Mick Hartley

From the Nursing Times – ‘Misgendering at work continued even after gender-affirming surgery’:

It was humiliating being addressed directly as “he”, particularly when I was misgendered twice by the same nurse in front of a patient. The patient immediately corrected my colleague saying, “don’t you mean she, Liz”. However, my colleague offered no apology or recognition that they had been disrespectful towards me.

After raising the misuse of gender pronouns with my manager, the topic was discussed at the next ward meeting to try and embed learning and eliminate incorrect behaviours. Yet the misgendering persisted and was escalated to human resources and the equality, diversity and inclusion team. Both questioned how they could address the problem as it was “too complex”, and my offers to deliver gender awareness training were turned down on the grounds that I was too close to the problem.

Misuse of gender pronouns persisted and although, professionally, I understood unconscious bias meant there was no deliberate intention to harm or target me, Liz, for being transgender, this didn’t detract from it being wrong.

Gosh, I don't know. How can one hope to explain this thoughtless cruelty?