Scots politicians would like Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre scandal to simply vanish

The intellectual vacuity is bad enough but it’s the moral cowardice that really sickens. More than a week after an independent review found rape victims were damaged by catastrophic failings at Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, senior politicians remain silent on the matter.

Of the parties represented at Holyrood, only the Scottish Conservatives and Alba have spoken out on a scandal that others would very much prefer to simply vanish.

But, while the leaders of the SNP, Scottish Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens might think pretending there’s nothing to see is the way to go, their silence should haunt them.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton. Picture: Jane Barlow/AFP via Getty

The review into ERCC found that the former chief executive of the centre – trans woman Mridul Wadhwa – had failed to protect women-only spaces, failed to set professional standards of behaviour, and did not understand the limits on her role’s authority.

Under the leadership of Wadhwa – once a great chum to former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – the centre lacked focus on its core requirements and there were no protected women-only spaces available, unless they were specifically requested. The devastating report added: “Putting women in the position of having to discuss whether the service they receive will be provided by someone who was born and continues to identify as female has caused damage and does not amount to the provision of protected ‘women-only’ spaces.”

This is – or damned well should be – a scandal of international proportions. The most vulnerable women, already violated and terrorised, were horrifically failed by the appointment (and protection by senior politicians) of Wadhwa.

And now those same politicians can’t bring themselves to care.

This is entirely unsurprising from a parliament full of inadequates who have bought in wholesale to dangerous gender ideology which seeks to erase the rights – indeed, the very existence of biological women.

In December 2022, amid jubilant scenes at Holyrood, MSPs backed reforms of the Gender Recognition Act that would permit anyone to self-identify into the legally-recognised sex of their choosing. Campaigners against the change in the law, including lifelong feminists whose entirely legitimate concerns over making it easier for trans-identifying males to enter women-only safe spaces have been proved right by the scandal at ERCC, were ignored by the majority of MSPs. Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon did not keep quiet. Rather, she cruelly and arrogantly condemned those dissenters as bigots.

On the afternoon of Thursday, December 22, 2022, before MSPs voted on the Gender Recognition reform Bill, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton was especially oleaginous. In a performative speech, he told MSPs: “I am clear that no provisions in the bill on changes to gender recognition create a new or additional threat to women.” There you go, ladies – Alex has had a look into it and there’s nothing to worry your pretty little heads about.

Cole-Hamilton and 85 other MSPs voted in favour of the bill, while 39 were opposed. When the result was announced, the Lib Dem leader and other frontbenchers stood and turned to face a group of trans rights activists – including a number who had posted abusive and threatening messages about biological women online – and applauded. It was a nauseating display by slow-witted men and women whose desire to be seen as being on “the right side of history” trumped any serious consideration of the matter or any concern for women whose right to female-only spaces they were thrilled to remove.

When it became clear, early in 2023, that then Scottish Secretary Alister Jack was minded to block the new law on the reasonable grounds that it was incompatible with the existing UK-wide Equality Act, Cole-Hamilton was among those politicians who further humiliated themselves in order to “be kind”. He appeared at a rally in Glasgow, praising trans women for their courage. He singled out activist Beth Douglas – later suspended from the Scottish Greens over complaints about violent online posts, including some photos featuring axes and knives – for praise,

In his best approximation of sincerity, Cole-Hamilton said: “Beth was with us in the public gallery of the Scottish Parliament throughout all of those late-night sessions… in the really dark hours we would look up and see Beth and it was for Beth, for you guys, that we’re doing it.”

Others in Holyrood have had second thoughts about gender ideology but they remain silent, either through fear of a backlash from angry and threatening activists or, as one MSP put it, because to admit they got this matter wrong would be to admit their stupidity and their cowardice.

“If you’ve already made a fool of yourself by backing these ideologues,” that male MSP, opposed to reform of gender recognition laws, told me, “then admitting you were wrong just makes you look even more pathetic.”

The failure of senior MSPs to address the scandal at Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre means the head of Rape Crisis Scotland, the national charity that sets standards for support centres across Scotland, has been allowed to continue in her post.

Sandy Brindley – a great ally and supporter of Wadhwa – has spent the past week defending herself.

In 2021, Brindley took gender ideologue Sharon Cowan, a professor in feminist and queer legal studies, to a meeting with rape survivors, concerned about self-ID laws. Cowan was not identified to those concerned women, who believed her to be a fellow survivor.

This shocking betrayal of trust should be enough to see Brindley resign in shame. It is certainly more than enough for First Minister John Swinney to call for her to go.

Instead, Sandy Brindley – whose organisation continues to work on its definition of “woman” – remains in post and Swinney remains silent.

And the harm to rape victims, abused by gender ideologues, remains an afterthought.