Twitter thread from Joani Walsh re Trans hospital guidance

[PlayYouLikeAShark]

https://threadreaders.com/thread/1203351253318852609

They've apologised, withdrawn the guidance but still won't do anything to tackle the need for female only HCP when they're prevented from doing this due to the right to privacy a GRC grants to a TW. Women's right to privacy & informed consent seems to be an inconvenience.

Was just coming here to see if anyone had posted this. Utterly appalling behaviour by the trust and their apology is bollocks too

"we recognise that for some patients having clinicians of the same gender is important, particularly if an intimate procedure is required."

SEX! Idiots.

Worse than that, MrsSnippy, they confirm once again that they put the feelings of staff above the needs of the patient and imply that anyone asking for a medic of a specific sex is equivalent to a racist.

We recognise our employees by the gender they identify as on a daily basis as it is essential that we respect the gender identity of all our staff.
"Additionally, we have a duty to apply the same principles here as we would if a patient requested clinicians from particular backgrounds/ethnicities or any of the nine characteristics protected by law."

In a statement the trust said: "We are very sorry for any offence or upset caused by the inclusion of these letters in our equality and diversity guidance and have now removed them.

"Patient care is always our top priority and we recognise that for some patients having clinicians of the same gender is important, particularly if an intimate procedure is required.

FUCK OFF FUCK OFF FUCK OFF

We want to be able to mandate clinicians of the same SEX.

I don't actually care on a personal level but I'm a gobshite with no fucks left to give about being a pain in the arse and I shall be requiring, in writing like Clare, a same sex clinician for all intimate procedures going forward.

Additionally, we have a duty to apply the same principles here as we would if a patient requested clinicians from particular backgrounds/ethnicities or any of the nine characteristics protected by law."

Bollocks. Ridiculous argument. It is not normal to segregate or provide separate services by race, sexuality, religion etc. It IS not only normal but compulsory in the NHS to do this by sex.

Males do not become females because of their personal gender choices: not everyone is prepared to go along with this and people cannot be forced to participate in a belief they don't hold. (Please Harry and Maya's judges, produce this in writing.)

This is creating a hierarchy of equality where trans people's rights and privacy trumps female people's rights and privacy.

Basic battle there has always been - can males always be treated as female if they want to be, in every situation, without boundaries of any kind, regardless of the negative impact on others? Common sense has to say no, because other people have rights too.

Plus basic outcome: this will exclude some female people from receiving medical care.

If we're going to balance 'discrimination' then put on the scale 'said no to me performing a specific intimate procedure because wouldn't recognise my personal sense of self and chosen gender when I wanted them to' against 'denied life saving medical care as a punishment for refusing to comply with a political belief'. FFS, a child could see it.

She has an MBE for service to the LGBT community.
Not good enough, apparently.

I'm appalled
Every time I'm reminded about the ability to change sex on a birth certificate I'm further appalled and feel like I'm going mad. Most people surely don't know about this?

It's frightening to know that there are people working in the NHS with such a lack of respect for boundaries and the rights of women to decide who touches them in intimate examinations. Presumably they're the same type of people as this 'doctor' :

twitter.com/DoctorChristian/status/1203041410313850880

Brighton and Sussex trust can fuck right off.

How dare they compare a rape survivor requesting a biologically female practitioner to a racist requesting a particular race?

Just FUCK THE FUCK OFF YOU WANKERS.

Well that was unpleasant reading, the hatred and contempt of women leapt off the page.
Who on earth have they let loose at BSUH to suggest that the organisation has ‘no wish’ to support women’s rights to safety and dignity whilst under their care? Instead, they proudly prioritise the rights of staff to express and live as any gender identity on a daily basis.
An organisation that openly states such dangerous views is not fit for purpose- unless you’re a certain kind of man, in which case it’s 🎉🎊🥳

Additionally, we have a duty to apply the same principles here as we would if a patient requested clinicians from particular backgrounds/ethnicities or any of the nine characteristics protected by law."

Bollocks. We have single SEX wards for example for good reason in the NHS. Not single religion or single race wards, which is a totally different thing and neither required nor provided.

This has now appeared as a Times article, but I don't have share tokening ability I'm afraid.

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/patient-branded-transphobic-after-asking-for-female-medic-3jh3snddt

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/patient-branded-transphobic-after-asking-for-female-medic-3jh3snddt

It's more than a pity that Joani Walsh didn't get the credit for all her hard work on this.

Sorry, x post. I can't believe I faft about for 10 minutes before posting .

Or faffed even.

This is important. Really important. Most of the people (not all, but most) you'll speak to on social media and who are politically engaged will be fairly safe. They'll find it hard to imagine a scenario in which they'd feel vulnerable. Elderly relatives needing hospital stays or care will likely be the first groups to experience and suffer from this. You might be fine with it but would you expect your elderly parents or grandparents to understand prominence of, variation of, gender identity? Presence of males and females when they're told they're in single sex wards? The confusion or lack of empowerment to do or say anything about it?

I've felt stronger this week but this article had me a bit down!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Lumene, but what we actually have in the NHS is single gender wards

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3396859-Weve-been-lied-to-about-Single-SEX-wards-since-2010

@lumene the Trust have failed to understand the interaction between the exemptions in Equality Act (like occupation requirement allowing for staff of particular sex or single sex exemptions for facilities and service) and indirect discrimination.

If it would be proportionate response to legitimate aim, to provide staff or facilities for one protected class, to not do so,( even though it causes particular disadvantage to some women on grounds of sex, disability etc, ) would be indirect discrimination (and the burden of proof will be on the Trust to justify their policy).

My sense is they won't have done the requisite research to justify the current policy

Does anyone have a sharetoken for this article?

Hoping for a share too.
The Times is a 'catch all' this weekend isn't it?

Janice is right: putting self-ID in manifestos has opened the topic and the wider societal implications up for scrutiny.

Share token :
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/patient-branded-transphobic-after-asking-for-female-medic-3jh3snddt?shareToken=412f21b1846cf5dca5d036d78a8bed8a

The comments aren't up yet - they sometimes don't go up until mid morning but they're normally well worth reading.

Thank you!

Thanks and excuse me while I belly laugh at 'prides itself on our commitment to diversity and inclusion.'

Give yourselves a big pat on the backs while branding victims of child sexual abuse, along with any woman who wants a female HCP, as bigots.

This Trust is a disgrace.

What's so frustrating is that the request is reasonable for ANY woman. You don't have to have been abused in order to want non-urgent intimate examinations to be done by someone of the same sex.