Scotland has published interim guidance on searching of transgender people.' Alsalem also backed proposed legislation to criminalise buying sex and said that Scotland should outlaw child marriage. She expressed support for the Nordic model — a system that criminalises men for buying sex and decriminalises women doing sex work. Her report recommends the Nordic model is introduced across the UK and Alsalem said she supports a new bill proposed by Ash Regan, the Alba MSP. 'The data emanating from countries that apply the Nordic model shows very clearly that it works,' she said. 'And data that comes from countries that legalise all aspects of prostitution — I don't use the term sex work, because you are not doing work and you are not selling sex. It is exploitation and abuse and it's not a regular job.' However, she said, the bill before the Scottish parliament did not go far enough and should be extended, as in Sweden, to cover websites such as Only Fans. The Scottish government has confirmed that it will consult on the issue of child marriage in Scotland, looking at raising the age of consent to be married to 18. Alsalem gave her support to the proposal, saying child marriage was a crime and that the minimum age for legal marriage should be raised to be 18, in line with elsewhere in the UK.
Telegraph
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Supreme Court's trans ruling is the new Brexit. Its opponents won't accept that they've lost
More than two months ago, the Supreme Court ruled that sex-based rights are exactly that. Sex-based, the five judges declared, means based on biological sex. This was the court's interpretation of the 2010 Equality Act. As such, legal protections afforded to women under the act are restricted to those born female. In short – trans women are not legally women. The justices' clear ruling – which promises to have wide-ranging implications for single-sex spaces and services – is proof that biology matters. And it was a relief to many who have argued for the dignity, privacy and safety of women. It means lesbians, who have found their dating apps and events inundated with men claiming to be women, will be able to meet up without biological males being present. It also means that in prisons and hospitals and refuges, vulnerable women will not have to share their spaces with such men. And it restores some sanity to a discussion that has been propelled by militant activists who insist that their fetishes and delusions are radical, doing no favours to those trans people who do just want to get on with their lives. Open up social media and you still find hordes of men insisting they are biological women. These people are beyond rational argument, and will carry on shrieking and punching down. This was to be expected. What is shocking, though, are the number of public bodies that are refusing to act on the court's ruling. The law is not optional. The provision of single-sex spaces is something that most organisations are able to facilitate – be that toilets or changing rooms. If they are concerned that their provision for trans people would be insufficient, they can simply provide gender-neutral spaces, too. The reduction of the principle of this legislation to endless discussion about loos, is part of the institutional denial that's at play. The BMA, the Fire Brigades Union, Equity, the UCU (University and College Lecturers), teachers, NHS unions and civil servants are just some of those refusing to accept that however much you chant 'trans women are women', the law has said this is not the case. Among those losing patience with those refusing to accept the ruling is the Prime Minister, who said he had 'accepted' and 'welcomed the ruling'. 'Everything else flows from that as far as I'm concerned… All guidance of whatever kind needs to be consistent with the ruling and we need to get to that position as soon as possible,' Sir Keir Starmer told reporters on Sunday. In other words, get on with it. But that is not what is happening, as the trans rights lobbyists continue to mislead people about what equality law is. This is the result of often well-meaning or bewildered folk having gone along with whatever groups like Stonewall fed them about trans ideology. (And it must also be said that Starmer's current position is a long way from where he and his Labour party were a few years ago). Now, we find ourselves in a situation reminiscent of Brexit, when there was a refusal by swaths of the pro-EU camp to accept the result of the referendum. Valuable resources were wasted by those who felt they could overturn the result by having a second vote. Even as someone who backed Remain, this always seemed to me a complete waste of time. Looking back, Brexit disrupted a complacent, liberal consensus. Neighbours told me at the time that they knew of nobody who would vote Leave, which of course was precisely the problem. Similarly, the arguments around women asserting their rights have also come as news to those who only get their information via The Guardian /BBC axis where the crimes of men – even rape – are attributed to women. Those pushing for trans rights have benefited from the public NOT being properly informed about what is going on. Middle-aged men arguing for children to be sterilised, medicalised and denied puberty through drugs, is not only creepy but, as the evidence examined by Dr Hilary Cass has shown us, actually harmful. Even some of America's 'progressive' media outlets – such as The New York Times – are having to gently reveal facts documenting how 'gender-affirming care' is hurting children. Nonetheless, a completely unthinking trans activist hegemony has been so deeply embedded in our major institutions that nurses demanding to get changed in private is some sort of insurgency. Madness. The Supreme Court ruling restores some balance. But other parts of society must catch up and get over their befuddlement. Ofcom – an unelected quango which, we ought to remember, refused to censure the BBC for referring to Scarlet Blake, a biological man who murdered a stranger and had livestreamed the killing of a cat, as a woman – has this week come under fire for saying broadcasters must give airtime to claims that biological men are women when covering trans issues. We don't do this with climate change denial any more. Why do it with biology? The reality is that some went so far down this particular rabbit hole that they now have no idea how to climb back out. To state that men are not women, an obvious truth, is not to discriminate against a 'uniquely marginalised' group. It is a return to reality that protects women's rights. The trans rights grift is over – the sooner everybody realises as much, the better.
