Allison Bailey has sued Garden Court and Stonewall chambers after being asked by her chambers to delete two tweets criticizing the LGBTQ + charity’s position on trans rights, which Stonewall had complained about. Bailey, a lesbian and founder of the gender-critical LGB Alliance group, has refused to delete tweets and has claimed illegal discrimination and victimization, claiming she suffered damage at the hands of the chambers, including job cuts. Gender critics disagree with the view that gender identity should take precedence over biological gender. As evidence in the case began on Friday, Bailey’s lawyer, Ben Cooper QC, told the London Central Labor Court in written submissions: “The Court’s connection with Stonewall’s relationship with Stonewall, which resulted in the plaintiff and her convictions being considered, at least among those involved, as transphobic and fanatical.” Garden Court chambers were part of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions program, in which businesses pay charities for tips and reviews on creating inclusive workplaces. In one of the two tweets Bailey was later asked to remove, she wrote on Twitter thanking the Times for “a fair and accurate reference to the horrific levels of intimidation, fear and coercion that drive the @stonewalluk trans self-id agenda.” The tweets led to complaints to chambers, including one from Stonewall who, Cooper told the court, had been summoned by Michelle Brewer of the trans chamber rights working group. Bailey claims that direct discrimination was made on the basis of her critical views on gender, which previously proved to be protected philosophical beliefs under the Equality Act in the Maya Forstater case. He also claims indirect discrimination, arguing that the gender criticism movement “consists mainly of women and disproportionately of lesbians” and was thus more likely to be disadvantaged by chamber policies. This is disputed by Garden Court chambers, which say research by both the Equality and Human Rights Committee and YouGov shows that women are more likely to have a positive attitude towards trans people than men. She acknowledges that criticism of gender is a protected philosophical belief, but her lawyer, Andrew Hochhauser QC, said in a written statement: “The law makes it clear that there is a distinction between a protected belief and the way it is expressed. “There is no license for abuse.” He said the Brewer’s tribunal did not seek redress from Stonewall, nor did the LGBT campaign team influence the chamber investigation conducted by Maya Sikand QC, a part-time judge and member of the Garden Court board. He said Sikand had received advice from Kathryn McGay QC, vice-chair of the Bar Association’s ethics committee, and that the two tweets were “probably beyond the bounds of acceptable conduct”. Hochhauser added: “The result was that she [Bailey] he was asked to delete the two tweets. Denied. Nothing happened. No further action was taken. He remains in the Garden Court. “ He described the allegations as “ridiculous” by Bailey’s staff and said there was no evidence that he had written or spoken. A spokesman for the Garden Court chambers said: “We categorically deny the allegations made against us. We have a professional obligation to investigate any complaints received from our chambers. “After a 2019 investigation into allegations of Ms. Bailey’s posting on social media, it was concluded that no action was needed.” The hearing is expected to last four weeks.
