Category: Workforce Discrimination

JK ROWLING’S FRIEND ALLISON BAILEY WINS HER CASE: GARDEN COURT CHAMBERS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST GENDER CRITICAL BARRISTER

Author JK Rowling’s friend Allison Bailey has won her discrimination case against Garden Court Chambers. An Employment Tribunal has unanimously found that Miss Bailey, a barrister, lesbian, prominent gender critical campaigner and founding member of LGB Alliance, was discriminated against and victimised by her barristers’ chambers on the basis of her gender critical beliefs.

The case, heard over nearly six weeks earlier in the summer, was one of the most keenly watched of the year. Over 30 witnesses were cross examined in a trial conducted entirely over video live-link that attracted hundreds of online observers and many thousands more followed the live tweeting of the case.

The litigation was part of a pushback by gender critical feminists against attempts to replace biological sex with notions of self-identified gender identity.

Source: 2022-07-22 – Press Release (Publication copy).docx – 2022-07-22-Press-Release-Publication-copy.docx.pdf

‘Too ugly to be raped’: Queensland inquiry hears police were dismissive of domestic violence victims | Queensland | The Guardian

A Queensland police officer broke into tears as he told a commission of inquiry that he witnessed domestic violence victims being turned away and colleagues claiming some victims “deserved to be raped”.

Officers have also said “domestic violence is just foreplay”, “she’s too ugly to be raped” and “I can see why he does it to her”, he told the inquiry into police responses to domestic and family violence on Wednesday.

He said he has heard female colleagues being called “Cunty McCunt Face”, “fucking sluts”, “bitches” and “mole” behind their backs.

The inquiry heard that some victim-survivors reporting allegations of violence have been turned away at the front counter of police stations, with some officers reluctant to take further action unless they have other evidence.

“Occasionally, I’ve seen victim-survivors dig their heels in. But then if they become loud they’re warned in relation to public nuisance offences, and that’s usually enough for them to leave the station.”

“We need to be co-locating with DV services so survivors feel safe … so that they don’t have to front up to the police station where they’re not going to be listened to or taken seriously.

Officers have also claimed that some victim-survivors were attempting to game the family court system and trying to “screw” over the perpetrators during conversations in break rooms, he told the inquiry.

Racism within the police force is also pervasive, the hearing was told, with offensive slurs used to describe Indigenous Australians and an officer commenting: “What do we expect? He’s a savage.”

The officer told the inquiry he’s seen Chinese and Taiwanese domestic violence victims mocked and “treated with derision” due to their inability to converse with police without an interpreter.

He said sexual harassment by male officers towards female officers is so pervasive that it’s ignored or treated as “casual”. He said he’d heard male officers tell female colleagues that they wanted to see “more cleavage”.

Source: ‘Too ugly to be raped’: Queensland inquiry hears police were dismissive of domestic violence victims | Queensland | The Guardian

Women control only 1 percent of shares at S&P 500 companies

Among top executives at S&P 500 companies, women account for only a quarter of the total number, while controlling just 1 per cent of the value of shares held among fellow corporate leaders.

Andreas Hoepner, a professor of banking, finance and operational risk at the Smurfit Graduate School of Business at the University of Dublin revealed to Bloomberg this week that the ratio was unbalanced even after disregarding company founders and outliers like Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk – the wealthiest executive in the index.

“We found a giant gender power gap,” Hoepner told Bloomberg.

In the U.S, women make roughly 83 cents for every dollar a man earns.

Source: Women control only 1 percent of shares at S&P 500 companies

Anne Aly first female Muslim minister in history-making front bench

Thirteen women, the most since Federation, and the first Muslim ministers will be sworn in today as members of the most diverse government front bench in history.

A ministerial bench of 30 will be sworn into reshuffled portfolios at Government House on Wednesday including the newest elevation to cabinet, Clare O’Neil (home affairs and cybersecurity), and ministers taking on new portfolios – Tanya Plibersek (environment and water) and Amanda Rishworth (social services).

