From the Upton/Peggie hearing today:

Dr Searle says she first met Dr Upton in August 2023 and is her “educational and clinical supervisor”. She says she is the main point of contact for junior and resident doctors in her line of management and to support career progression and wellbeing support. She says she has known Ms Peggie since she started working at the emergency department at Victoria Hospital.

Dr Searle says she was not aware that Ms Peggie held gender critical views before the incident on Christmas Eve 2023 or any issues with these views.

That is…Dr Searle says she was not aware that Ms Peggie knew the difference between women and men before Christmas Eve 2023.

Wouldn’t you kind of think all medical staff at a hospital would be expected, or indeed required, to know that? Isn’t it pretty basic information in a medical setting?

Dr Searle is asked about what discussions she had with Dr Upton about using the female changing rooms. She said: “I checked that she knew where the female changing room was and was happy to use it and had used it previously used it in another job. That was the extent of the discussion.”

She then added: “Beth had used the female changing rooms in her previous job as a doctor and was happy and felt comfortable doing so, so I didn’t make any further suggestion.”

Fabulous. As long as the man is happy, it simply doesn’t matter what the women feel. Might they be unhappy? Might they feel not so comfortable? Meh. Doesn’t matter.

Dr Searle said she was “concerned for Beth and her welfare” when she received an email on Christmas Day 2023 about a “very upsetting” incident which had left Dr Upton “distressed”…

She is asked what she thinks of Dr Upton being told by Ms Peggie she cannot be in the changing room because “it’s wrong”. Dr Searle said: “I was very concerned and I knew it was upsetting and distressing for Beth and I knew there was no NHS Fife policy on this.”

She is then asked what she thought of Ms Peggie telling Dr Upton “she wasn’t a woman”. Dr Searle said: “Again I was very concerned for Beth because I knew it was an upsetting thing to say and also under NHS Fife’s hate policy this was verbal harassment for her.”

All the concern is for “Beth.” None of the concern is for Ms Peggie. Why is that? Why is this dogma so massively watertight that not an atom of concern for women is ever allowed to sneak in? How does that work? Would Searle enjoy having to take her clothes off while Upton watched her?

She is then asked if Ms Peggie questioning Dr Upton’s chromosomes was appropriate. Dr Searle said: “I can only imagine how upsetting and invasive a question that would be for Beth and it is not relevant for a colleague to ask another colleague.

“Beth identifies as female and it does not matter what her chromosomes are to her.”

But it does matter to women what sex people are when they’re cozily gathered in a take your clothes off room. What matters to “Beth” is not the only relevant criterion here.

Dr Searle said Dr Upton was “extremely shaken and distressed” when the pair discussed what had happened with Ms Peggie in the changing room. She said they went through the NHS Fife hate incident policy together and agreed that a datix needed to be completed, which Dr Searle and Dr Upton did together. They also discussed reporting this to the policy and Dr Upton said she would think about it. They then looked at Dr Upton’s shift patterns to see if she felt safe to come into work.

I think that must be “They also discussed reporting this to the police” – which is new information to me at least. A new low. Yes go complain to the police that a female nurse doesn’t want a male doctor in the room where she has to take her clothes off. With any luck she’ll resist arrest and they’ll have to get violent. What fun for everyone except her.