Stonewall tribunal paused so 'key witness can have support dog'

Stonewall tribunal is paused so ‘head of trans inclusion can have his mother and support dog’ with him as he gives evidence against JK Rowling’s friend Allison Bailey

  • Allison Bailey claims that Stonewall convinced her employer to investigate her 
  • Ms Bailey argues there is a conflict between gay people and transgender people 
  • She is suing Stonewall and Garden Court Chambers alleging discrimination
  • Stonewall witness delayed trial after requesting emotional support from dog 

Stonewall’s tribunal was paused so the charity’s ‘head of trans inclusion could have his mother and support dog’ present to give evidence against JK Rowling’s friend Allison Bailey.

Kirrin Medcalfe, 34, the head of trans inclusion at Stonewall, delayed the online hearing on Tuesday after failing to tell the court he required special arrangements to give evidence.

Stonewall’s barrister, Ijeoma Omambala QC told the tribunal that Mr Medcalfe should have ‘periodic breaks’ and a ‘support person’ with him, including his dog. 

Ben Cooper QC, representing Ms Bailey, accused Stonewall of ‘blindsiding’ the court after failing to give notice of Mr Medcalfe’s ‘extra needs’.

He also said it was ‘not proper’ for such an adjustment at the eleventh-hour, considering other witnesses had their specific requests pre-approved, reports The Telegraph. 

Judge Goodman said she was ‘disappointed’ the attendance of additional people had not been mentioned in advance and paused the tribunal for a few moments so the cameras could be adjusted to include Mr Medcalfe’s ‘mother, support person and dog’. 

Mr Cooper added: ‘This is all new information’. 

Ms Bailey claims that the LGBTQ charity convinced her employer Garden Court Chambers to investigate her support of gender-critical beliefs and is suing both the charity and the chambers for discrimination. 

Kirrin Medcalfe, 34, (pictured) the head of trans inclusion at Stonewall, delayed the online hearing on Tuesday after failing to tell the court he required special arrangements to give evidence.

Stonewall’s tribunal was paused so the charity’s ‘head of trans inclusion could have his mother and support dog’ present to give evidence against Allison Bailey. Pictured: Harry Potter author JK Rowling with Ms Bailey during a lunch with other prominent feminists in London in April

The lawyer, who is a lesbian, founded the LGB Alliance group, in 2019, which argues there is a conflict between the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people, and transgender people – and opposes many of Stonewall’s policies, including the assertion that ‘trans women are women’.

She claims to have lost work and income due to GCC’s involvement with Stonewall’s Diversity Champions scheme, which she said was ‘exclusive’ and ‘discriminatory’ of her beliefs.

Ms Bailey has previously received backing from Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who tweeted a picture of her ‘inspirational’ friend to mark Lesbian Visibility Week last month, sparking a trans row on social media. 

Stonewall had recommended GCC change the pronouns ‘she and he’ to ‘they and their’, Ms Bailey previously said. 

Last week Ms Bailey began giving evidence on Wednesday but a row broke out with Ijeoma Omambala QC, Stonewall’s barrister, who was cross-examining her.

The judge in the case had to intervene an hour into the hearing when Ms Bailey accused Stonewall’s barrister of making fun of her with a colleague. 

She said: ‘Ms Omambala, I’m not going to be bullied by you’, to which she replied: ‘I’m here to ask questions in cross-examination, I’m not here to bully you or anyone else.’

Ms Bailey claims that Stonewall convinced her employer Garden Court Chambers to investigate her support of gender-critical beliefs and is suing them both for discrimination 

Judge Sarah Goodman then asked Ms Bailey if she would prefer that the camera for the virtual hearing was zoomed out so that she could see the full Stonewall legal team as she gave evidence.

On May 5, Ms Bailey told the employment tribunal: ‘The fact that Stonewall considered sex language unacceptable and to be replaced by gender neutral language had wider implications for me within [GCC].’

She said the charity used its scheme ‘to embed the concept of gender identity’ within Government departments and the voluntary sector in a way ‘outside the law’.

Ms Bailey went on: ‘Stonewall and its Diversity Champions scheme would be exclusive of me. It declared people with my views as being hateful and bigoted.

‘They declared an intention to discriminate against lesbians like me.’

Ijeoma Omambala QC, Stonewall’s barrister, told the tribunal: ‘Nothing that this tribunal has seen thus far from Stonewall describes you or anyone like you as hateful, does it?’

Earlier this month on April 11, JK Rowling hosted some of Britain’s most prominent feminists and women’s activists – including Allison Bailey – to support the ‘Respect My Sex’ campaign

She then questioned Ms Bailey on how the chambers were supposedly induced by the charity.

Ms Bailey replied: ‘Once we had signed up as an organisation to Stonewall’s Diversity Champions scheme, all of the chambers were being induced to follow the objectives of Stonewall.

‘The focus of all of them is to advance a policy position on trans rights and gender identity that go way beyond the law.

‘In the UK, with the exception of [Northern] Ireland, LGBTQ equality at law has been achieved, what hasn’t been achieved is gender identity.’

She added: ‘Stonewall is a very powerful organisation and it can confer protection or it can take it away.

‘The inducement that Stonewall offers with its scheme is reputational protection or reputational harm, it’s like a criminal protection racket.’

The tribunal continues.

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