How everyone

A couple of things

Dr Searle said: “I don’t agree we would have classed it as misbehaviour.”

Ms Cunningham said: “I think you’ve already confirmed that email to Isla Bumba on December 8 was prompted by a conversation about Sandie removing herself from the changing room when he was there, that’s right?

“You ask if there’s any policies around transgender staff and suggest Dr Upton might be keen to help develop some; is it fair for the tribunal to infer the possibility of developing policies to make it easier for Dr Upton to take matters further?”

Dr Searle said: “No, I don’t agree. I think there needs to be an NHS Fife policy on how everyone can feel comfortable in changing areas of their choosing.”

Sigh. There can’t be such a policy, because it’s not possible. Either you provide women-only changing areas or you don’t. Either way someone will feel not comfortable. You have to bite the bullet and decide which discomfort matters more. Should it be women’s discomfort with the presence of men? Or should it be men’s discomfort with the absence of women? Should women be allowed to undress without men ogling them? Or should men be able to ogle women undressing?

You have to pick one. The two are incompatible, so you have to pick just one. There is no way of squaring this circle.

Second thing.

Asked by Ms Cunningham at one point whether she is female, Dr Searle said: “Female is on my birth certificate.”

Asked to elaborate on how she came to have “female” on her birth certificate, Dr Searle replied: “It is usually a medical decision made at birth by the biological characteristics visually seen when delivering the baby. I am not an expert in it.”

And yet you are a medical doctor.

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