A woman has been awarded £35,000 in compensation after resigning from Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) following a “heresy hunt” over her gender-critical beliefs.
Support worker Roz Adams was subjected to a misconduct investigation, after asking if a ‘non-binary’ staff member was a “man or a woman” on behalf of a domestic abuse victim who felt “uncomfortable talking to a man”.
Employment Judge Ian McFatridge found that the centre’s senior management used the disciplinary process to “make an example” of Adams. The compensation was awarded in recognition of the “gravity of harassment” she faced.
Apology and accountability
Adams is seeking a public apology from ERCC, and expressed frustration over an apparent failure on its part to accept “responsibility and accountability” following the verdict.
She explained: “When I was first working there I started saying we need to have clarity about language, so survivors can make an informed choice. But they’re still keeping it muddy” in a manner that disrespects those who are critical of gender ideology.
The support worker said: “What I want from an apology is a real recognition of what has been done and for them to say what change is concretely happening now to prevent that happening in the future. Those things aren’t there”.
Defining ‘woman’
A review into the ERCC in May recommended that Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) enforce a clear definition of “woman” across all its centres.
However, no such definition has been published, despite claims that work began on this over a year ago.
A spokesman for RCS said: “At present, how women-only spaces are defined is decided by individual Rape Crisis Centres.”
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