header-logo header-logo

Gender critical cases: sex matters

177107
Complaints about discrimination in relation to any protected characteristic should lead to robust investigations, not heresy hunts, say Maya Forstater & Anya Palmer

Writing in NLJ recently, Oscar Davies, a barrister at Garden Court Chambers, said that the law was ‘tying itself in knots over gender critical cases’ (see ‘Gender critical cases: making bad law?’, NLJ, 26 April 2024). In fact, since 2021, when the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruled that gender critical beliefs were ‘worthy of respect in a democratic society’, tribunals have drawn a series of straight lines between discriminatory conduct and employer liability.

The first organisation to be found liable for gender critical discrimination was Garden Court itself. In July 2022, an employment tribunal ruled that Garden Court had discriminated against one of its barristers, Allison Bailey, in its response to people complaining about her view that people cannot change their biological sex. The tribunal found that Garden Court had discriminated against Bailey, and victimised her, in publicly stating

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

National Pro Bono Centre—Esther McConnell & Sarah Oliver Scemla

National Pro Bono Centre—Esther McConnell & Sarah Oliver Scemla

Charity strengthens leadership as national Pro Bono Week takes place

Michelman Robinson—Akshay Sewlikar

Michelman Robinson—Akshay Sewlikar

Dual-qualified partner joins London disputes practice

McDermott Will & Schulte—Karen Butler

McDermott Will & Schulte—Karen Butler

Transactions practice welcomes partner in London office

NEWS
Intellectual property lawyers have expressed disappointment a ground-breaking claim on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) ended with no precedent being set
Two separate post-implementation reviews are being held into the extension of fixed recoverable costs for personal injury claims and the whiplash regime
Legal executives can apply for standalone litigation practice rights, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has confirmed, in a move likely to offset some of the confusion caused by Mazur
Delays in the family court in London and the south east are partly due to a 20% shortage of judges, Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the Family Division, has told MPs
Entries are now open for the 2026 LexisNexis Legal Awards, celebrating achievement and innovation in the law across 24 categories
back-to-top-scroll