Doug Beattie says Stormont politicians have set a 'dangerous precedent' by rejecting legal advice on single-sex spaces
The Alliance, Sinn Fein and the SDLP have set a “dangerous precedent” by voting against legal advice on how Stormont should respond to the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex, Doug Beattie has said.
The UUP MLA has also warned that assembly authorities are now open to the risk of a legal challenge – and the consequent cost to the taxpayer.
Mr Beattie slammed their decision to block changes to Stormont’s toilets policy, in light of a judgement by the UK’s top court that sex is defined by biology not how someone identifies.
Parliament Buildings currently has a policy of allowing people to choose whether they use men or women’s facilities, based on their gender identity.
Legal advice to the Assembly Commission, revealed by the News Letter, shows that politicians were advised that the ruling is in effect now and that there is a legal risk from not changing the current system.
Mr Beattie told the News Letter: “How or why this information from the commission got into the media is now irrelevant. What is important to know is that the Alliance Party, Sinn Fein and the SDLP voted against the expert legal advice provided to the commission at their request.
“This sets a dangerous precedent for the commission – and now leaves it open to legal challenge. All of this comes at a cost to the public. What is frustrating is that a solution to the issues thrown up by the Supreme Court ruling was recommended that ensure single sex spaces would remain spaces for biological males and females and other facilities would be designated as multi sex spaces – ensuring the transgender community community were catered for. “Yet even this pragmatic solution was reflected by Alliance, Sinn Fein and SDLP for purely political reasons. The upshot of this is simple, women’s rights are not safe in the hands of these parties as they, yet again, fail to understand that women want single sex spaces for safety, dignity and privacy”. He said it is time to return to “a basic social contract” whereby males use male spaces and females use female spaces and “if multi sex spaces are available either can use them” – adding: “this is not a controversial viewpoint”.