Transsexual Pc ’would be a fraud’
By Barbie Dutter
POLICEWOMEN would have to wear badges declaring: "I am female” if a transsexual was allowed to join the force, a tribunal was told yesterday.
Supt Leonard Taylor of West Midlands police said that the true sex of all officers could be called into question if the woman was employed. He told the Birmingham tribunal: “Here is someone who, to all intents and purposes, appears to be female but in law is a man. The public would consider her to be a fraud.
“It would create animosity if it became known that she was a transsexual and that would lead officers into conflict with the public.
“We may well get to the situation where women officers would have to wear a badge saying ’I am female’.”
The 29-year-old Birmingham woman - identified only as M - is alleging sex discrimination after her application to join the West Midlands force was rejected. She is claiming compensation for loss of opportunity and injury to feelings.
The tribunal has heard that she passed the initial recruitment tests but her application for the job of woman police constable was turned down after officers learnt that she had undergone a sex change in 1994.
The force claims that she is still legally a man and would be unable to perform routine tasks such as searching suspects or dealing with victims of rape.
Supt Taylor said that the living quarters at the police training college were single sex, and asked: “How can we put someone who is legally a man in the female accommodation?”
Insp Lorraine Bottomley said that a woman officer would need to search female suspects two or three times a week.
The hearing continues.
Previous day’s hearing
Tribunal decision, January 1997
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