#CreatingWomensSpaces... making spaces for the conversations women want to have!

14:00-16:30 I Free Creche I Women-only I Brighton & Hove

The Darlington Nurses Vs County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

The "Darlington Nurses" refers to a group of female staff at Darlington Memorial Hospital who won a landmark employment tribunal case in January 2026 against the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. 

Their case? To uphold their right as women to be provided with single-sex changing facilities at work. The nurses were expected to share facilities with a male colleague, “Rose”, who:

• identifies as female
• has not undergone any physical or hormonal transition and has full male genitalia
• has been granted access to a single-sex changing room for women.

Twenty-six nurses signed a letter to the trust, stating that they expect the trust to treat transgender staff with respect and dignity but that this did not absolve the trust of its duty to “those of us who find the current situation intolerable”. 

The ruling found:

• Violation of Dignity: The judge found the Trust's actions created a "hostile, intimidating, humiliating and degrading environment" and violated the nurses' dignity.
• Dismissal of Individual Allegations: While the Trust was found liable, all allegations of harassment or victimisation against Rose Henderson personally were dismissed.
• Policy Invalidated: The Trust's "Transitioning in the Workplace Policy" was found to be in breach of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
• This is considered a landmark case for NHS policy, with the judge citing a Supreme Court precedent that defines "woman" based on biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act.

In January 2026, the Trust issued an apology to all involved, stating they "regret" any distress caused by the situation. 

In February's Salon we ask........

How can the rights of women be upheld in the work place when employers and Unions  fail to uphold sex discrimination laws? 

How do we build support for our simple right to not be forced  to undress in mixed-sex spaces?

When women are faced with taking legal action how can we do this ethically? This case was funded by Christian Concern, a wealthy and powerful lobby group that campaigns, in every other respect, against the rights and interests of women and human rights of many minorities. Does this do us more harm? And how does this harm others?

How do we ensure that everyone has a space to change that upholds their privacy and dignity? 

As serious and opportunistic crimes such as voyeurism, (including the use of spyware and phones), flashing and assaults increase, single-sex spaces are proven over and over again to be not only safer for women and girls, but also our preference. Why are single-sex spaces important for you?


Listen, speak and share in our new format

As our Salons have become more popular, facilitating an increasingly large circle discussion has become more challenging. Speaking can be daunting and each woman has less time to speak if she wishes. This month the Salon will have a range of smaller circles looking at different aspects of our topic. You will be free to move between the circles and we hope women will have more opportunity to speak and listen in this new format.

Come along and share your perspectives, hear the perspectives of others and join our growing community.

About us...

On the THIRD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH we invite women* to join us in our woman-only space to share their experiences and insights. We sit in a circle, as each woman is equal. Every woman is welcome to speak and listen. Yes, we have cake.

Sisters Salon is run and organised by Brighton Women's Liberation Collective. We are a feminist collective that seek to create women-centred spaces and run campaigns to improve the lives of women and girls in our city. Salons are spaces for women to discuss their experiences and perspectives as well as discuss feminist ideas around them. You do not have to self describe as a feminist to come, and diversity of thought is encouraged. At our Salons we aim to build relationships, communities, understanding of our lives and steps we can take to improve them. Everyone is welcome.

Tickets are free, but please donate to help us cover the costs of the venue, the cost of the crèche & teas & coffees. Only donate if you can comfortably afford to do so. There is a card reader at the meeting too.

Our crèche is FREE! Please book by midnight on 18th February so we can plan the play space. Do let us know of any additional needs they have. If a crèche environment is not appropriate for your child, we will happily pay their regular care worker to have them for the duration to enable you to join us.

If you need help with travel costs please get in touch.

*We have a single-sex policy. Strictly only- women registered female at birth. Women registered female at birth who express a trans or non-binary identity are welcome and attend. If you were registered male at birth we are happy to signpost you to a variety of similar groups (scroll down)

**This means that sometimes women (registered female at birth) attend who present as male. We recognise that this can be unexpected! We would like to reassure you that our spaces are strictly male-free and women-only. 

To learn more about our group and our campaigns visit our website and follow us on social media. Please read our policies and mythbusters. If you want to create spaces for women please download our activist pack that tells you everything you need to know.

Our rules...

Many of our topics can trigger disclosures of sexual & domestic abuse. Women often talk about difficult and personal issues. We hold this space to enable women to do this. Many have no other space in their lives dedicated to reflection in this way. To enable women to feel safe, centred and empowered to do this, all attendees enter into our community pledge; confidentiality, self-organisation, trust, respect and sisterhood.

Signposting...

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