Latest news with #HelenJoyce
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
NHS under fire for delaying a ban on trans-women using female-only wards, changing rooms and toilets until the autumn
The NHS has come under fire for delaying a ban on trans-women using female-only wards, changing rooms and toilets until the autumn. Health secretary Wes Streeting promised new guidance in April, after the Supreme Court ruled biological men should be barred from women's single-sex spaces. But NHS England has no plans to bring out the guidance until 'late summer or early autumn', meaning it may not be published until October or November. Women's rights charities said hospitals and GP surgeries are putting females in an 'undignified and humiliating' position by failing to comply with the law. The group Sex Matters told the Telegraph it has been contacted by staff at several English trusts who had raised objections to biological men in female facilities but were rebuffed. NHS England's delay comes even though a health trust in Scotland faces making a huge payout to a nurse who was forced to share a changing room with a trans doctor. Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at Sex Matters, said: 'NHS England's failure to forbid unlawful policies permitting trans-identifying hospital staff to use changing rooms for the opposite sex is staggeringly complacent. 'Sex Matters has heard from staff in several English trusts who have objected to such self-ID policies without success. 'All around the country, it seems as if lazy, self-satisfied bureaucrats are leaving female staff to face undignified and humiliating conditions rather than admit that the 'inclusive' policies they put in place were always unlawful and harmful to women.' The Supreme Court ruled that a trans woman was not legally a woman because the word 'sex' in the Equality Act refers to biological sex, not self-identified gender. It means services segregated by sex, such as toilets and changing rooms, should be segregated by biological sex. Many public bodies have already started observing the rules. But NHS England has still not acted, despite prime minister Sir Keir Starmer telling organisations to comply with the law 'as soon as possible'. The national NHS guidance on same-sex accommodation, published in September 2019, says: 'Good practice requires that clinical responses be patient-centred, respectful and flexible towards all transgender people whether they live continuously or temporarily in a gender role that does not conform to their natal sex.' It adds: 'Trans people should be accommodated according to their presentation: the way they dress, and the name and pronouns they currently use. 'This may not always accord with the physical sex appearance of the chest or genitalia. 'It does not depend on their having a gender recognition certificate or legal name change.' The NHS Confederation, which represents trusts and other health organisations, withdrew its guidance two months ago. The original guidance said trans people should be allowed to use their chosen toilets and changing rooms. Ms Joyce said NHS trusts faced huge pay-outs if they did not update their guidance to comply with the law. In Fife, the NHS is defending itself in an employment tribunal against nurse Sandie Peggie, who was suspended after objecting to a trans woman in the changing room. Ms Joyce said: 'In Scotland, NHS Fife has already wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds defending an employment tribunal brought by nurse Sandie Peggie. 'The eventual cost, which will be borne by taxpayers, could approach £1m. 'How many more Sandie Peggies have to put their reputations and livelihoods on the line before this ends?' Baroness Falkner, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said in April: 'We've been speaking to the health service for an inordinately long time - we will now be asking them when they will be updating their advice.' NHS England said: 'The NHS is working through the implications of the ruling, and we absolutely recognise the need for revised guidance. 'It's important for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to publish its statutory guidance before final decisions about future policy are taken. 'In the meantime, we are working closely with Government to ensure we can provide updated guidance as soon as possible.'
