Edinburgh Rape Crisis: Scandal-hit centre 'stops recruiting trans staff' after Supreme Court ruling
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre was at the centre of a scandal following the recruitment of a trans woman CEO but has now appeared to have moved to hiring women only.
A rape crisis centre that became embroiled in controversy over its trans-inclusive policies has changed its recruitment practices.
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERRC) previously actively encouraged trans women to apply for women-only roles at the organisation.
Mridul Wadhwa, a trans woman, resigned as chief executive of ERCC after a report criticised its failure to provide women-only spaces.
Now, following the For Women Scotland Supreme Court judgment stating the legal definition of “sex” as biological sex, ERRC’s most recent job adverts explicitly exclude trans women.
Susan Smith, of For Women Scotland, said the grassroots gender critical group was “pleased” the ERCC was being so specific in the recent advert.
“In the past, they have openly encouraged trans-identifying men to apply and, of course, hired Mridul Wadhwa as CEO,” Ms Smith said. “We hope this will give women confidence that, going forward, they can be assured of a female support worker.”
Organisations are allowed to exclude men from applying for jobs under schedule nine of the Equality Act 2010.
Adverts for women-only roles will routinely state this exemption. But some employers, such as ERCC, would use “women” to include males who identify as women.
ERCC’s most recent advert for a role of survivor engagement worker says “all our roles require staff to fall within the legal definition of a woman”.
Ms Smith added: “It’s a welcome shift, especially as ten years ago Wadhwa gave evidence to the women and equalities committee in Westminster and said that schedule nine should be scrapped.”
A review of ERCC services was commissioned after an employment tribunal found that a councillor, Roz Adams, had been unfairly dismissed after stating that women who used the service should know the sex of the staff supporting them.
Wadhwa was identified by the employment judge as the “invisible hand” behind a “heresy hunt” against staff espousing gender-critical views.
Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at human rights charity Sex Matters, said: "This job ad suggests that news of the For Women Scotland judgment from the Supreme Court has finally landed at Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre.
“The damning judgment against ERCC in rape counsellor Roz Adam’s employment tribunal should have been enough to force change, but seemingly it has taken a ruling from the UK’s highest court for the centre to undertake female-only hiring practices to support for the traumatised women it serves.
"Advertising jobs that are open only to women is standard across the women’s sector, but ERCC previously acted as if ‘woman’ could include men who claimed to be women.
“It’s hardly controversial to say female victims of male violence should not be faced with men in what they are told will be a male-free space.”
Ms McAnena added: "It remains to be seen whether this change in how jobs are advertised is reflected in ERCC’s overall service, which up til now has failed to centre the needs of vulnerable women."
The Scottish Government is expected to publish guidance on single-sex spaces for organisations in Scotland in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.
There is as yet no date for the publication of the advice.
ERCC was contacted for comment.
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