Jennifer Melle

Jennifer Melle is a Christian nurse who referred to a male, trans-identifying patient as ‘Mister’. Even though she was subjected to racial abuse, she faces disciplinary action for telling the truth and has been suspended.

While working a shift in May 2024, Jennifer was called to assist with a volatile patient, a prisoner who wanted to self-discharge.

His medical records listed him as male – not female or transgender. The name board simply gave a feminine name. He appeared masculine, standing over six feet tall and of large build.

After Jennifer referred to him as ‘Mr’, he screamed, “Do not call me Mr! I am a woman!”

Jennifer replied that she couldn’t refer to him as ‘her’ or ‘she’ as it was against her Christian faith, but instead offered to call him by his name.

“How about I call you n*****?” the man yelled, “Yes, black n*****!”

Rather than giving her support and protecting her, the NHS Trust where she worked punished her.

She was pulled aside and told she had to respect equality and diversity. Then, she was pressured to supply management with a statement and warned that if she didn’t attend a mandatory meeting with HR, she would be sent home while the investigation was happening.

She also now faces disciplinary action for supposedly ‘breaking the Code of Conduct’ by not using female terms for him. She has also been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Jennifer’s case became ‘front page news’ on Sunday 23 March, and millions viewed her story online. She received extensive public support, including from Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch who said Jennifer had her full support.

After her story was shared in the media, Jennifer was pulled into a meeting and told there had been a ‘potential data breach’ which could amount to ‘gross misconduct’.

She was suspended and banned from the hospital premises, and was then marched off the premises in tears.

The Trust still refuses to state any specifics of the allegations levelled at her.

With the support of the Christian Legal Centre, Jennifer is fighting for justice and standing for the freedom to speak truth.

Jennifer has been receiving legal help from the Christian Legal Centre free of charge. Help us continue to support her by making a donation today.

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Stand with Jennifer by signing and sharing the petition.

Media coverage

• Mail on Sunday front page: Nurse branded danger to the public – for calling racist transgender paedophile ‘Mr’
• Read our press release

What’s at stake?

• Nurses and other medical professionals should be free to describe patients in line with their biological sex
• Christians, additionally, believe that God made humans male and female and that they should tell the truth about a person
• What Jennifer said was both factual and an appropriate expression of her Christian faith – her treatment since is a clear violation of her freedom of expression
• The case also demonstrates the hierarchy of rights enforced so often in workplaces, where some people (in this case, a man identifying as a woman) are more equal than others (a Christian who was subjected to racial abuse)