Laura Del Col Brown

@beesandrikishis

Fukuyama Masaharu, sumo, kanji, beekeeping and hoverflies. #福山雅治 #BROS1991 Trans ally, in the wartime sense. She/her, but don't mind they/them. The Bad Shodo Diaries:

105 Folgt559 Follower3.722 Posts

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education

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir beesandrikishis.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· 29d

If anyone wants to record these lyrics I wrote to the tune of Good Morning Judge by Wynonie Harris, be my guest

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 13

I'd like someone to show as much concern for me as this fan showed for Asanoyama after Wakanosho hurled him out of the ring #SumoSpoilers

A fan looking with a worried expression at the felled Asanoyama, who is just out of shot.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 10

In Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency, Caroline Airs (from Defra HR) has described this post made on work systems by Andreas Mueller of the "gender critical" SEEN Network as an "objective view to defend the network." No wonder I had a breakdown after four years in this environment.

... The day has come when I am no longer prepared to stay silent: posts like yours aren't just inflammatory and full of misinformation. They are unacceptable. I refuse to let that pass:
• The allegations you make in your post are untrue. No one has indicated that they are trying to 'erase" you, 'debating your entire existence online' suggested you don't have your 'faculties in line', or proposes you be subjected to 'bullying, harassment and victimisation'. If I asked you to provide evidence (l won't, but you're welcome to try) of how SEEN is advocating or facilitating any of those things, we both know you won't provide any. These allegations aren't just entirely without foundation, they are in fact defamatory, and I would respectfully ask that you withdraw them. • I find it difficult to reconcile your impassioned plea against "bullying, harassment and victimisation' with you, in your very next paragraph, asking people who agree with you to 'call this out, That is what we in the trade cal instigating a pile-on', the exact definition of bullying, harassment and victimisation. The responses to your post are a veritable torrent of slander and misinformation. I am aware of at least one member of staff who has read your post and felt the need to do something they wouldn't otherwise have done as a result. Your post and the reaction have created a hostile environment for some people in this organisation for holding views that have been found in court to be neither objectively offensive or unreasonable, If that's not bullying, I don't know what *is*, whether you intended it or not. • Equating my views to "anti-BLM' or 'anti abortion' ones is inflammatory and simply unacceptable, Samantha. Disagreeing with you doesn't make me a racist., reactionary or misogynist, and I will not stand for this sort of hyperbole any longer.

... I'd go so far as to say that posts like yours (and the visceral and hyperbolic reaction they're provoking) prove precisely why the network *is* necessary. People are indeed 'free to believe anything they want to believe". And they do, Samantha. That includes women suggesting we as an organisation should listen to their lived experience. We as individuals don't get to decide which beliefs are ok to express at work. Courts and tribunals have done that. on a number of occasions. in recent months and years.
I have personally reached out to individuals and women's and LGBT groups for months now with a view to preventing this moment from happening. It is a matter of great regret to me that I've been unsuccessful so far. I continue to invite anyone who feels the need to write posts like this, or to indicate their approval by liking it and/or repeating the falsehoods it contains, or adding new ones of their own, to seek me out and find out what I and the people I agree with actually stand for.
As an aside, we both know that if you had a made a post like this about any other Equality Act protected characteristic (mine is belief, or rather not sharing a belief). your post would have been deleted by now and you'd have some serious questions to answer today. People who share my beliefs are the only group that are considered acceptable to be characterised like this. I'm no longer OK with that. If we were Christians, Muslims, Humanists or vegans, or if you held any other protected characteristic yourself, your conduct would have had immediate consequences.
I fully support your, and anyone's, right to 'come to work without having their existence debated on a work forum", free from bullying, harassment and victimisation (and I'm not personally aware of a single person in my organisation who doesn't). That includes my right to my beliefs, too, Samantha. I for one will no longer accept being spoken to, or about, in this way. ...

