Garden Court Chambers is a prominent and highly regarded set of barristers’ chambers based in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London. Garden Court prides itself on its “progressive” attitude to law: for example, its members will defend but not prosecute, in common with other “progressive” sets. Its motto, “Do right, fear no one,” reflects its stated commitment to “fighting your corner, no matter how formidable the opponent might seem”.
So how has such a set found itself at the heart of a legal challenge from one of its own barristers, who accuses it along with Stonewall of discriminating against her as a woman and a lesbian?
Garden Court is a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions scheme.
Stonewall has recently attracted some accusations of homophobia for quietly redefining “sexuality” to mean an attraction to a gender, not a sex. Stonewall’s definitions, from their glossary, are these:
Homosexual: This might be considered a more medical term used to describe someone who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards someone of the same gender.
Gender: Often expressed in terms of masculinity and femininity, gender is largely culturally determined and is assumed from the sex assigned at birth
Gender identity: A person’s innate sense of their own gender, whether male, female or something else (see non-binary below), which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.
So for Stonewall, being L, G or B has nothing to do with a person’s sex, but rather means one is attracted towards a person’s “innate sense” of masculinity or femininity “which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth.”
The idea that femininity is innate in women – and by extension, that unfeminine women are not women, and that the culturally determined status of women globally is not attributable to patriarchy but innate to women ourselves – is offensive to many women. Many lesbians (and gay men) are aghast at the proposition that sexual orientation derives from some sort of soul-based echolocation and disregards biological sex.
One of those women is Allison Bailey, a criminal defence specialist at Garden Court, who is herself a lesbian. She sets out in the background to her action that she is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and an active anti-racism campaigner who spent a night in a San Francisco jail for a peaceful protest in the wake of the acquittal of the officers involved in the beating of Rodney King – in summary, a woman who would seem to typify Garden Court’s ethos.
She was involved in setting up the LGB Alliance in 2019 to advance and protect the rights of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals to affirm themselves as attracted to members of their own or both sexes. LGB Alliance dissents from Stonewall’s position on the definition of homosexuality, accusing Stonewall of homophobia. That has upset Stonewall.
So far, so perfectly ordinary: private citizens are well within their rights to be involved in whatever social and political voluntary work they wish within permissible legal confines, without interference from their employers or their colleagues.
However, when Allison tweeted in support of the LGB Alliance immediately following its first public meeting, Garden Court hastily put out a disclaimer distancing itself from Allison and her views, instigated a disciplinary procedure, and (she alleges), restricted the flow of work to her, causing her income to drop considerably. Allison says this was done under pressure from Stonewall.
In her fundraiser, she sets out how in response to her Subject Access Requests, her chambers replied with four lever arch files of documents, while Stonewall blandly denied any correspondence about her. That, as she knew from the documents her chambers had provided, was untrue. She pursued the inquiry, and this has resulted in her bringing an action against both Garden Court and Stonewall.
The legalities of the action are worth considering. She alleges that Garden Court discriminated against her as a woman and as a lesbian, so on the basis of the two protected characteristics of sex and sexual orientation. At the same time, she says that Stonewall engaged in “prohibited conduct” under s.111 of the Equality Act by instructing, causing or inducing Garden Court to discriminate against her. We are not aware of any other s.111 case that has been reported, so this may be a legal first.
This week, Stonewall and Garden Court applied to the tribunal to strike out her claim. To succeed, they would have had to show that Allison’s claim was unarguable – that it was so ill-founded that it stood no prospect of success at trial. When a strike out application is heard, the judge has to take the Claimant’s case “at its highest” – because if it cannot succeed even at its highest then it is unarguable.
Garden Court filed a 120 paragraph witness statement in support of its contention that the claim was unarguable. A cynic might suggest that anything that takes 120 paragraphs to refute or undermine is plainly arguable. Garden Court argued that the claim could not succeed on merits, and Stonewall argued that the s.111 point could not succeed as there was no relationship that could meet the requirement of instructing, causing or inducing. Allison asked for permission to amend her claim.
