A TRANS barrister was confronted by two gender-critical campaigners outside of a women’s bathroom in the House of Commons.
Lawyer Robin Moira White was attending a meeting of the women and equalities committee in Westminster last week when the incident took place.
White, 61, told The Times that she had a health condition and so staff were instructed to allow her swift access to facilities. She was shown to the closest ones near the Thatcher Room, where the committee had met in Portcullis House.
White said that Kate Harris, of LGB Alliance, and Heather Binning, Women’s Rights Network, began “shouting” at her and started to cross-examine her on her intentions.
Harris has denied shouting at White. The Commons issued an apology following the confrontation, and said White should not have been directed to use the female facilities.
The committee was hearing evidence from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) chair Baroness Kishwer Falkner, on the implications of the Supreme Court ruling on gender.
White, who specialises in discrimination cases at Old Square Chambers, said: “I have some health challenges and the [parliamentary] staff had kindly sat me at the back of the committee room, right by the door, so that I could pop along the corridor [to the ladies’ loo], which I had to do once earlier.
“We got to the end of the select committee and they directed me [again] to the facilities I used.”
The barrister said she then saw Harris and Binning, adding: “They rather rudely started to cross-examine me about what my intentions were, and what I was going to do.
“I had to go [to use the lavatory] so went to use the facilities and they continued shouting [while I was inside].”
Harris disputed White’s account of the incident, but told The Times she and Binning were informing women in cubicles that there was a “biological male” using the facilities and asked for security to intervene.
“There was certainly no shouting and no questioning of what [White] might be about to do in the loo,” Harris said.
She then claimed Commons staff told her “we don’t do that here”, referring to excluding trans women from female toilets.
Following the Supreme Court judgment, the Commons refused to ban trans women from female restrooms until official guidance was released. The interim EHRC guidance banned trans people from using the bathroom of their acquired gender.
The Scottish Parliament barred trans women from using female toilets in May.
A senior staff member in the Commons apologised to Harris and Binning following the incident.
They said in an email: “You noted that an individual, understood to be biologically male, had seemingly been directed to the female facilities … At this point you made it clear that you were uncomfortable, left the facilities, and reported the matter to members of my team.
“We acknowledge that it is likely the individual you complained about should have not been directed to the female facilities and we apologise for that.”
They also directed the two women to the parliament’s code of conduct which provides “clear guidelines as to how we expect all users of the parliamentary [estate] to interact with each other”.
The House of Commons said: “We continue to act in full compliance with the law as set out in the Supreme Court’s judgment and we remain committed to treating all those who work in or visit parliament with respect, providing support to colleagues where needed.
“Like many organisations, we are awaiting full guidance from the EHRC on this issue and are reviewing the facilities that are available on the estate.”