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
NHS won't ban trans women from female changing rooms for months
The NHS has delayed a ban on staff who are trans women in female changing rooms and lavatories until the autumn. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, promised new guidance in April, after the Supreme Court ruled that trans women – people who are biological men – should be barred from using women's single-sex services. The Telegraph can reveal that NHS England has no plans to bring out the guidance until 'late summer or early autumn' – meaning it may not be published until October or November. Women's rights charities said that in not complying with the law, hospitals and GP surgeries were putting female staff and patients in an 'undignified and humiliating' position. The group Sex Matters said it had been approached by staff at several English trusts who had raised objections to biological men in female facilities, but were rebuffed. NHS England's delay comes even though a health trust in Scotland faces a huge payout to a nurse who was forced to share a changing room with a trans doctor. Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at Sex Matters, said: 'NHS England's failure to forbid unlawful policies permitting trans-identifying hospital staff to use changing rooms for the opposite sex is staggeringly complacent. 'Sex Matters has heard from staff in several English trusts who have objected to such self-ID policies without success. 'All around the country, it seems as if lazy, self-satisfied bureaucrats are leaving female staff to face undignified and humiliating conditions rather than admit that the 'inclusive' policies they put in place were always unlawful and harmful to women.' The Supreme Court ruled that a trans woman was not legally a woman because the word 'sex' in the Equality Act refers to biological sex and not self-identified gender. It means services which are segregated by sex, such as toilets and changing rooms, should be segregated by biological sex. Many public bodies have already started observing the rules. The Football Association, for example, has barred trans women from the female game. But NHS England has still not acted, despite Sir Keir Starmer telling organisations to comply with the law 'as soon as possible'. The NHS Confederation, which represents trusts, quietly withdrew its guidance two months ago. The original guidance said trans people should be allowed to use their chosen toilets and changing rooms. It has not yet been replaced. Ms Joyce said NHS trusts faced huge pay-outs in the future if they did not update their guidance to comply with the law. In Fife, the NHS is defending itself in an employment tribunal against nurse Sandie Peggie, who was suspended after objecting to a transwoman in the changing room. Ms Joyce said: 'In Scotland, NHS Fife has already wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds defending an employment tribunal brought by nurse Sandie Peggie, who was forced to share her changing room with a male doctor who identifies as a woman. 'The eventual cost – which will be borne by taxpayers – could approach a million pounds. 'How many more Sandie Peggies have to put their reputations and livelihoods on the line before this ends?'
Spectator
7 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Fringe venue under fire over mixed-sex toilets
While the Supreme Court in April backed the biological definition of a woman, it would appear that in Scotland the ruling hasn't yet been taken into account. Women's rights campaigners have taken aim at an Edinburgh Fringe venue – Underbelly Bistro Square – for allowing biological men to use women's toilets. Dear oh dear… The venue has been accused of breaking the law, after it added a disclaimer below the female bathroom sign – which told attendees to 'use whichever toilet best fits your identity or expression'. While the men's toilets featured a similar note, the cubicles themselves were reportedly still labelled 'gents'. This is despite the Supreme Court ruling prompting new guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which says that although it is not compulsory for public services to have single-sex facilities, it could be indirect discrimination against women if the only toilets available are mixed sex. The landmark case was brought to the Supreme Court by women's rights campaign group For Women Scotland – after its argument (that the definition of women in the Equality Act referred to biological sex) was rejected by two Scottish courts. Susan Smith of the organisation told the Telegraph about the latest Fringe furore: 'This is plainly unlawful. You can't have a sign like that. You can either have a mixed sex space or a single sex space. It's not possible to have both at the same time. It's either one or the other.' Helen Joyce of charity Sex Matters added: 'Organisations that fail to get this right risk enabling sexual harassment and ultimately being sued.' Oo er. Will Underbelly push back? Stay tuned…
Telegraph
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
We must arm ourselves, say trans activists
Trans activists have called for their community to be 'armed' after a Supreme Court ruling barred biological men from women-only spaces. A protester on the London Trans+ Pride march on Saturday carried placards reading: 'DIY or Die. Trans emancipation. Not rainbow capitalism. Arm trans people.' Another sign read: 'B---- trolls from hell,' with pictures of JK Rowling and the bosses of For Women Scotland, who won the Supreme Court case against the Scottish Government on gender in April. Saturday's march to Parliament Square Gardens was the biggest annual trans protest in the UK, with about 100,000 people in attendance, according to organisers. The ruling from the Supreme Court redefined 'biological sex' in a way that enables the exclusion of trans women from single-sex spaces and services. Organisers said this year's message was centred around the theme of 'existence and resistance'. Its key demands included an outright ban on conversion therapy, fully funded gender-affirming healthcare and a legal acknowledgement for non-binary people. Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy for human rights charity Sex Matters, which campaigns for clarity about biological sex in law and life, said the signs revealed the 'central hatred of women is to trans activism'. She said: 'The reason this movement treats JK Rowling and the grassroots campaigners of For Women Scotland as enemies is simply that they dare to say no to men who want to transgress women's boundaries. 