Rape survivors should be told about biological sex of trans support workers, says charity chief
Biological men should still be able to work in rape crisis centres despite a scandal over a trans woman’s running of survivor services, a leading charity boss has claimed.
Sandy Brindley, the chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, confirmed that Mridul Wadhwa, a male who identifies as female and is chief executive of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, was not currently at work following a damning employment tribunal ruling.
An independent review has been launched into the centre after a worker was constructively dismissed in a “heresy hunt” because she believed service users should have been able to know the biological sex of staff.
The chief executive’s running of the centre, which Ms Brindley’s charity oversees, has been a source of controversy since the appointment in 2021, which was made despite the job being advertised as for women only.
Wadhwa does not have a gender recognition certificate and is legally male.
Ms Brindley, who has previously championed Wadhwa as an “amazing sister”, denied that her organisation had any involvement in the appointment and declined to confirm whether the chief executive was suspended or on leave.
She said she believed victims of sexual violence should be able to make “informed choices” about the sex of support workers.
However, she rejected claims that there was no place for trans women in rape crisis centres, despite admitting the employment tribunal ruling had been “damning and damaging.”
Ruling ‘wasn’t necessarily about trans staff’
“It [the ruling] wasn’t necessarily about having trans staff in rape crisis centres,” she told the BBC. “It’s about survivors being able to make informed choices.
“The claimant in the case said she felt it was important to have trans workers involved in rape crisis centres, in terms of representing the community we serve.”
Wadhwa has made a series of inflammatory remarks about gender issues, including that “bigoted” victims of male sexual violence who did not consider trans women real women should be “challenged on their prejudices” and taught to “reframe their trauma”.
The tribunal ruling found that centre worker Roz Adams was discriminated against after she sought advice over how to deal with inquiries about the sex of a female staff member who came out as non-binary and adopted a typically male name.
It added that she was subjected to a “Kafkaesque” internal disciplinary process for making the request and was targeted because she did not subscribe to the “gender ideology” which the centre wished to promote under Wadhwa’s leadership.
The tribunal ruling said Wadhwa had formed the view that Ms Adams was transphobic.
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre is one of 17 across Scotland supported by Rape Crisis Scotland, though it has its own board and makes its own appointments.
It previously only offered services to women, including trans women, but said it began welcoming men last year while still operating “women only times”.
Women ‘not able to trust services’
Marion Calder, a director at the For Women Scotland campaign group, said Ms Brindley had serious questions to answer over events at the Edinburgh centre.
“She has previously described Mridul Wadhwa as a ‘warrior for women’s rights’ and repeatedly championed him, as well as the ludicrous notion that people can change sex,” she said.
“The culture at the centre was no secret and it was obvious for years that the needs of vulnerable service users were being sidelined for this deranged ideology.
“For her to claim that there is still a place for men in rape crisis centres shows she has learned nothing and means many women will simply not be able to trust these vital services.”