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
JK Rowling hails BBC newsreader Martine Croxall after she overrules autocue's 'pregnant people' line to say 'women'
JK Rowling has hailed BBC newsreader Martine Croxall after she overruled an autocue line which said 'pregnant people' to say 'women' instead. The Harry Potter author, 59, who has been vocal on the subject of trans people and what she calls 'sex-based rights' for several years, has praised the journalist, 56, for it on social media. The clip from a recent BBC News episode saw Ms Croxall introduce new research on the number of heat-related deaths expected amid Britain's current heatwave. But as the autocue prompted her to warn 'pregnant people' to take care in the heat, she first read the term out before overriding it, with a smirk and eyebrow raise. She said: 'Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, said the aged, pregnant people - women! - and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.' Ms Rowling reposted the clip on X, captioning it: 'I have a new favourite BBC presenter.' Ms Croxall herself soon responded to a commenter who had praised her move as 'brilliant', adding: 'I hope you don't get hauled before the BBC News beak.' The broadcaster simply replied: 'Braced x.' The original clip was first reposted to X by campaign group SEEN In Journalism, which says it 'seeks to restore accuracy and impartiality to media coverage of sex and gender'. They captioned their post, 'Good to see accuracy on BBC News', followed by an emoji of a pregnant woman. Therapist and gender-critical campaigner James Esses has also weighed in online to praise Ms Croxall: 'The BBC is so utterly enthralled to gender ideology that it took a brave newsreader to correct the teleprompter instruction to say "pregnant people" by instead saying "women" afterwards. 'Let's hope she isn't cancelled for her rebellion!' Former BBC journalist Sean McGinty - whose LinkedIn says he co-founded the broadcaster's new music show BBC Introducing, in a more than 20-year career with the broadcaster before leaving in 2024 - backed the newsreader too. He said: 'She's fab, also brave and strong enough to do so from within.' Ms Croxall is one of the main presenters of BBC News, having started work for the broadcaster more than 30 years ago, in 1991, and for its news programme in 2001. Other commenters agreed with Ms Rowling's admiration for Ms Croxall too, with one saying: 'What is her name? I only want her as a BBC presenter.' Ms Croxall herself soon responded to a commenter who had praised her move as 'brilliant', adding: 'I hope you don't get hauled before the BBC News beak.' The broadcaster simply replied: 'Braced x' Therapist and gender-critical campaigner James Esses has also weighed in online to praise Ms Croxall Former BBC journalist Sean McGinty - whose LinkedIn says he co-founded the broadcaster's new music show BBC Introducing, in a more than 20-year career with the broadcaster before leaving in 2024 - backed the newsreader too Other commenters agreed with Ms Rowling's admiration for Ms Croxall too Another said of the veteran broadcaster: 'The worst thing is that your post probably just resulted in her never being on the BBC again once her bosses see it.' Ms Croxall made headlines in April for challenging a pro-transgender activist who said April's Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex within the 2010 Equality Act might need some 'clarification'. In a live interview with the presenter just after the ruling, campaigner and ex-Labour MSP candidate Heather Herbert - who has now joined the Greens - said: 'I feel like I'm under attack.' She clashed with Ms Croxall throughout the segment, as the host questioned how it was an 'attack', adding she felt it was just a 'clarification of what the word "woman" means'. Ms Croxall said the case made clear 'sex is binary and immutable' when the activist said local authorities which have not protected single-sex spaces on the basis of biological sex may need to reconsider in light of the ruling. When Ms Herbert asked for 'clarification', the presenter replied: 'The ruling is that "woman" means biological sex.' It comes after Ms Rowling's views on sex and gender have received renewed attention in recent months, following the Supreme Court ruling in April. Judges ruled the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. This means transgender women with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces if deemed 'proportionate'. It marked the culmination of a long-running legal battle between the Scottish government and women's group For Women Scotland. It was over the definition of a 'woman' in Scottish legislation mandating 50 percent female representation on public boards. The case centred on whether somebody with a GRC recognising their gender as female should be treated as a woman under the 2010 Equality Act. The outcome will have implications in England, Scotland and Wales. Ms