Transwoman on women's ward

[Sallycinnamum]

Had a minor gynae procedure today but nevertheless was very anxious leading up to it.

Was wheeled back to the day ward to be greeted quite literally (started waving at me) by a transwoman in the bed opposite me.

There was no doubt he was a man and being completely immobile due to a spinal anaesthetic with no underwear on I asked the nurse to completely close the curtains so he couldn't look directly at me.

Spoke to a nurse who confirmed it wasn't a mixed ward.

I am so upset. I felt so vulnerable especially as I couldn't walk so had to pee into a bedpan in clear earshot of him.

I've emailed PALS but I feel so bloody fed up of it all. Had a man next to me in the M&S lingerie changing rooms a few weeks ago and was made to feel like a total bigot when I complained to the staff.

Oh I do apologise @PhilomenaPunki was late to your point.

NHS policy for single sex wards (annex B) has included trans people on the ward of their chosen gender since about 2009. Streeting has now told them not to, as has the supreme court judgement, but I'm not sure whether the policy has actually been revoked. It definitely merits a complaint to PALS, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are unhelpful.

@ninjahamster you may not have had a problem, but you were very lucky. Many other women in similar situations have not been so fortunate. You could look up Karen White (not the author) for an example of who you could have been sectioned with.

I don’t have any experience with trans NHS staff.

I do have experience with a transwoman patient.

you're being absolutely ridiculous. it could be a rather manly cisgender woman. not all women look, sound, and act the same.

I can tell you now it was 100% a biological male. No doubt about it.

you don't know that at all. did you see her chromosome test?

"It"? Bloody hell.

The fact that women look different within their sex class has no bearing on the fact that they are still their sex class. Do you genuinely not understand that?

Nah, this one again.

Many cis women indeed. Bring me my straw man.

Ive met and work with many trans women. It’s obvious that they’re men. We’re just not allowed to say so.
it’s enormously obvious if a woman is biological versus trans.

Reddit is lying to you.

ODFO with your ‘cisgender’. The word you needed is woman’. And women are very good at telling what sex a person is.

Sorry I’ve offended people, I just wanted to offer up the opinion that trans women may not be something to fear, my experiences are positive. But I’ll bow out now as I know I’m in the minority on mumsnet.

I didn't have to. He rather helpfully told the nurse he had been presenting as a woman for the last 45 years but still had his 'tackle' as he didn't want to go the whole hog. Happy now?

@Sallycinnamum, would you be willing for me to share this on the NHS audit thread?

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5353762-nhs-policy-audit-working-party-thread-3

It's so weird to try and pretend to everyone on here that you have any objective information on what OP knows.

Why not engage with the actual OP as presented rather than imagining a different scenario and arguing about that? Presumably to derail the thread with made-up inanities.

You're entitled to your opinion, you haven't been offensive. But legally the hospital was in the wrong.

I have a question — if a trans woman has a gender certificate forgot what they’re called, does that trump the Supreme Court ruling and does that allow them to be recognised as female and use female only spaces?

This is not ok OP, I’m really sorry that your privacy and dignity was not respected when you were in a vulnerable position. Please keep us updated on the response you get and if you need any support with lobbying / letter writing please let us know.

But it’s not necessarily transphobia that some women want to be in a female only space, is it? I think that’s a woman’s right - without being labelled a terf or bigot etc…!

It's about the risk presented by a mixed-sex ward, not "fearing transwomen".

I hope that makes sense - lots of people seem to find that hard to really take on board.

No such thing

Oh goody a quiz!
Spot the unnecessary/inaccurate words.
I’ll play!

absolutely ridiculous
it
rather
manly
cisgender
not all

No a certificate makes no difference for the purposes of the Equality Act. A man with a woman certificate remains a man.

The supreme court ruling was about whether a GRC changes your sex for the EA. It had already been ruled that without a GRC you are your birth sex for EA

No, that was the point of the SC ruling.

Sex is biological sex, not "legal" sex or certificated sex.

No

No it does not. They’re still biologically male and should be accommodated accordingly.