A government lawyer, as well as the department where she works, is being sued after she made ‘gender-critical’ comments at work – like stating her belief that only women have periods.
Elspeth Duemmer Wrigley, who works at an “arm’s-length body to a government department” – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Times reported – chairs its Sex Equality and Equity Network, a gender-critical group open to public sector staff who are “committed to the protected belief that biological sex is binary and immutable”.
Duemmer Wrigley had signed a letter to the cabinet secretary in October which warned the Civil Service’s impartiality had been endangered by gender-critical staff being “openly and unlawfully bullied and harassed”.
The letter put forward scathing allegations against a “small number of active gender ideologues” in the Civil Service who attempted to amend official documents and briefed against ministers.
She is due to appear at an employment tribunal next week, accused of harassment for a number of comments and posts she had put forward at work.
An employee of another Defra-affiliated body is suing the department for allowing the SEEN network to exist – as well as personally taking legal action against Duemmer Wrigley for her views.
Duemmer Wrigley is under the microscope for comments including saying “only women menstruate” during a seminar on female autism, and a post in which she promoted “diversity of belief” and said being gender-critical was a ‘protected belief’.
The unnamed claimant in the tribunal accused Defra’s top brass of nurturing an “intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and/or offensive environment” and called for Defra’s wing of SEEN – and, potentially, the entire network across all government departments – to disband.
Duemmer Wrigley, who has started a crowdfunding campaign for her tribunal’s legal fees – which has raised over £20,000 – said: “If the claim succeeds, it’s likely that any gender critical statements are likely to be difficult if not impossible to make within the Civil Service and its related bodies.”
She added: “I believe it would have a profound chilling effect on employees elsewhere who do not subscribe to a belief in gender identity, whether or not they consider themselves gender critical.
“The claim has been brought at a time when employees with gender critical beliefs in many organisations, both in the Civil Service and beyond, are already facing vexatious, chilling, or bullying attacks… I believe that if this case succeeds, these attacks are likely to escalate.”
Maya Forstater, executive director of Sex Matters, a human rights group which campaigns for the view that there are only two sexes, said: “This is a shocking case, which follows revelations by civil servant whistleblowers about a ‘culture of fear’ among gender-critical civil servants across Whitehall.
“It is not reasonable to view the existence of a network of gender-critical colleagues as ‘harassment’.
“The civil service needs to have a robust culture of integrity, objectivity and accountability, and treat all its employees fairly.
“Civil servants should not expect to be kept ‘safe’ from encountering ideas or people they don’t agree with.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.”
https://www.gbnews.com/news/laywer-government-department-sued-only-women-menstruate