Rowling reacted to the ruling on X: 'It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they've protected the rights of women and girls across the UK. '@ForWomenScot, I'm so proud to know you.' She later added: 'Trans people have lost zero rights today, although I don't doubt some (not all) will be furious that the Supreme Court upheld women's sex-based rights.' And after sharing another post on X, suggesting she and her husband were clinking glasses of champagne in celebration, she followed up it with a selfie from on board her $150 million superyacht puffing a cigar in celebration. The writer, who reportedly helped fund the women's group which brought the case, captioned the post: 'I love it when a plan comes together. #SupremeCourt #WomensRights.' Meanwhile, opponents have said they fear the ruling could put trans and non-binary people at renewed risk of attacks and discrimination. Judge Lord Hodge recognised 'the strength of feeling on both sides' and cautioned against seeing the judgement as 'a triumph for one side over another'. He stressed the law still gives trans people protection against discrimination. The judge said: 'The Equality Act gives transgender people protection not only against discrimination through the protected characteristics of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, and harassment, in substance in their acquired gender.' He added: 'On the one hand women, who make up one half of the population, have campaigned for over 150 years to have equality with men and to combat discrimination based on their sex. That work still continues. 'On the other hand, a vulnerable and often harassed minority, the trans community, struggle against discrimination and prejudice as they seek to live their lives with dignity.' Human rights organisation Amnesty International has since also emphasised: 'The court has been clear that trans people are protected under the Equality Act against discrimination and harassment. 'The ruling does not change the protection trans people are afforded under the protected characteristic of 'gender reassignment', as well as other provisions under the Equality Act... 'The Supreme Court itself made clear that the vilification of a marginalised minority group is absolutely wrong.' 'All public authorities in the UK need to unequivocally enforce protections for trans people against discrimination and harassment.'
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Green politician expelled over ‘harmful' gender critical views
The Green Party has expelled its former health spokesman for raising concerns about transgender ideology. Dr Pallavi Devulapalli had been suspended since September, after the party received a complaint about comments she made at a hustings in June last year. The GP of 20 years spoke in favour of the Cass Review investigating gender services for children, in her role representing the party on health. The independent report, led by Baroness Cass, recommended halting the prescription of sex hormones to young patients with gender dysphoria. Dr Devulapalli expressed support for sex-based rights and questioned whether the debate over trans issues was being promoted 'mischievously' through the guise of claims about rising anti-LGBT hate crimes. Last week, Dr Devulapalli was told that she had been expelled from the party after attending a Christmas gathering with members of her local Green Party, despite being under investigation for her comments in June. Dr Devulapalli insisted that she had been invited as a 'private guest', but the Green Party's disciplinary body designated the gathering an official party event – and ruled that her attendance breached the terms of her suspension. In its ruling expelling her, the party said she was being removed to 'avoid or reduce the likelihood of further harm to the party'. Dr Devulapalli, who now sits as an independent on West Norfolk council, said she was 'disappointed and infuriated' by the decision. She added: 'It seems like they are picking and choosing science that fits with their ideology. When it comes to climate change and pollution, all the policies are based on scientific reasoning. 'But when it comes to human biology, they have this enormous blind spot where they cannot see that sex is real, men cannot become women. 'We cannot pump people full of hormones to change their biological sex. It is not possible and is actually dangerous.' 'Trans men are men' Dr Devulapalli's views oppose the party's position on the issue. On the party's website, it states: 'Trans men are men, trans women are women, and [...] non-binary identities exist and are valid.' The use of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria has been banned indefinitely following the Cass Review. Trans activists called the move 'draconian' and claimed it risks the safety and well-being of young trans people. Dr Devulapalli has said she will continue to stand as an independent and has not ruled out pursuing legal action.