I should mention, for transparency, that reserve my right to follow up on particularly egregious misrepresentations.
In the SEEN
meantime, you and anyone who's interested can check for yourself what network is hoping to achieve, and whether its stated aims include 'erasing anyone by visiting its website: About SEEN (seen-network,uk). More information become available in coming days and weeks as the network builds.
the
will
Kind regards,
Andreas
About SEEN (seen-network.uk` see less
PS: I should add that the misrepresentations on this thread, including the replies to my comment, are too many for me to respond to each one individually. I won't be making any further reply here
see less

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 8

Context, if needed:

gthonks.bsky.social @gthonks.bsky.social 3h the distinctions between different varieties of TERF are not very material. #2 t2
Laura Del Col Brown @beesandrikishis.bsky.social
reminded of the quote from one of the lawvers Denial (the film about the David Irving case): "When I in dog shit, I'm not interested in what breed"
I'm
in
step
19:48.7 Jul 2026
1 like
01
...
@brap.bsky.social
h
Brap Comparing women who think sex is real and important to a Holocaust denier is offensive. Still no engagement with what gender critical actually argues though, just bigger analogies each time. 1 T2 ○

Brap @brap.bsky.social
Follow
A Intolerance
2 Muted by "Gender Denialists"
Comparing women who think sex is real and important to a Holocaust denier is offensive. Still no engagement with what gender critical actually argues though, just bigger analogies each time.
20:08 : 7 Jul 2026
C 1
Laura Del Col Brown @beesandrikishis.bsky.s... 28m I'm not comparing you to a Holocaust denier. I'm comparing you to dog shit
1
31
S

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 6

(And fucking use alt text when you screenshot me)

From late 2022, organisations called SEEN Networks have proliferated across many employment sectors in the UK. SEEN stands for Sex Equality and Equity Network, and these networks are intended for "gender critical" people working in various industries. I believe "gender critical" could be fairly defined as "not accepting that transgender people should be fully entitled to live as the gender they know themselves to be.'

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 6

Senior Defra group HR manager Beth Gordon has been mentioned in the evidence in Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency. She's who I was responding to in the screenshot below. She never answered my question, & SEEN Network co-chair Andreas Mueller demanded I be punished for "slander."

6. Nov 23 Introducing the new Defra group Sex Equality and Equity Network (SEEN) (sharepoint.com)
November 27, 2023
There appears to be some confusion and myths being promoted here. We are not 'anti-trans", we do not seek to erase the protected riahts of others, nor do we debate the existence of trans folk. Do check out this 'myth busting' article on the SEEN website https://seen-network.uk/myths/ if vou'd like some more information
€ Reply Unlike You and 8 people liked this
Brown, Laura
January 15
To clear up misunderstandings and help us understand SEEN's purpose better, could you please explain what SEEN would focus on if trans people didn't exist? Like 6 people liked this
Context: A number of inflammatory comments were made under the original post - several were removed. was replying in this context. Laura is implying members of SEEN want trans people to not exist. This is slanderous, and I was very upset to have to read it.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 6

The odd disconnect between the decision maker's claim to care about the complainant's distress and their actions is also standard. When I eventually spoke to the Environment Agency staff member who handled the complaint below (against their will and AFTER they'd made their decision) ...

I complained to Andreas Mueller's employer, the Environment Agency, about his publishing of my data. They did not even speak to me as part of their investigation despite my asking them to do so. I was eventually told the complaint had been 'resolved," with no explanation of how. I understand that following the "resolution," in April 2026, Andreas Mueller was still employed by the Environment Agency. Defra group's shared Digital, Data, Technology and Security team have informed me that there is no way to restrict users' access to each other's information on shared IT systems. |t seems reasonable to surmise that as long as Andreas Mueller is employed by the Environment Agency, he will be able to access the personal data of transgender civil and public servants and their allies across Defra and its arm's-length bodies

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 5

Those were my thoughts too (From lauradelcolbrown.com/Mumsnet-and-...)

Like many Defra group staff, I reported the "gender critical" posts to Defra group's shared HR team. I thought they would do what any other employer I've ever worked for would do: say, "This has nothing to do with your jobs and it's causing conflict, so stop talking about it at work." To my astonishment, they didn't. They allowed the posts to stay up and suggested that doing otherwise would be discrimination.

I should say that Defra group's problem wasn't limited to transphobia. HR seemed to be of the opinion that staff should be allowed to use work systems to express their views on any topic, no matter how irrelevant or inflammatory. Other Yammer posts that were allowed to stay up included Russian disinformation about the Ukraine war, incel-adjacent complaints about the "feminisation of Western society," and antisemitic comments (although Natural England did eventually take down an intranet post about Easter that stated the Jews killed Christ). But the "gender critical" staff were by far the loudest and most persistent.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 4

Reminder that while the Environment Agency was letting their employee, Andreas Mueller of the "gender critical" SEEN Network, get away with calling a trans-supportive MP a "cancer on the Labour Party," he was demanding that my employer punish me for posting a gif of Mr Tickle

