The Trans Agenda: Politics takes a turn as the papers actually quote a trans person
News you need, the perspective you won't find anywhere else. The trans community's guide to UK news, media and politics and our place in it.
The Trans Agenda
[10 November 2024]
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Full paper review below.
NEWS
Donald Trump wins US Presidency
Although I tend to focus on the UK, there is no denying the massive impact the United States’ decision to elected a bitter, vengeful, convicted felon and adjudicated rapist to the office of President once again will have here, so it is there we must start.
In the run-up to the election, most associated with Donald Trump tried to downplay their plans to implement Project 25 but, since their victory, they have been clear - Project 25 *is* their agenda.
So what does that mean for trans people?
Among their proposals are banning gender-affirming healthcare for minors, removing federal support for all gender transition procedures, and prohibiting federal funds from being used for gender-affirming care. The plan also includes allowing individuals to sue healthcare providers for performing these procedures on minors and penalising medical professionals by excluding them from federal programmes like Medicaid and Medicare.
Trump also intends to suppress discussions about gender identity within schools and promote traditional gender roles through education. His administration aims to legally recognise only male and female genders assigned at birth and to ban trans women from competing in women’s sports. These policies are designed to erase trans people from society and remove legal protections to allow discrimination - and worse.
While it remains to be seen how much of this agenda Trump will be able to enact, the threat is significant. It is clear that Trump’s administration is setting the stage for widespread discrimination and fear, pushing trans people and their allies to prepare for the worst while continuing to resist this transphobic agenda.
We have already seen that much of the money fuelling the anti-trans movement in the UK comes from the same people who are financing Trump. They have found just as fertile ground here as they have in the reddest of US states, particularly among the media and political class, and we can expect the attacks on trans people in the UK to increase significantly with few in the government seemingly inclined to stop them.
Read more about Trump’s plans for trans people here.
UK puberty blocker ban extended [UK Govt]
Under the cover of the fallout of the US election and the return (did he ever go away?) of Donald Trump, the UK government extended their ‘emergency’ ban on the private prescription of puberty blockers without showing any evidence to back their decision.
Due to expire on 27 November 2024, it will now run until the end of the year, expiring on 31 December 2024.
The extension was co-signed by Northern Ireland’s Minister of Health, Mike Nesbitt, who helped usher in the original ban.
Adults (18+) can still access these drugs with NHS or private prescriptions, but identity and age checks are required for private ones. For children under 18, only approved UK doctors can prescribe these hormones, and they can't be used for gender transition unless treatment started before 3rd June 2024 (in England, Scotland, Wales) or 27th August 2024 (in Northern Ireland).
It is claimed that they need more time to go through responses to their consultation, but few believe they are taking those seriously, with their minds already set on what the result should be. There is a wide expectation in the trans community that the temporary ban will be converted into a permanent one and, while Wes Streeting has, reportedly, been meeting with affected parties, history shows that doesn’t matter to him.
He has his ideology and no amount of real world harm is likely to change his view.
Anneliese Dodds meets with Sex Matters
Dodds reiterated government" will protect single-sex spaces for biological women".
Trans men threaten to sue NHS over incomplete and unauthorised surgeries [Daily Mail]
In a surprising story to find in the Daily Mail [Paper Review, Thursday], trans men are threatening to sue the NHS due to severe delays that have left them with incomplete lower surgeries, causing significant physical and psychological distress.
The delays began after the contract with St Peter's Andrology Centre ended in March 2020, and a new provider, New Victoria Hospital, wasn't appointed until September 2021.
Legal firm Leigh Day, representing 16 patients, argues that these delays have resulted in patients being left with "half-built" genitalia, exacerbating gender dysphoria and mental health issues. Patients have faced unanticipated waiting times of up to four years, and some surgeries have been altered to include additional procedures without prior consent. Leigh Day is seeking accountability and potential compensation, citing negligence and human rights breaches.
The NHS has declined to comment, as the matter may proceed to court.
NHS continue employing anti trans activist clinicians who mislead public about conversion therapy [Trans Safety Network]
The new training materials for NHS Children & Young People’s (CYP) Gender Dysphoria services, produced by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC), have been criticised for fostering mistrust towards transgender children and failing to adequately address their needs. Critics argue that the materials imply parents might coerce children into transitioning or that being trans could be linked to fictitious illness or “secondary gains,” rather than simply affirming trans identities. Anna Hutchinson, a clinician tied to the training, has connections to conversion practice advocacy groups and has downplayed the seriousness of current conversion practices, arguing against banning them in ways that critics say undermine the support trans youth need. The training's use of a "biopsychosocial" model is seen as contributing to medical gatekeeping and promoting suspicion towards trans identities, while neglecting key issues like family rejection, homelessness, and the harms of transphobia that often deeply affect trans youth.
