Mother-of-two sues council over gender neutral toilets

by · Mail Online

A mother-of-two has sued the council she used to work at after it removed female-only toilets in its office in favour of gender neutral ones.

Sarah Holman, 56, said she was hounded out of the job she loved at Bracknell Forest Council after she complained to HR and management.

Mrs Holman spent 12 years helping regenerate Bracknell but felt forced to hand in her notice after the council 'put trans rights above women's rights'.

She said the council was also excessively promoting controversial gender ideology while not celebrating any other protected characteristic in the same way.

Yet what left her 'outraged' was the council's suggestion that gender neutral toilets were not a risk as women could also be alone in the lifts and during meetings.

Mrs Holman told MailOnline: 'I don't think it's right. For privacy and dignity reasons, I don't want to share a toilet with a man.

'I had a miscarriage in a women's toilet. The majority of women need to spend more time in toilets based on our biology. 

'Our dignity wasn't considered. It was very alienating. You feel disrespected and unwelcome.

Mother-of-two Sarah Holman, 56, (pictured) is suing her former employer for scrapping women-only toilets
Bracknell Forest Council replaced single-sex toilets with gender neutral ones. Pictured: The new sign on the toilet doors

'This is not about being anti anybody, it's about treating everyone equally.

'Women's rights are being pushed aside in favour of gender ideology.

'This is happening up and down the country.'

She added: 'I raised my concerns with HR. I explained how important single sex facilities are to women, and I referred to the example from my own experience of being sexually assaulted in a toilet and how this had affected my mental health. 

'I myself also had the misfortune of having a miscarriage whilst at a previous workplace and am sensitive to the intimate personal gynaecology and urinary issues women of all ages often have to deal with in the toilet.

'Despite my complaint on the removal of single sex toilets council leadership was clear, the policy was not going to be revisited and remains in force.'

The mother-of-two felt she had to work from home for months until she finally felt her job was untenable.

She said: 'I really enjoyed my job but now I don't think I will get another job at a local authority. 

Mrs Holman said she was hounded out of her job because she complained about the issue

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The mother-of-two accused the council (pictured) of not protecting women's rights

'We need to get this right. We need to protect single sex spaces.'

She told MailOnline that by suing the council, she hopes it will force the authority to consider how they can better protect women's rights.

The mother-of-two has raised thousands to prepare her employment tribunal case against her previous employer.

Bracknell Forest Council's chief executive Susan Halliwell said: 'We are unable to comment on individual cases. However, the council is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and supportive work environment for all our staff.

'We take the safeguarding and wellbeing of our employees extremely seriously and have robust policies in place to promote equality and diversity across our organisation. 

'We continuously review and improve our practices to ensure every employee feels valued and supported and we maintain an environment of dignity, courtesy and respect.'