A Christian artist is taking legal motion against an area council after claiming she was banned from her own exhibition after making trans-critical comments.
Victoria Culf said she was talking with a council worker while organising an art exhibition at Watford Museum when she said she thought it was harmful for kids to attempt to change their sex.
It emerged during their conversation that the worker’s child was “socially transitioning” and had sought puberty blockers from the controversial Tavistock Gender Identity Clinic.
Culf said that she politely and sensitively explained that she couldn’t agree with this due to her Christian beliefs and that she “would not be being true to myself” if she did.
The artist said that she was later called by the council and told her there had been an allegation of ‘harassment’ and that she couldn’t enter the exhibition without giving 24 hours’ notice so as to ‘safeguard’ the council employee.
She says she was also told she was being investigated by the police for a ‘hate crime’, although the police have confirmed to The Times that her comments didn’t meet the brink, and Watford Borough Council said it had not reported her.
She is taking legal motion against Watford Borough Council claiming breach of contract, discrimination, harassment, misfeasance in public office, negligence, intimidation, defamation, conspiracy, and malicious falsehood.
Launching the legal claim, Mrs Culf said, “My conscience and Christian beliefs won’t allow me to lie over something that I feel to be very harmful. Are we speculated to be silent and permit the harm to proceed unchecked?
“We are actually living in a culture where for just expressing opposition to transgender ideology, even politely, can result in you being reported to the police. I’m aware that me speaking out might be ‘industrial suicide’, but I’m not prepared to be silent on these issues and I don’t desire this to occur to anyone else.”
She added, “I’m determined to fight for justice and to discuss what has happened to me. I feel there are probably many other Christian artists, and artists from all walks of life, who’ve been treated similarly and have needed to suffer in silence.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting her case, said: “Victoria has the courage to talk into her colleague’s situation due to her love for Jesus and love for her colleague and their child.
“It is a disturbing trend in society when Victoria, who was motivated by kindness and compassion, is subjected to such extreme punishment merely for expressing Christian truth.
“Allowing and inspiring a toddler to take puberty blockers is harmful. To be punished for expressing concern on this shows us how all pervasive and tyrannical the trans lobby has turn out to be.
“We cannot allow this trans tyranny in our culture to trample over beliefs which are protected in law, backed by expert evidence and which truly safeguard vulnerable children.
“Sanity must prevail. The fear that professionals feel over speaking truth on these must end.”