$Brown, Laura Aug 23 Seen by 57 : 1 know it isn't the point, but Tickle v Giggle must surely be the best name for a court case ever. Happy Friday all! D like \ Comment Share Commentary by Andreas Mueller: Context: a natal male (Roxy Tickle) who identifies as a woman won a court case in Australia. The case was to determine whether an all-female app (Giggle) coulc exclude biological males. The court ruled against the app in a decision that supporters of women's sex-based rights across the world find completely Uncontrolled when printed - 04/11/2024 12:0 shocking. The news caused a great deal of consternation. This is shameless gloating, designed to cause maximum offence to people Laura disagrees with. I was horrified that someone would go out of their way to make a post that could only have the purpose of angering GC people,$

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 3

If you're following Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency & are 🤨 at handling of the claimant's grievance, this is typical of Defra group. The grievance I describe below was initially dismissed by someone who admitted they just Googled the issue. (My union successfully appealed)

Tardy moderation … but not balance

Defra group's shared HR eventually tried to address the ongoing controversy over the SEEN Network by introducing a complex system of private Yammer groups (although “gender critical” material kept breaking containment) and setting up an Intranet Moderation Panel that offensive content could be reported to. However, as one of my Freedom of Information requests showed, membership of this panel was self-selecting. People put themselves forward to join and weren't required to declare conflicts of interest, nor were there any measures in place to ensure a range of views or backgrounds. I also found that the odds of trans-supportive material being removed were nearly four times higher (9:1) than the odds of “gender critical” material being removed (7:3).

I raised a concern in January 2025 about the potential for bias on the moderation panel, but to the best of my knowledge, no action had been taken by the time I went off sick (for the second and final time) in December of that year.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 3

Naomi Cunningham (for the "gender critical" SEEN Network in Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency) accuses a:gender of a breach of SEEN co-chair Andreas Mueller's personal data. I know nothing of that, but she should be careful, considering what Mueller & his solicitors JR Levins did

The sections of my article Mumsnet and Mr Mueller headed "How trans civil & public servants' personal data was leaked to transphobes (and why it could happen again" and "The role of JR Levins solicitors." Please see next post for the link.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 3

Naomi Cunningham, for the "gender critical" SEEN Network, accuses Emma Dunn of a:gender of masterminding the employment tribunal case Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency. That can't be right. Andreas Mueller of SEEN said *I* orchestrated it, & could such a level-headed man be wrong?

Excerpt from Andreas Mueller's rants about me:

Since October 2023. Laura has made over 70 Freedom of Information requests about the Sex Equality and Equity Network (a gender critical staff network in the Civil Service) in its various forms, at least partially in support of vexatious Employment Tribunal claims against me and others, based on the fact that we have founded a gender critical network and lead it. This irrational and oppressive conduct is designed to scare members and leads into silence, no longer expressing their lawfully held beliefs. It is part of a wider campaign waged by a number of people across the civil service at destroying the network and cowing its members.
Personally, I have been subjected to numerous complaints and investigations, culmination in not one but two Employment Tribunals where I have been named as an individual respondent alongside my employer. Lauras Brown openly participates in the Emplovment Tribunal effort on the claimant's side, as can be seen by the specific nature of the FOI request referred to in part 4, particularly those about Mumsnet, Viva Engage posts and interactions with Cabinet Office.

I suggest a leisurely scroll through all of Laura' requests. Thev're practically all about SEEN. The thought alone that someone would spend this amount of time pursuing just one group of people on account of a belief one doesn't agree with is sinister and oppressive. I feel as if, despite the fact that I've done nothing wrong, eventually Laura is going to find something she'll use against me or the SEEN network. It is clear that, if Laura gets any 'interesting' responses, they will be used in the tribunal where I'm currently defending myself
b. Examples:
i.
Transphobia HSW reports:
"For the vears 2019-2024, please provide a year by year breakdown of the number of reports referencing transphobia or transphobic behaviour. Additionally, for the years 2022-24, please say how many reports specifically mentioned the recognition and/or activities of the Sex Equality and Equity Network (SEEN)." Here, Laura is trying to get data regarding alleged complaints about our network, in the hope they can be used as evidence against me at employment tribunal.

