The Liberal Democrats have admitted discriminating against a mother who was barred from standing as an MP after wearing a T-shirt reading: “Woman: Adult, Human, Female”, reports The Telegraph.
Natalie Bird says she was suspended from the party after being “harrassed” and “smeared” by activists because she fought for women’s rights and expressed her opinion that it is not possible for a person to change sex.
After a three-and-a-half-year legal battle, the party admitted Ms Bird’s claims at the 11th hour before the trial was due to begin next month.
Ms Bird said that her treatment and that of other gender-critical women shows that the Lib Dems have a “women problem” and have questions to answer about why they took so long to admit discriminating against her.
A costs hearing at which she is expected to be awarded thousands in damages is due to be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice next month.
Elliot Hammer, her lawyer and head of employment at Branch Austin McCormick LLP, said that the case is a “very important” win which confirms that those in political parties who have gender-critical beliefs are protected under the law.
Ms Bird, a domestic abuse survivor who has fought for women-only spaces such as refuges, was first targeted by trans activists in Nov 2017 after she was elected co-chair of the party’s Radical Association.
According to the legal claim, Ms Bird “was bullied by other members of the executive of the Radical Association for expressing her views regarding biological sex and safe spaces for vulnerable women. She was told that she was an ‘illiberal Terf’.” (Terf stands for Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist and is often used as a slur against those with gender-critical views).
As Ms Bird continued to express her gender-critical views, she became aware that there were comments on Lib Dem social media groups which “advocated for a co-ordinated campaign of complaints against her because of her views on biological sex”, the claim states.
Two days later, she attended a meeting wearing a T-shirt bearing the words: “Woman: Adult Human Female.”
Three days later she received a letter suspending her membership and notifying her that there would be a formal disciplinary hearing against her for breaching the party’s code of conduct.
Ms Bird then submitted a complaint that she had been “discriminated against on the grounds of her sex and because of her philosophical beliefs”.
Her allegations were “simply ignored”, the claim states, as were later complaints “of double standards and unequal treatment as compared to those individuals within the party who had bullied her, subjected her to a campaign of harassment and smeared her reputation”.
A disciplinary hearing in Oct 2019 concluded that Ms Bird had shared “transphobic material over a prolonged time” and she was barred from holding or standing for election for the party for a period of 10 years.
An appeal against the decision has never been heard and she has been suspended from the party after a “large number” of further complaints were made against her.
Ms Bird lodged a claim against the party in Jan 2021 alleging direct discrimination because of her gender-critical beliefs, indirect discrimination, victimisation and breach of contract.
At a pre-trial review this week, the party admitted all of her claims against it.
Worth reading in full.
