by Roger Kiska, The Critic
Legal challenges to councils are morally and legally justified
On the 24th of June, with the support of the Christian Legal Centre, Blessing Olubanjo, a member of the Christian People’s Alliance Party and long-time Camden resident issued a pre-action letter to Camden Borough Council over a pedestrian crossing painted in the colours of the transgender flag to celebrate the scandal-ridden and now shuttered Tavistock gender identity clinic. The letter threatens suit on several grounds, including breaches of various traffic related statutes and regulations, the statutory breach of the Local Government Act1986, and breaches of the Council’s public sector equality duty.
The crossing, located at the junction of Tavistock Place and Marchmont Street, cost taxpayers approximately £10, 000 and was installed despite opposition from the blind community that the crossing could cause confusion and safety issues to the seeing impaired.
The transgender flag was conceived by Monica Helms, a trans activist, in 1999. The flag is purportedly meant to symbolise the transgender journey:
The trans flag was created in 1999 by Monica Helms, a trans woman. The flag was first flown at a Pride Parade in Phoenix in 2000. The light blue represents boys, and the pink represents girls. The white is used to symbolize those who are transitioning, those who feel they have a neutral gender or no gender and those who are intersex. The pattern was strategically picked so that, regardless of which way you fly the flag, it will always be correct. Helms chose this orientation to symbolize those trying to find correctness in their own lives.
While the crossing has been in place since 2021, Ms Olubanjo only recently became aware of it.