Introduction

The EHRC has been all over the news this week, and there is a lot to cover in this article, but there has also been some other juicy news that you may have missed… Updates on the school trans guidance, The Good Law Project reaching its fundraising goal for its appeal on the trans healthcare case, and more. Read below to see what the news has in store…

Monday: Trans Healthcare Delays Appeal Crowdfunder – Good Law Project

This week kicked off with the Good Law Project reaching its £50,000 goal to appeal a previous court decision which rejected tackling the excessive waiting times faced by trans people.

We will have to see how it goes. I am not a legal expert, and quite frankly trying to predict how the courts will go always feels like an impossibility.

Tuesday:EHRC Chair under investigation for Bullying

In a recent report by Channel 4, it was found that there was an internal investigation into the chair of the EHRC, looking at claims of bullying and the fact that over 40% of the EHRC’s LGBT staff had quit in a year. This was to be led by Gavin Mansfield, a legal expert from the same law firm as Tory MP Laura Farris, leading to concerns over the independence of the organisation. Following this, there was one hell of a fallout.

To start with, the Womens and Equality Committee is demanding an explanation over the large staff turnover. Following this, a complaint was filed to OFCOM by The LGB Alliance, as well as one from 40 peers from the House of Lords, which was then followed by the EHRC pausing the investigation Channel 4 was referencing on The EHRC Chair, Baroness Falkner on friday, citing the Channel 4 report as it’s reason. Following this, Ron-Desantis-admirer Kemi Badendoch said she fully supported Falkner and claimed she was being hounded out of office.

It’s clear things are falling apart at the EHRC, with scrutiny from the UN and this report from Channel 4, and an internal bullying investigation on its leadership. It will be interesting to see what direction this will go.

Wednesday: Rishi Sunak asked to condemn schools for supporting trans kids

On Wednesday during Prime Minister’s Questions, the prime minister was asked to condemn schools for respecting trans students’ pronouns and rights.The prime minister said, the minister should wait for the guidance they are putting in place. referring to the RHSE review and the trans kids guidance that allegedly told schools to out kids to their parents.

We still don’t know what’s in store for education for trans kids, and everything we hear points in concerning directions. Unfortunately all we can do is wait and see (Thought it would be good to mention this to your MP).

Thursday: Transgender woman assaulted in Oxford Road, Reading hotel

On Thursday, a person was sentenced to 15 months detention, and a suspended sentence for 18 months for assaulting a trans woman. One reason for this appears to be for what some people would call a trans panic defence.

I have no clue how that person didn’t get a stronger sentence. This was a hate crime!

Friday: New Iowa law restricts gender identity education, bans books with sexual content | CNN Politics

On Friday, Iowa passed a new law which brings in a section-28-like ‘don’t say gay’ bill. This was following a ban on gender affirming care for minors.

The US is getting scary. I think I mentioned this last week, but there’s still more time for shit bills and worse rhetoric before the next election.

Saturday: Linus Tech Tips Presenter comes out as a trans woman

On Saturday, a member of the Linus Tech tips presenting team Emily Young came out on a video on her personal channel. In the comments of the video, LTT’s former CEO Linus commented below that they will love and support Emily. Emily did say she would be stepping back from videos temporarily. Fearing backlash akin to Chris from Mr Beast.

This is some really cool news! As an occasional watcher of LTT, it is clear that with the size of the channel, this will bring some much needed representation. We hope that Emily comes back to our screens soon.

Sunday: Ex-Mermaids CEO responds to Tavistock criticism

Following an article from the Telegraph overstating the relationship between Mermaids and the Tavistock GIDS, in which Mermaids claimed that their relationship and influence over GIDS policy was normal.

There has been an increase in media and political attacks on Mermaids, but It would be really bad if a GIDS didn’t consult with the UKs biggest charity for trans youth. And with the recent news on the regional centres being set up for trans kids. There really needs to be a continued collaboration with Mermaids and the NHS.

Conclusion

The EHRC dominated the headlines this week. It’s been a fast paced week and whether it continues next week, only time will tell. We will have to see how much the EHRC remains in the mainstream news. The education stuff may be a topic that will come up more in the summer holidays before schools start again in September. We shall see.