Rape centre worker dragged through ‘heresy hunt’ over gender ideology wins case

A woman who resigned from Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) following a “heresy hunt” over her gender-critical beliefs has been vindicated by an Employment Tribunal.

Support worker Roz Adams was subjected to a misconduct investigation, after asking on behalf of a domestic abuse victim if a non-binary staff member was a “man or a woman” because the client felt “uncomfortable talking to a man”.

Employment Judge Ian McFatridge found that senior management used the disciplinary process to “make an example” of Adams because they believed she was “guilty of a heresy in that she did not fully subscribe to the gender ideology”.

‘Worth it’

Rape Crisis Scotland has now commissioned an independent review into the Edinburgh centre.

Two board members, including former chairwoman Miren Sagues, have reportedly stepped down and the position of its CEO Mridul Wadhwa – a man who identifies as a woman – has been described as “untenable”.

it validates and makes worthwhile three years of struggle

Welcoming the judgment, Adams said: “This is a victory for all people who have been subjected to sexual violence who need a choice of worker and group support on the basis of sex in order to feel safe. For me it validates and makes worthwhile three years of struggle.”

She added: “I hope the Scottish government, charity regulator OSCR, Rape Crisis Scotland and all those in the sector feel emboldened by this judgment to safeguard this important choice for survivors, as part of ensuring services are welcoming.”

‘Sex matters’

Helen Joyce, Director of Advocacy for women’s group Sex Matters, stated: “Sex-based boundaries matter for everyone, but most especially women who have experienced male violence and sexual assault. By standing up against the abusive management, Roz Adams has helped women across the UK.”

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, award-winning columnist Suzanne Moore said: “This is yet another case demonstrating that when light is shone on to these proponents of extreme gender ideology, the centre cannot hold.”

She added: “You cannot keep shouting about how progressive you are when you will dismiss the actual fears of rape victims about male violence as some kind of prejudice.”

‘Bigots’

In 2021, Wadhwa was slammed for implying that victims who want single-sex spaces to be protected are “bigots” who should expect ‘to be challenged on their prejudices’.

While discussing transgender issues on The Guilty Feminist podcast, he said that those holding “unacceptable beliefs” who sought help after being sexually assaulted would be encouraged to “reframe their trauma”.