Mcnamara, 70, who was responsible for the lawfulness of the council\u2019s decisions until 2012, asked if it was possible for a council officer in the city to say \u201cthat a trans woman is a biological man\u201d without harming their career.<\/p>\n
Before he could finish his question he was cut off by Henry Michallat, the lord mayor, who is a Tory councillor and was chairing the meeting, and told to \u201cplease be a little bit respectful of people in the room\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Women\u2019s rights campaigners banned from Green Party conference<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Emma Edwards, leader of the Green group, then interjected and asked the lord mayor to \u201creject this question\u201d because he had \u201cthe right to refuse \u00adoffensive questions and quite clearly some of these questions and the \u00adrhetoric being used is offensive to people who work in this chamber\u201d.<\/p>\n Mcnamara then attempted to ask whether a women\u2019s running club should have to accept having a \u201c6ft 3in trans woman with a beard\u201d as a member in their female changing room, but was told this question was \u201cvulgar and offensive\u201d by Heather Mack, the Green deputy council leader. Mack told Mcnamara that his gender-critical questions were \u201cclearly intended to divide and hurt\u201d.<\/p>\n Ed Fraser, one of the Green councillors who walked out of the chamber on September 9, later posted a tweet which said there was \u201ca difference between free speech and using an official \u00admeeting to deliberately offend a \u00admarginalised group\u201d.<\/p>\n Mcnamara told The Times that \u201cclosing down debate and defaming those who disagree with you from a position of power is a disgrace\u201d. He said he felt \u201chumiliated and intimidated\u201d by the response from councillors and their behaviour would make others fearful of asking gender-critical questions.<\/p>\n Wendy Stephenson said councillors were trying to silence voices like hers<\/p>\n BRAD WAKEFIELD FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n He believes the conduct of council leaders would lead \u201ca reasonable person to conclude that any thought crime or expression of a heretical view will result in the cancellation of a contract or detriment to a council officer\u201d.<\/p>\n Wendy Stephenson, 70, said she faced a similar walkout by Green councillors during a council meeting in July, when she asked if the council \u00adaccepted the \u00adruling of the Supreme Court on single-sex \u00adspaces and would \u201cconfirm it will only award funding to groups in Bristol that fulfil their \u00adobligations under the Equality Act\u201d.<\/p>\n The Supreme Court ruled in April this year that the definition of a woman and man refers to their biological sex under the Equality Act.<\/p>\n Bristol city council and other public bodies are reviewing their policies in light of the ruling but Tony Dyer, the Green council leader, has claimed it \u201cfalsely pitted women\u2019s safety against trans rights\u201d. He argued the guidance \u201crisks driving further exclusion and division for some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in society\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Wendy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/\/80203230-3400-4e49-b83a-13e28de856ea.jpg\")
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