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Mridul Machindra Wadhwa (born 1978) is an Indian-born Scottish women's rights, trans rights, and anti-domestic violence campaigner and self-identified transgender woman, although she does not possess a Gender Recognition Certificate and is legally male in the UK. She serves as Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. She is a member of the Scottish Green Party and was formerly active in the Scottish National Party, serving as the Equalities and Women's Officer for the party's Fountainbridge and Craiglockhart branch from 4 November 2020 for an unknown period. Since 2019 she has been the target of criticism on social media and from other sources.

Background

Mridul Wadhwa was born in India in 1978, with a birth certificate registering the birth as of a male. She lived in Pune until 30, where she ran a successful business with her husband, then emigrated to the United Kingdom, where she earned a master's degree in education from the University of Edinburgh in 2005. She permanently moved to Scotland in 2009. She became involved in women's rights activism in Scotland as a student, and has spoken about her focus on giving voice to women from marginalised backgrounds, including migrant and racialised women.

Career

Equality and anti-violence sector

Wadhwa has worked in the equality and anti-violence sectors in Scotland since leaving university in 2005. She was the information and education officer and children's services team leader at Shakti Women's Aid from 2008 to 2017, a training and volunteer coordinator at Rape Crisis Scotland from 2014 to 2018, and the manager at Forth Valley Rape Crisis Centre from 2018 to 2021. She was also a board member of YWCA Scotland and of the Equality Network from 2017 to 2021. She became Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre in 2021.

Political career

In 2017 Wadhwa stood for election as a councillor for the SNP in the Craigentinny/Duddingston ward in Edinburgh. She secured 674 votes and finished sixth of eight candidates, failing to be elected to a seat. In October 2020, Wadhwa attempted to be selected as the Scottish National Party candidate for both Stirling and Edinburgh Central in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, but failed to be chosen by members in either constituency. Wadhwa quit the party due to what she described as multiple attacks motivated by her interest in leadership positions within the party; according to Wadhwa, party members objected to Wadhwa being listed on an all-woman candidate list. Wadhwa left the SNP after MSPs backed an amendment to allow survivors of rape and sexual violence to request the sex, rather than the self-identified gender, of the person examining them.

Harassment

Wadhwa began receiving abuse in 2019, while working as the director of the Forth Valley rape crisis centre in Stirling. The abuse intensified after she announced her intention to seek selection as an SNP candidate in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, and intensified again after her appointment as director of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC).

Articles criticising Wadhwa were published on the websites of Wings Over Scotland and The Christian Institute, with the series of articles by The Christian Institute amplified by the United States-based Christian Today and Life Site News.

On 13 August 2021, the Scottish Green Party issued a statement in solidarity with Mridul Wadhwa after the abuse, denouncing the spread of what it described as "misinformation" about the crisis centres and resulting abuse which it claimed posed a threat to survivors and workers at the centre. By Autumn 2021, following police advice and consultations with security experts, the ERCC ended their open door policy, and installed an intercom system for access and a reinforced inner door.

Guilty Feminist podcast comments

In an interview on the Guilty Feminist podcast, Wadhwa stated:

So we might have fear of men of a certain ethnicity, we might have fear of trans people, and it could be linked to an experience of trauma. I think it is, it is okay to hold those things as long as you are willing to acknowledge that, in support, we will accept that ... the other thing is that sexual violence happens to bigoted people as well. And so, you know, it is not discerning crime. But these spaces are also for you. But if you bring unacceptable beliefs that are discriminatory in nature, we will begin to work with you on your journey of recovery from trauma. But please also expect to be challenged on your prejudices.

Wadhwa's comments were criticized, including by the group For Women Scotland and sexual violence researcher Jessica Taylor. JK Rowling stated that Wadhwa's comments inspired her to create Beira's Place, a support centre for cisgender women only. Wadhwa said her words were taken out context.