Court review over private clinic set up by ex-Tavistock staff [Telegraph]
The High Court will review the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) approval of Gender Plus, a private clinic set up by ex-Tavistock staff to offer hormone treatment to those 16 and older. This follows NHS restrictions on gender-affirming treatments for minors. Gender Plus, led by Dr Aidan Kelly, aims to fill the gap left by the closure of the NHS's Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) and follows multidisciplinary protocols for patient care.
Anti-trans ‘critics’, including Susan Evans, a supposed Tavistock whistleblower, along with a controlling parent who is described as ‘concerned’, are challenging the clinic's approval, but Gender Plus maintains it aligns with NHS policies and Cass review recommendations, aiming to support trans youth amid limited NHS options. See Paper Review (Sunday) for more.
Baroness Fox raises anti-trans issues again in House of Lords [Hansard]
Last week, at oral questions, the anti-trans Baroness Fox asked about “Ensuring accurate and consistent data on sex and gender are collected from future Census questions to ensure robust official data.” Dog whistle-a-go-go.
Speaking in favour of ‘biological sex’, we had Fox, Lord Strasbuger, and Lord Markham.
Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat) pointed out that the proportion of trans and non-binary people remains small (0.55%), saying, “I hope the Minister will acknowledge that—given the downgraded English figures, which gave the trans and non-binary population as 0.55%, and given that the figure we found for Scottish, Welsh, Canadian, USA and GB patients is 0.44%—we can conclude that the English census figures are not a million miles out and that the actual number of people in question is tiny in proportion to the amount of time we spend talking about them. Can we not, instead, use these figures to help design services appropriately for them, and move on?”
In reply, Labour’s Baroness Smith of Malvern (former Home Secretary under Tony Blair, Jacqui Smith), said, “This is my first opportunity to answer a Question on this issue in this House, but I certainly take the noble Baroness’s point that it is important that we have accurate and respected statistics, but that we are also providing services to people on the basis of their needs, particularly for LGBT+ people, and that they are safe, included and protected from discrimination. That, along with protection of sex-based rights where necessary, is what this Government will focus on.”
When asked by Lord Lucas if the government “have a working definition of gender and gender identity” Smith replied, “The noble Lord would be well advised to look at the Equality Act, for example. I have to say that this would be a better debate if we spent more time worrying about how we provide services and account for people’s needs, and less about how we catch our political opponents out.”
Stupidest question of the day came from Baroness Deech, a cross bench peer, who asked, “in every questionnaire one comes across these days—applying for jobs and filling in a questionnaire online—the final question is always about sex, gender, identity, binary: there are umpteen choices. How can someone filling in the form know what they are supposed to be if they do not have a gender recognition certificate? What is the accurate answer?”
It is also worth noting that Smith, when asked what a woman is (yawn) she said “a woman is an adult female”. She added, “her biological sex may well determine what services she needs from the NHS. That is why it is important that, in statistics that are used both in the census and more broadly by our public services, we have a consistent and an agreed approach to that.”
Government receives report into census [Hansard]
Also revealed in the above debate was that the government commissioned an independent review into the collection of sex and gender data for the census, something Baroness Ludford called a ‘fiasco’. Jacqui Smith replied, “The first part of the review has been received by the Government, who are currently considering it.”
Kemi Badenoch removes ‘Equalities’ from Shadow Women Minister’s brief
In appointing her new Shadow Cabinet, Kemi Badenoch has altered the title of Minister for Women and Equalities to remove the “and equalities” bit because she is a bigot. She has, instead, handed the Equalities brief to the Shadow Energy and Net Zero Minister, Claire Coutinho. So, that’s two departments Badenoch doesn’t believe in rolled into one for her to ignore.
You can see the lowlights of Badenoch’s cabinet below in Any Other Business, including more on Coutinho.
M&S capitulate to idiots [Paper Review, Monday, Tuesday]
M&S launched a new ad for bras for young girls with a strap-line that included the words ‘fearless young things’. That was enough for Helen Joyce and the rest to lose their shit, the Telegraph and Times to run articles about it and for M&S to tweet that they would remove the ad while saying, “We’re sorry we got it wrong this time.”
They, of course, got nothing wrong (well, until they capitulated). ‘Young things’ is a common phrase that has been used for at least a century and has nothing whatsoever to do with trans people. An argument could reasonably be made that the language is indeed misogynistic, and perhaps that is why M&S apologised, but that isn’t why the cult were complaining.
