J. K. Rowling slams trade union president after he accuses Darlington nurses

The president of one of the biggest trade unions in the UK has faced a huge backlash after accusing the Darlington nurses of ‘anti-trans bigotry’. The nurses were criticised by the president for not wanting to get undressed in front of a man in an NHS female staff changing room.

Steve North made the comments in response to the Darlington nurses meeting health secretary Wes Streeting last week. Mr Streeting said to the nurses that something had ‘gone wrong in our society’ on these issues and vowed to ‘deal with it.’

The meeting followed a statement Mr Streeting made in the lead up to the General Election when he said on X/Twitter that he was ‘horrified’ by the nurses’ case and wanted to meet them.

Mr Streeting gave the response after the nurses launched legal action against County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust over being forced to share a changing room with a man identifying as a woman. Said man admitted that he was trying to get his girlfriend pregnant and that he was not taking female hormones.

After 26 nurses wrote to HR and senior management outlining their concerns, they were told via HR that they needed to be ‘re-educated’, ‘broaden their mindset’ and be more ‘inclusive’.

However, Mr North said: “I appreciate this is a Daily Mail article but if true it is deeply concerning that @wesstreeting appears to be once again pandering to anti-Trans bigotry. In our year of LGBT+ workers, I stand, as UNISON President with the Trans community.” (He then included the trans and LGBT flags and a clenched fist emoji).

However, the post appeared to backfire on Mr North, who is president of a Union with which is made up of 76% female members.

He said: “I posted in support of Trans rights and the result has been a torrent of abuse, including being called a pervert and a paedophile. If this is what I get for showing solidarity with Trans people, imagine what trans people face. Let’s stand with LGBT+ comrades.”

In response to this, author J.K. Rowling, who has 14.2 million followers on X, said: “@UnisonSteve you posted in support of female nurses being compelled to undress in front of a male. Millions of women stand with the Darlington nurses.”

Regarding Wes Streeting meeting the nurses, she also wrote with a thumbs up: “Bothering to listen to regular women has been in short supply lately, so fair play to him.”

Mr North’s comments present why the Darlington nurses have faced no choice but to launch their own union – the Darlington Nursing Union – to defend the rights and dignity of women in the workplace.

The comments reflect a growing and concerning issue among the UK’s three biggest unions which have been accused of ‘abandoning women’.

In early 2024, for example, the GMB Union, Unite and Unison in Scotland were unable to vote in favour of a motion that urged them: “to acknowledge the principle of women’s sex-based rights, as well as those conferred upon them by other protected characteristics”.

‘This is what we are faced with’

Responding to the Mr North’s comments, Darlington nurse, Bethany Hutchison, who is also President of the Darlington Nursing Union, said: “76% of Unison members are women, so this is not a great look for Mr North. He has, however, encapsulated perfectly why we are faced with what we are and why we have had to launch our own Union to defend basic women’s rights and dignity at work.

“We are grateful to all those who have spoken out in our defence following Mr North’s comments. It is ironic that, in response, he has made his posts private.”

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting the nurses, said: “Mr North’s comments reveal the extent of the issues at the heart of the Unions which have been completely captured by transgender ideology to the point they can no longer represent and support the majority of their members.

“The Darlington Nursing Union provides a new vision and voice for truth, equity and justice. The Darlington Nursing Union will demonstrate what it really means to be tolerant, kind and fair on these issues in the workplace.

“We encourage as many workers as possible who believe in scientific reality to join the union or start their own.”

“Today’s Unions appear not to understand Christianity and the benefits it brings to society. This is why we need a new kind of Union to advocate for honest, hardworking people who find themselves on the wrong side of the political discourse; a Union that will help nurses who simply believe in reality.”