Sandie Peggie case sparks lawsuit against trade union for rejecting toilet ban
Sandie Peggie's battle with NHS Fife has sparked another gender critical woman to take legal action against her trade union for discriminating against her.
The nurse is embroiled in an employment tribunal where she is suing the health board after being unhappy with sharing a female changing room with a trans female.
Now a leading trade unionist is using her union after members campaigned and rallied against her due to her gender critical views. PCS also issued a statement rejecting the Supreme Court's ruling that for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010, the term "woman" refers to a biological woman, and "sex" refers to biological sex.
According to the Herald, Fiona Macdonald believes that PCS has been taken over by trans rights activists who have tried to destroy her life due to her gender critical beliefs. She has hired Ms Peggie's employment lawyer Margaret Gribbon to fight her case for her.
Ms Macdonald has held several leadership positions within the union and says she was subjected to a sustained campaign of hostility for defending women's single-sex spaces, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
She said: 'I'm suing them because of my belief system. I believe in a materialist and collectivist approach to politics and this runs contrary to my beliefs. Someone needs to burst this bubble in the unions and I'm now prepared to do it. I'd contacted a lawyer before for advice but then dropped it. Who wants to take action against their own union?
'Then recently, a friend of mine died and it prompted me to change my mind. She had also been an active trade unionist, but had found herself hounded and humiliated for her beliefs. The Supreme Court ruling [on single sex spaces] aligned with my perspective and yet my union issued a statement rejecting it. When I saw what was happening to Sandie Peggie, it made up my mind.'
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Ms Gribbon of McGrade Employment Solicitors in Glasgow, added: 'Trade unions, like employers, must comply with their duties under the Equality Act. That means they must not discriminate against members who hold gender critical or sex realists beliefs.
'Trade unions who are actively and publicly disassociating themselves with this lawful protected belief by, for instance, openly criticising the Supreme Court's decision in FWS may find it more difficult to defend litigations raised by members claiming they have been harassed or refused union assistance for holding and/or manifesting sex realist beliefs."
Ms Peggie is also planning to sue her union, the Royal College of Nursing, after it failed to offer her support during her court action.
A spokesperson for the PCS said: 'PCS notes that this matter may be the subject of litigation. Accordingly, we will not be offering any comment at this time.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Trans ruling means every lavatory user will need to be checked, museums claim
Staff will have to check the sex of visitors using lavatories after the Supreme Court's trans ruling, museum bosses have claimed. Museums Galleries Scotland, a national body that represents 455 non-national museums and receives £1.7 million a year in public funds, claims organisations will have to close while they reassess lavatory provisions. In April, the Supreme Court ruled that 'sex' in law is a person's biological sex, not gender identity. However, the Scottish Government has so far failed to produce guidance for public bodies on single-sex spaces such as lavatories. In its submission, the museums body says it has concerns the EHRC's initial guidance does not 'uphold the spirit of inclusion' and that the human rights body did not consult with trans people or trans organisations in its development. Policing of toilets is 'unfeasiable' The response goes on to say: 'When there is a need to 'prove' your sex, what proof will be acceptable given gender recognition certificates are not, nor are altered birth certificates – but how would you know? It is likely this role would fall on front-of-house staff, which we believe puts undue pressure on them to do this 'in a sensitive way which does not cause discrimination or harassment'. 'The practical application of policing toilets is unfeasible as, to avoid discrimination, it would require every single person using toilets to be checked adding substantial workload and staff costs to undertake this role.' Museums Galleries Scotland also raised concerns the interim guidance does not make reference to people with intersex conditions and states there are 1.1 million intersex people in the UK. Susan Smith, co-founder of For Women Scotland, said the Museums Galleries Scotland submission is 'a masterclass in legal idiocy and scientific illiteracy'. She said: 'The EHRC guidance aims to protect organisations and ensure they adhere to law: it is not supposed to set out the best way for public bodies to evade or trash their responsibility to protect the public from discrimination or harassment. ''Inclusion' covers all protected characteristics and rights have to be balanced. The time of prioritising the demands of trans-identifying men over the real needs of women and other groups is over.' Ms Smith said the assertion that staff would have to police toilets is 'wilfully misunderstanding' that having policies that align with the law 'does not mean they are required to vet every user'. MGS accused of 'scaremongering' Instead it means if women complain about a man being in the women's lavatories, it will be investigated. 'What is clear is that MGS have had unlawful policies for some time. All parties at the Supreme Court understood that self-identification has never been lawful, including the Scottish Government, which funds MGS,' Ms Smith said. 'Finally, it is outrageous that MGS are happy to spread debunked lies and attempt to scaremonger about serious medical conditions which they call 'intersex'. Last time we checked, museum staff were not endocrinologists. 'The status of people with Differences of Sex Development is not affected by the Supreme Court ruling and the wildly inflated numbers MSG cite should embarrass whoever submitted the report.' The museums body also states that members of the public have been 'policing toilets' at heritage sites by 'making assumptions based on stereotypes' and has created an 'environment of suspicion'. Dr Kath Murray, of the policy organisation Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said: 'It is deeply concerning that a major national institution signed off and submitted such an ill-informed response to the EHRC consultation. 'The response fails to consider the needs of women and instead repeats trans activist talking points. The figures cited on the 'intersex' population have been widely debunked and bear no relevance to the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment.' The Nationalist government released its response to the consultation late on Friday night, claiming that services needed to justify why they were single-sex.