Mandatory genetic testing in sport ‘not justified, ethical or viable’, say academics [The Independent]
A group of academics has stated that mandatory genetic testing to determine sex chromosomes in sports is neither justified, ethical, nor viable. This discussion gained prominence during the recent Olympic Games, where boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting won gold in the women's welterweight and featherweight categories, respectively. Both athletes had been spuriously disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) on alleged gender ineligibility grounds, based on tests that still have not been released nor clarified. The academics argue that such testing can lead to discrimination and privacy violations, and they advocate for policies that respect athletes' rights while ensuring fair competition.
Sarah McBride makes history as first trans member of US Congress
34-year-old Sarah McBride has made history by becoming the first openly transgender member of the US Congress, winning in a Delaware seat in the House of Representatives. McBride, a Democrat, secured 57.6% of the vote, defeating Republican candidate John Whalen III, who ran on an anti-immigration, anti-abortion platform.
MEDIA
Celia Walden snowflakes [Telegraph]
Celia Walden's latest tirade in The Telegraph [Paper Review, Tuesday] reveals more about her own insecurities than any actual flaws in the Scouts' progressive programme, which has got the right-wing all flustered. Mocking the use of non-binary characters like "Billy the Non-Binary Butterfly" and a simple card game called Pronoun Pairs, Walden predictably frames an attempt to teach kids inclusivity as a form of "brainwashing". It seems nothing terrifies her more than children learning that gender identity is complex, which she dismisses as a 'steaming pile of horse manure'. The fragility is palpable.
National Lottery pay to put pro-trans message in Times [Times]
Hadley Freeman admits stopping donations to Planned Parenthood because of their trans support [Times]
Writing in the Sunday Times, Hadley Freeman, who considers herself a feminist, wrote, “after Trump’s 2016 win, I signed up for monthly donations to Planned Parenthood, to support abortion access, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), to support free speech. Three years later, I cancelled both, when these organisations, like many others, reacted to the Trump era by prioritising gender ideology over women’s rights.
“Gender ideology did not decide the election. But when Trump’s campaign aired an advert showing Harris in 2019 reassuring the (sigh) ACLU she would, if elected president, fund sex change surgery for transgender prisoners, accompanied by the unforgettable tagline, “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you”, it shifted the race 2.7 points in Trump’s favour.
“According to the most recent polls, the most common reason swing voters gave for rejecting Harris was “she was too focused on cultural issues like transgender issues rather than helping the middle classes”. It turns out that if you mindlessly parrot niche academic theories, the mainstream public will think you’re bananas.”
Freeman, of course, never likes to let facts get in her way. The Trump campaign spent millions of dollars on anti-trans ads while Harris barely mentioned trans people. Donald Trump’s government also funded treatments for trans prisoners.
WHAT’S ON IN PARLIAMENT
Select business. Full House business can be viewed here.
Wednesday 13 November
Westminster Hall debate, 9.30am, Police use of live facial recognition technology. More here.
🚨House of Commons, oral questions, Women and Equalities, including:
“What steps she is taking to ban conversion practices”. More here.
House of Commons, 12pm: Prime Minister’s Question Time.
House of Commons, 12pm+, Debate on a Motion to approve the Draft Voter Identification (Amendment of List of Specified Documents) Regulations 2024. More here
House of Lords, 3pm, oral questions including:
South Sudan Investigation Committee report on the killing of Christopher Allen, and improving support for British journalists detained or killed overseas. More here. You can read criticism of the report, which Allen’s family solicitor said was a “deeply flawed investigation [that] fails to meet even the most basic criteria for rigour or independence”, here.
Women and Equalities committee, 2pm private, 2.20pm public, Women's reproductive health conditions - Oral evidence. More here.
Friday 15 November
House of Lords, 10am+, Legislation: Women, Peace & Security Bill - second reading.
A Bill to support women in UK-sponsored and supported conflict prevention, peace processes, mediation and diplomatic delegations; to ensure systematic gender consideration and responsiveness in UK foreign and defence policy; and for connected purposes. More here.
