Nurse accused of trans changing room row cleared of misconduct in ongoing row
"I've never had somebody say things like that to me before"
By Aaron Sugg
A nurse who was suspended after telling a transgender colleague not to use the women’s changing room has been cleared of ‘gross misconduct’ in Dundee this week.
Sandie Peggie, who has worked for the NHS for over 30 years, was investigated after an “awful” confrontation with Dr Beth Upton, a transgender woman, at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy on Christmas Eve 2023.
The nurse faced allegations of misconduct, failures of patient care and misgendering the doctor by objecting to Dr Upton’s use of the female-only changing space, allegedly stating “a man couldn’t be in the changing room.”
Dr Upton claimed Peggie told her it was “inappropriate” for her to be there, questioned her chromosomes, and made a remark that seemed to compare her to Isla Bryson, a transgender rapist – a comparison Peggie has denied.
“Really distressed, really awful” – Dr Beth Upton
After the exchange, Dr Upton complained to NHS Fife about Peggie’s behaviour and the nurse was suspended on 3 January 2024.
Living as a woman since August 2022 that year, Upton told the tribunal the incident left her feeling “really distressed, really awful. I’ve never had somebody say things like that to me before.”
In July 2025, NHS Fife confirmed that Peggie had been cleared of all allegation. The board found there was “insufficient evidence to support a finding of misconduct.”
“Trans people are not predators”
Since, Peggie has brought a claim under the 2010 Equality Act against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, arguing that her treatment was ‘unlawful’.
The tribunal, which began in February 2025, continued this week with Dr Upton saying: “Trans people are not predators by nature of being themselves… I’m not interested in retribution – I’m interested in justice.”
The case comes amidst raising prejudice against the transgender community in the wake of the UK Supreme Court’s April 2025 ruling that, under the Equality Act, the term ‘woman’ refers to biological ‘sex’.
Since, the Equality and Human Rights Commission proposed a bathroom ban for the trans community, prohibiting gender-diverse individuals from using toilets of the gender they identify as.