Transgender Crew Member Criticises Ship's “Mob Culture”

A transgender woman was quizzed about her “balls” and deliberately referred to as a “he,” an employment tribunal has been told. Drusilla Philippa Marland, a P & O Ferries crew member claims she was forced out of her job after the company did not protect her from discrimination. She told the hearing that she was ridiculed because of her gender reassignment and had to deal with jibes such as “we are all men here” on the Pride of Bilbao ship. She said: “There was a mob culture in the engine crew which saw me as an outsider.”An internal investigation found that colleagues had behaved inappropriately, the Southampton tribunal heard. P&O Ferries' human resources assistant Sandra Ray said: “The standard of behaviour of Ms Marland's workers in the engine room was not what was expected. Most was out of ignorance and not malice." She claimed she offered training about how to deal with transsexuals but claimed Ms Marland was more interested in gaining compensation.