THIS WEEK
November is Trans Awareness Month
Monday 11 November
COP29 opens in Azerbaijan
Extraordinary Diet session to vote on Japanese prime minister (will run until 14 November)
Kemi Badenoch gives evidence at the Post Office Horizon enquiry
Amnesty report on Saudi World Cup bid
Tuesday 12 November
US deadline (ha) for Israel to improve humanitarian situation in Gaza
Ruling due on whether to set aside Donald Trump’s guilty verdicts in New York case over Stormy Daniels payments
New Zealand prime minister to deliver apology over abuse in state and religious care
Booker Prize winner announced
Wednesday 13 November
Wes Streeting addresses NHS Providers conference
US House and Senate Republicans’ leadership votes
Presidential election in Somaliland
Olaf Scholz to deliver statement in German parliament on current situation
Thursday 14 November
Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka
Report: NHS key services performance data
Report: ONS measures of national well-being
Latin Grammy Awards
Friday 15 November
Welsh Labour Party conference
BBC Children in Need appeal
Supermoon
Saturday 16 November
Scottish Liberal Democrat conference
Constitutional referendum in Gabon
Mexico hosts 73rd Miss Universe final
Sunday 17 November
Snap parliamentary elections in Senegal
Report: Israel Q3 GDP
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Kemi Badenoch shows her ‘feminist’ credentials [Adam Bienkov]
After being hailed as ‘brave’ by JK Rowling for fighting for women’s rights/attacking trans people [see last week’s Trans Agenda], the anti-trans, anti-maternity pay, anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ Kemi Badenoch flashed her feminist credentials by appointing Mel Stride as “a Shadow Chancellor who described maternity leave as "onerous" and demanded the government "seriously consider" stripping new mums of their rights to take time off work”.
Other Badenoch cabinet appointments include:Robert Jenrick, who is even more right-wing than Badenoch, as Shadow Justice Secretary.
Dame Priti Patel, who was previously sacked for illegal meetings with a foreign government (Israel), as her Shadow Foreign Secretary.
Laura Trott, who can’t count, as Shadow Education Secretary.
Chris Philp, who didn’t know the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda were different countries, as Home Secretary.
Mims Davies, who actually has a track record of voting in favour of LGBTQ rights, as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and Minister for Women, however Badenoch has removed the “and Equalities” from the Minister of Women and Equalities role.
Claire Coutinho, who previously supported a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy, has had the Equalities brief tacked on to her Energy and Net Zero Shadow Minister’s role. How much do you bet she no longer feels inclusive?
HRT is good for cis people [Daily Mail]
Imane Khelif takes legal actions over latest “unverified” claims [The Times]
Imane Khelif, who won gold in the women’s 66kg boxing event at the Paris Olympics, is taking legal action over recent French media claims that she has male XY chromosomes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) dismissed these reports as based on "unverified documents." The source appears to be the right-wing, anti-trans website Reddux. Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu Ting were previously disqualified from last year's amateur World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.
The IOC maintains that Khelif met all eligibility rules for Paris 2024 and condemned the abuse directed at her. Legal proceedings are ongoing, and the IOC declined further comment on the matter.
See also Paper Review, Wednesday.
Mali moves to criminalise homosexuality with new anti-gay law [Pink News]
Mali's National Transitional Council has voted 131-1 in favour of a bill to criminalise homosexuality. If signed into law, this legislation would outlaw gay sex between men. The head of Mali’s junta, Colonel Assimi Goïta, previously stated that homosexuality is against the country's customs and values. The proposed law could include severe punishments for those convicted, although the specifics have yet to be determined. The move is in line with similar trends in West Africa, where LGBTQ+ rights have faced increasing legal crackdowns.
Debenham's cave after anti-LGBTQ+ Christians complain [Daily Mail]
Magic Circle hunt banned woman who pretended to be a man [Times]
In 1991, The Magic Circle finally allowed women to join for the first time since it was founded in 1905. Around the same time, male members were furious that they had been fooled by Sophie Lloyd, who had posed as "Raymond Lloyd" for two years to gain entry. Upon revealing her true identity just as the gender barrier lifted, Lloyd was expelled by the indignant society. Despite being talented enough to pass their rigorous entry exam, the backlash caused her to leave magic altogether.
Now, more than 30 years later, The Magic Circle wants to make amends and has expressed a desire to welcome Lloyd back, acknowledging their past mistake, but they cannot find her.
Women still make up only a small fraction of the society’s membership.
THE PAPERS
There were 15 articles this week across the papers I monitor, which is a slight drop on last week’s 17. Thursday 7 November saw the heaviest day since Thursday 8 August (8 v 9) and there was just one day without any content (Friday, having exhausted themselves the day before).
The Guardian/Observer are back on a no-trans streak - even Sonia Sodha hasn’t produced her one column since August. It has been 16 days since their last article about trans people.
The Times and the Telegraph matched each other this week with six each while the Mail had three.
Quoted this week:
Beverley Turner, Helen Joyce (twice) and Baroness Nicholson because they don’t understand words, advertising, or common phrases that have been in use for a century (see Paper Review Monday, ‘M&S in trans row over bras for ‘young things’).
