Christian group has mixed feelings about latest trans guidance

The Christian Legal Centre and the Darlington nurses have responded to the publication of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) latest trans guidelines.

The latest guidelines come a 12 months after the Supreme Court that biological sex must legally determine an individual’s gender, versus self-identification.

The NHS has been criticised for failing to respect the ruling in places. The Darlington Nurses won an employment tribunal after raising complaints at having to make use of the identical changing facilities as a biological male who identified as female.

The nurses were allegedly told to be more inclusive and to receive more education on the matter. They were later given an inferior space wherein to get modified.

Despite winning their tribunal, 4 of the nurses should still face repercussions from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

In the same case, Christian nurse Jennifer Melle was suspended from work for nearly a 12 months for “misgendering” a biologically male patient who was a convicted paedophile and had been brought in for treatment from a male prison. Although Melle was reinstated by her employer following a disciplinary hearing, she remains to be subject to a NMC investigation.

The Christian Legal Centre has supported each Melle and the Darlington nurses.

The group’s CEO, Andrea Williams, gave a mixed response to the brand new EHRC guidance.

“This Code of Practice confirms what should never have been unsure: the law has all the time required the protection of single-sex spaces. Public bodies, including the NHS, have had a legal duty to comply, yet many have didn’t achieve this, selecting as an alternative to cover behind ‘awaiting guidance’ while pursuing illegal policies,” she said. 
 
“We remain deeply concerned that, as Bridget Phillipson acknowledged in her February meeting with Christian nurse Jennifer Melle, this Code is not going to even extend to workplaces. That gap must not turn out to be one other loophole for inaction. There may be no more delays. The law is evident and must now be implemented in full.”

Bethany Hutchison, President of the Darlington Nursing Union, echoed her comments, arguing that NHS bodies could now not claim to be “waiting for guidance” following the Supreme Court ruling.

“Frontline nurses have paid a heavy price for speaking up, and in Darlington we’ve got seen first-hand the results of institutional failure. We now need urgent, system-wide reform to revive confidence, protect patient dignity, and ensure staff can perform their duties without fear of reprisal,” she said.