Cornwall councillor not breached code of conduct over trans comments
Complaints arose from social media posts on trans issues
Cllr Dulcie Tudor, who represents Threemilestone and Chacewater as an Independent on Cornwall Council, will not face any further action following an investigation into complaints about comments she made regarding trans people.
The council had received 10 complaints about Cllr Tudor's social media post, which stated: “Men claiming trans identity are not more vulnerable than women and girls. This is what they claim but it’s simply not true. A woman dies at the hands of a man every three days in this jurisdiction. Nine men who pretend to be women have been murdered in the last 10 years in the UK.”
Complaints described Cllr Tudor's language as “discriminatory” and “grossly offensive,” particularly her reference to murdered trans women as “men pretending to be women.”
An external advisor, reportedly a barrister, was engaged by the council to review the situation.
Their findings concluded that Cllr Tudor’s comments were protected under Article 10(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as legitimate expressions of political opinion grounded in fact and law and did not amount to direct or indirect discrimination against trans individuals.
Cllr Tudor responded on Facebook, questioning how much money the council spent on the external advisor and asserting that her views reflect a widely accepted truth.
She has now written to all councillors who sit on Cornwall Council using words she says are borrowed from journalist Janet Murray, expressing concerns about perceived erosion of women's rights and expressing dissatisfaction with the council's actions against her comments.
A spokesperson for the Free Speech Union supported the outcome, describing the use of the code of conduct complaints process as increasingly weaponised.
Cornwall Pride and other groups supporting gender-diverse individuals have been contacted for comment but have not responded.