JK Rowling having a dig at David Tennent.
Piers Morgan and Martina Navratilova, of all people, because Imane Khelif isn’t feminine enough for them.
…and finally, we actually had trans people quoted in a piece this week! Don’t believe me? Check out Thursday’s Daily Mail…
THE PAPERS Monday 4th November - Sunday 10th November
Monday Total: 2
The Guardian [0]
The Times [0]
Daily Mail [1]
Telegraph [1]
Tuesday Total: 2
The Guardian [0]
The Times [1]
Daily Mail [0]
Telegraph [1]
Wednesday Total: 1
The Guardian [0]
The Times [0]
Daily Mail [1]
Telegraph [0]
Thursday Total: 8
The Guardian [0]
The Times [4]
Daily Mail [1]
![Trans males threaten to sue af ter delays in NHS leave them with ‘half-built’ genitalia Daily Mail7 Nov 2024By Shaun Wooller Health Editor TRANSGENDER patients are threatening legal action against the NHS after delays have left them with ‘half-built’ penises. Some remain ‘in limbo’ between surgeries – leaving them with ‘indeterminate genitalia’ – while others are still waiting to undergo their first operation. Patients say this has caused physical and psychological distress and affected their work and personal lives. Problems with treatment arose after NHS England commissioned St Peter’s Andrology Centre – a private clinic in London – to carry out surgery but did not renew the contract when it expired at the end of March 2020. A new provider – New Victoria Hospital in London – was not appointed until September 2021. Legal firm Leigh Day has now sent a letter to NHS England and St Peter’s, claiming their failures led to the collapse in commissioning arrangements and contributed to delays. It said there are thousands of people on the waiting list for masculinising surgery. Many of them consented to the first stage of their surgeries before 2020 without being told of the long waiting times and are still waiting to finish their treatment. Others are yet to receive a referral to see a surgical consultant, or have been referred but haven’t been added to the waiting list. The law firm is representing 16 people over the treatment delays. One patient, Matthew [not his real name], said: ‘I have now been living for three years with an incomplete penis reconstruction. This continues to have a vast negative impact on my mental health. ‘My confidence has disappeared. I haven’t been able to socialise like I used to, travel or gain new employment. I find it hard to trust people now. ‘I have been hugely affected by stress which has resulted in other knock-on health issues, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, hair loss and suicidal thoughts.’ The surgeries – including metoidioplasty (hysterectomy and genital reconstruction) and phalloplasty (the creation of a penis from existing genital tissue or skin grafts) – are available to trans men who were born female. They are complex procedures which often require three stages of surgery. St Peter’s website said there would normally be at least a three-month wait between surgeries and patients were told they could expect to wait from six to 12 months between procedures, according to Leigh Day. Patients now face delays of up to three to four years, the law firm says. They have also now been told that New Victoria Hospital will perform the second stage of metoidioplasty surgery in two procedures rather than one. So they face another procedure that they previously did not expect or consent to. The hospital is also reportedly not accepting any new surgical referrals. Patients could be entitled to compensation worth tens of thousands of pounds each, Leigh Day says. The firm wants to ‘hold those responsible to account and prevent such mistakes from being repeated’. Solicitor Kate Egerton said: ‘Being left in between surgeries or for the procedures to commence has created intense physical and emotional turmoil for our clients who are facing increased gender dysphoria – the very thing that the surgeries were supposed to mitigate. ‘The defendants have been negligent in their provision of the surgeries and have breached our clients’ human rights.’ Chay Brown, from campaign group TransActual, said: ‘Those on the list have been left in limbo for far too long. Not only have their mental and physical health been impacted but also their careers, life plans and personal relationships.’ A spokesman for NHS England said: ‘This is an ongoing potential legal matter and we are therefore unable to comment at this time.’ ‘Physical and emotional turmoil’ Article Name:Trans males threaten to sue af ter delays in NHS leave them with ‘half-built’ genitalia Publication:Daily Mail Author:By Shaun Wooller Health Editor Start Page:27 End Page:27](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F70d2ed2c-1f4f-4df9-badc-fc4cec55e530_368x432.png "Trans males threaten to sue af ter delays in NHS leave them with ‘half-built’ genitalia Daily Mail7 Nov 2024By Shaun Wooller Health Editor TRANSGENDER patients are threatening legal action against the NHS after delays have left them with ‘half-built’ penises. Some remain ‘in limbo’ between surgeries – leaving them with ‘indeterminate genitalia’ – while others are still waiting to undergo their first operation. Patients say this has caused physical and psychological distress and affected their work and personal lives. Problems with treatment arose after NHS England commissioned St Peter’s Andrology Centre – a private clinic in London – to carry out surgery but did not renew the contract when it expired at the end of March 2020. A new provider – New Victoria Hospital in London – was not appointed until September 2021. Legal firm Leigh Day has now sent