Before Anya Palmer of Old Square became a barrister, she spent eight years at LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, where she was its second employee. When Palmer worked there, some key issues she worked on included test cases on the legal age of consent for gay men and the sexual orientation armed forces ban.
Palmer took her law conversion course at Stonewall and has now been a barrister at Old Square for over 20 years. The last few years have been particularly busy for Palmer, who was the barrister on the gender-critical case involving think tank researcher Maya Forstater. Forstater won her case in 2021, paving the way for others when it was ruled that she had been discriminated against for her protected philosophical beliefs. In 2022, the full merits hearing of the case took place in March, and Forstater won in July.
Last year, Palmer also undertook much advisory work, such as helping employers review their policies so they don’t discriminate on gender reassignment or on philosophical belief.