Eight female nurses who had to share a hospital changing room with a pre-operative trans-identified biologically male nurse are taking legal action against the NHS Trust.
The nurses are part of a group of 26 nurses who wrote to County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust with their complaints in March. They originally raised concerns last summer but the nurses said they were told by HR to ‘broaden their mindset’ and be more ‘inclusive’.
They have now launched proceedings claiming sexual harassment and sex discrimination. Some of the nurses report having panic attacks before working on wards after having to get undressed in front of the nurse – who is a sexually active biological male.
One nurse said he asked her three times, while semi-naked and with genitalia visible, if she was getting changed yet. Wes Streeting, the then Shadow Health Secretary and now Health Secretary, said he was ‘horrified’ and supported the nurses.
Bethany Hutchison, one of the nurses, said: ‘Nurses are scared to put their heads above the parapet and speak out. We believe what is happening in Darlington is just the tip of the iceberg, not just in the NHS, but across public services and UK society.
‘There are policies in place that allow biological men to access female spaces if they merely say they identify as a woman. This is unacceptable, dangerous and we have no choice but to take this stand.’
The nurses are being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, headed by Andrea Williams who described the reality as ‘complete chaos’. She said: ‘Policies have promoted gender ideology over biology creating widespread confusion that cannot be ignored any longer… This case and the Cass Review demonstrate how transgender ideology has led to a public health crisis, not only for vulnerable children and for patients on wards, but now also for NHS staff who are just trying to do their job.’
Petition launched
Christian Concern has launched a petition asking Keir Starmer and leaders of all political parties to ensure women have access to single-sex changing rooms and toilets
In the final week of his successful general election campaign, Keir Starmer said, in an interview with The Times, that biological males with gender recognition certificates do not and ‘should not’ have the right to enter women-only spaces.
A helpful challenge – but I don’t recognise those views
This article was written in response to the article "Same-sex attraction and identity: Are evangelicals on the right track?" …