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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Darlington nurses win their employment tribunal

473 replies

Lovelyview · 16/01/2026 11:43

https://christianconcern.com/ccpressreleases/victory-for-darlington-nurses-as-judge-rules-policy-that-allows-men-into-womens-changing-rooms-is-unlawful-harassment-and-discrimination/

Brilliant news!

Victory for Darlington nurses as Judge rules policy that allows men into women’s changing rooms is unlawful harassment and discrimination - Christian Concern

In a landmark judgment, an Employment Tribunal has ruled that County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust unlawfully discriminated against and harassed the female nurses by requiring them to share female-only changing rooms with a biological male...

https://christianconcern.com/ccpressreleases/victory-for-darlington-nurses-as-judge-rules-policy-that-allows-men-into-womens-changing-rooms-is-unlawful-harassment-and-discrimination/

OP posts:
Thread gallery
17
theilltemperedamateur · 16/01/2026 12:35

whatwouldafeministdo · 16/01/2026 12:27

Really there need to be actual firings.

Senior managers knowingly broke the law. They knowing created a hostile and degrading environment for frontline female staff. They need to be publicly humiliated for demanding these poor nurses strip in front of a male colleague just because the senior managers wanted them to do so. They belittled and shamed these women, gaslit, coerced them and made their daily work so much harder by forcing them to change in an inappropriate space.

Their actions regarding Karen's Danson's operation should result in criminal charges because they were acting to commit assault upon her knowing she did not consent to 'Rose' participating. It's outrageous. The police should really be involved. This was complete abuse of power and failure to safeguard a patient.

We need proper accountability back in the NHS or I fear it's toast.

Edited

The respondent's liability might be mitigated by the fact that they were following EHRC's 2011 guidance (now known to be wrong). I don't know what that means in practice, as we don't have punitive damages in England. Does anyone know?

Citrusbergamia · 16/01/2026 12:35

It should NEVER have come to this but I'm so so pleased for those wonderful ladies. Thank you SO much for highlighting this as I'm sure it can't have been easy for you all. just fabulous new. 💖

JustTryingToBeMe · 16/01/2026 12:36

I almost couldn’t believe it when I saw the headline this morning 👏 It is amazing news and those women were so brave to take this all the way to get this judgement. What worries me is whether this is demonstrating a clear difference between the Scottish and English judiciaries’ interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling and that we are going to see our Scottish counterparts disadvantaged by their government‘s continued view on trans ideology 😞

EasternStandard · 16/01/2026 12:39

Amazing! I’m so happy. What a trial for them, so pleased they won.

Dancingsquirrels · 16/01/2026 12:41

Well done those brave women

Awesome news

Sievecandle · 16/01/2026 12:42

Such good news! Well done to those women!

highame · 16/01/2026 12:42

The unions are digging in their heels (pun intended). Even they will have to get real at some point but I'm not holding my breath

Taytoface · 16/01/2026 12:44

Hurrah. That is all.

AnSolas · 16/01/2026 12:44

Can anyone imagine that in 2026 a UK court would have to rule that a woman has no implied contractual obligation to undress with infront of male employees?

Congrats ladies!

zanahoria · 16/01/2026 12:45

murasaki · 16/01/2026 12:10

I guess they were never going to put it in one person, and to be honest, I think it's more important to state that the trust behaved illegally. Even though I totally believe the nurses re Rose's behaviour.

I agree and it would also be far harder to prove that Rose had harassed them as all they were verbal incidents.

heathspeedwell · 16/01/2026 12:47

Just wanted to highlight this bit from the Mail. It shows how disturbing it was for Karen Danson, who like many of us is a survivor of sexual abuse, to be forced to undress with a man she didn't know:

"One nurse, Karen Danson, told the tribunal that at the end of September 2023, she encountered Henderson at close quarters, wearing just nursing scrubs on their upper half and tight black boxer shorts with holes in them.
In her witness statement, she said she had first encountered Henderson around August 2023 and thought that the colleague was male.
'RH looked masculine, had facial hair, and there was nothing in RH's appearance to suggest RH was anything other than a man,' she said.
She added that when she heard a rumour a trans person had joined the trust she 'expected a trans person to look and dress and generally present themselves as a woman'.
Giving evidence to the tribunal in October, Ms Danson said that when she encountered Henderson in the changing room, they asked her three times whether she would be getting changed.
Ms Danson was horrified and told the tribunal that the incident reignited sex abuse trauma she suffered as a child.
She said: 'I had walked into the changing room, and I had to walk past Rose Henderson's locker to get to mine, which is right at the bottom of the L-shaped changing room.
'Rose Henderson and I did not know each other at all, and we were alone in the changing room. I was rummaging through my bag trying to find the keys for my locker when I suddenly heard a male voice from behind my back asking, "Are you not getting changed yet?"

