A councillor has lost her informal role focusing on regeneration because she retweeted social media posts supporting Harry Potter author JK Rowling and the feminist Germain Greer.
Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey removed fellow Labour councillor Alison Thomson from the role after complaints about anti-trans posts on the social media site X, formerly Twitter.
The social media posts pre-date her election as a councillor for Regency ward in a seat that she won by one vote.
Councillor Thomson said: “I apologise unreservedly for endorsing these social media posts which contain anti-trans sentiments.
“I recognise that they are offensive to the transgender community and I am deeply sorry for the hurt caused by this.
“I am committed to undergoing training to better understand the lived experiences of transgender people and with the aim of becoming a good trans ally.”
Her informal role had involved working with senior councillors on policies and actions to support the renewal of the centre of Brighton and Hove.
She remains a member of the council’s Licensing Committee and its Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Development Committee.
She reposted a tweet with the comment “Go @germainegreer88” with an image of Germaine Greer and a quote comparing gender reassignment surgery with her doctor giving her long ears, liver spots and a brown coat to become a cocker spaniel.
In September last year she retweeted a post that said: “All #TERFs (trans exclusionary radical feminists) believe in is that women are female and women deserve protections. That’s it #transwomenareMEN.”
On the same day she retweeted a post that said: “The thing is, we are not debating whether trans people deserve rights. What we are debating is whether trans people’s rights should override the existing hard-won sex-based rights and protections of women and girls.”
Last October she retweeted a post that said: “If transwomen truly wanted to use women’s spaces for safety … and not the women in those spaces for validation … they wouldn’t reject a third space compromise.”
In January she retweet a post that said: “JKR (JK Rowling) also supports everyone having the same rights, regardless of their gender identity. India Willoughby demands a raft of privileges for males who believe that they are women. Privileges that would destroy female rights.”
In February she retweeted a post that said: “If you disagree with Sturgeon, Gilruth, Willoughby and the trans lobby you’re deemed racist, transphobic and a bigot. No one is saying trans people can’t live their best life. We’re saying a man cannot change sex and should not be entitled to enter female-only spaces.”
Councillor Sankey said: “We know that Brighton and Hove is a beacon city for trans, non-binary, gender-queer and lesbian, gay and bisexual communities.
“People come to our city because we are known as a safe and inclusive city with a thriving, diverse and intersectional population.
“As your Labour council, we stand in solidarity with our trans, non-binary and intersex communities and are proud of our commitment for trans equality and we celebrate our city’s diversity.
“I want to reassure the trans community that any expressions of anti-trans sentiment in any form will not be tolerated.
“Councillor Thomson has now, rightly, apologised unreservedly for her actions.
“I have also taken the decision to remove Councillor Thomson from her lead role on city centre renewal while further investigation is carried out and subject to her completing training.”
Green councillor Chloë Goldsmith, who also represents Regency, called for Councillor Thomson’s resignation.
Councillor Goldsmith said: “I’m incredibly disappointed to see these awful tweets from my Labour counterpart in Regency.
“They show an utter lack of respect for – and even disgust towards – trans people, many of whom will be residents in her ward.
“Brighton and Hove has one of the largest proportions of trans people in the country, with census data showing that Regency has an even higher number.
“Every single person in this city deserves to feel able to contact their councillor for help and have their identity respected.”
They were wrong to question her right to free speech. Most people would agree with this “The thing is, we are not debating whether trans people deserve rights. What we are debating is whether trans people’s rights should override the existing hard-won sex-based rights and protections of women and girls.” Even if not this is too important a subject to shut down free speech over.
‘Trans’ people have rights. They are the same rights as everyone else. Their chosen lifestyle choice does not give then extra rights.
Nobody is questioning her right to free speech. The councillor was free to tweet and retweet whatever she wanted, and still is.
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences.
Well said John, an often-forgotten caveat to free speech.
All actions have consequences, true, and so do yours. This councillor has not said anything anti-trans, she says trans people have rights, and they do. But they do not have privileges such as invading the hard-won rights that women have gained e.g. single sex spaces, prizes, sports etc, if the transperson in question is a transwoman, for a transwoman is a man with all the advantages of male puberty as to bone and muscle length, heart and lung capacity, strength, acceleration etc. A transwoman has no place in women’s spaces. If the problem is safety then a third space ought to fulfil that need. What you are saying is that women have no right to demand women only sex based spaces etc. This makes you a misogynist. Words have consequences, see?
I have not made any comment on the rights of anyone apart from the right to free speech. Do you have reading and comprehension issues?
Jenny appears to be lashing out at enemies that do not exist about actions not taken, and words not said.
So what is your position on the trend for gender neutral toilets? They seem to be the new thing and don’t seem to be causing issues 🤷🏻♂️
Perhaps I’m out of touch, but why oh why do so many people feel the need to state everything they think on some social media platform? It should be pretty obvious by now that some other person, or group of people, are going to take exception, sometimes with extreme consequences.
