The Times- JK Rowling slams ‘witch-hunts’ after rape crisis worker’s tribunal victory
JK Rowling slams ‘witch-hunts’ after rape crisis worker’s tribunal victory
Author calls for ministers to condemn treatment of women with gender critical views as pressure grows for the head of Edinburgh support centre to quit over sacking
updated
The Times
JK Rowling has urged Scottish ministers to condemn those who conduct “witch-hunts” against gender-critical women after a tribunal ruled that a rape crisis centre worker was unfairly dismissed for her views.
Roz Adams was discriminated against at the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC), and endured an internal investigation “reminiscent of the work of Franz Kafka”, the tribunal found. Before she left her post, Adams, who won her case for constructive dismissal, had to undergo an inquiry instigated by her employers, including Mridul Wadhwa, the chief executive, who identifies as a trans woman.
The tribunal was told that the dispute began when Adams spoke to colleagues about a rape victim who asked whether her counsellor would be a “man or a woman” because she would feel “uncomfortable talking to a man”. It intensified when a non-binary member of staff copied Wadhwa into an email chain.
A tribunal found that the centre had discriminated against Roz Adams
Rowling said she hoped ministers would learn from the “utterly damning” tribunal judgment. “It would be nice, for once, to see the Scottish government speaking up for the women who’ve been subject to unlawful discrimination for defending their sex-based rights, and to hear the government condemn, rather than side with, those conducting the witch hunts,” the author said.
Following Wadhwa’s appointment three years ago, Rowling founded Beira’s Place, offering a women-only service to the victims of sexual assault.
JK Rowling slams ‘witch-hunts’ after rape crisis worker’s tribunal victory
Author calls for ministers to condemn treatment of women with gender critical views as pressure grows for the head of Edinburgh support centre to quit over sacking
updated
The Times
JK Rowling has urged Scottish ministers to condemn those who conduct “witch-hunts” against gender-critical women after a tribunal ruled that a rape crisis centre worker was unfairly dismissed for her views.
Roz Adams was discriminated against at the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC), and endured an internal investigation “reminiscent of the work of Franz Kafka”, the tribunal found. Before she left her post, Adams, who won her case for constructive dismissal, had to undergo an inquiry instigated by her employers, including Mridul Wadhwa, the chief executive, who identifies as a trans woman.
The tribunal was told that the dispute began when Adams spoke to colleagues about a rape victim who asked whether her counsellor would be a “man or a woman” because she would feel “uncomfortable talking to a man”. It intensified when a non-binary member of staff copied Wadhwa into an email chain.
A tribunal found that the centre had discriminated against Roz Adams
Rowling said she hoped ministers would learn from the “utterly damning” tribunal judgment. “It would be nice, for once, to see the Scottish government speaking up for the women who’ve been subject to unlawful discrimination for defending their sex-based rights, and to hear the government condemn, rather than side with, those conducting the witch hunts,” the author said.
Following Wadhwa’s appointment three years ago, Rowling founded Beira’s Place, offering a women-only service to the victims of sexual assault.
Meghan Gallacher, a Scottish Conservative MSP, urged the ERCC to ensure that no further women are mistreated following the ruling.
These developments came as Sturgeon said she was “part of the problem” in Scotland’s transgender issues and it was partly why she stood down as first minister. Appearing at the Charleston literary festival in Sussex on Sunday, Sturgeon doubled down on her view that transgender women are women and said “people should be able to live how they want to be”.
Nicola Sturgeon told a literary festival on Sunday that she had been “part of the problem” in Scotland’s toxic transgender debate
JANE BARLOW/PA
Adams, who now works at Beira’s Place, said the judgment was a huge relief. “This is a victory for all people who have been subjected to sexual violence who need a choice of worker and group support on the basis of sex in order to feel safe,” she said. The tribunal has yet to decide on a settlement.
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