An artist is taking legal action against Watford Borough Council after being banned from her own exhibition and reported to the police for her gender-critical beliefs.
Victoria Culf said she feared a knock on the door and being arrested in front of her children after council representatives told her the police were investigating her comments.
While setting up an art exhibition at Watford Museum in June 2023, a museum employee already known to Culf said that her child was socially transitioning and was attempting to be prescribed puberty blockers from the Tavistock Gender Identity Clinic.
Culf says she politely and sensitively said that because of her Christian beliefs and her experience working with young people, she believed transitioning them is harmful.
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She added that the Tavistock clinic should be shut down and that the human brain continues to develop until around age 24 so “children are too young to properly assess risk”.
She says she told the employee: “I wouldn’t be being true to myself if I agreed with you.” They discussed the matter further and then the conversation ended calmly and amicably.
The council worker later posted on X that she had been subjected to a “transphobic rant”. Culf received a call from the council telling her that there had been allegations of harassment and that she would have to give 24 hours’ notice to enter the exhibition because the council had to “safeguard” the council worker.
Culf says she was also told the police were investigating her for a “hate crime” and that she needed to prepare a statement. She claimed her artwork was subsequently broken at the exhibition.
She says she was excluded from a separate community art project organised by a charity, allegedly under pressure from Watford council. She says BEEE Creative terminated her contract because the council had banned her from the museum and her participation was no longer practically possible.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Culf is taking legal action against Watford Borough Council and the employee for breach of contract, discrimination, harassment, misfeasance in public office, negligence, intimidation, defamation, conspiracy and malicious falsehood.
Culf also alleges that following a subject access request, the council failed to share the documents, correspondence and WhatsApp messages which would reveal the decision-making process behind the council’s actions against her or its interactions with BEEE Creative.
Culf said: “When I received the call to tell me that the police were investigating me, I was so shocked. I was afraid that the police were going to turn up on my doorstep at any moment and arrest me in front of my children”
She added: “We are now living in a culture where, just expressing opposition to transgender ideology, even politely, can lead to you being reported to the police. I am aware that me speaking out could be ‘commercial suicide’, but I am not prepared to be silent on these issues and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is backing the case, said: “Victoria has the courage to speak into her colleague’s situation because of her love for Jesus and love for her colleague and their child.
“It is a disturbing trend in society when Victoria, who was motivated by kindness and compassion, is subjected to such extreme punishment merely for expressing Christian truth.”
Watford Borough Council declined to comment while legal proceedings are active. Hertfordshire police confirmed that a complaint against Culf was made, but it judged that no crime had been committed.
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