Because extreme ideology like Gender Identity Ideology is being promoted through social media. If we do not push back everywhere we see it – including on social media – we will live with the consequences of terrible policy based on lies (that people can change sex, and that we all have an innate “gender identity” that trumps our sex).
Women and children are actively being harmed by this ideology. Now. Today.
If you’re unsure, look up “detransitioners”. See what’s happening to women’s sports (there is a man playing in the women’s cricket T20 internationals). Consider “Isla Bryson” (aka Adam Graham) being placed in a women’s prison. Find out about Annex B which removes single sex hospital wards. Look at the problems with RSE in education, and schools socially transitioning children. Read the Cass interim report.
There are far reaching consequences to what is being done.
I agree with you, Chris. Twitter in particular just seems to be a method to rapidly get themselves in trouble with controversy.
Condemned for telling the truth. Brighton and Hove had become an outpost of the communist party. Green re education camps up at Stanmer?
The dead hand of Phelim still at the tiller.
Good to read all of her historical tweets, predating her election, and that they were not very offensive at all.
I agree with what she says, the trans community and all these new groups are dictating to what people can and can’t say , they are worse than the extreme right wing fascists. They need to except that they are biologically not men or woman! All they have managed to do over the years is dilute woman’s rights to suite themselves. As a gay man I didn’t fight for equal rights for these people to take over, they are nothing more than attentions seeking trouble makers. I loath being associated to them, most of these ‘gender fluid etc’ aren’t even gay! They walk around all confrontational with a disgruntled face. No wonder gay bashing is on the increase with these awful people. Most transgenders look like bad impersonations of woman with bitch faces. No wonder we’ve had a Tory government fir 13 years, it’s these kind of people that makes people vote for them in fear of more cancel culture etc.
Well, it is the way the greens got control last time.
We need to be told more about this “training” she will be subject to.
Perhaps some episodes of sensory deprivation? Or psychotropic drugs perhaps?
Maybe a light dose of electro-convulsive therapy?
We all had such high hopes of Bella Sankey.
But it hasn’t taken long for the wheel to come off.
it seems her Labour group is just as bonkers as the loonies she replaced.
A huge shame! A great opportunity thrown away.
Sounds like room 101. Clearly a forced apology.
Do we? Because it sounds very standard, Martha.
I wonder if she’ll need a police guard outside her home now like former Sussex University professor Kathleen Stock did for several weeks?
We need to mindful of mindfulness. It’s important the LBTQ+ community are supported like all folk. Let’s all live together by our wonderful city by the sea
Can you include women in that e.g. lesbians who are same sex attracted, women who do not want people with penises in their changing room with them, their young daughter, their sister, their mum or their aunt? If not, you are not inclusive.
“Lesbians who are same sex attracted.” Well Jenny, they wouldn’t be lesbians if they weren’t!
Alison, you’re in the LGBT capital of the UK. If you already despise a significant chunk of the people you’re supposed to be working for, maybe this isn’t the job (or at least the ward) for you? If I was inherently biased against farmers, I wouldn’t work as a counsellor in a rural ward. I think that’s just common sense.
But of course, it doesn’t matter because she goes fully mask off with her hate in the other tweets she liked and retweeted. It’s always the same with these people: claiming to protect women but they haven’t actually done a single thing for women. claiming to support LGB people but haven’t done a single thing for them either.
It’s always the same CYA nonsense “No one is saying trans people can’t live their best lives” then follows it up with all the rights they want taken away. So in other words, “live your best life” is “live exactly how I tell you to”. Got it.
Isn’t it funny how Posie Parker, you know- the one who did the anti-trans rally at the old steine, the one with a bad habit of having actual neo-nazis show up at her talks (swastikas and all!) was supposedly pro-LGB (without the T) until she recently came out in support of the Italian government removing lesbian parents from their children’s birth certificate?
Scratch a transphobe and a homophobe bleeds. The LGB Alliance shares an office in Tufton Street with the anti migrant, pro brexit, climate change denial groups. Other ‘pro LGB’ organisations donate to conversion therapy groups, the so-called “women’s support” groups who only ever seem to talk about anti-trans stuff end up being owned by journalists connected with GB News with no intention or initiatives for actually helping women.
I don’t expect Alison Tompson to come out waving pride flags but I know a right wing dogwhistle when I see one. Check some of the names she followed and retweeted, maybe ask them how they feel about drag bans, the LGB alliance or god forbid – abortion and see how “pro woman” they really are. I’m not voting for that.
Alison does not despise trans people, she has just pointed out that trans rights do not trump women’s rights and that this matter needs resolving if transpeople think they do (as India Willoughby says).
