Jo O'Sullivan

Cartoon to show how fabulous working with family consultants can be!

@BluskyeAllison Good for you Alison. You are amazing. I’ll be watching in support.

Public Announcement: Stonewall My case against Stonewall is being heard by the Court of Appeal next week on 21 and 22 October at the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London WC2A 2LL. I can confirm the appeal will be live-streamed. It will be accessible from the judiciary’s website: judiciary.uk/you-and-the-ju…. Please select the link for Bailey (appellant) v Stonewall Equality Ltd & Ors (respondent). A recording of the appeal will also be archived and accessible on YouTube after the hearing. The central question in the appeal is whether it is lawful for an organisation like Stonewall to protest about someone’s protected characteristic to Garden Court Chambers as a member of its own Diversity Champions Scheme - and then avoid liability when its scheme member unlawfully and discriminatorily upholds that complaint, as occurred in my case. I am encouraged that the Court of Appeal granted permission to appeal on the grounds that the appeal has a real prospect of success and raises issues of some general importance. You can read about me and the history of my case against Stonewall and Garden Court Chambers, and access all of the key documents at allisonbailey.co.uk. You can read the email from Stonewall, which was sent to Garden Court Chambers protesting about me and which we say creates legal liability here: allisonbailey.co.uk/wp-content/upl…. I continue to be represented by the formidable legal team of Peter Daly @peter_daly of Doyle Clayton Solicitors and Ben Cooper KC of Old Square Chambers. I will make Ben Cooper KC’s written legal argument for allowing the appeal available on my website shortly. This case was funded to a very significant extent by the generosity of thousands of supporters from around the world who donated over half a million pounds in record time, enabling me to bring the initial case against Stonewall and Garden Court Chambers. It was an extraordinary show of support, for which I remain deeply thankful to every one of you. It’s been six years since the events forming the basis of this case and this appeal occurred. It’s been a long and hard fight, and it’s not over yet.

@johnboyne @HenryHolt @people Congratulations 🙌

@salltweets I’ve just donated Sall. Thank you 🙏

It has been 2.5 weeks since the Giggle v Tickle hearing ended & I feel like I have finally processed part of it. Not just that week, but the whole 3.5 years it took to get to that point. Without a doubt, I’ve been in survival mode all of this time, just doing what needs to be done to rectify the situation. I definitely have some hangovers from it all. For example, I hate driving a car. I catastrophize the entire time, starting with thinking I’m doing something wrong & ending with the worst possible scenario. I also dry reach about 50 times a day. As soon as I get anxious, that is the response. I take a lot of deep breaths & it goes away until the next time. I hate it. But it’s all just crazy anxiety, I’m just different to how I was before all of this, for better or worse. Someone said to me recently that they thought I had enjoyed all of this. It really upset me. I don’t know if it was my mistake to rarely verbalize the psychological impact of being dragged through federal court for years for knowing men are not women. All I can say is, it’s not my style. I was not raised in an environment where just whinging & complaining was tolerated. It’s better to just get on with it, and use your energy to fix it. With the benefit of a certain amount of hindsight, I can sternly say that my ire for the entire situation is directed firmly towards the Sex Discrimination Commission. A human rights body whose only mandate is to uphold the reality of sex-based issues and they have packed it all in for the exact opposite. I think it is an ideological madhouse and if any employee wants to fight for pregnancy protections for men who claim to be women, they should do so elsewhere & without the benefit of a tax payer budget. The sex discrimination commission are the custodians of the sex discrimination act, but that doesn’t mean they get to interpret it to be whatever they want. They don’t have that authority. As my barrister said during the appeal, if parliament had intended for “woman” to include men, they had every opportunity to mention it. They never did. CEDAW has never ratified it. Outside of judicial activism, there is absolutely no basis for women in Australia - & the world - to be subjected to the gaslighting we have endured for a decade (whether we were/are aware of it or not). Men are not women, & while it’s true that “gender identity” is a protected characteristic, there is no evidence that means men can be women in law if they so choose. Womens spaces, services, events & sports are totally lawful - & always have been - because, if they’re not, there is virtually no point to the SDA. We anticipate a decision before Christmas. Earliest November. So, for now, it’s a waiting game. I feel like I have done absolutely everything I could physically, mentally & emotionally do in the past 3.5 years. We left no stone unturned. It was a rush of feeling I felt the moment the case ended. “Well, that’s it.” I know the likelihood of high court is high, but that’s a different beast: so far beyond me. It’s no longer “he said/she said”. It’s pure law, no distractions. But it’s also more money. I have roughly $400,000 in legal bills to pay right now, bringing the appeal to over $1million. The first round was over $500,000. High Court will be more. Yes, the other side is probono/tax payer funded. If I dwelled on it, I’d go insane. All of this because institutions accepted a delusion as fact, and interpreted law to suit their agenda. But, if we don’t fight back, we won’t win. You’ve got to be in it to win it. It’s that simple. Despite everything, I’m feeling the most confident I’ve ever felt. Endlessly anxious, of course, but very confident. We’re right. Men are not women. As always & forever, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the support. I couldn’t do it without you 🩷 gigglecrowdfund.com

