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Original poster

NHS England staff have safe spaces for aromantic and BI+ colleagues to talk about feelings - is there one for biological women?

38 replies

IwantToRetire · 08/12/2024 21:40

The NHS is allowing five subgroups of people with various gender and sexual orientations to meet and discuss personal issues in “safe spaces” during the working day.

The five groups involved in the scheme include asexual and aromantic, bi+, non-binary, rainbow family, and <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.is/o/WtT2D/www.telegraph.co.uk/transgender/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">trans.

Aromantic is described as an “umbrella term to encompass aromantic, grey-romantic, and demiromantic”.

Bi+ describes people with “a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender including, but not limited to, bisexual, pan, queer, and some other non-monosexual and non-monoromatic identities”.

Meanwhile demisexual describes people who say they need to experience a close emotional bond with someone before they can become sexually attracted to them.

Describing the meetings as safe spaces is understood to have irked some NHS staff who are battling for women to have the right to single-sex spaces including toilets, showers, and hospital wards.

One source told the Telegraph: “Safe spaces are really important but not if you are a woman who wants to use toilets or changing rooms without men who identify as female there with you.”

They had raised concerns with human resources about the behaviour of their colleague, who was not undergoing medical treatment to transition, but were told that they needed to be “re-educated”.

NB this is NOT the whole Telegraph, just selected paragraphs!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/07/nhs-england-safe-spaces-aromantic-bi-colleagues-feelings/

Can be read in full here https://archive.is/WtT2D

OP posts:
TempestTost · 09/12/2024 02:12

Fuck.

I guess if you want to create a reason not to hire people because they will be doing this shit instead of working, it makes sense?

People can maybe just not discuss their sexuality on work time at all, they won't then required a safe space to do it in.

Original poster
IwantToRetire · 09/12/2024 01:19

That's your private life surely, can't understand why anyone would want to discuss that with colleagues.

Or if you did want to, you formed a social group of whatever and met up once a week after work. In fact the last thing you would want is for it to be at the permission on your employer.

I suppose it is all part of the process of making your employer your support worker. That is now their role. To prioitise your identity over over any obligation they have to you for their salary.

(Unless you are biological women of course.)

OP posts:
Ohthatsabitshit · 09/12/2024 01:19

What a waste of nhs time and money.

Original poster
IwantToRetire · 09/12/2024 01:14

Dontwearmysocks · 08/12/2024 23:57

Whatever happened to just going to work and doing the job you are paid for?

Isn't that now an alien concept?

In fact you should be careful saying that out loud in a workplace as you may find you too are contributing to people not feeing "safe" at work.

OP posts:
pizzaHeart · 09/12/2024 00:45

Dontwearmysocks · 08/12/2024 23:57

Whatever happened to just going to work and doing the job you are paid for?

This ^ is such a great idea! And it will definitely increase productivity so win-win for all.

thomasinacat · 09/12/2024 00:45

Perhaps NHS staff could instead focus on, oh I don't know, treating patients instead of sitting round in spaces, talking about their hemidemisemi sexual feelings (in rooms with hexual ceilings?).

Why does your employer need to know anything about your sexual orientation, or your personal feelings about it, let alone provide a room in which to discuss it, during working hours, paid for by the taxpayer. That's your private life surely, can't understand why anyone would want to discuss that with colleagues. Some employers seem to be taking it upon themselves to act in a very weird personal counselling role. Very odd lack of boundaries.

Fenlandia · 09/12/2024 00:44

Is this really what Nye Bevan had in mind?

Dreamtickets · 09/12/2024 00:41

I could go as from that description I’m Demi-sexual!

Original poster
IwantToRetire · 09/12/2024 00:20

Meanwhile demisexual describes people who say they need to experience a close emotional bond with someone before they can become sexually attracted to them.

I cant say I have ever wondered what this word meant, but if this is the true definition, isn't that in fact (or assumed to be the fact) of the majority.

and indeed said to be more true of women, rather than men who detatch physical from emotional.

So the potential seems to be that most of the NHS staff could be in this sub group.

Or is the implication that framed within the LGBTQI+ community, emontional bonds are a rarity and not thought to be normal?

OP posts:
Original poster
IwantToRetire · 09/12/2024 00:16

I read that as aromatic

So did I!

And wondered if this was a whole new identity group that only responded to people who smelt right.

Or that you insisted that you smealt like roses even though you and everybody else knew you smelt like you hadn't brushed your teeth this morning.

OP posts:
Pieceofpurplesky · 09/12/2024 00:09

I read that as aromatic. Wondered why the nicely scented needed somewhere to go.

It is late.

Dontwearmysocks · 08/12/2024 23:57

Whatever happened to just going to work and doing the job you are paid for?

Ramblingnamechanger · 08/12/2024 23:47

Has Wes got anything to say on this?