Hi all and especially those who contributed to my Crowd Justice campaign,

In winning my case earlier this year, my legal costs were met through a combination of Crowd Justice 1,284 supporters and my home insurance.  The fund has a remaining balance and I’m delighted to tell you I have been able to transfer £4,082 towards another woman defending her gender critical beliefs, Pilgrim Tucker.  You  can find out about her case here https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/pilgrim-tucker-challenging-discrimination-at-ou/

You might be interested to know that together with choreographer Rosie Kay, we recently launched a new organisation Freedom in the Arts.  You can read more about us in the Sunday Times

Thanks all for your good wishes and generosity

Denise Fahmy

Following my successful claim for harassment in the Leeds Employment Tribunal against Arts Council England we have reached agreement. 

I would like to thank my solicitor, Liz McGlone and my barrister Anya Palmer.  Their work has been truly wonderful, and their support invaluable.  I would also like to thank staff and trustees of LGB Alliance, who have given me courage and shared their wisdom and good humour.

Most of all I would like to thank the 1,284 people who supported my legal costs, together contributing £46,145. Yours words, your contributions and your support enabled me to win my case and prove that thanks to Maya Forstater people that believe sex is binary and immutable and cannot change should no longer be harassed at work for saying so.

Some of my legal costs were also met through my home insurance, which we had to fight for and indeed have lodged a formal complaint against the statement made that ‘gender critical views are (automatically) capable of amounting to harassment.’  As you may be aware I do not receive any of the funds held by the crowdjustice campaign. This fund has a remaining balance which I will transfer to another campaign related to defending gender critical beliefs. 

I have been extremely moved by your comments.  Many people working in the arts are deeply affected by the intolerance within the sector. I hope my case has helped shine a light on that.  I will continue to fight for freedom of expression in the arts. 

Thank you

Denise

@DeniseFahmy

Dear supporters 

Thank you, thank you, thank you - thanks to you I have won my claim for harassment because of my gender critical views.

This judgement will make a difference in the arts – organisations, arts leaders and colleagues can no longer get away with spurious allegations of transphobia against those who believe, as the vast majority of the country does, that biological sex matters.  The days of bullying, name calling, cold shouldering are over.  My case illustrated how deeply intolerant the arts have become even at the highest level of the Arts Council of England.

More news shortly, on this very busy afternoon.  The judgement will be uploaded here https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions by the Court shortly.

Thank you again – NO NEED FOR FURTHER DONATIONS.

https://didlaw.com/denise-fahmy-v-arts-council-england

The Tribunal was heard in Leeds this and last week. There was one witness from my side - me, of course - and three from the Respondent (Arts Council England), Mr Ian Matthews (Director of HR), Mr Simon Mellor (Deputy Chief Executive) and Mr Paul Roberts (Trustee, and Chair of Performance and Audit Committee and investigator of my complaint at ACE).

You can read brief notes from each day at Tribunal Tweets.

I am being represented amazingly by Anya Palmer and Liz McGlone. Many friends and supporters came along to observe the hearing including Leeds Resisters and LGB Alliance.

The judgement has been reserved, so we await a decision in due course, and will let you know the outcome as soon as we can.

Being in court over such a length of time was fascinating.  The environment is highly staged, every sound and movement carries weight, like a contemporary dance piece.  Speaking is a highly magnified act, as meaning and intent is drawn out of every sentence. The air is thick with emotion, exhaustion and irritation.

Giving evidence over about a day and quarter, on 19th and 22nd May, was very intense.  I was helped by Anya’s sage advice, drawn from this video, that honesty is always a tactical advantage. 

So, now we wait …

Just to let you know all is well, and I am looking forward to the case opening tomorrow.

Thank you to the 1,117 people who have already contributed - you have helped me bring on a fantastic legal team.  I now have a final 23% to raise, so do let people know.

Denise

Watch here - https://1drv.ms/v/s!AswjnzAlBRt9mxxM9hEY94GxS-XE?e=75AeF4

12 days til my case opens at Leeds Employment Tribunal.  And it's all systems go to prepare for the hearing, together with my legal team Liz McGlone and Anya Palmer.  We are confident we have a sound case, and I'm looking forward to the hearing.

