Latest news with #DavidToshack
Telegraph
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Prison officer sacked after refusing to call male-born inmates ‘she'
A prison officer was sacked after refusing to refer to male-born transgender inmates as 'she' or 'her'. Army veteran David Toshack, 50, was dismissed by GEOAmey, one of the UK's largest security firms, during a training course just days before taking up a role as a prison custody officer at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in Fife. However, he said that he was 'shocked' to be dismissed before even starting the job. Mr Toshack is now taking the company to an employment tribunal on the grounds of unlawful discrimination and harassment for his beliefs. The father of three said he told a safeguarding workshop he would not be comfortable using a transgender inmate's preferred gender pronouns and said he had gender-critical beliefs that people are unable to change sex. 'I'm just a normal, working-class person who's never been in trouble with the law before, not got a criminal record, lived a good life,' he told the Mail on Sunday. 'I've been prepared to go and fight and die for my country, and then I have come back here and been told that there's certain things you can't think or can't say.' Mr Toshack, who spent more than 10 years with the Army's medical reserves and who describes himself as a regular churchgoer, added: 'There must be loads of folk like me who don't have any of that, who are on their own, so I want to show folk you can stand up against this stuff.' His case comes after the UK's Supreme Court's ruling in April which said that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act refer only to biological women and biological sex. This excludes transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates. The judgment has far-reaching ramifications regarding single-sex spaces. The UK Government said at the time that the ruling brought 'clarity and confidence' for women and those who ran hospitals, sports clubs and women's refuges. It is expected Mr Toshack's case will increase the pressure on the Scottish Prison Service to review its transgender policies in light of the Supreme Court ruling, and Mr Toshack's employment tribunal. It could also lead to further complaints from other prison custody officers asked to use transgender inmates' preferred pronouns. A spokesman for GEOAmey said: 'As this matter will be subject to tribunal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.'
Scottish Sun
02-08-2025
- Scottish Sun
Scots prison officer sacked for ‘refusing to say trans male cons are women'
He is now taking action against his former employer TRANS ROW Scots prison officer sacked for 'refusing to say trans male cons are women' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SACKED prison officer lost his job after saying he would refuse to refer to trans male lags as women. David Toshack, 50, was set to take up a job as a prison custody officer (PCO) at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for firm GeoAmey. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 GeoAmey sacked the prison custody officer before he had even started his job Credit: Alamy 3 David Toshack said he refused to call trans prisoners women if they were born male Credit: Getty But his career with the firm came to a crashing halt before he had even started. The army veteran was at a training course on January 7 where the issue of transgender prisoners was discussed. When he said he wouldn't be comfortable calling a trans male con by their preferred pronouns and his view a man cannot be a woman at a safeguarding workshop he was told to leave the room. He was then sacked the same day despite positive feedback from his instructors. He was told his views were against the law and GeoAmey policy. But church-going David was shocked by the decision after believing a job as a PCO would be a great role for him after his time in the Army. He told the Daily Mail: "I'm just a normal, working class person who's never been in trouble with the law before, not got a criminal record, lived a good life. "I've been prepared to go and fight and die for my country, and then I have come back here and been told that there's certain things you can't think or can't say." Not taking the decision without a fight, David is now taking the firm to an employment tribunal. He claims he was the subjected to unlawful discrimination and harassment because of his beliefs. Scots prison offers 'facing punishment' if they call trans rapists male The case is set to go before a tribunal later this year. David is being represented by Margaret Gribbon, the same solicitor representing nurse Sandie Peggie who was suspended by NHS Fife after challenging a trans doctor about using a women's changing room. He added: "There must be loads of folk like me who don't have any of that, who are on their own, so I want to show folk you can stand up against this stuff." Earlier this year a landmark supreme court ruling sided with feminist campaigners and said a woman means a biological female. It followed a three year legal battle between campaign group For Women Scotland and the Scottish Government over controversial self-ID laws. David's case could bring forward more claims from jail staff across the country if it is successful. In April we told how Scottish prison officers are still facing disciplinary action if they call male transgender inmates "he" or "him. A spokesperson for GeoAmey said: "As this matter will be subject to tribunal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time."