a letter to NHS England and St Peter’s, claiming their failures led to the collapse in commissioning arrangements and contributed to delays. It said there are thousands of people on the waiting list for masculinising surgery. Many of them consented to the first stage of their surgeries before 2020 without being told of the long waiting times and are still waiting to finish their treatment. Others are yet to receive a referral to see a surgical consultant, or have been referred but haven’t been added to the waiting list. The law firm is representing 16 people over the treatment delays. One patient, Matthew [not his real name], said: ‘I have now been living for three years with an incomplete penis reconstruction. This continues to have a vast negative impact on my mental health. ‘My confidence has disappeared. I haven’t been able to socialise like I used to, travel or gain new employment. I find it hard to trust people now. ‘I have been hugely affected by stress which has resulted in other knock-on health issues, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, hair loss and suicidal thoughts.’ The surgeries – including metoidioplasty (hysterectomy and genital reconstruction) and phalloplasty (the creation of a penis from existing genital tissue or skin grafts) – are available to trans men who were born female. They are complex procedures which often require three stages of surgery. St Peter’s website said there would normally be at least a three-month wait between surgeries and patients were told they could expect to wait from six to 12 months between procedures, according to Leigh Day. Patients now face delays of up to three to four years, the law firm says. They have also now been told that New Victoria Hospital will perform the second stage of metoidioplasty surgery in two procedures rather than one. So they face another procedure that they previously did not expect or consent to. The hospital is also reportedly not accepting any new surgical referrals. Patients could be entitled to compensation worth tens of thousands of pounds each, Leigh Day says. The firm wants to ‘hold those responsible to account and prevent such mistakes from being repeated’. Solicitor Kate Egerton said: ‘Being left in between surgeries or for the procedures to commence has created intense physical and emotional turmoil for our clients who are facing increased gender dysphoria – the very thing that the surgeries were supposed to mitigate. ‘The defendants have been negligent in their provision of the surgeries and have breached our clients’ human rights.’ Chay Brown, from campaign group TransActual, said: ‘Those on the list have been left in limbo for far too long. Not only have their mental and physical health been impacted but also their careers, life plans and personal relationships.’ A spokesman for NHS England said: ‘This is an ongoing potential legal matter and we are therefore unable to comment at this time.’ ‘Physical and emotional turmoil’ Article Name:Trans males threaten to sue af ter delays in NHS leave them with ‘half-built’ genitalia Publication:Daily Mail Author:By Shaun Wooller Health Editor Start Page:27 End Page:27")
Telegraph [3]
Friday Total: 0
Saturday Total: 1
The Guardian [0]
The Times [1]
![Trans row nurses ‘won’t be silenced’ NHS workers have vowed to continue to fight for a women-only changing room at work, James Beal writes Annice Grundy, Tracey Hooper, Lisa Lockey, Bethany Hutchison and a colleague say that their NHS trust broke the Equality Act by allowing a trans woman to use their facilities During her battle with Darlington NHS trust, Lisa Lockey, a nurse, says she has been threatened and intimidated, all because she does not want to undress in front of a man. But it was criticism from Steve North, president of Unison, after her meeting two weeks ago with the health secretary, Wes Streeting, which left her particularly aghast. North accused Streeting of “pandering to anti-trans bigotry” by sitting down with Lockey and other nurses — one a survivor of sexual assault — who want to make their changing room a space for biological women only. In light of North’s social media post, Lockey, a working mother who insists she is “standing up for other women”, cancelled her Unison membership after 33 years. “One of the things that really bothers me is the minute any female dares to complain about sharing a changing room with a man, they are instantly labelled as transphobic and a bigot,” she said. “That’s what [North] did. We aren’t transphobes and we aren’t bigots. It absolutely boiled my blood that he has the audacity to label us that. He’s a man — he has no idea how it feels to be a woman in a changing room with a bloke in there. He doesn’t have a clue.” Lockey, 51, a surgery staff nurse at Darlington Memorial Hospital, insists she is simply a “normal” woman thrust into the spotlight. She is one of eight nurses taking County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to an employment tribunal, alleging harassment, indirect discrimination, victimisation and human rights violations. Five of the nurses, including Lockey, Bethany Hutchison, Annice Grundy, Tracey Hooper and Joanne Bradbury — nicknamed the Darlington Five — have gone public with their complaints. They claim the trust broke the Equality Act by favouring gender identity over sex. The dispute began almost 18 months ago when Lockey, who has been nursing since 17, was told that a transgender nurse called Rose was using the hospital’s female changing room. Rose, a biological man identifying as a woman, told colleagues she was not taking feminising