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 - was 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.
Sandie Peggie has claimed that the situation counted as 'unlawful harassment'
Sex Matters
Peggie promptly averted her eyes and confronted the doctor - although Upton insisted that they had as much right to be there as she did.
From August 2023, 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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Peggie began her employment for the Fife Health Board in 1994, informing Upton that it was "unacceptable" that they were there, that she was "embarrassed and intimidated" and that she did not believe that "he should have been in there".
She told the tribunal: "Beth informed me he had as much right to be there as I did.
"I told him that wasn’t true and if I wanted to get changed in front of a man I would have gone to the male changing room."
Peggie explained that she hoped Upton would recognise her "discomfort", adding that during their interaction they were "just talking normally" with "no raised voices".
Soon after, she was suspended and put on leave.
Peggie began her employment for the Fife Health Board in 1994
PA
The nurse rejected accusations from the lawyer for Upton and NHS Fife that her "dislike of Beth Upton was so strong [Peggie] refused to work with her to the disadvantage of patients" because Upton "was trans".
While she gave evidence on the tribunal's first day, Peggie told her lawyer that the changing room had a sign marked "for women only".
An NHS Fife spokesman said it would be "inappropriate to comment" while, saying: "It is important to recognise that at the heart of this case are two employees who should be treated with kindness and respect.
"As an organisation, NHS Fife remains committed to upholding its duty of care to all employees."
The hearing continues.
