An aerospace engineer who challenged her employer’s transgender toilet policy has lost her discrimination case, after an employment tribunal ruled that Leonardo UK’s approach was lawful and proportionate.
Maria Kelly, a people and capability lead at the defence giant, claimed she experienced harassment, direct sex discrimination and indirect sex discrimination after the company allowed transgender women to use female toilets. Her grievance centred on an incident in March 2023, when she said she encountered a transgender colleague in a women’s bathroom. She told the tribunal she subsequently began using a “secret” toilet due to discomfort and concerns over privacy.
The claims were dismissed in full by employment judge Michelle Sutherland in a written judgment published on Wednesday following a hearing in Edinburgh in October.
Leonardo UK employs around 9,500 people. Judge Sutherland noted that Kelly was the only employee to raise concerns about the policy, despite multiple channels being available to do so.
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