Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife: Why silencing of gender critical voices was root cause of problem
It should have been obvious that a policy which stated trans women should use a women’s changing room was always going to cause a problem
An employment tribunal has now ruled that Sandie Peggie – suspended from her job as a nurse after objecting to sharing a women’s changing room with a transgender doctor – was harassed by NHS Fife, but not discriminated against or victimised.
It was a partial victory for Peggie, who said she was “beyond relieved and delighted”, but one that may not entirely satisfy her supporters.
Meanwhile, NHS Fife’s statement trumpeted the fact that the employment tribunal “unanimously dismissed all of the claimant’s allegations against Dr Upton and all of the allegations against the board apart from four specific aspects of the harassment complaint” (our emphasis). It offered no apology to the staff member they harassed.
Peggie and Upton both victims
But as both sides of this divisive issue mull over the ramifications, it’s worth considering how something as apparently simple as changing room facilities could have caused such an almighty row.
Both Peggie and the trans doctor involved, Beth Upton, can be viewed as victims of poor decision-making by NHS Fife.
It is a fact that there are trans people in this world. They need to work for a living and the country needs their services and taxes. But again, it is a fact there are also people who do not agree that a biologically male person can be a woman.
A policy which stated trans women should use a women’s changing room – Upton was doing what she was supposed to – was obviously always going to cause a problem.
READ MORE: Scottish Government 'disgraceful' and 'in denial' over court ruling, says Sandie Peggie lawyer
Sturgeon’s notorious remark
The root cause of all this trouble is that many in the trans rights camp have tried to silence any discussion or debate – with Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that “transphobic” critics were “deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly some of them racist as well” perhaps the most notorious example in Scotland.
Such language created the idea that ‘gender critical’ voices not only could but should be ignored. If only serious discussions had instead been held with them before introducing the policy, it would surely have been possible to arrive at a reasonable compromise that both Peggie and Upton could have accepted – and then got on with their extraordinarily important jobs of healing the sick and saving people’s lives.
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