hormones because she was trying to have a baby with her girlfriend, Lockey said. Rose was allowed to use the women’s changing rooms under the trust’s inclusive policies. Lockey felt uncomfortable undressing in Rose’s presence. She said: “You just hear this deep, deep man’s voice and it feels really alien.” She soon realised she was not the only one amid claims some staff had been in tears before their shifts and had been having panic attacks. Another nurse, a sexual abuse survivor, accused Rose of staring at her. “It made her feel horrendously uncomfortable,” Lockey said. A formal complaint, signed by 26 nurses, was sent to trust bosses in April, but Lockey claimed their concerns were dismissed “in an attempt to totally silence us and shut us up”. Instead, the women were told that they needed to beeducated on transgender issues by Rose, which they found “massively offensive”. They claim they were given a manager’s small office to change in as an alternative. Some now use lavatory cubicles. Bosses are alleged to have told the women not to communicate with the media or one another about the issue. Lockey said: “It just seems absolutely ridiculous — like the Taliban. Slight exaggeration there, but you know what I mean.” She thinks the trust wants to be seen as “super-inclusive”, but added: “I don’t think they really care about any other employees, if I’m honest.” The changing room situation had made women’s rights “completely irrelevant”, she said. The nurses decided to take their claim against the hospital further after lawyers told them it was illegal for an employer to favour one protected characteristic over another in law. Both gender reassignment and sex are protected under the Equality Act. A preliminary hearing at their employment tribunal is set for later this month. National NHS policy allows staff to identify as their chosen gender and access the relevant single-sex facilities, but alternative arrangements must be provided if this is deemed inappropriate. The nurses want hospital bosses to find an alternative room for Rose to change in. Lockey said: “It really does feel like they are 100 per cent behind protection rules and actually they’ve completely forgotten about protecting us.” The nurses say they have faced intimidation over their refusal to stay silent. Earlier this year a sign declaring “inclusive changing space” and emblazoned in rainbow colours, was put on the door of the changing room. However, the nurses have won plenty of supporters across the country, including from the author JK Rowling, who has tweeted that “millions of women stand with the Darlington nurses”. As her case made headlines Lockey found it surreal. She said: “It feels a bit like, ‘Wow, history’s unfolding and we’re actually part of it’.” Before their meeting with Streeting last month, the nurses took a 48,000- name petition to Downing Street urging party leaders to “stand up for women”. Streeting told them: “Nobody should ever have to be forced into suing their employer.” During their 45-minute meeting, the nurse who had been a victim of sexual assault broke down in tears explaining to Streeting why she felt uncomfortable getting undressed in front of a man. Lockey said: “She cried as soon as she started to tell him. He was very sympathetic.” This week the nurses have sent a draft policy to Streeting which sets out a proposal for single-sex spaces in the NHS in line with the Equality Act. They hope he will create a policy like it. The nurses have also established the Darlington Nursing Union to ensure women are protected at work. County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said it was committed to providing a safe, secure, and respectful environment for colleagues, operating within the law and adhering to national policies. It said: “Additional alternative changing facilities have been put in place, these include a private, individual, lockable changing room. An office has been converted into a locker room for the storage of belongings. An internal investigation continues to take place while the legal proceedings also continue.” A Unison spokesman said the union was not involved in the employment tribunal case and it would not be appropriate to comment. The nurse known as Rose was also approached for comment.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5d40580-59e9-4168-b24e-13cd4d6cd925_1240x783.png "Trans row nurses ‘won’t be silenced’ NHS workers have vowed to continue to fight for a women-only changing room at work, James Beal writes Annice Grundy, Tracey Hooper, Lisa Lockey, Bethany Hutchison and a colleague say that their NHS trust broke the Equality Act by allowing a trans woman to use their facilities During her battle with Darlington NHS trust, Lisa Lockey, a nurse, says she has been threatened and intimidated, all because she does not want to undress in front of a man. But it was criticism from Steve North, president of Unison, after her meeting two weeks ago with the health secretary, Wes Streeting, which left her particularly aghast. North accused Streeting of “pandering to anti-trans bigotry” by sitting down with Lockey and other nurses — one a survivor of sexual assault — who want to make their changing room a space for biological women only. In light of North’s social media post, Lockey, a working mother who insists she is “standing up for other women”, cancelled her Unison membership after 33 years. “One of the things that really bothers me is the minute any female dares to complain about sharing a changing room with a man, they are instantly labelled as transphobic and a bigot,” she said. “That’s