'I simply said "No". I kept rummaging through my bag and found my keys.
'I opened the locker and started rummaging through it to find my cream. And then Rose Henderson's voice again said, "Are you not getting changed yet?" I again said "No".
'I kept rummaging through my locker, but I was forgetting what I was looking for because all I could think about was: "Why is this man asking me if I am getting changed? Is he trying to provoke me for a reason?"’

Citrusbergamia · 16/01/2026 12:54

heathspeedwell · 16/01/2026 12:47

Just wanted to highlight this bit from the Mail. It shows how disturbing it was for Karen Danson, who like many of us is a survivor of sexual abuse, to be forced to undress with a man she didn't know:

"One nurse, Karen Danson, told the tribunal that at the end of September 2023, she encountered Henderson at close quarters, wearing just nursing scrubs on their upper half and tight black boxer shorts with holes in them.
In her witness statement, she said she had first encountered Henderson around August 2023 and thought that the colleague was male.
'RH looked masculine, had facial hair, and there was nothing in RH's appearance to suggest RH was anything other than a man,' she said.
She added that when she heard a rumour a trans person had joined the trust she 'expected a trans person to look and dress and generally present themselves as a woman'.
Giving evidence to the tribunal in October, Ms Danson said that when she encountered Henderson in the changing room, they asked her three times whether she would be getting changed.
Ms Danson was horrified and told the tribunal that the incident reignited sex abuse trauma she suffered as a child.
She said: 'I had walked into the changing room, and I had to walk past Rose Henderson's locker to get to mine, which is right at the bottom of the L-shaped changing room.
'Rose Henderson and I did not know each other at all, and we were alone in the changing room. I was rummaging through my bag trying to find the keys for my locker when I suddenly heard a male voice from behind my back asking, "Are you not getting changed yet?"

'I simply said "No". I kept rummaging through my bag and found my keys.
'I opened the locker and started rummaging through it to find my cream. And then Rose Henderson's voice again said, "Are you not getting changed yet?" I again said "No".
'I kept rummaging through my locker, but I was forgetting what I was looking for because all I could think about was: "Why is this man asking me if I am getting changed? Is he trying to provoke me for a reason?"’

god that poor woman. 😥I know the spasm of terror that flashes through you when a strange man is too close for comfort. It should NEVER have come to a court case. It's bloody enrages me so much.

FlirtsWithRhinos · 16/01/2026 12:56

KermitTheToad · 16/01/2026 12:27

So even if they are post op it's okay for them to strip off and show their male genitals?

Trans men don't have male genitals. With the current medical techniques it is not possible to grow or build male genitals from a female body.

The majority of trans men have female genitals.

Some have cosmetic surgical alterations to mimic the external appearance of male genitals, with varying success and unfortunately very high levels of complication. These interventions are both very damaging to the body and even when successful, limited in what they can actually achieve.

HTH.

WearyAuldWumman · 16/01/2026 12:59

This bit of the judgement is sh*te: "It is likely that the lack of insight is wrapped up in Rose’s unwavering belief that their presence in the female changing room is no threat to anyone and that they are simply asserting their affirmed gender by going about the ordinary routine of getting changed in an environment which feels natural for Rose and which has the authority and permission of the Trust."

No normal person would have asked why other people were not getting changed. Would "Rose" dared to have asked a man whether he was getting changed yet?

Greyskybluesky · 16/01/2026 13:02

Number one item on BBC radio 4 news this lunchtime!

They even said "born a biological male".

BiologicalRobot · 16/01/2026 13:03

Fantastic news!

Now somebody needs to go after the unions and rip them a new one too.

Greyskybluesky · 16/01/2026 13:04

News conference with the nurses is about to start

littlebilliie · 16/01/2026 13:05

What a result!

WarriorN · 16/01/2026 13:05

Whoop!

gruit · 16/01/2026 13:06

midgetastic · 16/01/2026 12:34

The BBC are calling it “partial”

how is it partial? It’s a win.

NotNatacha · 16/01/2026 13:09

Press conference is live on BBC website now.

WarriorN · 16/01/2026 13:09

Well have to say, it’s great that it’s the live thingy on the bbc app. They’re broadcasting the live press conference with the nurses ❤️

Darlington nurses win their employment tribunal
ifIwerenotanandroid · 16/01/2026 13:10

I've only read the press summary so far, but I laughed out loud at the last sentence of paragraph 3.