Men who claim to be women can use ladies’ changing rooms, says NHS Trust

Male employees who identify as females must be allowed to use facilities designated for women only, an NHS Trust in England has said.

According to the “Staff Trans Equality Policy” of the Rotherham Doncaster & South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, women’s changing rooms and toilets can be used by a male employee living as a woman, even if female members of staff object.

The Trust has been part of Stonewall’s controversial ‘Diversity Champions’ programme since 2019. The programme has been exposed as unlawful and misleading, but currently more than 90 NHS and healthcare organisations remain members.

Pick and mix

On its website the Trust claims its policy is “in line with the law”, but it has also committed to “go beyond its legal duties” to protect transgender members of staff.

Under the heading Changing Facilities, Toilets, and Other Single Sex Facilities, the guidelines state: “An appropriate stage for using the facilities of the new gender is likely to be the change of social gender.”

It adds: “Should there be any objections to this; a manager will deal with the objections in a sensitive and understanding way while not denying the Trans person access to facilities appropriate to their lived gender.”

The Trust also says that some people may choose to use “a combination of different facilities”.

Opposition

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Kiri Tunks, of the campaign group Woman’s Place UK, said: “There are many reasons why women want access to toilet and changing facilities reserved exclusively for them.

“Employers have a duty to balance the rights of all their employees under the Equality Act.”

In a recent YouGov survey, almost nine in ten (86 per cent) of respondents were in favour of maintaining separate public facilities for both men and women.