Proportionally, women will account for nearly 45 per cent of the first Albanese ministry, exceeding the previous government’s high watermark of just over 30 per cent and 30 per cent in the final Rudd ministry.

Source: Anne Aly first female Muslim minister in history-making front bench

Trans and gender-diverse staff at Coles will now be given 10 days extra leave | Daily Mail Online

Trans and gender-diverse staff of supermarket chain Coles will be entitled to up to 10 days of paid gender affirmation leave.

  • Team members undergoing gender affirmation will be entitled to the leave
  • Coles Chief Legal and Safety Officer said 900 staff members are gender diverse
  • Coles confirmed the leave may be for medical or counselling purposes 

Source: Trans and gender-diverse staff at Coles will now be given 10 days extra leave | Daily Mail Online

10 days DV leave now accessible for millions of Australians

Handed down by the the Fair Work Commission yesterday, millions of Australians will be afforded 10 days’ paid domestic violence leave.

The bench disputed claims from the Master Grocers Association’s that paid FDV leave would act as a disincentive to employing women, deeming the argument “mere speculation”, and noting that such conduct would be wilfully unlawful.

“Scott Morrison must now match the commitment already made by Anthony Albanese to ensure that any of the 11 million Australian workers covered by the NES who needs to escape violence has paid leave to protect their homes and income while they protect themselves and their families,” ACTU president Michele O’Neil said.

Source: 10 days DV leave now accessible for millions of Australians

California push to seat more women on boards ruled unlawful | Australasian Lawyer

California’s landmark requirement that corporate boards include women was ruled unconstitutional.

The outcome is a victory for a conservative legal advocacy group that challenged the measure as reverse discrimination.

“We’re disappointed and appalled at this setback for women to be advancing in business,” said Betsy Berkhemer-Credair, CEO of 50/50 Women on Boards, and one of the proponents of the law when she was president of the California chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. The group expects the state to appeal, but has no assurances yet that it will, she said.

The case is Crest v. Padilla, 19STCV27561, Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles (Los Angeles).

Source: California push to seat more women on boards ruled unlawful | Australasian Lawyer

‘Quiet fury is simmering’ among women as 8 matters for gender equality published

The Victorian Women’s Trust has published eight “matters that count” addressing the “quiet fury” they say is simmering for women.

VWT’s Matters that Count to Australian Women include:

  • Significant investment to stop men’s violence towards women and children
  • A constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to our national parliament
  • Wage justice for women working in aged care and childcare sectors
  • Affordable housing for women to stop their slide into homelessness
  • Serious, concerted action on climate change
  • Affordable and high-quality childcare and early learning system
  • Ending the cruel treatment of asylum seekers
  • A strong and effective anti-corruption commission

Source: ‘Quiet fury is simmering’ among women as 8 matters for gender equality published

`Gender critical´ barrister claims she lost work for… | Daily Mail Online

Allison Bailey said she was deprived of work after voicing her concerns about Stonewall when her chambers adopted its Diversity Champions scheme.

The document outlined how Ms Bailey, who founded gender-critical campaign group LGB Alliance, opposed the adoption of the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme by her employer, Garden Court Chambers, in December 2018.

According to the argument, she suggested the charity was complicit in a “campaign of harassment” against people who question “trans self-ID ideology”, a viewpoint which lawyers said caused a “strong negative reaction at the most senior level” within the chambers.

Ms Bailey is also said to claim Stonewall tried to persuade Garden Court to cut its associations with her over her support of gender-critical beliefs after two tweets in September and October 2019, which criticised the charity.

In the first, she said Stonewall had hired Morgan Page, an activist and writer who she described as “a male-bodied person who ran workshops with the sole aim of coaching heterosexual men who identify as lesbians on how they can coerce young lesbians into having sex with them”.

In the second, she thanked a Sunday Times journalist for “reporting on the appalling levels of intimidation, fear and coercion that are driving the @stonewalluk trans self-ID agenda”.

Ms Bailey is suing both Stonewall and Garden Court for discrimination, and has raised more than £495,000 to fund her legal case.

The tribunal continues.

Source: `Gender critical´ barrister claims she lost work for… | Daily Mail Online