Be under no illusions: Sandie Peggie has won an important victory for women
A moment of truth in Sandie Peggie versus NHS Fife came with the Bananarama defence offered by the health board’s legal team. Effectively they’d said that Ms Peggie’s interactions with her male colleague, Dr Upton, though legally protected were unjustifiably vexatious. “It’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it.”
You didn’t need to be a feminist to know how insidious this was. Effectively, Ms Peggie, when faced with a six-foot biological male in her changing room as she was undressing was expected to smile, speak nicely and curtsey towards him before asking if he would mind awfully leaving while she took off her clothes.
Having travelled to Dundee to witness these employment tribunal proceedings, I couldn’t help but notice that two major issues were in play. One, of course, was the right of a female nurse to object to the presence of a biological male in her private changing facility. And then to expect that her bosses would help find a solution that respected and upheld her rights, which were protected by the 2010 Equality Act.
The other is that this case was perfused by class. This was........





















Toi Staff
Sabine Sterk
Penny S. Tee
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Mark Travers Ph.d
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Daniel Orenstein
Rachel Marsden