An employment tribunal brought by a group of nurses, who complained about a trans colleague using the female changing room is set to begin on Monday (20 October), in the wake of a similar case in Scotland.
The nurses’ case is being supported by an anti-LGBTQ+, anti-abortion Christian legal organisation.
Darlington Memorial Hospital nurses Bethany Hutchison, Joanne Bradbury, Mary Annice Grundy, Lisa Lockey, Karen Danson, Carly Hoy, Tracey Anne Hooper and Jane Peveller are taking legal action against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust because transgender colleague Rose Henderson uses the female changing rooms.
The trust’s policies allow trans members of staff to access single-sex changing rooms, toilets and showers that match their gender.
The nurses have brought the claim on the grounds of alleged sexual harassment, discrimination and victimisation, as well as claiming the trust failed to respect their right to privacy under Article Eight of the European Convention on Human Rights. They say they have been left feeling “unsafe” in the changing room.
Speaking outside a previous hearing, Hutchison said : “We are nurses who love our jobs and our patients and only want to be afforded the dignity of getting dressed and undressed for work without a man present,” The Northern Echo reported.
“I would like to remind everyone that we are doing this for the safety and dignity of every woman and girl across society and we will continue to fight these unlawful policies.”
Who are Christian Concern?
Their action is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, a sister organisation of the evangelical Christian Concern, which described homosexuality as a “harmful sexual practice”, and marriage as “the union between one man and one woman”, while claiming that gender-affirming healthcare caused “lasting damage”.
The Christian Legal Centre was founded by Andrea Minichiello Williams, a barrister who is also the chief executive of Christian Concern.
Channel 4 documentary In God’s Name highlighted in 2008 that Williams wants abortion to be illegal, and believes that not only is homosexuality a sin but also that the world is only 4,000 years old.
An archived webpage from 2018 shows Williams criticising Church of England guidance issued to make trans people feel more welcome. She wrote that there was “no need for Christians to sacrifice truth in a misguided attempt to be loving”, adding: “It is not loving to mislead people – and wider society – into the falsehoods and myths of transgender ideology.
“The Bible, God’s revealed and perfect word, does not recognise post-modern gender theory. Neither does the official doctrine of the Church of England. It is time for bishops to teach faithfully on this issue and for the clergy to speak with love, compassion and truth.”
Writing in Christian Today in April, Williams described the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex in the 2010 Equality Act as “a victory for truth over falsehood”.
She went on to say: “Trans-identifying people themselves are caused harm, most of all children who have been told they might be born in the wrong body, who have been allowed to socially transition and given puberty blockers.
“Many are already struggling to come to terms with the permanent damage done to their bodies because trusted adults said they could become what they are not. Who can imagine how many more will come to this realisation in the years ahead?
“Those still struggling with genuine gender distress are being harmed. They are being told that transition could fix them – the closest thing to a ‘harmful conversion practice’ that routinely takes place in modern-day Britain. But trans women are not women, and trans men are not men. Following this path dooms people to living an identity that can never be aligned with reality and that will perpetually gnaw at their souls.”
The legal firm has previously supported cases of a woman suing Camden Council over trans-flag-coloured zebra crossings, a mother taking her son’s primary school to court for holding a Pride event, and of a school employee who was sacked after sharing Facebook posts criticising LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Christian Concern has also threatened to sue Westminster City Council over its display of 300 Progress Pride flags on Regent Street to mark Pride month, accusing them of “indoctrinating Londoners” and “breaching planning control”.
On a webpage about the case involving the nurses in Darlington, the Christian Legal Centre claimed “radical gender ideology dismantles truth and biblical teaching” and puts “Christians at risk of losing their jobs for holding to their beliefs”.
It goes on to say: “Christians must be free to uphold God’s design for men and women. By prioritising the feelings of a man struggling with gender dysphoria over the genuine concerns of women who are scared for their safety, the NHS is exposing its willingness to ignore women’s rights in order to promote extreme and controversial gender ideology.
“By enabling a man to use a female-only space, simply because he claims he is a woman, disregards decades of women’s rights and nullifies biology, women’s safety, biblical teaching and common sense.”
The post New trans changing-room case – supported by Christian anti-abortion organisation – set to begin appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.
