Overview

• Maria Kelly, a people and capability lead who has worked at Leonardo for 18 years, gave evidence on the first day of public hearings before Employment Judge Michelle Sutherland in Edinburgh.
• She testified that after encountering a trans-identifying male colleague leaving a women’s bathroom in March 2023, she began using tucked-away single-occupancy toilets for greater privacy during heavy periods.
• Kelly said that after seeking clarity for more than a year, an April 2024 company email confirmed that anyone who self-identifies as a woman could use the ladies’ toilets.
• Her case alleges harassment and both direct and indirect discrimination, and she pointed to policy confusion on site, including the October 2024 removal of a female sign from certain toilets.
• The tribunal heard she challenged an internal glossary she said misquoted the Equality Act; it was later withdrawn, and she recounted a senior manager joking she might be committing a “hate crime” by raising concerns.