5th May 2021
A Betrayal to Women
A Betrayal to Women
Yesterday, Edinburgh Rape Crisis was “absolutely delighted” to announce the appointment of its new CEO.
The vacancy was advertised under section 9 part 1 of the Equality Act, which enables employers to lawfully discriminate against men (including those in possession of a Gender Recognition Certificate). Insisting a role in an organisation such as a rape crisis centre is carried out by a woman is deemed a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
The successful candidate is Mridul Wadhwa, a male who identifies as transgender and who apparently does not have a GRC. Wadhwa was previously employed by the Fourth Valley Rape Crisis centre as a manager, and has Tweeted that he did not inform this organisation that he was male, despite the role being advertised as woman-only.
The hundreds of negative replies to Edinburgh Rape Crisis’s tweet announcing Wadhwa’s appointment prompted them to delete it, and retweet it with the reply function disabled.
In addition to the outrage that a male has been appointed to CEO of a rape crisis centre, women are questioning the lawfulness of the decision, and whether this deems the Single Sex Exemptions clause obsolete. The Communications Officer of EHRC Scotland, however, does not appear to share those concerns…
Call to Action
Write to the Scottish Charity Regulator and Edinburgh Rape Crisis to raise your concerns.