Exclusive: Trans council staff told to use converted disabled loos

Last week, in response to a controversial Supreme Court ruling from April, transgender staff at Sheffield Council learned they were no longer welcome in single-sex bathrooms. While a message posted on the council’s intranet explained that the authority will create more unisex bathrooms “in the medium term”, for now it has created new “inclusive” bathrooms by converting some existing disabled loos. So why has the council made this move now? That’s today’s exclusive story.

In case you missed it

For our weekend read, regular Tribune contributor David Bocking spent a night with Sheffield’s moth-watchers, as they sorted the Old Ladies from the Buff Footmen. Did you know there’s no real difference between moths and butterflies? As David writes: “The distinction seems to be an English language thing. In French, they’re all papillons, and you just observe papillons de jour or papillons de nuit.”

Earlier in the week, Dan spoke to two Hong Kong camera fanatics determined to keep 35mm film alive and kicking. J&A Photography, based in The Forum on Division Street, are taking advantage of a recent revival in demand for traditional film processing — you can read an excerpt of that piece below. For our second members’ edition, Victoria provided an update on a handful of past Tribune stories, including the continued woes of an unusual nursery and the bizarre bin battle being waged in Darnall. 

In the same way that vinyl records are enjoying a resurgence, even among people who don’t remember them the first time round, 35mm photo films are increasingly popular. Some of this is younger generations becoming interested in the “vintage” analogue technologies of the past. However, it’s about more than merely the novelty of “obsolete” technology. 35mm film has a nostalgic, almost dreamy feel which is difficult to replicate. Looking at the fuzzy, colour-saturated snaps feels as if Instagram have created a filter for childhood memories or the holidays of your youth.

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The big picture: March for Palestine

On Saturday, thousands of people marched through the city centre, from the amphitheatre to Devonshire Green, to show their support for Palestine. Abdullah, one of the organisers from Friends of Al Aqsa, said: “It reminded us of the importance of humanity, of coming together, and focusing on what unites us, rather than what divides us.”

The big story: Trans council staff told to use disabled loos

Top line: Transgender staff at Sheffield Council have been told to use disabled toilets — now redesignated “inclusive” loos — for the foreseeable future, in response to a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.

The ruling: In April, the UK’s highest court ruled that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex, a decision which could prevent transgender people from accessing single-sex spaces or services, including toilets. Many businesses and public bodies are waiting for the equalities watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), to publish an updated code of practice before changing their policies. However, For Women Scotland, the campaign group that brought the issue before the Supreme Court, is already taking legal action against the Scottish government for failing to put the ruling into practice. 

‘Our facilities reflect our values’: On Thursday, a message appeared on the intranet for council staff explaining that, in order to comply with the Supreme Court ruling, usage of “toilets and bathroom facilities for men and women are based on biological sex”. While party leaders were sent an email about the change prior to this notice being published, other councillors and local charities supporting LGBT+ people told the Tribune they had not been informed. The notice adds:

“We are increasing our inclusive toilet provision across the SCC [Sheffield City Council] estate. In the short term, this will mean some existing disabled toilet spaces will be redesignated as inclusive toilets. These will be clearly signed and available to any colleague who wishes to use them, including trans colleagues. In the medium term, as we upgrade our estate, we will ensure greater provision of unisex toilets.”

‘Using the inclusive bathroom is practically outing myself’: A trans council employee, who spoke to the Tribune anonymously to protect their employment, said they suspected the council had rushed to apply the ruling for fear of being sued, given there seems to have been little forewarning of the change. “I can’t think of any reason to do this now except to cover themselves legally,” they said. “JK Rowling has made it clear she’s willing to fund legal challenges against any organisation [that doesn’t comply] and she’s a multi-millionaire.” 

The employee explained that they felt uncomfortable using the new toilets. “I don’t hide the fact I’m trans but I don’t tell people either — I consider it private information — and using the inclusive bathroom is practically outing myself,” they said. “I also don’t want to feel I’m taking up a resource that should be there for disabled people; I’m being forced out of one space and made to use a space that’s much more limited.” 

‘Uncertain’: They added that their experience of working for the council as a trans person has been “overwhelmingly positive” until now. “Work was honestly a part of my life where I didn’t have to think about being trans that often, but this has changed that quite significantly,” they said. “It’s made me feel anxious and uncertain about whether I’ll be able to continue working in this job comfortably.”