@tribunaltweets will be covering the hearing which is open to the public and press.  

I've met so many people through this process and heard about the harassment others have experienced too. Sometimes it's really hard to believe the situation we've got ourselves into, when believing biological sex is real can actually lead to harassment and victimisation.  

Please keep sharing my case - I still have significant funds to raise - let people know !

I do think this is a significant case, not just for me but for the arts and public sector institutions too - but I do have to win it !

In case you missed my first TV performance - here it is ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6C6AhPgvs  

You can find the court listing here but you need to set up a log in https://www.courtserve.net/

Hi friends 

Thanks for your support.  I have some good news.  I was able to join Andrew Doyle on Sunday at GB News' Free Speech Nation.  

You can watch it here - https://youtu.be/eG6C6AhPgvs

It was nerve wracking as I've never been on telly before, but I felt it was a good interview and experience.

I still have a way to go to meet my legal costs - in the region of £23,000.  So spread the word and follow me at @denisefahmy 

So many have seen the importance of this case, particularly in the arts, to preserve freedom of expression and freedom from harassment in our industry.

Thanks x and do share

Denise Fahmy

Today I reached £29,000 towards my final target of £55,000.  Thank you x

I now am working with Liz McGlone of Didlaw and Anya Palmer KC, preparing for my hearing in May.

Even though I reached my first target, I still need to raise a further £26,000 in the next month.  So please keep spreading the word !!

The support has been amazing - the comments from backers are sobering and speak of what’s going on, especially in the arts.

I work in the arts and lost 2 jobs last year - one for standing by a lesbian colleague who was accused of transphobia and another for asking inclusion and engagement officers not to use the word TERF as it is divisive and used to incite violence. Good luck, too many women are losing jobs xx

I work in the same sector and see this new authoritarianism and social shaming poisoning freedom of expression. ACE should be a facilitator of creativity not an arbiter of wrongthink. Good luck!

Very best with your case. These are bizarre times. After more than 20 years in film sector in Ireland have pretty much given up on it and moving on. Arts were rational, tolerant & progressive but now so ideological & unpleasant. I’ve no doubt this ideology will not triumph. 

I left my job in Education after trying to speak out against unethical practice that was counter to all the knowledge we have of child development and safeguarding. I met a wall of Institutional stitch-up. I feared the bullying you faced. I am donating because you have the bravery I lacked then.

Solidarity from another Yorkshire woman. Investigated at work after a colleague complained that I said Women's Place UK was not a hate group & women should be able to openly discuss issues that effect them. There are a lot of women who support you. Anon as can't face a 2nd vexatious investigation

I work in the arts, & it’s a nightmare! I really hope you win this, good luck.

Follow me at @DeniseFahmy

I am so delighted to tell you yesterday, thanks to the exceptional generosity of over 760 people I reached my trigger target of £25,000.  This means the funds can now be released to my wonderful solicitor Elizabeth McGlone at Didlaw's @LizMcG_emplaw.

Finally, I can get the help I need to progress this case, and quickly too.  It's just over 6 weeks to my hearing, and I'm now busy with some very legal paperwork. 

Getting the word out has been helped a lot by Steve Bird's piece in the Telegraph

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/03/25/transgender-views-created-toxic-culture-fear-arts-council/

And also speaking at Manchester Women's Right Netwok after a screening of Adult Human Female 

I still have a lot more to raise in the coming weeks.  My costs are estimated at £55,000.  All contributions go directly to Didlaw's, and thankfully I don't see a penny to me.  If there is an excess, following the hearing, it will be donated to other gender critical fundraising campaigns such Dr Laura Favaro's, Kenny McBride or Prof Jo Phoenix.  It's still crazy to me that so many people are having to fight through the court's for the simplest of beliefs - that sex is immutable.

So please do continue to spread the word, as I will be too, especially amongest arts people.  It's very important to me that the arts world knows we can regain a positive, liberal and joyous sector again. 

Now, I'm sure you're desparate to hear the data on this 'campaign'.  Well, the page has been viewed 13,000 times and 55% of donors are women - how very strange ! The largest age group donating are 25 - 34 year olds.  

Thank you all !  And spread the word

Denise