In order to establish whether a claim is arguable or not it is inevitable that some of the evidence will have to be referred to. During this hearing, it emerged that Stonewall had leaned hard on Garden Court, writing emails which were characterised by the judge as a “threat” of reputational damage to Garden Court, including that for Garden Court to continue to support Allison “puts us in a difficult position with yourselves”, that Stonewall trusted Garden Court “would do what is right and stand in solidarity with trans people”, and that Garden Court must take disciplinary action against Allison or, as summarised by her barrister, face the reputational consequences.
Unsurprisingly, the judge concluded that it was at least arguable that this was “inducing” Garden Court to take the steps against Allison Bailey which it did. She also concluded that the Diversity Champions Scheme provided the requisite relationship, and that Allison had a “more than reasonable” argument that the steps taken amounted to discrimination. She refused the strike out application and granted the application to amend.
It remains to be seen whether the Employment Tribunal will conclude in June that the actions of Garden Court and Stonewall were actually unlawful rather than merely astonishing.
In the meantime though, the question arises as to how much power and influence a charitable organisation should have over individuals with whom it disagrees. Even the most zealous defender of the Stonewall position would, we think, baulk if equivalent pressure were applied by another large and well regarded charity firmly embedded in the establishment – for example, the Church of England. If the Church were to lean as hard on an employer (or chambers) to disown a member for setting up an LGB organisation, there would quite rightly be uproar from Stonewall’s supporters. No charity, no matter how well intentioned, well financed or well regarded, should be able to use a diversity scheme to exert pressure which is at best (on Stonewall’s case) intrusive and at worst (on Allison’s case) unlawful.
Garden Court is currently recruiting for specialists in business ethics.
This case is so important. I believe Stonewall’s influence through the Diversity Champions programme needs very careful scrutiny.
They seem to be using the scheme to further their gender propaganda by misrepresenting the Equality Act and advising that gender is the protected characteristic and not sex. This undermines women’s rights and could lead to women being less in what should be safe spaces free of male bodied people.
No political lobby group should be allowed the access and influence that Stonewall have, particularly where they appear to be abusing their position.
I wish Allison every good luck.
As an ex Stonewall supporter who left them because of their erasure of gay and lesbian same-sex identity through gender replacement, I am appalled at what they have become.
Keep up the good work
100%
Go Allison!
Great write up btw – clear, non-hyperbolic, and rational. Rarely see that from those arguing on the other side.
I have followed this case with interest. Thank you for an excellent summary and background to the case. I wish Allison the very best of luck in a successful outcome. The way she has been treated is appalling. I too am an ex Stonewall supporter. I was dismayed and offended at their revised definition of sexual orientation to one on the basis of gender rather than sex. I am a lesbian, a same-sex attracted female homosexual. Gender is irrelevant, however, Stonewalls has insisted this is the main focus of their lobbying. As they have silenced any dissenting voices, I am very grateful the LGB Alliance was formed. I too am appalled at what Stonewall has become. Good luck.
I have followed this case with interest. Thank you for an excellent summary and background to the case. I wish Allison the very best of luck in a successful outcome. The way she has been treated is appalling. I too am an ex Stonewall supporter. I was dismayed and offended at their revised definition of sexual orientation to one on the basis of gender rather than sex. I am a lesbian, a same-sex attracted female homosexual. Gender is irrelevant, however, Stonewalls has insisted this is the main focus of their lobbying. As they have silenced any dissenting voices, I am very grateful the LGB Alliance was formed. I too am appalled at what Stonewall has become.
Very helpful. As I understand it, the Equality Act category of “gender reassignment provides protection, in practice, on the basis of belief or feeling about yourself. You don’t need to do anything, unlike getting GRC. Is that right? If so, what is the motivation for this Chambers, or indeed Stonewall, to make efforts to oblige people adhere to a position which doesn’t add anything in the form of actual protections?