A nurse was so “embarrassed” about having to undress in front of a transgender doctor that she went to wait in the corridor, a Dundee tribunal has heard.
Dr Beth Upton said that they had as much right as nurse Sandie Peggie to be in the changing room.
Peggie has argued that being forced to change next to Upton – who is a trans woman – is unlawful harassment, as defined by the Equality Act.
The nurse was in the changing room in the Kirkcaldy hospital on Christmas Eve in 2023 when she stumbled across Upton who began to undress.
The incident took place at Victoria hospital in Fife
PA
Peggie promptly averted her eyes and confronted the doctor – although Upton insisted that they had as much right to be there as she did.
Similar interactions between the two had played out on several occasions before, which led Upton to complain about Peggie’s behaviour, who then was suspended by NHS Fife chiefs after she was put on leave.
She told the tribunal: “I feel uncomfortable changing in front of men.”
She informed another colleague that she was “not happy” regarding the ordeal and told the tribunal: “I was upset he was being allowed to use it. I didn’t want to go in, I felt embarrassed. I didn’t want to change in front of him.”
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