UK & Ireland in Brief

Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull, an activist for sex-based rights, and an opponent of transgender ideology, was permanently banned from Facebook in November.

Citing ‘safety and security reasons’, Facebook deactivated her account, stating that the decision was final. Known as Posie Parker, she had been temporarily banned for noting facts about biology and campaigning against the mutilation of children’s bodies by medication or surgery. She is not a Christian, but her clear message that people are born male and female also resulted in a YouTube interview being removed from the site.

In early November, a female prisoner who was sexually assaulted by a male inmate, filed a challenge against government policy which allows men who say they are women to share women’s prisons.

In response to a freedom of information request, six police forces in England and Wales said a man suspected or convicted of rape would be officially recorded as female if he asked to be identified as so. Half of the trans female prisoner population (i.e. men who claim they are women) are convicted sex offenders.

The Northern Ireland Secretary may face legal action over same-sex marriage legislation planned to come into force in January, it was reported in November.

The provisions for the rest of the UK protecting religious freedoms and free speech do not appear to be contained in the legislation for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State was told in a letter that a challenge by way of judicial review would be looked to if the legislation did not reflect the law in the rest of Great Britain.

It was reported in November that the Welsh Government faces a backlash over its draft Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities (LAs). This comes amidst claims it could trample on the rights of parents.

Two home education charities wrote to a Welsh Assembly Committee citing a legal opinion that describes the draft proposal as ‘unlawful’. The guidance incorrectly suggests that an LA could insist on seeing a child without its parents present. Some LAs are reportedly trying to apply the draft guidance to home school families despite it still being only a draft.

Harry Miller, a former police officer, is taking Humberside Police to court over reported ‘hate incidents’, it was reported in November.

Harry, now chief executive of the campaign group Fair Cop, was previously told by Humberside Police that he had been reported for hate speech because of some 30 tweets that were anonymously reported as ‘offensive’ and ‘transphobic’. Although having committed no crime, he was told to ‘check your thinking’ by the police. A judicial review will look into whether the police are in breach of his human rights.