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DUP politicians have walked out of a council chamber in an equality dispute over bi-lingual signs.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council ratified its language policy with a majority vote on Irish and English gateway signage on Monday, June 2.
Unionists had objected to the new signs for almost 90 communities in the district with the DUP also stepping away from the equality and good relations committee until further notice.
A move the party took some 30 minutes later when its motion on biological women was moved to equality and good relations by new deputy chairperson Gerladine Kearns of Sinn Fein.
The DUP’S Jonathan Jackson said: “I have to quickly say it is really disappointing that this motion is not being heard here tonight in the chamber. It is highly important, it is a Supreme court ruling in our own land and it’s highly disappointing we are not having the opportunity to discuss it here tonight.”
The full council meeting was the first of the new term with the election of two Sinn Fein reps as chairperson (Cllr Philip Campbell) and deputy chair (Cllr Gerladine Kearns) having just taken place.
The motion had been for the council to ban transexuals from having rights to use council owned female toilets. Cllr Jackson added: “And just on that basis and on the basis on the earlier discussion on the Irish language signs we as the DUP group have had to make a decision to withdraw from good relations reference group until further notice. And unfortunately tonight when there are other motions being heard above this one we feel the need that we can’t take part in tonight’s meeting any more and we will withdraw.”
Speaking on the Irish signs ruling Slieve Croob DUP Cllr Alan Lewis said: “I think it would be a fair guess to say that the council will be met with a fairly hefty repair bill. Because we aren’t blind we know that these signs have been damaged and wrecked in the past. But, let me be extremely clear, do I support them being vandalised? No, because it sends out the wrong message.
“But I think we are living in cloud cuckoo land if we don’t think these signs will be damaged.”
Slieve Gullion UUP rep David Taylor expressed his concerns that the “equality committee has failed…I’m just sorry we couldn’t find a way forward”.
Alliance supported the bi-lingual signs with Cllr Tierna Howie saying: “Across the British Isles languages are embraced, why should Newry, Mourne and Down be different?”
However, the DUP’s Glyn Hanna quipped the party should now “change its colours from yellow to light green”.
The ratification of the Irish signs plan follows its first proposed six years ago. Other motions heard in the chamber included support for employment rights and for an all island election for the office of President of Ireland.
Motion - Supreme Court Ruling from Councillor Jonathan Jackson
"That this Council welcomes the recent Supreme Court ruling which clarified that under the Equality Act 2010:
• a ‘woman’ is a biological woman or girl (a person born female) • trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities • if somebody identifies as trans, they do not change sex for the purposes of the Act, even if they have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) Furthermore, it accepts the initial assessment by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland that this judgement, in the context of our corresponding equality law, the Sex Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 ('SDO'):- ‘‘is likely to be deemed by our industrial tribunals and courts to be highly persuasive and, consequently, it is likely to be followed in cases where similar issues arise.’’
Accordingly, Council resolves to urgently review all relevant Council policies and to make it clear that if a space or service is designated as women-only across the District, a person who was born male but identifies as a woman does not have a right to use that space or service."