Please provide copies of all correspondence between members of the Inclusive Practice Team regarding the formation and/or operation of the private limited company Sex Equality and Equity Network Limited (company number 15610099), from 2 February 2024 to today.
Uncontrolled when printed - 04/11/2024 12:08
The SEEN Ltd Company was specifically formed for one purpose: to be able to represent SEEN in an Employment Tribunal without having to name all its members (it should be obvious whv that wouldn't be a good idea). The only reason this FOI could be of any interest is that the information could be considered of use to the tribunal claimants.

Note: all these matters can only be of interest to someone who wants to supply the claimants in the various employment tribunals with evidence, in support of legal action Laura is not (or isn't supposed to be) party to.
Uncontrolled when printed - 04/11/2024 12:08
I'd like to add that Laura, according to Defra policies, is entitled to simply join our Viva Engage Community and find all the 'incriminating evidence' she wants. The difference is that information gleaned that way can likely not be disclosed in employment tribunals, whereas FOI information obtained via WhatDoTheyKnow is simply placed on a public facing website for all to see, which must be very helpful for ET claimants as no one needs to secretly share it. Laura is openly collaborating with people suing me for expressing my lawfully held beliefs. She has the option of submitting FOIs privately, away from public gaze. Instead she chooses to make these requests out in the open,. I consider this an attempt at making sure any gender critical discourse in Defra group is suppressed for fear of disciplinary or legal action. This massively adds to the stress that comes with being the public face' of gender critical people in Defra Group. I can't in my right mind advise people to say anything gender critical at all anymore, given that even if it is completely innocuous, people who speak may find themselves in trouble with moderators or litigants all the same. This dilemma is causing me huge stress.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 2

Defra’s barrister in Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency has defended the "gender critical" SEEN Network by saying they didn't want a:gender (for trans civil & public servants) not to exist. Maybe not, but some of their members apparently didn't want a:gender to be visible.

The disappearing posters

The harm caused by SEEN wasn't just found on computer screens. Back when I was well enough to work, I sometimes went to the office shared by Defra and its arm's-length bodies in 2 Marsham Street, London. Posters for a:gender, the staff network for transgender civil and public servants and their allies, regularly disappeared from bulletin boards, and were sometimes replaced with posters for the SEEN Network. The problem was so persistent that a group of cisgender staff who wanted to make the environment more welcoming for trans colleagues formed a posse to replace the a:gender posters whenever they were taken down. This meant having a hidden poster stash and doing daily reconnaissance.

Even for me, as a mere trans ally, this situation caused a knot in my stomach every time I walked into the office. I can only imagine what it was like for a transgender person.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 1

Obsessive transphobes are not very nice, but on the other hand, they are not very smart

Exchange from LinkedIn:

Sarah Phillimore . 3rd+ Family Law Barrister at St John's Chambers
Are any other lives 'sacred'? Or is it iust 'trans lives"" What does it mean, to be 'sacred'?

Laura Brown Author Whistleblower. Trans lives are sacred
Sarah Phillimore Get behind me, Satan

Sarah Phillimore . 3rd+ Family Law Barrister at St John's Chambers
Laura Brown do you think this helps your cause?

Laura Brown Author Whistleblower. Trans lives are sacred
Sarah Phillimore I don't have a "cause." See Orwell's diary for 27 April 1942

Sarah Phillimore . 3rd+ Family Law Barrister at St John's Chambers
Laura Brown your 'cause' appears to be to advance the notion that 'trans lives are sacred'. Do you think your behaviour advances this cause?

Ines Wilhelm . 3rd+ Experienced team lead I program manager I c..
Sarah Phillimore what an odd question to ask

Sarah Phillimore . 3rd+ Family Law Barrister at St John's Chambers
nes Wilhelm why? Do you describe other groups as sacred?

Laura Brown Author Whistleblower. Trans lives are sacred
Sarah Phillimore I know why you're doing this. You were empty inside and you filled the void with hate and now you've no room for anything else. You deserve pity, but not mercy.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 1

A crypto spam bot has followed me. Didn't think they were still around

Viral exchange from Twitter:

Bonnie! @BonnieElephant
I am going to have SEX tonight!
4:50 PM . 5/13/22 . Twitter for iPhone
146
Retweets 57 Quote Tweets 1,861 Likes
3
RicksCEO.eth @RicksCEO. 20h
Replying to @BonnieElephant
Alone or with somebody ?
Q2 72 •33
Bonnie! @BonnieElephant.19h I dont accept criticism or roasts from people who invest in CRYPTOCURRENCY!
• 22
242
• 383

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 1

Naomi Cunningham, representing the "gender critical" SEEN Network in Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency, complains that Ms Tempest stirred up a "torrent of abuse" against SEEN. For context, courtesy of co-chair Andreas Mueller, here is the sort of comment that SEEN considered "abuse."