Rights are not cake, giving someone rights does not take away the rights of someone else.
Take a look at some of the other tweets she retweeted before deleting her account, they were outright derogatory towards trans people.
A comment full of all the usual TRA clichés and mistruths, how dull 🥱
It comes across as obvious, but stories like this are the reason we have social media policies in workplaces. Cllr. Thomson should have known better than to parrot the views of someone who is widely seen as controversial at best. Let’s assume she is looking to ensure women are safe – there are definitely better ways to express this.
How would you express a desire for women’s safety without saying that transwomen should not take women’s rights?
…like I just said, Jenny.
Her apology reads like a hostage statement. Her gender critical beliefs are worthy of respect in a democratic society, as Forstater proved. What a strange world we live in, where “the most marginalised and oppressed people on the planet” are allowed to destroy people’s lives and careers. Just cry “I don’t feel safe! Words are literal violence! This is genocide!” and bingo, another woman (it’s almost always women) is cancelled.
I can’t wait for this gender fad to be over. And it’s instances like this one that will wake people up to the utter tyranny of trans rights activists and their confused regressive agenda.
“I have also taken the decision to remove Councillor Thomson from her lead role on city centre renewal while further investigation is carried out and subject to her completing training.”
Sounds like something that you would expect to be uttered by Vlad Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un or O’Brien from 1984 – not a British politician…
You expect this type of dystopian, authoritarian agenda from the disgraced green party but it seems that Labour are already sinking to the same low level.
I was also thinking of the similarity to 1984, where all citizens were told what to think or, as in the case of the hero, face torture. Thought crime seems to be the way the Greens and Labour deal with anything that gives the false impression that they are caring about other people. What a sham! They are just jumping on the fashionable bandwagon. I am all for people going about however they want to be, as long as they are not interfering in the lives of others, and clearly the women’s right to safety is a very important issue. If someone wants to dress up and go about as a member of the opposite sex, that is their right, even if I’m some cases they do look bizarre. As for the comment made by Alison Thompson, one would think that she was promoting murder instead of expressing an opinion about this matter. In apologising she is just playing into the hands of the other bigots on the council, and should not be expected to resign, which, of course, would help to get the Ghastly Greens (who were kicked out leaving a debt of over £11 million) back in. Heaven help us all if that were to happen.
Well done Brighton for looking like the idiot city of England.
Since when did women speaking up for women’s rights become a crime.
And all this maudling wallowing about the trans community being a victim is complete rubbish. Has any trans person lost their position for their anti woman rhetoric? No.
So now we know that in Brighton 50+% of its citizens are deemed not to have equal rights.
But then Brighton is the only place that has a rape crisis centre that does not, as permitted under the Equality Act, provide women (ie biological females) who have been raped or sexually abused, the right for women only support.
There is no doubt there are people who genuinely suffer from gender dysphoria. But the cult of trans rights has nothing to do with that but is a concocted product of queer politics that has at is heart an anti woman narrative.
For from being modern and up to date Brighton more ressembles the era of witch hunts.
Shame on you.
And what a testimony to the Labour Party who think they should win the next general election.
The councillor is entitled to her views. Being gender critical is not the same as being transphobic. Freedom of speech is no longer available on this toxic issue so we must all be forced into apologies for stating biological reality. Bella Sankey’s response is why I don’t trust Labour despite the recent U turn on self ID. I have never voted Tory and never will but they are the only party talking sense on this issue.
I sympathize with anyone who endures confusion or worse about their gender. Interestingly, though, the local Labour leadership is out of step with the national leadership on women’s rights.
I have many Trans friends she is only telling the Truth. The Trans issue has been taken over by the extreme far left who know nothing about them.
We’ve got weeds taking over the whole beautiful well run city and all people talk about trans,lgbtbbcitv rights.
Open your eyes and whats going on in this weedy city.
Doesn’t any one care?
It gets boring when you never say anything of substance to further your issue. Try next time, suggest a new way it could be improved.
I say fair play to you, don’t apologize, they’ll have your soul next.
Trans ideology is ruining, has ruined hundreds of lives and this councillor was right to agree with Rowling, although putting it on twitter in this preset climate was probably asking for trouble. However she has the right of free speech and the right not to be punished by it. Look up de-transitioning and weep. Young people need counselling, but not by these trans groups, most of whom are child grooming paedophiles. Regency resident open your eyes and at least don’t vote labour locally. I wont mention the other party since it’s obviously a swear word to most on this platform. Nadia Smith i completely agree with you, except i would question the term gender dysphoria, it’s confused youngsters, its called adolescence, and the extremists are cruelly exploiting our young people.
It would be interesting to know how parents feel about their children being exploited by those crazy extremists.
Brighton and hove council,39 comments here,huge majority are standing with this woman and here right to think how she does, maybe think about it.