A Christian NHS nurse has been suspended after she went public about a disciplinary investigation over her refusal to refer to a biologically male paedophile as a woman.
Jennifer Melle was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) by her bosses at St Helier Hospital, London, after she used 'Mr' and male pronouns to refer to the convicted transgender child sex offender who had been brought in for treatment from a Category C men’s prison.
Ms Melle told the patient, “I am sorry I cannot refer to you as her or she, as it’s against my faith and Christian values but I can call you by your name.”
Her lawyers with the Christian Legal Centre (CLC) said that she was then threatened and racially abused by the patient in response to her stance.
Following the incident, Ms Melle was investigated by St Helier Hospital and accused of “not respecting the patient’s preferred identity” despite the patient being recorded as male in the medical records, not female or transgender.
The internal investigation deemed her “a potential risk” and concluded that her actions may have breached the NMC code of conduct which states that nurses should “not express your personal beliefs (including political, religious or moral beliefs) in an inappropriate way”.
Supported by the CLC, she is suing the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust for harassment, discrimination, and human rights violations. The CLC said she will remain on full pay during the investigation but has been banned from the hospital premises for the time being.
JK Rowling and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch are among the high profile figures to have publicly supported Melle. Rowling called her suspension "obscene", while Badenoch said it was "completely crazy".
"She has my full support. It's time the Government pulls its finger out and intervenes to make it clear no one should be punished at work for stating biological reality to paedophiles," said Badenoch.
Commenting on her suspension, Melle said, "Despite being the one placed at risk, I am the one being punished. I have been made to feel like a criminal."I am trusting in Jesus to guide me through this. I must take a stand. I genuinely worry about how many other NHS workers are silently enduring similar injustices."
CLC chief executive Andrea Williams said that the hospital should offer a full apology. She is calling on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to intervene in the case.
A spokesman for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We expect all members of staff to follow professional standards such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s code of conduct – this includes maintaining confidentiality for any patients in their care at all times.
“There is no excuse for racially abusing our staff, and we’re sorry that Ms Melle had this experience, and we’re investigating her complaints.
“As proceedings are still ongoing, it wouldn’t be right for us to comment further.”