Excerpt from Defra group Yammer:

(Post by Samantha) Trans people literally just want to come to work without having our entire existence debated on a work forum. Nobody else has to come in to work to find there's an entire cross government network now geared towards my erasure.
How do you think this makes trans people feel? ...
DEFRA are meant to believe in providing a work environment that is free from bullying, harassment, and victimisation, and that recognises the dignity of all our employees. I call on you DEFRA to start delivering on this!
I call on all our staff, everyone who knows someone that's trans, who knows someone that's been punished just for being themselves, to call this out. Leave the trans community alone! People are free to believe anything they want to believe. That doesn't mean you have to bring that conversation to work.
Whats next, an anti BLM network, an anti abortion network? Where does this end? ...

(Reply from me) I stand with you and all our trans colleagues. I hope it helps a little to know this is on the radar of several unions and staff networks across Defra group.

Commentary in red by Andreas Mueller:
The original post was clearly a massive case of bullying and harassment. It caused huge distress to gender critical people, including myself, equating them with racists and homophobes. 20,000 people saw it, 700 liked it and there were 100 comments. Most of them constituted bullying and harassment in their own right. The only correct response to this post would have been for the moderators to immediately delete it and the poster to be disciplined. Replying to it in an approving manner, and adding that she's pursuing avenues through the unions and staff networks to persecute us, the way Laura did, is to join in the bullying and harassment. Any right-thinking person would have been mindful of the distress that this onslaught was causing gc people and realised that joining in the abuse was unprofessional.

Comments on Defra's intranet:

Brown, Laura 16 October 2023
thanks for this interesting look at your work. One question that comes up frequently is where to draw the line between harmless expressions of belief in the workplace, and proselytising or harassment of colleagues who don't share those beliefs (or whose identity or life choices are considered unacceptable in the belief system). Have you developed any guidance on this topic for belief-based networks?
f Reply like 10 people liked this
Uncontrolled when printed - 04/11/2024 12:08
Brown, Laura 27 October 2023
Since "gender reassignment" covers anyone who has proposed transitioning from the gender they were assigned at birth, I'm not sure that a distinction between "gender identity" and gender reassignment" is particularly meaningful.
€ Reply Like 2 people liked this

Commentary by Andreas Mueller:
This intranet post was about a number of things, but included mention of SEEN It neither elaborated, endorsed or condemned our beliefs. Laura was clearly offended by the mere mention of our network. She immediately latched on to the post to make all about how gender critical beliefs shouldn't be tolerated in the workplace, which is contrary to how expression of legally held views in workplace works. We are very much entitled to express our views, the same way other faiths and beliefs can be expressed at work. Laura continues to attempt to make it appear as if this isn't the case, crating an atmosphere where GC people have to fear for their job security for doing things anyone else is perfectly entitled to do. I found these statements very oppressive.

7.
12/3/24, Elspeth's post - equality and respect
Brown, Laura
35 minutes aga
I understand that on 1 March, SEEN's Executive Committee confirmed to its membership that both its cross-governmental chair and the chair of Defra SEEN had been named as respondents in an employment tribunal. The tribunal relates to very serious allegations of harassment, which they deny. While 1 appreciate that this matter is ongoing, I'm concerned about the message Defra is sending to its staff (particularly transgender nonbinary and intersex colleagues, but also anyone who values their safety and welbeing at work) in providing a platform to those involved before a verdict has been reached,
< Reply Like 1 person liked this

Commentary by Andreas Mueller:
Under a post by Elspeth Duemmer-Wrigley about respect between people, regardless of their differing beliefs, Laura announces to all Defra that 2 members of SEEN (namely Elspeth and myself) are defending an Employment Tribunal claim and suggests that we're not safe to be around and shouldn't be allowed to speak. If any evidence was needed that the entire campaign of harassment is designed to silence us, here it is in writing. The claimant later withdrew their claim against us, making this post even more offensive to us. Laura invited people to condemn us on the basis of a vexatious legal claim and made a connection between our legally protected rights to voice our beliefs and the 'safety and wellbeing' of others (i.e. our views were making people unsafe)

