Police investigating bomb threat against Hastings meeting

On Tuesday (June 19), Sussex Police confirmed officers are investigating a tweet, which police say contained a bomb threat towards an event due to be held on Wednesday (June 20).

The event is understood to be organised by the campaign group 'A Woman's Place', which is campaigning on proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act (2004). A Sussex Police spokesman said: "We are not disclosing details of the investigation or of our discussions with the organisers, however the threat is being taken seriously and is not currently being linked to any other event or offence. "We are not further proactively identifying the event - that is a matter for the organisers."

Writing on social media, A Woman's Place say Wednesday's event is going ahead and that organisers are in touch with police.

A Woman's Place say the meeting is being held to discuss proposals to change the Gender Recognition Act (2004), which gives people the right to legally change their sex on official documents.

Currently someone seeking to successfully change their identified sex through the act must: secure a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria; spend at least two years living as the sex they wish to be recognised as; and provide evidence of this to a 'Gender Recognition Panel', which decides if the change to their legal status should be made.

Last year the Government announced a consultation on plans to 'demedicalise' this process. While it is unknown what form the new process will take, it is expected that both the 'Gender Recognition Panel' and the requirement for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria would be removed in favour of self-identification.

Organisers say A Woman's Place was formed as a campaign group in response to this consultation. According to the group's website it is concerned that the changes will impact on single-sex services, such as those provided by rape crisis centres and women’s refuges. However the group's views have proven controversial, with previous meetings being protested by LGBT groups elsewhere in the UK.

The meeting is to be held at 7pm on Wednesday evening. Details of the venue have not been announced.