The British Cabinet Office has scrapped a series of “gender inclusion” workshops after complaints from civil servants that they were “scientifically nonsensical”.
The Telegraph reports that the sessions had been delivered across a number of Whitehall departments, but have now been axed after concerns were raised with senior mandarins and ministers about the contents of the workshops.
A letter of complaint about the workshop which was sent by the Women’s Rights Network (WRN) raised issues about the contents of the session.
The WRN alleged that “beliefs were presented as fact” during the workshops, and the rights of women as well as lesbians were “overridden”. According to the letter, the trainer conducting the workshop claimed that those who did not accept gender identity were “devious” — and “not qualified to give an opinion”.
It is also claimed that the trainer told participants that refusing the label “cisgender” is a “dogwhistle” for transphobia.
The Telegraph also reports that one civil servant was left “shaking with distress” in the aftermath of the workshop. The letter of complaint, which was sent to Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, and Cabinet Office secretary Matthew Rycroft, included a series of testimonies from civil servants who had attended the sessions.
It included the testimony of one civil servant who said they were “shaking with distress” afterwards because it was “scientifically so nonsensical and bizarre”, while another staff member said they found the contents of the workshop “awful and upsetting”. A third said they felt those giving the workshop were “tantamount to bullying and preachy at the same time”.
Several MPs, including Sir Robert Buckland and John Penrose, also complained to ministers and the Cabinet Office about the workshops after constituents got in touch to raise concerns.
Writing the WRN last month, the Cabinet Office said that following discussions, “the workshops have stopped and are no longer being offered to civil service colleagues”.
The letter also said that as a result of the concerns raised by WRN, the content will be subject to a review and staff will be supported to “ensure that any future content aligns to the diversity and inclusion strategy”.
It comes as a recent report revealed that an estimated £150 million in taxpayer funds are spent each year on equality and diversity training. The research, conducted by Conservative Way Forward, a Tory think tank, also found that one million civil service days a year are wasted on such training.
The Women’s Rights Network said it welcomed the decision — saying that public money should not be spent on furthering a political agenda.
Heather Binning, founder of WRN, said in a statement: “We welcome the fact that the Cabinet office has listened to the concerns that women raised.
“Civil servants should not be given inaccurate and offensive information in the guise of training, and public money should not be spent on furthering a political agenda”.
“Gender ideology is particularly harmful to women and girls and does not belong in any official institution. We call on the Cabinet office to review the training offer for civil servants and ensure it is useful and lawful.”
Meanwhile, a Government spokesperson said: “The workshop, which was voluntary, has been stopped and we are reviewing its contents to ensure they meet impartiality requirements. We are absolutely clear that the rights and voices of women must not be infringed.”