Stormont event prompts legal and ethical questions, warns TUV MLA Timothy Gaston

A planned event at Stormont hosted by the Rainbow Project has drawn strong criticism from Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MLA Timothy Gaston, who has raised serious concerns regarding the group’s proposed conduct policy and its implications for legal rights, freedom of speech, and the management of Parliament Buildings.

The event in question, titled “Nothing About Us Without Us – Trans Voices In The Halls Of Power”, is scheduled to take place on 12 May 2025 within Parliament Buildings. According to promotional material, attendees are required to accept the Rainbow Project’s Events Code of Conduct as a condition of registration.

The Code includes stipulations such as mandatory pronoun respect—even where this may contradict biological sex—unrestricted access to gendered facilities based on self-identified gender, and enforcement of these rules by Rainbow Project personnel.

In a strongly worded statement, Mr Gaston said:

“There are many events held within Parliament Buildings that promote causes I do not support. I have never argued that such events should be banned simply because I disagree with them. Stormont is the seat of our devolved government and should remain a place where a range of views are heard and discussed.

“But there is a difference between debate and imposition. It is wholly inappropriate for any group to enter Stormont and impose its own code of conduct on the building —especially when that code compels speech and undermines the legal rights of others.”

Mr Gaston voiced particular concern over the Code’s approach to gendered facilities, which states that “everyone is entitled to use whichever facility they feel best aligns with their gender identity.” He argued this contradicts a recent UK Supreme Court judgment from 16 April 2025, which reaffirmed that single-sex spaces must be respected in accordance with the law.

“Most concerning of all, the Rainbow Project is attempting to enforce its own toilet policy inside Stormont. That cannot be allowed,” he said.

“The UK Supreme Court has made it clear: spaces reserved for one sex must be respected as such. The Rainbow Project does not have the legal right to flout that judgment; least of all within the very building where our laws are made.”

The TUV MLA has tabled a series of written questions to the Assembly Commission, which is responsible for the administration and operation of Parliament Buildings. His inquiries centre on whether the Rainbow Project’s Code of Conduct aligns with Assembly policy and UK law, and who authorised the enforcement of such a code by non-Assembly staff.

“Who gave an external organisation the right to dictate speech within Stormont?” he asked.

“Who authorised them to override trained ushers with their own staff? And what gives them the authority to redefine access to female spaces in a public building funded by the taxpayer?”

Mr Gaston also questioned whether the Assembly’s own Visitor Experience Team had coordinated with the Rainbow Project regarding enforcement of the Code, and whether Assembly ushers’ duties would be changed for this event.

“Assembly ushers already ensure events run smoothly and safely. They are familiar with and trained to uphold the Assembly’s protocols. Their authority must not be undermined by staff from outside activist organisations.”

He further called upon the event’s three political sponsors—MLAs Eoin Tennyson, Carál Ní Chuilín, and Clare Sugden—to clarify their positions.

“I have today submitted questions to the Assembly Commission and I call on all three sponsors of this event… to clarify whether they support the imposition of the Rainbow Project’s code. Do they believe that women’s rights should be overridden inside Stormont? Do they agree that compelled speech and unrestricted access to female facilities should be enforced at a public event in Parliament Buildings?”

As the event date approaches, the Assembly Commission will likely face growing scrutiny over how external groups use public venues, the enforcement of event-specific conduct codes, and the legal responsibilities of maintaining inclusive yet law-abiding practices in one of Northern Ireland’s most important public institutions.