@johnboyne So happy for you. Thanks for sticking up for us. And, just as importantly, I’m a big fan of your writing - which is the point. Free speech please.

@Parents_Promise @ResFamilyLaw Well thank you!

Massive congrats to the fab Jo O'Sullivan @dostufftogether on being nominated for two @ResFamilyLaw Awards! 🎉 Jo is shortlisted for 'Resolution Out of Court Practitioner of the Year' and 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion' 👏👏 #ResAwards25

@OnlyDads Best way to be! I support wholeheartedly my judicial colleagues, they have to make difficult and often impossible decisions. But I do not think justice is served if they are anonymous.

@dostufftogether You are probably right but I'm in two minds (as always).

This judgement will be of interest to some who follow this account...

@ZiziSulkin It never gets old!

@ZiziSulkin Loved it. The odds stacked against them or what! So glad these stories are making it onto our screens.

@IrishTimes I would’ve travelled but the same problems apply so I didn’t go to France either. Please re-instate pet passports for us in the UK (Brexit wasn’t my choice and I’m Irish diaspora). And don’t tell me I can get an Irish passport- I can, but my wife can’t.

Holidaymaker numbers well below expectations this year, says Fáilte Ireland irishtimes.com/business/2024/…

For dads.

@louisetickle @barstandards @tortoise Agree. The proven behaviour was such a breach of trust and an abuse of power that surely it warrants severe punishment. Otherwise, what’s the point of complaining. Oh. Yes, that’s how it is for women in the criminal justice system - one system mimicking another.

Where is the @barstandards 'line in the sand' for sexual impropriety amounting to misconduct? In the case of Jo Sidhu KC, where 3 charges were found proved, but 12 were not, it seems barristers can get away with a very great deal - my piece for @tortoise tinyurl.com/2bnuk59u

@grannylovekin I’m on BS - what’s your handle? I’m joosullivan

@dostufftogether Move over to Blue Sky ....much gentler....but good that you are still being LOUD and PROUD on this soon to be ignored site ( all being well )

Finally, I’ve made it in the film industry 🙌

@ZiziSulkin It’s just a financial contribution, otherwise the film won’t be made. It’s an important and likely to be fun documentary on lesbian literary history and includes faves (in no particular order) @JackieKayPoet Sarah Waters @valmcdermid ……

@louisetickle @tortoise @legalhackette @lawsocgazette @will_rtjanes 👏well done. Glad to see women on the tribunal too.

BREAKING The disciplinary for Jo Sidhu KC on sexual harassment charges will now be in public. His lawyers spent yesterday + today arguing for anonymity with public + press barred. @tortoise along with @legalhackette @lawsocgazette + @will_rtjanes opposed, won, and can now report.

@DinahGLRoseKC @barstandards It’s clearly in the Equality Act!! More than disappointing.

Christ. In the midst of a mass extinction event, a thread on how eliminating nature has been one of England's "most impressive national achievements" gets over 12k likes in under 24 hours. Sometimes I feel there's hope. But other times, only utter despair.

@caoilfhionnanna @SeanRadioRocks @merrionstreet @SimonHarrisTD @MichealMartinTD @rodericogorman @dfatirl Absolutely agree. A truth and reconciliation process is essential.