‘No one is well-served by a kneejerk decision’: Several councillors, who all stressed they were speaking in a personal capacity, told The Tribune they were concerned by how the council had responded to the Supreme Court ruling. 

Cllr Angela Argenzio, Green party leader, said she understands the council “is between a rock and a hard place” as it “has to be seen to put things in place” after the ruling. However, she suggested the majority of toilets could have been made gender-neutral, with a few single-sex facilities available, so that trans staff didn’t have to worry about outing themselves. “There are also cis women who don’t look how people think women should look, who may also get discriminated against because people make assumptions,” she said. 

Labour councillor Minesh Parekh said he felt the council should have waited until the EHRC published its updated Code of Practice, which the Guardian reports may be presented to the equalities minister this week, before making any changes. “No one is well-served by a kneejerk decision, and trans people in particular. There are many legal interpretations of the Supreme Court ruling that still allow for trans-inclusive workplace practices. I would urge the council and other bodies in Sheffield to look at how they can continue to include trans people in services, not make everyday life harder for them.” 

Fellow Labour councillor Nikki Belfield said the council is “doing the best they can with a difficult situation, by offering a range of toilets to all staff,” adding that she suspected this would not be its final position. However, she added: “This whole ‘debate’ has created a lot of (additional) fear and anger amongst the trans community, their families and allies. In reality, trans people are more likely to be the victims of abuse and assault, rather than the perpetrators.”

What now? Staff were assured that, despite the change, the council has an “unwavering commitment to inclusion, respect and support for every colleague”. They were also told that the authority is already working on “an estate-wide audit of toilets[...] to map current facilities and plan improvements” and has “a zero-tolerance approach to harassment or discrimination of any kind”. The council was contacted by the Tribune but chose not to comment further.

Your Tribune briefing 🗞️

🎶 TimeOut magazine has published a glowing feature on plans for Event Central, the new venue that will form part of the Fargate regeneration and will be run by local charity CADS. The article states that the original £8 million budget was recently increased to £14.4m, charitably explaining that this was “in order to ensure that no corners are cut”. It adds that construction work is due to start soon and that the venue should be open and running by the end of next year, although “there could always be delays”. If you know more about this project, we’d love to hear from you — email our reporter on victoria@sheffieldtribune.co.uk.

💻 A Rotherham hacker who was part of the “Yemen Cyber Army” was jailed for 20 months last week. Al-Tahery Al-Mashriky, 26, was arrested in 2022 following a tip-off from US law enforcement. Analysis of his devices showed he had infiltrated the websites of organisations in North America, Yemen and Israel and possessed personal data from more than 4 million Facebook users. Deputy Director Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Al-Mashriky’s attacks crippled the websites targeted, causing significant disruption to their users and the organisations, just so that he could push the political and ideological views of the ‘Yemen Cyber Army’.”

💷 Liberty Steel owner Sanjeev Gupta is preparing one final attempt to save the company’s Speciality Steel UK division, based in Stocksbridge, before a court battle with creditors on Wednesday. The Guardian reports that Gupta hopes to push through a pre-pack administration deal that would allow the company to shed its debts, before being bought out of administration by Gupta or those connected to him. However, government officials are reportedly preparing for the collapse of Speciality Steel, while fraud investigations into other areas of Gupta’s business are ongoing. 

The weekly Whitworth ✍️

Home of the week 🏡

We normally try to pick a home of the week that’s vaguely affordable but every now and then it’s fun to blow the budget and simply goggle at a ridiculously lavish pad. This £3 million mini-mansion near Damflask Reservoir features a pool, log cabin, carved four poster bed and stag antler chandeliers. Details here.

Things to do 📆

Art 🎨 On Wednesday, Millennium Art Gallery is offering a mindful art session, which aims to create a relaxing and peaceful environment where you can draw still life objects and work on your artistic skills. All abilities, from beginners to professional artists, are welcome. Tickets are £9 and available here.

Workshop 📷 Learn how to construct your own handmade pinhole camera — an early photographic method that doesn’t use a lens — in a workshop at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet this Saturday. Sessions run for 50 minutes and you’ll be able to use the camera to capture photos of the beautiful industrial building. Tickets are £7, get yours here.

Music 🎸 On Sunday, head to Delicious Clam for a special Bank Holiday gig. Melbourne-based garage rock band Delivery have made the trip, plus, expect an energetic performance from Sheffield’s very own Big Break. The last few tickets, which cost £12, are available on Skiddle.