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Museums Scotland warn venues may close over toilet guidance
The EHRC closed a consultation on proposed changes to statutory guidance last month, following the Supreme Court ruling in April that "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex, and a Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person's sex for the purposes of the act. An interim update from the EHRC, published in May, said that "trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women's facilities and trans men (biological women) should not be permitted to use the men's facilities, as this will mean that they are no longer single-sex facilities". READ MORE: Responding to the consultation, Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), which supports around 455 non-national museums and is funded by the Scottish Government, said EHRC's proposals may "force some museums to close", or "risk leaving trans people with no facilities at all" if changes could not be made. It urged the UK-wide watchdog to "understand the impacts and needs of trans individuals and organisations committed to trans inclusion". The consultation response from MGS said: "We have concerns that the content and process of the EHRC Code of Practice does not uphold the spirit of inclusion. "There is no guidance on how to include trans people, there is only information on how to exclude them. This has not made sufficient effort to offer advice to organisations who wish to remain or become trans inclusive." It warned that due to "lack of clarity" from EHRC, "there is a significant potential that human rights of trans people will be impacted for example, being banned from toilets that align with lived gender", and also raised concerns about the responsibilities of front-of-house staff. The response said: "When there is a need to 'prove' your sex, what proof will be acceptable given gender recognition certificates are not, nor are altered birth certificates. It is likely this role would fall on front-of-house staff, which we believe puts undue pressure on them." It added: "To avoid discrimination, it would require every person using toilets to be checked, adding substantial workload and staff costs. "The guidance implies that to allow trans people to use toilets that fit their identity would put organisations at risk of legal consequences. Yet, to not check everyone could lead to individuals in museums taking decisions to exclude trans people based on subjective tests, related largely to appearance." It warned this could "potentially put trans and non-trans people in humiliating and offensive situations", and that some museums may be forced to close "while they invest time and resources to ensure adequate facilities", and if changes could not be made "this risks trans people having no facilities to use at all". The response said it was aware of the public "policing toilets at heritage sites by making assumptions based on stereotypes", and said this created an "environment of suspicion and policing of everyone's gender presentation, and increases the risks of harassment, distress, and offence". It added: "For some museums, they may need to change their toilet facilities to avoid the higher risk of legal consequences, however, there is unlikely to be capacity or resource for many of them to do this, putting them in a difficult position." The response concluded: "We strongly encourage the EHRC to review their processes around this guidance and take the necessary time to understand the impacts and needs of trans individuals and organisations committed to trans inclusion." Scottish Conservative shadow equalities minister Tess White MSP said: "Museums Scotland seem to be following the Scottish Government in their mistaken bid to avoid implementing the Supreme Court's verdict. The judgment from the UK's highest court was crystal clear. "By criticising the EHRC's guidance, Museums Scotland are flouting the law, putting women and girls in danger and laying themselves open to legal challenge. There is no excuse for evasion on this issue. "Instead of trying to pander to the gender extremists, John Swinney must act now and order all public bodies immediately to comply with the law and provide single-sex spaces." A spokesperson for analysts MurrayBlackburnMackenzie said: "It is deeply concerning that a major national institution signed off and submitted such an ill-informed response to the EHRC consultation. The response fails to consider the needs of women and instead repeats trans activist talking points." PA reported that the Scottish Government, EHRC and Sex Matters have been contacted for comment.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
London Trans+ Pride brings 100,000 people to the streets
About 100,000 people turned out for London Trans+ Pride, making it the largest such event ever, according to march began at 13:00 BST on Saturday near BBC Broadcasting House, at Langham Place, and headed to Parliament Square included Heartstopper actress Yasmin Finney, and trans campaigner Caroline Litman, whose trans daughter Alice took her life in 2022 after waiting almost three years for gender-affirming said this year's event was important following the Supreme Court's April ruling, when judges said the words "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. London Trans+ Pride fundraising lead, Bobby Harding, said the group was delighted at the large number of people, adding: "We are more determined than ever to show up and let people know that we deserve a place on this earth."About 40,000 more people joined London Trans+ Pride compared with last year, when the event recorded a turnout of about 60,000 people. Alex Parmar-Yee, of not-for-profit Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, said: "It's important to turn up en masse to make sure that it's very clear what the feelings are in terms of the rights which we're fighting for."She said the next step for Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, a not-for-profit organisation supporting trans rights organisations and activists, was a call for transparency over the guidance in the wake of the Supreme Court of London Trans+ Pride's founders, Lewis G Burton, added: "Our community came together to show what real strength, solidarity and care looks like." After the Supreme Court ruling the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued interim guidance saying trans women "should not be permitted to use the women's facilities" in workplaces or public-facing services like hospitals, with the same applying for trans men using men's Office minister Pat McFadden later said the "logical consequence" of the judgement and the EHRC guidance was that people will have to use toilets and other facilities of their biological April, British Transport Police became the first to announce it would change its strip-search policy to have trans people searched by an officer in line with their birth EHRC is expected to put forward a more detailed code of practice for ministerial approval this summer.
