NHS managers have been urged to not to sympathise with female colleagues worried about sharing toilets with biological males, according to a new woke handbook.
Hospital workers in the North East have been told to comply with the handbook which bans team leaders using phrases such as "I understand your concerns" to anyone who complains about the issue.
The document also states that it is discriminatory not to use a trans or non-binary person's preferred pronoun.
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has been accused of unlawfully discriminating against employees with gender-critical views as critics say it is "a recipe for bullying women".
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has been accused of unlawfully discriminating against employees with gender-critical views
PAMembers of staff have been told it is transphobic to "deliberately use the name a Trans colleague had prior to transition" under the "Transitioning at Work and Gender Diversity Policy".
It is also offensive to ask a trans or non-binary person questions such as "which bathrooms do you use?"
The guidance states: "Managers must not make supportive comments such as 'I understand your concerns' to staff who, for example, complain about Trans or Non-Binary colleagues having access to gendered spaces.
"This policy applies to everyone, including applicants applying for a job, staff including agency and volunteers, services users and carers, visitors, stakeholders and any other third party organisations who work in partnership with the Trust."
Campaigners have now demanded that the hospital trust scraps the policy.
In a letter to bosses at the Trust, Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, said: "We are writing to request that this policy be immediately withdrawn and an urgent review undertaken.
"We are especially concerned by its insistence that female staff cannot refuse to use the same bathroom facilities as biological males and cannot express any concerns about having to do so.
"The Trust must strike a balance between protecting trans individuals from harassment and discrimination and protecting the rights of gender-critical employees."
Campaigners have now demanded that the hospital trust scraps the policy
PAGender-critical author Helen Joyce told the Daily Mail: "This policy clearly unlawfully discriminates against Trust employees who hold gender-critical beliefs."
Kath Griffin, director of human resources and organisational development at the Trust, said: "This policy was developed in partnership with our staff and trade unions. It is... an important part of promoting, respecting and celebrating equality and diversity."
A Department of Health spokesman said: "Biological sex is fundamentally important when it comes to defining what a woman is and protecting single sex spaces.
"Spaces which are reserved solely for women and girls should be maintained by NHS Trusts in line with the Equality Act."
