University of Sussex taking legal action over £585,000 free speech fine – The Guardian

‘The University of Sussex is taking legal action to overturn a record fine levied by England’s higher education regulator, accusing the regulator of seeking to “persecute” it rather than solve problems.’

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The Guardian, 27th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

University of Sussex fined £585,000 for failing to uphold freedom of speech – The Guardian

Posted March 26th, 2025 in fines, freedom of expression, gender, news, transgender persons, universities by sally

‘England’s university regulator has been accused of “perpetuating the culture wars” after fining the University of Sussex a record £585,000 at the conclusion of an investigation into freedom of speech on campus.’

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The Guardian, 26th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

What does a recent Court of Appeal ruling on the case of a sacked Christian school worker mean for businesses? – Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog

‘Eugenie Freeman and Emily Halcrow explain how an employee’s right to their beliefs can be balanced against an employer’s duty to prevent discrimination.’

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Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog, 20th March 2025

Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

Unprofessional conduct vs freedom of religious expression: Leger – Law & Religion UK

‘In R (Leger) v Secretary of State for Education [2025] EWHC 665 (Admin), Ms Gladwys Leger was a teacher at Bishop Justus Church of England School [5]. She is “a born-again ‘conservative’ Roman Catholic” who believes that biological sex is immutable and should not be tampered with and that sexual relationships should only exist within a marriage between a man and a woman [8]. She brought a claim arising from her dismissal from the school.’

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Law & Religion UK, 24th March 2025

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

American loses UK appeal to become legally non-binary – BBC News

‘An American who wanted to be formally recognised as non-binary in the UK has been told by the Court of Appeal their gender identity does not legally exist in this country.’

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BBC News, 25th February 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UKSC to decide what ‘Woman’ means in the Equality Act 2010 – Oxford Human Rights Hub

‘The UK Supreme Court (UKSC) is poised to deliver its judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers, examining whether “woman” under the Equality Act 2010 (EA) includes trans women with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) issued under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA). This blog discusses why GRC holders should not be excluded from the EA’s sex discrimination protections.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 30th January 2025

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Woman with ‘distorted notion of revenge’ sentenced for stabbing transgender woman – The Guardian

‘A woman who carried out a transphobic stabbing attack motivated by a “distorted notion of revenge” has been sentenced to more than eight years in youth detention.’

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The Guardian, 16th January 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Young persons’ consent for cross-sex hormone treatment – UK Human Rights Blog

‘O v P and Q [2024] EWCA Civ 1577. (Jeremy Hyam KC and Alasdair Henderson of 1 Crown Office Row represented the mother in this case)
This was an appeal from a decision in the Divisional Court by Judd J in April 2024. The case raises a question at the core of the transgender debate involving young people: consent.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 1st January 2025

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Courts to remain involved in young person gender case – BBC News

‘A mother who is trying to stop her teenager being given cross-sex hormones to change their gender has won her fight to keep the courts involved in the case.’

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BBC News, 19th December 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prosecutors publish updated ‘deception as to sex’ guidance – Crown Prosecution Service

‘Updated prosecution guidance, which clarifies the law on when deceiving someone or failing to disclose birth sex could affect consent in rape cases, has been published today by the Crown Prosecution Service.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 13th December 2024

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Puberty blockers to be banned indefinitely for under-18s across UK – The Guardian

Posted December 12th, 2024 in children, emergency powers, gender, medical treatment, news, transgender persons by sally

‘Puberty blockers for under-18s with gender dysphoria will be banned indefinitely across the UK except for use in clinical trials, Labour has announced.’

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The Guardian, 11th December 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Gender critical belief: A legal debrief – Law Pod UK

Posted December 11th, 2024 in employment, equality, freedom of expression, gender, news, podcasts, transgender persons by sally

‘Jim Duffy is joined by fellow 1COR barristers Alasdair Henderson and Paula Kelly to examine recent judicial attempts to grapple with questions of gender in the workplace. How do the UK courts and tribunals distinguish legitimate and protected expressions of belief from harassment and transphobia?’

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Law Pod UK, 11th December 2024

Source: audioboom.com

Brianna Ghey killer Eddie Ratcliffe loses appeal to shorten sentence based on ‘immaturity’ – The Independent

‘Lawyers for Eddie Ratcliffe, who was 15 at the time of the killing but is now 17, asked for the length of his sentence to be reduced, claiming the judge had failed to take into account his “lack of maturity”.’

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The Independent, 5th December 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Transgender pool player in court battle after being banned from competing in women’s events – The Independent

Posted December 5th, 2024 in equality, news, sport, transgender persons, women by sally

‘A transgender pool champion is taking legal action against one of the sport’s governing bodies in England after she was banned from playing in women’s tournaments.’

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The Independent, 4th December 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Supreme Court to hear case on definition of a woman – BBC News

Posted November 26th, 2024 in gender, news, Scotland, Supreme Court, transgender persons, women by sally

‘Judges at the Supreme Court are to consider how women are defined in law in a landmark case brought by Scottish campaigners. It is the culmination of a long-running legal dispute which started with a relatively niche piece of legislation at the Scottish Parliament, but which could have big UK-wide implications.’

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BBC News, 25th November 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Trans Parenthood in the UK: The “Unanswered Questions” of the McConnell Litigation – Cambridge Law Journal

‘This article considers three “unanswered questions” raised by R. (McConnell) v Registrar General for England and Wales (AIRE Centre Intervening) [2020] EWCA Civ. 559, which held that a trans man (with a Gender Recognition Certificate) who gave birth must be registered as “mother” on his child’s birth certificate. This article considers these questions to clearly situate McConnell within the context of the UK’s legal regimes concerning access to fertility treatment, gender recognition and legal parenthood in cases involving assisted reproduction. The article argues that clearly establishing the current legal position will provide the proper context to facilitate any subsequent legal reforms.’

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Cambridge Law Journal, 3rd October 2024

Source: www.cambridge.org

Trans children’s charity told to rewrite guidance on puberty blockers – The Guardian

‘A charity supporting gender-questioning young people has been told to rewrite its guidance about the risks of puberty blockers, after a two-year Charity Commission investigation, which also concluded that there had been mismanagement within the organisation. However, the investigation found that the charity, Mermaids, had appropriate safeguarding policies in place and there was no evidence that it provided medical advice to children, which would have been outside its remit.’

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The Guardian, 24th October 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Welsh teenager jailed for attacking trans woman and sharing terrorist documents – The Guardian

‘A teenage far-right extremist has been jailed for more than five years for sharing terrorist documents and attacking a transgender woman by kicking her in the head before posting “best day ever” online.’

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The Guardian, 19th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Social worker awarded £55k and £8k costs after accusing council employer of discriminating against protected beliefs – Local Government Lawyer

‘A social worker who worked for Cambridgeshire County Council has been awarded more than £55,000 in compensation and £8,000 in costs, after asserting that she was discriminated against for reasons relating to her gender critical beliefs and/or sexual orientation.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 20th September 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Puberty blockers ban imposed by Tory government is lawful, high court rules – The Guardian

‘A ban on prescribing puberty blockers to children with gender dysphoria in England, Scotland and Wales was lawful, a high court judge has ruled.’

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The Guardian, 29th July 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com