what [North] did. We aren’t transphobes and we aren’t bigots. It absolutely boiled my blood that he has the audacity to label us that. He’s a man — he has no idea how it feels to be a woman in a changing room with a bloke in there. He doesn’t have a clue.” Lockey, 51, a surgery staff nurse at Darlington Memorial Hospital, insists she is simply a “normal” woman thrust into the spotlight. She is one of eight nurses taking County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to an employment tribunal, alleging harassment, indirect discrimination, victimisation and human rights violations. Five of the nurses, including Lockey, Bethany Hutchison, Annice Grundy, Tracey Hooper and Joanne Bradbury — nicknamed the Darlington Five — have gone public with their complaints. They claim the trust broke the Equality Act by favouring gender identity over sex. The dispute began almost 18 months ago when Lockey, who has been nursing since 17, was told that a transgender nurse called Rose was using the hospital’s female changing room. Rose, a biological man identifying as a woman, told colleagues she was not taking feminising hormones because she was trying to have a baby with her girlfriend, Lockey said. Rose was allowed to use the women’s changing rooms under the trust’s inclusive policies. Lockey felt uncomfortable undressing in Rose’s presence. She said: “You just hear this deep, deep man’s voice and it feels really alien.” She soon realised she was not the only one amid claims some staff had been in tears before their shifts and had been having panic attacks. Another nurse, a sexual abuse survivor, accused Rose of staring at her. “It made her feel horrendously uncomfortable,” Lockey said. A formal complaint, signed by 26 nurses, was sent to trust bosses in April, but Lockey claimed their concerns were dismissed “in an attempt to totally silence us and shut us up”. Instead, the women were told that they needed to beeducated on transgender issues by Rose, which they found “massively offensive”. They claim they were given a manager’s small office to change in as an alternative. Some now use lavatory cubicles. Bosses are alleged to have told the women not to communicate with the media or one another about the issue. Lockey said: “It just seems absolutely ridiculous — like the Taliban. Slight exaggeration there, but you know what I mean.” She thinks the trust wants to be seen as “super-inclusive”, but added: “I don’t think they really care about any other employees, if I’m honest.” The changing room situation had made women’s rights “completely irrelevant”, she said. The nurses decided to take their claim against the hospital further after lawyers told them it was illegal for an employer to favour one protected characteristic over another in law. Both gender reassignment and sex are protected under the Equality Act. A preliminary hearing at their employment tribunal is set for later this month. National NHS policy allows staff to identify as their chosen gender and access the relevant single-sex facilities, but alternative arrangements must be provided if this is deemed inappropriate. The nurses want hospital bosses to find an alternative room for Rose to change in. Lockey said: “It really does feel like they are 100 per cent behind protection rules and actually they’ve completely forgotten about protecting us.” The nurses say they have faced intimidation over their refusal to stay silent. Earlier this year a sign declaring “inclusive changing space” and emblazoned in rainbow colours, was put on the door of the changing room. However, the nurses have won plenty of supporters across the country, including from the author JK Rowling, who has tweeted that “millions of women stand with the Darlington nurses”. As her case made headlines Lockey found it surreal. She said: “It feels a bit like, ‘Wow, history’s unfolding and we’re actually part of it’.” Before their meeting with Streeting last month, the nurses took a 48,000- name petition to Downing Street urging party leaders to “stand up for women”. Streeting told them: “Nobody should ever have to be forced into suing their employer.” During their 45-minute meeting, the nurse who had been a victim of sexual assault broke down in tears explaining to Streeting why she felt uncomfortable getting undressed in front of a man. Lockey said: “She cried as soon as she started to tell him. He was very sympathetic.” This week the nurses have sent a draft policy to Streeting which sets out a proposal for single-sex spaces in the NHS in line with the Equality Act. They hope he will create a policy like it. The nurses have also established the Darlington Nursing Union to ensure women are protected at work. County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said it was committed to providing a safe, secure, and respectful environment for colleagues, operating within the law and adhering to national policies. It said: “Additional alternative changing facilities have been put in place, these include a private, individual, lockable changing room. An office has been converted into a locker room for the storage of belongings. An internal investigation continues to take place while the legal proceedings also continue.” A Unison spokesman said the union was not involved in the employment tribunal case and it would not be appropriate to comment. The nurse known as Rose was also approached for comment.")
Daily Mail [0]
Telegraph [0]
Sunday Total: 1
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The Times [0]
Daily Mail [0]
Telegraph [1]
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