A group of female nurses at Darlington Memorial Hospital have won an employment tribunal case against their employer, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, over the use of single-sex changing rooms by a trans colleague. The tribunal ruled that the trust violated the nurses' dignity and created a hostile, intimidating, humiliating and degrading environment.
The seven nurses objected to sharing the women's changing facilities with Rose Henderson, a trans woman and operating theatre practitioner. Judge Sweeney found that the trust subjected the nurses to harassment related to sex and gender reassignment by permitting Henderson to use the female changing room and requiring the nurses to share it without providing suitable alternative facilities.
The tribunal dismissed complaints about Henderson's conduct, stating she did not behave improperly, but acknowledged the nurses' genuine fears for their dignity, bodily integrity and privacy. Lead claimant Bethany Hutchison called the ruling a 'victory for common sense', while another claimant, Lisa Lockey, said the trust had 'gaslighted' them and silenced their complaints.
The trust's response included referring to the need for the nurses to be educated on trans rights and to broaden their mindsets. The tribunal also noted that no management or HR staff had discussed the issue with Henderson. The Christian Legal Centre, which backed the claim, said the ruling makes clear that 'biological men are men, women are women' and urged NHS policy to reflect this.
