Lawyer faces the sack and is sued after making gender-critical statements at work including expressing the belief that only women menstruate

A lawyer attached to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is being charged along with her department after making a gender-critical statement at work, including expressing the belief that only women menstruate.

Elspeth Duemmer Wrigley, who works for ‘a body at arm’s length from a government department’ and chairs a civil service network representing staff with gender-critical views, will appear before an employment tribunal next week accused of harassment over comments and messages shared at work .

She says an employee of another Defra-affiliated body is also suing her government department for allowing her Sex Equality and Equity Network (SEEN) to exist.

She said the reason for the lawsuit is that the plaintiff is suing her because of a statement made during a seminar on ‘Women and Autism’ in which she said that ‘only women menstruate’.

According to Ms Duemmer Wrigley, the claimant – who has not been named – believes that the existence of the network ‘has the effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, demeaning, degrading and/or offensive environment for the claimant’.

In her crowdfunder, Ms. Duemmer Wrigley said her department is being sued for, among other things, “allowing our departmental SEEN network to exist.

She cites a number of reasons why she is being personally sued, including the seminar’s statement and a post listing the nine protected characteristics, excluding gender expression, gender identity or gender following “staff training errors” where these characteristics are in occurrence.

She also says she is being sued for sharing a link to a “well-known children’s book,” a link to an interview with “detransitioner and fellow public servant Ritchie Herron,” and a link to a piece written by a lesbian colleague in which she Discusses Jamaican language. heritage and experience as a lesbian in the civil service.

And she notes a statement on an internal work forum “in which I explained why I was gender critical.”

In the statement, Ms Duemmer Wrigley said: ‘A number of organizations and charities specifically target people with protected beliefs around gender identity (for example Mermaids, Stonewall and Gires). Writers and activists with these beliefs are posted on Yammer.

‘While occasionally taking positions that some may consider controversial, exploring different points of view is welcome. After all, we are an organization with many different perspectives.’

She adds: ‘I would also like to speak directly to everyone, especially to dispel some of the myths that this is a position rooted in ignorance, bigotry or hatred, or that people like me have any ill will towards those in other communities.

‘I am sure that there are more similarities than differences in this sometimes heated debate.’

Ms Duemmer Wrigley claims that all her actions are protected under Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, respectively the right to freedom of belief and expression.

She says she is “limited by (her) situation” on how she can currently describe the case and says she cannot comment on what other parties are doing about it.

But she says that if the claim succeeds, it is “likely that gender-critical statements… will likely be difficult, if not impossible, within the civil service and its related bodies.”

She notes that the SEEN Network is one of the first gender-critical workforce networks in any organization, and that since its inception a number of similar groups have emerged in the city, police, parliament, HR and in STEM.

Ms Duemmer Wrigley says she has filed an ET3 response – in response to a claim of unlawful treatment by an employee – and the next step will be the preliminary hearing on March 25.

She asked for help from supporters to fund her legal costs and has since raised more than £21,000 of a £40,000 target.

She says if any money remains at the end of the case, it will be shared “with any ongoing gender-critical legal cases in the public sector.”

File. Ms Duemmer Wrigley says an employee of another Defra affiliated agency is also suing the department for allowing her Sex Equality and Equity Network (SEEN) to exist

The Cabinet Office provides guidance on SEEN, referring his self-definition it is ‘a workforce network committed to promoting and supporting gender and gender equality in our workplaces, and helping all staff to thrive and realize their potential at work’.

It asserts that the focus of our network is to challenge sex discrimination and uphold rights and protections related to sex (including the protections afforded to people with the protected characteristics of sex, pregnancy and maternity and sexual orientation, such as set out in the Equality Act 2010).

SEEN membership is open to UK civil servants and public sector staff – from central government departments, agencies and their associated public bodies, including arm’s length bodies, the group says.

MailOnline has contacted SEEN and Defra for comment.