Tuesday 28 June 2022 01:27 PM Rape victim sues survivors' charity for allowing trans woman to attend support ... trends now
A woman is suing a rape crisis charity for allowing a transgender woman to attend the same support group as her, claiming it left her too uncomfortable to speak and caused her to suffer a panic attack.
The claimant, known only by her alias 'Sarah', was abused by a family friend as a child and by a man she knew when she was in her 20s.
The mother-of-two said she ultimately had to stop going to the sessions, run by the Survivors' Network, and is now suing the Brighton-based charity for indirect discrimination, victimisation and harassment.
The action will be a test case following the recently updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) regarding trans people's access to certain services.
In April, the EHRC said that in certain places, such as hospital wards or changing rooms, single sex services can be offered which 'prevent, limit or modify' transgender people from attending, if it is 'a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim' and balances the needs of service users.
But Sarah's lawyer, Kate Lea, said more clarification is needed from the courts over the issue, telling the BBC: 'We see this very much as a test case. We need further guidance in this area.'
She added: 'We recognise that there are really difficult decisions to be made by service providers.'
Mother of two Sarah, not her real name, joined Brighton-based Survivors' Network. But she said she felt the trust of the therapy sessions were violated by a trans woman (stock image)
Sarah, now in her mid 40s, said that she thinks Survivors' Network should have offered separate groups for trans and cisgender victims, adding: 'I think my case is about women's rights.'
But the Brighton-based charity has said it will fight against the claim as trans women 'are welcome into all of our women-only spaces', adding that Sarah knew of their trans-inclusive policy when she first began attending.
Lawyers for Sarah argue the charity failed to meet the needs of all victims of sexual violence by not offering sessions strictly for women who were born female.
The case is being brought under the Equality Act.
Sarah said: 'I think women have sex-based rights and protections and these are under threat at the moment from trans activism.'
Sarah said she had been benefitting from the sessions before a new member arrived presenting as typically male and donning stereotypically male clothing.
'I was a bit taken aback. I decided I
