Gillian Philip’s contract was terminated in 2020 for supporting women’s rights. She is bringing an Employment Tribunal claim that she should not have been discriminated against for holding and expressing gender-critical views.

Please donate to support this important legal case and please share with others who may wish to support Gillian’s case.

Who is Gillian Philip?

Gillian Philip is a writer. Her books include Crossing the Line, Bad Faith, The Opposite of Amber, Click Bait and the Rebel Angels series - Firebrand, Bloodstone, Wolfsbane and Icefall, along with many educational titles.

Gillian is also a mother and a feminist and she believes that biological sex is real and important. She supports trans rights and thinks everyone can and should express themselves as they wish. However she also believes that biological sex is immutable and cannot be changed by a statement or declaration.

What happened to Gillian Philip?

Her publishers HarperCollins and WorkingPartners terminated Gillian’s contract after she added the hashtag “IStandwithJKRowling” to her Twitter account. This simple gesture of support for the feminist beliefs of a fellow author generated a Twitter backlash by gender identity activists.  This led to what appeared to be a co-ordinated campaign by those who disagreed with Gillian’s views, demanding that WorkingPartners and her publisher fire her. Gillian’s social media and email accounts filled up with menacing and abusive messages, which included threats of murder and rape. Gillian was accused of being “transphobic” and a “TERF” (standing for trans-exclusionary radical feminist) – the latter being a slur largely reserved for older feminists according to Professor Kathleen Stock. 

Without asking for her side of the story, her publisher demanded that Gillian’s book contract be cancelled and WorkingPartners obliged. This was despite the fact that both companies were fully aware of her opinions and Twitter account and had never asked her to keep quiet about them. What’s more, WorkingPartners issued a letter to each of her attackers which appeared to support its accusations against Gillian.  

Gillian’s contract was ended almost immediately, and her agent abandoned her, just one month after the death of her husband. Today she works as a courier and HGV driver to make ends meet.

What is Gillian’s legal case?

Gillian joined the Free Speech Union and today she needs your help to seek justice. She has launched a legal claim in the Employment Tribunal against both HarperCollins and WorkingPartners, asserting that she was a worker at WorkingPartners, and not a mere contractor, and that she suffered discrimination because of her gender-critical beliefs and because of her age.  This follows the case of Maya Forstater v CGD UKEAT/0105/20/JOJ in which it was established that gender-critical views are protected under the Equality Act 2010.

Unfortunately, the victimisation is continuing, with WorkingPartners repeatedly and directly threatening Gillian with unfounded counterclaims and legal costs. WorkingPartners even asked the Employment Tribunal to ban media reporting for fear of hostile emails. Unsurprisingly, the judge rejected the gagging order out of hand, reminding WorkingPartners and her publisher of basic principles of open justice and legal protections for free speech.

Why should you support this case?

Gillian’s aim, together with the Free Speech Union, is to win her case, and in doing so stand up for her and others who have gender critical views, empowering them to speak up freely and without fear about being persecuted for their gender critical beliefs.

Gillian is effectively stigmatised within the publishing industry. She now wants to clear her name and get back to doing what she loves best: writing fiction.  With over 40 books to her name and 10 years of writing for WorkingPartners (the inventors and packagers of popular children’s fiction brands like Rainbow Fairies, Beast Quest and Erin Hunter), it should never have come to this.  Your donations could turn it around.

What is Gillian crowdfunding for?

Gillian is crowdfunding to pay for legal representation to take this case to the Employment Tribunal. Assisted at no cost by the Free Speech Union, Gillian now needs to raise £35,000 for legal fees that she cannot afford herself.  All her focus has been on keeping a roof over her head, supporting her two children, and looking after her elderly mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s. All funds would go direct to Gillian’s legal team.   The solicitors will maintain accounts showing how the money has been used. Legal fees and court costs will start immediately and continue throughout the campaign. 

There is an employment tribunal hearing approaching, which will take place on 8 - 10 June 2022 at which the Employment tribunal will decide if Gillian’s case can proceed to full trial. This is make or break time and your support is crucial. This is a case of pressing public interest about the freedom to speak openly on controversial issues involving sex and gender. Please help Gillian and in turn support those who wish to speak up about women’s rights. 

The Free Speech Union is co-ordinating this campaign.

Thank you for your support.