An employment tribunal is set to begin on Monday, 20 October, over a group of nurses taking legal action against their employer, after a transgender colleague used the female changing room at Darlington Memorial Hospital in the UK.
The claim is being backed by a Christian anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ legal group, raising concerns among equality advocates about religious interference in workplace inclusion.
Eight nurses — Bethany Hutchison, Joanne Bradbury, Mary Annice Grundy, Lisa Lockey, Karen Danson, Carly Hoy, Tracey Anne Hooper and Jane Peveller — have filed the case against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which currently permits trans employees to use single-sex facilities aligned with their gender identity.
Nurses Claim Sexual Harassment and Privacy Violations
The nurses allege they have experienced sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation due to the presence of trans woman Rose Henderson in the women’s changing room.
Their legal argument also cites a breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to privacy.
Speaking previously outside court, Hutchison told The Northern Echo:
“We are nurses who love our jobs and our patients and only want to be afforded the dignity of getting dressed and undressed for work without a man present.”
“We are doing this for the safety and dignity of every woman and girl across society and we will continue to fight these unlawful policies.”
Supported by Christian Legal Centre
The case is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre (CLC) — a legal offshoot of the evangelical group Christian Concern, which has a long history of anti-LGBTQ+ advocacy and opposing reproductive rights.
The CLC’s founder, Andrea Minichiello Williams, has repeatedly described gender-affirming healthcare as “harmful”, referred to homosexuality as a “harmful sexual practice”, and believes the world is just 4,000 years old — as highlighted in Channel 4’s In God’s Name documentary.
In public writings, Williams has said:
“Trans women are not women, and trans men are not men.
Following this path dooms people to living an identity that can never be aligned with reality and that will perpetually gnaw at their souls.”
She has also compared gender-affirming care to “harmful conversion practices” and accused NHS trusts of “nullifying biology” by allowing trans people to use facilities that match their gender.
Pattern of Anti-LGBTQ+ Legal Action
The Christian Legal Centre has previously backed:
- A woman suing Camden Council over a zebra crossing painted in the colours of the trans flag
- A mother taking a primary school to court for holding a Pride event
- A school employee fired for anti-LGBTQ+ social media posts
- Legal threats against Westminster City Council for displaying Pride flags in central London, claiming it was “indoctrination”
The group’s webpage about the Darlington case argues that NHS policies “prioritise the feelings of a man struggling with gender dysphoria” over the safety of women.
“Radical gender ideology dismantles truth and biblical teaching,” the CLC claims.
“Christians must be free to uphold God’s design for men and women.”
