Controversial author Helen Joyce to talk at Swansea University about sex, gender and equality

Helen Joyce, controversial best-selling author of Trans: When Ideology meets Reality, will be visiting Swansea University on Monday 1 July to talk about sex, gender and equality. Helen has been accused of hate speech by some Swansea University staff and students.  She doesn’t believe that humans can change sex or that a man who identifies as a woman is a
woman.

She’ll share the stage at the Taliesin Arts Centre with Maya Forstater, founder of human rights charity Sex Matters, and Akua Reindorf KC, an employment barrister and author of the
Reindorf Report, which advocated for freedom of speech in universities. The event will be chaired by Professor Jo Phoenix, whose recent employment tribunal judgment found that
the Open University had bullied and harassed her because of her views on sex and gender.

Women’s rights

A spokeswoman for Outspoken Women, the group organising the event, said: ‘In the run-up to the general election, women’s rights is a hot topic for both the Conservative
and Labour parties. The Conservatives have pledged to amend the Equality Act 2010 to remove grey legal areas that enable a man to argue that he is entitled to use women-only
services and enter women-only events because he identifies as a woman.

Equality Act

Labour’s John Healey has recently said that the Equality Act provides women with all the protection they need and Labour will not be making changes.
We’ll start the evening with the question ‘If any man can ‘be’ a woman, and any woman a man, what use is the Equality Act in preventing sex discrimination?’ From there, the panel
will tackle a range of questions, some submitted by the audience. It’ll be a lively and entertaining discussion covering a range of issues, many specific to developments here in
Wales.

The Event

The evening will provide food for thought for a wide range of people, from parents concerned about children required to share mixed sex toilets at school and teachers
concerned about the RSE curriculum to medical professionals concerned that the Senedd has failed to support the Cass review.

Akua Reindorf KC will comment on the legal aspects of employment and free speech law, which will prove useful for those involved in HR and DEI
(Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) matters.

We’ve invited the members of Swansea council and the Senedd to attend and we hope members of the university will find it of interest.

We believe in free speech and welcome everyone who’s prepared to participate in a respectful discussion. Please bring your questions to the event. We’re grateful to Swansea
University for enabling this event to go ahead despite opposition from some of its staff and students.’

Tickets are available from the Taliesin box office. You can phone 01792 60 20 60 or book online.