Other controversy

Wadhwa obtained the job of manager at Forth Valley Rape Centre without disclosing her transgender status, tweeting on 3 Jan 2020 that "no-one asked and I didn't say", despite the job's application form containing the question "Do you consider yourself to be a trans person?" In a 2019 video interview Wadhwa stated "I wasn’t even sure whether I would have been hired if they had known that I was trans". The job had been advertised under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act as being open to "women only".

At an employment tribunal in Edinburgh in January 2024, a former employee of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre stated that when asked how best to bring staff on board if they were not sure about trans-inclusive policies, Wadhwa replied: “Fire them.” The employee was concerned that the policy had caused rape victims to self-exclude from the service, and subsequently resigned and brought a claim for constructive dismissal due to the attitude of Wadhwa and other staff. The case is ongoing.

In November 2020 Wadhwa posted a tweet claiming to have inhabited the Indian goddess Kali the previous day, illustrated with a picture of the goddess holding up a severed head and a bloodied sword, and surrounded by other corpses. Wadhwa's Twitter account has subsequently been deleted.

Awards

Wadhwa received the "Outstanding Campaigner Award" of the Equality Network in 2015

References

1. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/anger-over-trans-woman-on-all-female-snp-shortlist-092x6jw9t
2. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/our-statement-sex-and-gender-reassignment-legal-protections-and-language?return-url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.equalityhumanrights.com%2Fsearch%3Fkeys%3Dour%2Bstatement%2Bsex%2Bgender%2Breassignment
3. ^ Greer, James (19 October 2020). "Forth Valley Rape Crisis Centre manager announces MSP bid for 2021". Brig News. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
4. ^ "Welcome to Mridul Wadhwa, our new CEO". Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
5. ^ "Mridul Wadhwa on giving a voice to marginalised women". Scottish National Party. 12 May 2018. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
6. https://twitter.com/joolzzt/status/1323635843937034241
7. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/anger-over-trans-woman-on-all-female-snp-shortlist-092x6jw9t
8. Deshmukh, Chaitraly (20 November 2017). "International Transgender Day: 5 trans people prove why all is not lost". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
9. ^ Ramsay, Adam (17 October 2022). "How anti-trans activists forced Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre into lockdown". Open Democracy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
10. https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2017/04/council-elections-2017-snp-candidates/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/Craigentinny/Duddingston_(ward)#2017_Election
12. ^ Gordon, Tom (12 August 2021). "Outcry over plan to educate 'bigoted' rape survivors about trans rights". The Herald Scotland.
13. Gordon, Tom (13 August 2021). "Greens defend rape centre boss in 'bigoted' survivors row". The Herald. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
14. "Scottish Greens condemn abuse aimed at rape crisis centres". 13 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
15. "Creating Our Own World with Kemah Bob and Mridul Wadhwa". The Guilty Feminist (Podcast).
16. Sanderson, Daniel (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling says she's rich enough to take the flak as she launches women-only support service". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
17. Meighan, Craig (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling opens 'women-only' centre for sex abuse survivors in Scotland". The National.
18. Davidson, Gina (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling launches new women-only sexual abuse support centre". LBC. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
19. wadhwa, mridul. "Statement". edinburghrapecrisis. ERCC. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
20. https://archive.ph/UErrk
21. https://wingsoverscotland.com/waiting-for-the-men/
22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT_ryngVhcU&t=149s
23. https://wingsoverscotland.com/waiting-for-the-men/
24. https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/scotlands-rape-crisis-centres-in-turmoil-as-gender-ideology-threatens-female-only-service-susan-dalgety-4485282
25. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/19/a-politically-toxic-issue-the-legal-battles-over-gender-critical-beliefs
26. https://wingsoverscotland.com/two-women/
27. "Outstanding Campaigner Award". Equality Network. September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.

• Scottish feminists
• Indian feminists
• Domestic violence awareness
• 1978 births
• Living people
• Scottish political candidates
• Indian political candidates
• Indian emigrants to Scotland
• Indian transgender women
• Scottish transgender women
• Transgender women politicians
• Indian LGBT politicians
• Scottish LGBT politicians