Couple embroiled with police in debacle over women-only event

The police have warned a couple to no longer contact their local councillor, following a row over a women-only event which was shut down for refusing to admit men.

Dave and Viv Boardman, in Hebden Bridge, believed Labour councillor Rebecca Boden had been involved in cancelling their daughter Cathy’s fundraiser at a community theatre because it was not “trans-inclusive”. Cllr Boden claimed the event breached equality laws, and accused Mr Boardman of harassing her.

The 67-year-olds were cleared of wrongdoing, but the police advised them to avoid communicating with Boden any further.

Drag

The event had been arranged to fund their daughter Cathy’s employment tribunal case against a music college, which reportedly dismissed her as a lecturer after she was branded ‘transphobic’ for asking students to debate if drag acts were sexist.

In a separate incident in Hebden Bridge in 2023, a 73-year-old woman was questioned by the police after taking a photo of a sticker stating “keep males out of women-only spaces”.

The retired social worker found the sticker placed over a poster claiming “Stand By Your Trans”, but did not share her picture of it on social media. Police officers identified her from CCTV footage, and later visited her home and recorded it as a ‘non-crime hate incident’.

According to police records, the officers gave her “words of advice” regarding the “harassment and alarm that this sticker could potentially cause to the community”.

‘Frightened’

Last month, Northumbria Police apologised after investigating a woman for posting her views about the reality of biological sex on social media platform X.

Linzi Smith was told her posts were being investigated as a hate crime, and was subjected to a two-hour police interview. An anonymous complainant told Newcastle United, the football club she supports, that trans people would not feel safe sitting near her, and the club suspended her membership.

Smith challenged Newcastle’s decision, and pursued a judicial review against Northumbria Police for openly supporting “trans causes”.

She commented: “I can’t help but feel let down and quite frightened that there were so many failings from so many police officers that led to me even finding myself in that situation in the first place”.