Tracey Cooper is one of seven nurses from Darlington Memorial Hospital who say they are being left feeling ‘unsafe’ when they are getting ready for work.
The group, from the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT), have lodged an employment tribunal case for sexual discrimination and sexual harassment after Rose Henderson, who was born male but who identifies as a woman, was allowed to use the women’s changing facilities.
In her witness statement, she said: “I could not believe it. He was dressed in a masculine way: he was wearing a baggy black t-shirt with a large rock or gothic image on the front, baggy jeans and well-used dark trainers.
“He had long straggly hair. He wore no make-up or jewellery.”
The claimant said senior colleagues had a meeting following complaints from staff and the response was “we had to accept the situation due to the inclusiveness of the NHS, despite the fact that a number of departments had raised the same issue”.
The day surgery unit band five nurse, who has worked for the trust since 2002, added: “I was initially apprehensive about expressing my concerns due to a fear of being labelled a bigot or transphobic.”
The nurses arriving at the employment tribunal (Image: NNP)
Under cross examination by Simon Cheetham KC, representing CDDFT, the nurse was asked about how she felt about sharing the changing room with Rose.
She said: “With everything that was going on, I wasn’t comfortable with Rose being in the changing room with the concerns of my colleagues about their behaviour in there and the possibility that he was no longer taking hormones and was trying to their girlfriend pregnant.
“I just felt it all had to be highlighted to HR so they had the full picture of what we were going through and what we were dealing with.”
The second nurse to give evidence in today’s hearing was Lisa Lockey, in her written statement, she said: “I have been made to feel degraded, humiliated, ignored and suppressed by CDDFT.
“Over the past two years, I have felt increasingly anxious coming into work, knowing that I am totally unsupported by the management in my reasonable wish to have privacy when I change clothes, and moreover exposed to hostility and intimidation because of that.”
Under cross examination by Mr Cheetham, representing the CDDFT, the nurse was asked how she knew that Rose Henderson had allegedly stopped taking female hormones and was trying to their partner pregnant.
Seven nurses from Darlington Memorial Hospital arrive at a landmark employment tribunal (Image: North News)
Ms Lockey said: “I think that there is no smoke without fire. From what I have heard, Rose was quite vocal about discussing their personal circumstances.
“I don’t believe people would bring that up out of pure malice. I think he must have been discussing it.”
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In their particulars of claim document, the nurses say the health trust “permits any member of staff (regardless of sex and regardless of gender reassignment) to choose their ‘gender identity’ and to access a single-sex changing room on that basis”.
A spokesperson for the health trust said: “County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is committed to providing safe, respectful and inclusive care for patients and working environment for all colleagues.
“As this matter is the subject of ongoing employment tribunal proceedings, it would not be appropriate for the trust to comment further while the case is active.”
The tribunal is expected to last until November 14.