Nurse who said she’d misgender patients whines about being called transphobic

A Canadian nurse and anti-trans activist in British Columbia testified that she is “not transphobic” during a disciplinary hearing over her “derogatory and discriminatory” public statements.

The hearing, which began last week and wrapped up Wednesday, was the latest in a years-long process stretching back to 2020. According to conservative outlet UnHerd, Amy Hamm first learned that she was under investigation by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) three years ago, after she helped pay for a billboard expressing support for transphobic author J.K. Rowling.

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In June 2022, Hamm received an official citation informing her that the BCCNM’s Panel of Discipline Committee would be conducting a hearing on her conduct and competence as a registered nurse.

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“Between approximately July 2018 and March 2021, you made discriminatory and derogatory statements regarding transgender people, while identifying yourself as a nurse or nurse educator,” the citation read. “These statements were made across various online platforms, including but not limited to, podcasts, videos, published writings, and social media.”

Hamm’s X profile notes that she is the cofounder of Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights (caWsbar), an organization that claims it works to “preserve the sex-based rights and protections of women and girls,” and the co-founder of Gender Critical Story Hour podcast. She has also written for conservative outlets like The Post Millennial, Quillette, and The New Westminster Times.

According to the CBC, she frequently refers to transgender women as “men” in social media posts, videos, and podcasts, and argues that trans women are a threat to cisgender women and children. She has also described nonbinary adults as making “an extremely embarrassing display of narcissism and low intelligence.”

In its 2022 citation, the BCCNM described her conduct as violating professional standards.

“I’m not transphobic,” Hamm said during her November 10 testimony. “I don’t have any issue with trans people — it’s the infringement on women and children’s rights.” She also described the concept of gender identity as “anti-scientific, metaphysical nonsense.”

However, Hamm claimed that her anti-trans activism does not extend to the workplace. While she has posted that “we have eyeballs and we will continue to use them to misgender you,” she told the disciplinary panel that she always uses people’s correct pronouns at work. “Whether or not I agree with certain policies, I limit my advocacy for changing policies to outside of work,” she claimed.

Hamm took the stand again on Monday, testifying that she has “never claimed to be a representative of my profession,” despite the fact that she has consistently noted that she is a nurse in author bios that have accompanied her anti-trans articles and in her profile on caWsbar’s website.

On Tuesday, Hamm responded to a question about whether her anti-trans activism might make transgender patients uncomfortable and discourage them from seeking care. As the CBC notes, this has been key to the BCCNM’s case against Hamm, as trans people are frequently wary of discrimination they may face from medical professionals. Hamm claimed that has already agreed not to interact with patients who may be uncomfortable with her anti-trans views.

According to UnHerd, testimony wrapped up on Wednesday, November 8. In a post on X, Hamm’s lawyer Lisa Bildy wrote that they would “be back before the panel to make closing oral submissions in the new year.”