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jul 1

God bless her

Nitter screenshot from Tribunal Tweets

Tribunal Tweets @tribunaltweets children in this book. J-|think we should move on from this,
NC -I have one further question
J-I understand your position and C's position can we move on
ST- I'll be okay Judge
NC -para 23 of your Ws, you are commenting on reaction to EW personal post, you say 612 919 I
4m

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 30

Lauren Davies is who I was replying to in the screenshot below. Her own comments were, as the tribunal has noted, eventually removed. My third comment was in reply to someone saying, "Admins, can you please take these down?" Again: SEEN's co-chair, Andreas Mueller, tried to have me punished for this

Posts from Defra group's Yammer forums:
Brown, Laura 45m agc
Even if majority opinion were the best guiding principle in these matters, your claim that "the majority of the population would agree with me" isn't supported by the evidence,
Where does the British public stand on transgender rights in 2022? YouGov
Where does the British public stand
日 Bv
Brown, Laura 33m ago . Edited
Not sure if you read the whole page or just the title, but if your specific claim is that transwomen don't count as women, then you should amend your comment to say "40% of the population agrees with me."
Bv
1
Brown, Laura 21m ago
Just FYI, the admins don't read these threads - we're
supposed to report problematic content to o365businesssupportteam@defra.gov.uk. You can also hover over someone's screen name here to see their reporting line if you need that info. Hope this helps.

Commentary in red by Andreas Mueller:
Trans activists hijacked vet another thread about violence against women. A discussion of GC views ensued. spoke in defence of GC beliefs. In the last post, Laura suggests looking up people's line managers to make complaints about them. I was jus flabbergasted at the naked aggression on show.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 30

This discussion under a post on Defra's intranet has now been mentioned in the employment tribunal Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency. A co-chair of the "gender critical" SEEN Network tried to have me disciplined for these "oppressive" comments. And they say the claimant's hysterical?

$Posts from Defra group's intranet: Brown, Laura 16 October 2023 thanks for this interesting look at your work. One question that comes up frequently is where to draw the line between harmless expressions of belief in the workplace, and proselytising or harassment of colleagues who don't share those beliefs (or whose identity or life choices are considered unacceptable in the belief system). Have you developed any guidance on this topic for belief-based networks? f Reply & Like 10 people liked this Uncontrolled when printed - 04/11/2024 12:0 Brown, Laura 27 October 2023 Since "gender reassignment" covers anyone who has proposed transitioning from the gende they were assigned at birth, I'm not sure that a distinction between "gender identity" and gender reassignment" is particularly meaningful €\ Reply Like 2 people liked this Commentary in red by Andreas Mueller: This intranet post was about a number of things, but included mention of SEEN. It neither elaborated, endorsed or condemned our beliefs. Laura was clearly offended by the mere mention of our network. She immediately latched on to the post to make all about how gender critical beliefs shouldn't be tolerated in the workplace, which is contrary to how expression of legally held views in workplace works. We are very much entitled to express our views, the same way other faiths and beliefs can be expressed at work. Laura continues to attempt to make it appear as if this isn't the case, crating an atmosphere where GC people have to fear for their job security for doing things anyone else is perfectly entitled to do. I found these statements very oppressive.$

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 29

"Gender critical" bullies are calling the claimant in Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency hysterical and weak for being upset by the SEEN Network constantly challenging her identity at work. Here's how SEEN co-chair Andreas Mueller responded to measured criticism. And Mr Tickle.

Posts from Defra group's Yammer forums:

Brown, Laura Tue at 9:06 PM . ied People concerned about this network and its effect on working relationships in Defra group should probably be aware of this current thread on Mumsnet (please be warned that it does include Defra employees disparaging specific colleagues, as well as intentionally misgendering transwomen):
Page 12 | Sex Equality and Equity Network - Gender crit network for civil servants. | Mumsnet
1
Yesterday at 9:30 AM [poster's name redacted] Brown, Laura - As subtle as a brick through a window.... I'm aware this is very much an invisible bigotry (in that it's pretty clear no one is going to make a big scene in the office - no one wants a dreaded fuss), but this is genuinely unnerving. These people are so caught up in their own grain silo of fear it's wild.
1
Brown, Laura Yesterday at 9:45 AM I'm very doubtful as to whether this is allowed by Defra's social media policies. I've passed it on to my HR contact and union rep, as well as the Respect at Work and LGBT+ networks at Natural England

Commentary in red by Andreas Mueller:
Again, on the very day of the announcement of SEEN as a new staff network, Laura announces she has already taken steps against SEEN. This is unprofessional and threatening. She's also pointing to a thread on mumsnet, which has absolutely nothing to do with Defra Group. This is obsessive behaviour and all the more sinister. Ilwas shocked when I saw this post.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 29

As the tribunal has also discussed Defra group employees' use of Mumsnet, I have also added details on how this affected me specifically. Would you like knowing that these people could track your movements?

