Away from the Truss/Sunak ding-dong, another long-running drama has come to an end. Barrister Allison Bailey, a friend of JK Rowling, has today won her discrimination case against Garden Court Chambers. An employment tribunal unanimously found that Bailey, a barrister, lesbian, prominent gender critical campaigner and founding member of LGB Alliance, was discriminated against and victimised by her barristers’ chambers on the basis of her gender critical beliefs.
Over 30 witnesses were cross examined in a trial conducted entirely over video live-link that attracted hundreds of online observers and many thousands more followed the live tweeting of the case. The litigation was described by Bailey as being part ‘of a pushback by gender critical feminists against attempts to replace biological sex with notions of self-identified gender identity.’ Her claim centered on allegations that she was singled out for attack by Stonewall and her chambers because of public statements on the subjects of sex, gender and the charity’s method of campaigning.
The tribunal agreed on the central complaint which Bailey raised: that, as a consequence of being a gender critical feminist, she was discriminated against and victimised by her colleagues.
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