'One side in this debate stands up for everyone's rights to safety, dignity, and privacy in single sex spaces. 'The other calls for violence against women. It shouldn't be hard for politicians and public figures to decide which side they are on.' Susan Hall, the leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly, said: 'If trans activists are claiming that they should be armed and are calling JK Rowling (a wonderful woman) and women activists to b-----s in hell then they can't be surprised when people don't take them seriously and in fact are repelled by their odious stand.' Trans activists have called on Sir Keir to back transgender rights after Sir Sadiq Khan supported the march. The Mayor of London wrote on X: 'Today, our capital proudly marks seven years of London Trans+ Pride. 'As trans rights come under increasing pressure across the UK, this year's march is a vital reminder: London is a city that stands for equality, dignity and pride - for everyone.' The Prime Minister signed up to a pledge 'that trans women are women' when he was a Labour leadership candidate, but appeared to change his position following the Supreme Court ruling. 'The Supreme Court judgment has made clear that when looking at the Equality Act, a woman is a biological woman,' his spokesman said in April. 'Lost, scared and angry' Vicky Lee, the director and founder of the Way Out Club, said: 'Over the last 32 years, I have been a Labour Party member and a diversity advisor for the Metropolitan and City of London Police. 'I was proud of where we were under Tony Blair with LGBT liaison officers in every London borough, anti-trans hate policies, Trans inclusivity, and trans rights. 'Keir Starmer, I can tell you now, under your watch, we have lost 15 years of progress. 'Trans people are now lost, scared and angry. Trans Pride on Saturday is a celebration, but this year it will also be a protest. 'Please listen to the community of unique trans people. We are also nurses, doctors, scientists, lawyers, soldiers, and voters.' Lewis G Burton, one of the founding members of London Trans+ Pride, said: 'This year's London Trans+ Pride made history once again, with over 100,000 trans+ people and allies marching through central London – smashing our own world record of 60,000 and continuing our legacy as the biggest trans+ pride event in history. 'It was an emotional and powerful day. 'At a time when the Supreme Court is making sweeping decisions about trans people without consulting a single trans person or organisation, and when a small, well-funded lobby of anti-trans campaigners continues to dominate headlines and waste public resources, our community came together to show what real strength, solidarity and care looks like. 'The message was clear: we will not be erased. Our existence is natural, historic, and enduring. 'You can try to take away our rights, but you will never remove us from society. We are a part of humanity – and the public will not stand by while harm is done to our community.'
Scotsman
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Council rejects complaints about 'anti-trans' library books
Local authority bosses in Edinburgh have dealt with several complaints in recent years Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Complaints about library books and authors perceived as critical of transgender rights have been dismissed by Edinburgh Council. A freedom of information (FOI) request shows several challenges have been made in recent years over books in its library collection. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Of the eight complaints about specific books dealt with from 2019 to 2024, five related in some way to the trans debate. A general view of a bookshelf | PA Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality by Helen Joyce was among the titles subject to challenge. 'A complaint was raised by a service user that this book criticises transgender rights,' the council said. 'The title was not removed from stock as Edinburgh libraries holds other books that provide alternative views on the subject of transgender rights – a specific example being The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice by Shon Faye.' A separate complaint about the book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier was not upheld for the same reason. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile, one library user complained about the books Feminism for Women by Julie Bindel and Difficult Women by Helen Lewis featuring in an International Women's Day display. 'Complaint made by service user regarding books by 'anti-trans activists' in the Leith Library International Women's Day display,' the council noted. 'These titles form part of our citywide adults' non-fiction collection within our range of resources that aim, where possible, to give access to a variety and balance of opinions. 'This enables readers to do their own research and draw their own conclusions. Our process of selection for this particular display was to feature a variety of relevant books on the topics of feminism and celebrating women and offered a variety of opinions. Therefore, the complaint was not upheld, and the books were not removed.' However, Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin, which features interviews with six trans or gender-neutral young adults, was moved from the teen to adult section following a complaint about its content. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Service user complained at branch about language and sexually explicit references,' the council said. 'Description of oral sex and suggestion that it was enjoyed by a child. It is a book based on true life trans experience. It was held in the teen book section, so was transferred to the adult section.' Elsewhere, a complaint about the children's book Grandad's Pride by Harry Woodgate, which is about an elderly man's memories of attending Pride events, was partially upheld. 'Complaint raised by a parent regarding concerns about the appropriateness of the images and ideas in the book,' the council said in its FOI response, which was published on its website. 'After investigation, the complaint was partially upheld based on some of the illustrations, but not the content and storyline of the book. It was established that a later edition had been edited and images replaced by the publisher to make it more suitable for the age group concerned and the original copies were replaced with later edition copies.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The book was previously withdrawn from a nursery in England amid controversy over its depiction of "leather fetish gear".
