An experienced NHS nurse has broken her silence to reveal the campaign of threats, vilification, and state-backed harassment she endured after objecting to a transgender doctor using female-only facilities.
A Christmas Eve Encounter That Changed Everything
For the first time, Sandie Peggie, a 52-year-old Grade 5 A&E nurse, has detailed her ordeal in an exclusive interview. The mother of two, married for 30 years, worked night shifts at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy for 25 years. Her world shifted on Christmas Eve 2023 during a late shift. Needing to change due to a menstrual flood, she entered the women's changing room and encountered Dr Beth Upton, a junior doctor who identifies as a woman but is biologically male.
As a victim of previous sexual assaults, Sandie had already raised concerns with her line manager about Dr Upton's access to the female changing area, but no action was taken. She had taken to waiting outside if the doctor was inside. "I had no idea that what happened in that room on December 24 would change the course of my life," she said.
Isolation, Suspension, and a System That Failed Her
After making a formal complaint, Sandie faced what she describes as state-sanctioned harassment. Bosses at NHS Fife, which she believes was backed by the SNP government, moved against her. The lowest point came when she was suspended. "They told me I was banned from coming anywhere near the hospital, they were taking away my nursing badges and locking me out of my emails," she recounted. She refused to leave by the back door as suggested, insisting on walking out the front, stating she had done nothing wrong.
The isolation was profound. Her union, the Royal College of Nursing, offered little support, with a representative telling her to treat the suspension as a holiday. "I paid them £35 every three months for 30 years. I thought they would be there for me," she said. Colleagues who privately shared her concerns were too afraid to come forward publicly. She lost friends, received abusive messages, and even had personal conversations about her daughter's sexuality used against her in the tribunal.
Tribunal Victory and a Vow to Fight On
The employment tribunal, which had to be moved from Edinburgh to Dundee due to threats from activists, delivered a partial victory last week. Four of Sandie's claims of harassment against NHS Fife were upheld. She is appealing the remaining claims which relate directly to Dr Upton.
Despite the immense pressure, including online vilification where she was called a "bigot" and "transphobe," Sandie remains stoic. She has been buoyed by public support from figures like JK Rowling and Graham Linehan, and from MSPs, though she notes the SNP, Greens, and Lib Dems have ignored her case.
"This needs to end with me," Sandie stated. "I'm a realist. I believe a man is a man and a woman is a woman... But don't come into a woman's space." She is clear that her fight continues not for personal gain, but to prevent other women from enduring the same. "I'm fighting on because what has happened to me is wrong." She has requested that any fee for her interview be donated to a Scottish charity supporting survivors of rape and sexual violence.
