The “gender-critical” views of a lesbian lawyer who has accused her employer of withholding work from her were labelled “transphobic” by a colleague, a tribunal has heard.
Garden Court Chambers (GCC) barrister Allison Bailey has launched discrimination action against the firm and LGBT charity Stonewall, which GCC had been working with.
Ms Bailey founded the LGB Alliance group in 2019, which argues that there is a conflict between the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people, and transgender people – and opposes many Stonewall policies.
She told the tribunal on Wednesday that “Stonewall actions have an emphasis on trans rights” to the detriment of gay rights.
The tribunal heard that on December 14 2018, GCC family law barrister Stephen Lue sent an email to employees to let them know the firm was becoming a “Stonewall Diversity Champion” with the intention of “nurturing and supporting” LGBT+ people in the company.
Ms Bailey responded the same day opposing the move on the grounds of its involvement in “harassment, intimidation and threats” made to anyone who opposed their ideology.
In an email read to the tribunal, she said: “There are many of us within the LGBT community who fully support trans rights but who do not support the trans-extremism which is currently being advocated by Stonewall and others in respect of the proposal for self-id under a revised GRA.
“I emphatically object to any formal association with Stonewall.
“Stonewall has been complicit in a campaign of harassment, intimidation and threats made to anyone who questions its trans self-id ideology, especially lesbians and feminists.
“Those who object or even question the Stonewall self-id ideology have and continue to be threatened, often with rape and serious violence – by self-id trans women.”
The following day, GCC barrister Michelle Brewer sent an email to Mr Lue describing Ms Bailey expressing her views as “washing our dirty transphobic laundry in public”.
In an email read to the tribunal, she said: “Great, now Allison’s wholly unfounded allegations are going to be aired… Nothing like washing our dirty transphobic laundry in public.”
Mr Lue did not comment on the phrasing but thanked Ms Brewer for her support.
Ms Bailey claims that her “fee income” substantially reduced “in comparison to previous years, most notably to 2018”, blaming the central London law firm for the “withholding of instruction and work” from her following these interactions.
Gender-critical beliefs include that sex is biological and immutable, and that the word “woman” is defined as “adult human female”.
Ms Bailey has raised more than £495,000 to fund her legal case.
The tribunal continues.