Daily Mail
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Prison custody officer sacked for refusing to call male-born trans prisoners 'she' or 'her'
A prison custody officer who was sacked for saying he would not address male-born transgender inmates as 'she' or 'her' has launched legal action against one of the UK's largest security firms. Army veteran David Toshack, 50, was dismissed by GEOAmey during a training course only days before taking up a role as a prison custody officer (PCO) at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court. The father of three told a safeguarding workshop that he would not be comfortable using a transgender inmates' preferred gender pronouns and expressed his belief that a man could not become a woman. It sparked a horrified reaction from bosses at the firm, which employs thousands of justice workers across the UK, who said his views were against the law and company policy. In an interview with The Mail, Mr Toshack told of his 'shock' at being dismissed before he even started the job. He said: 'I'm just a normal, working class person who's never been in trouble with the law before, not got a criminal record, lived a good life. I've been prepared to go and fight and die for my country, and then I have come back here and been told that there's certain things you can't think or can't say.' He was sacked the same day and forced to return his uniform and equipment with immediate effect. He is now taking GEOAmey to an employment tribunal for unlawful discrimination and harassment for his beliefs. The case, which is expected to take place later this year, could open the door to a flurry of further complaints from prison custody officers who have been asked to use trans inmates' preferred pronouns. And it will likely heap yet more pressure on the Scottish Prison Service to review its transgender policies in light of April's Supreme Court ruling. Mr Toshack said he has never been sacked before and is determined to speak out despite not having the financial reserves of other high-profile critics of gender ideology, such as JK Rowling. He said: 'There must be loads of folk like me who don't have any of that, who are on their own, so I want to show folk you can stand up against this stuff.' He is being represented by employment lawyer Margaret Gribbon who is NHS Fife nurse Sandie Peggie's solicitor. Mr Toshack, who spent more than a decade with the army's medical reserves, felt the role of PCO would have been a good fit for him. Before starting, he was sent on a mandatory weeks-long residential training course in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, in November last year. Despite saying he received good feedback from instructors at his weekly reviews, his prospects came to a crashing halt on January 7 when he shared his stance during the discussion around transgender prisoners. For Mr Toshack, a regular church-goer, it was not an inflammatory opinion to express, merely one grounded in his own religious beliefs as well as scientific reality. He said: 'I'm not some kind of pious, religious zealot, I'm just a normal person who goes to church. But calling a man a woman is just a lie; it's not based in science. It's not based on biology. It's not based in reality.' However, to his great 'humiliation' and embarrassment, the course instructor asked him to leave the room and wait outside in the corridor. He was later told he had to use a trans-prisoners' preferred pronouns 'because this is the law and the policy of GeoAmey'. When he refused to give in, he was told he was unsuitable for the role and dismissed. A week later, GEOAmey wrote to him, stating its employees 'are expected to comply with obligations under equality legislation, associated Codes of Practice, and GeoAmey standard procedures' It said he had provided responses 'that were not satisfactory to the information presented,' had 'failed to meet the expectations of the organisation' and had been 'dismissed on the grounds of a failed probationary period'. Mr Toshack tried to appeal the decision but was not successful. With the help of the Free Speech Union (FSU), he has launched an employment claim against the company. Dr Kath Murray, from policy analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie said: 'Requiring prison officers to refer to male offenders as women shows how far an organisation whose core business is managing risk related to sex has lost sight of material reality. It is also an egregious example of compelled speech. 'Failing to understand that employees are protected on the basis of both 'gender critical' and religious belief means that more and more employers are ending up in employment tribunals. GeoAmey is not the first and will not the last.' Fraser Hudghton Director of FSU Scotland said: 'This case is a symptom of the gender mania which is so ingrained some can't even tell you whether they are a man or a woman when asked directly.' A GEOAmey spokesperson said, 'As this matter will be subject to tribunal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.'