My FoI requests are public, and I have received floods of abuse from "gender critical" people for making them, particularly on Mumsnet, where users have accused me of being a man (I'm a cisgender woman), a psychopath (I have a recurring mental health condition, but it's not that) and other dishonorable things.

Several people posting transphobic material on Mumsnet have identified themselves as employees of Defra group. One of my Freedom of Information requests revealed that Defra were aware of this, but chose to do nothing, despite acknowledging that it was a violation of their social media policy.

At least one self-identified Defra group employee (using the screen name “Tallisker”) participated in the discussions targeting me. When I raised a concern about this, I was told that my fellow Defra group employees had the right to express their opinion of me. I had to live with the knowledge that this person had access to my calendar and location.

And they weren't the only one …

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 29

Alex Line, Defra's barrister in Samantha Tempest v Defra & Rural Payments Agency, misrepresented one of my Freedom of Information requests. Either he or Tribunal Tweets also attributed remarks to me I didn't make. I wrote my story prior to the tribunal but have amended it to set the record straight.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 29

I've been hate-criming the GCs again

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 28

If you're wondering why I have the VBB list muted rather than blocked, it's because I want transphobes to see what *I* have to say. I will be a thorn in these evil people's sides for the rest of my life

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 28

Don't know what she expected from following me

Screenshot showing I'm now blocked by the transphobic follower my post was directed to.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 27

My copy of Higashino Keigo's new novel (newly translated in English, that is) arrived today. This isn't about the same camphor tree as Masha's song, but I like to think the two friends had a chat about it. I could read the Japanese title by myself. #福山雅治 #BROS1991

Image shows Chii-Masha, an oshi-nui (cuddly toy sold to fans) representing Japanese pop star & actor Fukuyama Masaharu, looking at Jordan Taylor's English translation of Higashino Keigo's novel The Keeper of the Camphor Tree (クスノキの番人).

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 26

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 26

In case anyone thought I faked this post made on a work forum by Andreas Mueller of the "gender critical" SEEN Network, it's just come up as evidence in the employment tribunal. Remember, Defra group staff got email updates from Yammer by default. Would you like to get this in your work email?

I've truncated this aggressive BS for space reasons, but you get the idea.

Mueller, Andreas
... There are several major bits of misinformation in this response (and numerous others like it in this thread of a nature that can no longer be left unchallenged:
1. ... this line of conversation is known as a 'strawman' argument. ... Unless you can name additional gamete types, you won't be able to prove that other sexes exist or that sex is in any way 'a spectrum'. ... I'll leave you a link to a tvitter thread of no less than 17 actual scientistsunequivocally saying that human sex is binary and immutable (and that the presence of conditions like the ones you mention doesn't affect this simple truth in any way): https://twitter.com/fem_mb/status/1579000426841899008? t=4UrvS1hC_AkC3i5X3e2hWA&s=09. Maybe you can prove them all wrong; I'll wait.
• ... I'm feeling less and less patient with professionals working responsible jobs at the govemnment's expense, accusing people like me of being somehow 'anti-scientific', or showing flat earth-levels of ignorance' about some of the basic tenets of human reality that we all seemed to know until about 5 minutes ago. It's insulting and, quite frankly emotionally draining. This Yammer thread was literally closed so that some really egregious, defamatory and hurtful comments could be removed. The organisation followed up with its own post explaining this and asking for mutual respect and consideration. Yet, as soon as the thread reopened people went straight back to posting untruths and defamation, right here, for all of us to see, as if none of those things had happened. I'd suggest strongly to everyone to consider that, as our Yammer rules state, you are accountable for what you say. I'm personally making a note of everything slanderous and misleading posted on this medium, and I can't be the only one. And I'm following up. The internet doesn't forget. Neither do I.

Laura Del Col Brown@beesandrikishis· Jun 26

I mention three previous complaints in the email - to the best of my recollection, these were not about transphobic material. Here's a reminder of the other trash Defra were allowing on their forums