7 nurses take on 'woke NHS' in historic trans rights row hearing

These are the brave NHS nurses waging an historic fight against Britain's refusal to accept biological sex.

Pictured together for the first time the Magnificent Seven, as have become known, are set for a legal showdown with hospital bosses who have allowed "unlawful workplace policies" to continue despite a Supreme Court ruling.

And in a rallying call before their face off they said the battle against dangerous dogma was on to secure safety and dignity for every woman and girl in the UK.

They have launched a challenge against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust which has permitted a man identifying as Rose to use female-only staff changing rooms.

This week's landmark employment tribunal seeks clarification on the right to undress at work without a man present but is set to become a defining point in a trans rights row that has engulfed the entire public sector.

Mother-of-two Bethany Hutchison, 36, who is leading the septet, said: "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 shocked it has come this far, even more so after April's Supreme Court ruling.

"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."

Their case, supported by lawyers at the Christian Legal Centre, challenges a "Stonewall-inspired policy" adopted by the trust at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Action was launched after Rose - a male nurse identifying as female - menacingly loitered as they changed.

None was informed their room would be infiltrated by a biological male, with one left terror-stricken when she heard his voice.

Another suffered a panic attack after being asked when alone: "Are you getting changed yet?"

In April the Supreme Court ruled the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act refer only to a biological woman and to biological sex, with subsequent guidance from the equality watchdog amounting to a blanket ban on trans people using toilets and other facilities of the gender they identify as.

At Wednesday's hearing it will be claimed the nurses were disturbed to discover NHS guidance explicitly states any woman who objects to sharing changing facilities with "trans-identifying males" "will not be tolerated" and must find an alternative.

The tribunal will hear that after concerns were raised the nurses were told they needed to "be more inclusive," "compromise," "broaden their mindset," and undergo "re-education." Rose even offered to personally educate them.

They will testify that after going public in stories that appeared in the Daily Express they were threatened by senior management and further victimised by being forced to change for almost a year in a converted office that opens onto a clinical area and public corridor.

Their evidence at Newcastle Employment Tribunal will open with the personal testimony of Nurse Karen Danson, 46, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who has experienced PTSD.

She will describe a disturbing encounter in which Rose, wearing revealing boxer shorts, repeatedly asked if she was going to get changed, causing her to panic and relive past abuse.

Nurse Danson will chronicle how her trauma was compounded when she discovered, after legal action was launched, that Rose was scheduled to assist in gynaecological surgery, despite objections.

She was initially told the operation could only proceed with Rose present, or be postponed indefinitely, until patient liaison intervened.

Mrs Hutchison was forced to form the Darlington Nursing Union after receiving no support from any major unions.

The Royal College of Nursing was asked whether it supports the seven nurses but told the Express it is "not commenting".

The group action also includes Annice Grundy, 56, Lisa Lockey, 52, Carly Hoy, 31, Tracey Hooper, 47, and Jane Peveller, 51.

All are backed by Harry Potter author and outspoken women's rights activist J.K. Rowling, who said: "Millions of women support them."

Their case centres on claims the trust violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to respect a right to privacy by requiring them to share a changing room with a biological male.

It also alleges they were subjected to unwanted conduct related to sex and/or perceived gender reassignment, including sexually suggestive behaviour and inappropriate comments, creating a hostile and degrading environment.

The nurses also say they have suffered discrimination because of a policy allowing access to single-sex changing rooms based on self-declared gender identity, placing them at risk, while the hostile response from HR left them victimised in what amounted to retaliation under the Equality Act 2010.

Ms Hoy said: "We're not asking for anything outrageous, just the basic right to get changed for work without a bloke in the room. It's common sense, and it's shocking we've had to go this far to fight for it. We care deeply about our patients and our jobs, but we won't be bullied into silence. This is about dignity, safety, and sticking up for women."

The outcome of the hearing, which is set to last until November 14, is set to have profound implications in stopping what many fear is Britain's unstoppable march towards dangerously unchallenged politically correct dogma.

It comes as nurse and committed Christian Jennifer Melle, 40, faces being struck off after "misgendering" a convicted sex offender.

Ms Melle was disciplined after Patient X, who was born male but identifies as a woman, was taken to St Helier Hospital in Carshalton, Surrey, from a male prison for treatment for a urinary condition.

She was called a n***** multiple times after the inmate overheard her using biologically accurate pronouns during a phone call with a senior doctor.

Ms Melle was suspended by the trust on April 2 for an alleged breach of patient confidentiality after speaking about the racial abuse she suffered at the hands of the irate patient, and referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Shadow equalities minister Claire Coutinho said: "The treatment she has suffered because of radical trans ideology beggars belief. Common sense must prevail, and this dedicated nurse must be allowed to return to work as soon as possible."

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust told the Express it "fully recognises and is acting upon the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex under the Equality Act 2010".

A spokesperson added: "We have already made changes in some areas to provide additional facilities and choice for colleagues.

"Our policy work is ongoing and includes engagement with staff and partners as we identify how best to implement changes across our sites, to ensure safe, respectful care for patients and inclusive workplaces for staff."

Mrs Hutchison said: "We believe we have had no choice but to expose what has happened to us and to continue to seek justice, so this doesn't happen to any other women across our society and institutions."

This case marks a watershed moment, not just for the dignity of women in the workplace, but for the rule of law in our public institutions.

The Supreme Court has spoken with clarity: single-sex spaces are not optional or tools to express ideological preferences, they are legal safeguards rooted in biological reality and common sense.

Yet NHS trusts across the country remain enthralled by an ideology that denies truth and undermines what it means to be a woman.

The Darlington nurses' case gets to the heart of this matter when ideology and reality collide. Now is the time to return to truth and plain old common sense.

The NHS trust has sided with Rose and as a result, these wonderful nurses have come under extraordinary pressure, mental and emotional strain.

The nurses have shown extraordinary courage in standing up for what should never have been controversial: the right to undress for work without a man present.

The legal ramifications of this case are profound. It is no longer acceptable for public bodies to ignore the law, delay justice, or sacrifice the safety and dignity of women to appease activist agendas.

We are contending for truth in a society which has increasingly abandoned truth and attacks those who dare to raise their head above the parapet. We pray for truth and justice to prevail in this case.

Andrea Williams is Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre