I’m taking my trade union, UNITE, to an employment tribunal for discrimination on the grounds of my gender-critical beliefs.

My name is Stephanie Pratt. I am a Specialist Biomedical Scientist with 20 years' NHS experience in Scotland. 

For most of my working life, I have been a trade union member and activist. In 2011, I joined UNITE and served as a Workplace and Equality Representative in my branch and was proud to promote fairness, equality, and workers’ rights. I never expected that my support for women’s sex based rights would result in me being harassed and discriminated against by my own union. I believe strongly that trade unions should be at the forefront of advancing women’s sex based rights and upholding workplace laws and must be held to account for abandoning female members in preference for gender ideology.      

My protected belief

I believe biological sex is real, binary, immutable, and distinct from gender identity. While I support trans people living their lives free of harassment and discrimination, I do not believe gender identity should override sex in single-sex spaces that affect women’s safety and dignity. 

What happened? 

In late 2022, a close female family member who was sexually abused as a child suffered distress at work when her employer started allowing access to single sex spaces based on gender self-identification. This ignited my interest in this topic, and I began educating myself on the law in this area. 

In 2023, I was taken aback when I was told to “watch my language” after I used the terms “biological male” and “biological female” when discussing single-sex facilities and the law during a UNITE training course.

In June 2023, UNITE circulated guidance from the STUC, which I believe was unlawful, stating that trans people were entitled to use single sex facilities in accordance with their gender identity. My repeated attempts to obtain clear legal guidance on this matter were ignored by UNITE over an 18 month period.

In April 2024, my Branch Convenor was dismissive of my concerns about women’s single sex spaces, stating that nobody cared about them, they were not a priority for UNITE Officers, that I held a “minority opinion”, that my concerns were created by people like JK Rowling and Joanne Cherry and did not align with the union’s national policies. The Branch Convenor warned me not to raise “trans issues” at union meetings as this could be viewed as “transphobic” or compared to “racial segregation.” 

The Branch Convenor ignored a plethora of legal material I sent him in 2024 warning that advice given to UNITE representatives during training courses that trans identifying males could use women’s single sex spaces was unlawful.  

In late December 2024, UNITE Scotland’s LGBT+ Committee posted statements on social media stating that “The @LemkinInstitute has declared the “gender critical” movement a genocidal ideology”. This linked article framed the gender critical movement as wishing to eradicate trans identity and drew comparisons with Nazi ideologies.

The Lemkin... - Unite The Union Scotland LGBT+ Committee | Facebook

Statement on the Genocidal Nature of the Gender Critical Movement’s Ideology and Practice

In early 2025, I submitted a formal complaint against the Branch Convenor for preventing me from expressing my gender critical beliefs and legal concerns.  

In March 2025, I met with UNITE’s Regional Women and Equalities Officer (Scotland) to discuss my complaint. This Officer was openly hostile to me during our meeting and told me that she wouldn’t prevent motions or social media posts depicting gender critical views as far right wing, racist or genocidal as it wouldn’t be democratic to do so.  

UNITE never responded adequately to my formal complaint against my Branch Convenor and in October 2025 failed to assist me after I was blocked from a Staff Facebook Group after posting comments in support of Nurse Sandie Peggie. 

In October 2025, the stress of tolerating this hostile environment over several years became overwhelming, forcing me, for the sake of my health, to resign as a Workplace and Equality Representative. 

Throughout a several-year period, my sincere legal concerns were re-framed by UNITE as polarising, disrespectful and offensive. My protected legal views were regarded as bigoted and ignorant. I was subjected to hostility and anger, and my attempts to discuss women’s sex-based rights and the law were repeatedly shut down. Conversely, trans-rights advocacy was actively promoted and funded; this stark double standard left me feeling even more isolated and unwelcome in the union I had served for years. 

Why I’m taking legal action 

I am bringing claims of discrimination, harassment, and victimisation against UNITE because I contend that they unlawfully prioritised one set of beliefs over my protected philosophical belief, failed to support me as a member and representative, and created a climate of fear that silenced me because I believe in sex realism. 

Trade unions are supposed to protect all workers and uphold the law - not enforce ideological conformity or punish and vilify members for believing that sex matters. 

Why this case matters 

This is not just about me. Many ordinary union members — especially women — are afraid to speak up about single-sex spaces, safeguarding, or women’s rights for fear of being labelled bigots or losing support from their own union. Cases like Maya Forstater, Jo Phoenix, Rachel Meade, and others have established that gender-critical beliefs are protected in law but UNITE never treated my beliefs as protected. Unions should be at the forefront of advancing and protecting women’s sex based rights; instead, they are actively trying to dismantle them. 

A successful outcome will help protect and encourage other trade unionists who want to express evidence-based, lawful views without fear of harassment or exclusion and will send a clear message to UNITE that their actions have legal consequences. 

Please support my case

I am crowdfunding to give myself the best chance of holding UNITE accountable and setting an important precedent. I hope my case will have implications for all members across the trade union movement.

Costs for Solicitors and Counsel are expensive and add up quickly. I intend to instruct McGrade and Co to represent me if I raise adequate funds as they have provided me with preliminary legal assistance and have considerable experience representing Claimants in the same position as me.  

Any donation you can make, large or small , will be enormously appreciated and will make a real difference and please feel free to share this page. 

If you cannot afford to contribute, it will help me enormously if you could instead share my crowdfunding page with your networks, family, friends, across social media, and throughout the trade union movement.

Initial target 

My initial target for stage 1 litigation fees is £15,000. 

Thank you for standing with me in defence of women’s rights, free speech, and the principle that trade unions must represent all their members fairly.