The Darlington Nurses Union
25th February 2025
The Darlington Nursing Union (DNU) was set up around October 2024 by four named and possibly other anonymous nurses who did not feel their own union was supporting them in their campaign to 'defend women in the workplace' by preventing trans-women from using the same changing rooms as cis-women.
I'm not going to debate the rights or wrongs of their campaign here, but like all of us they should have the right to have a union which supports them in their workplace, and if they feel the existing unions are not doing so, then to create one which will.
There is something very unpleasant here though. If you read any of the news stories or watch any of the videos about the new union you'll find prominent mentions of an organisation which goes by the name of Christian Concern. The initial article from the Northern Echo has a photo credited to them. Christian Concern's Youtube channel is used to host videos which the DNU Twitter/X account links to.
The videos and posts state that the union is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre , an arm or 'service' of Christian Concern.
To be clear, this isn't hidden away - it's proudly promoted in various places and impossible to miss if you're paying any attention at all. And recently (Feb 25) the DNU has been getting attention. They've reposted supportive tweets from Sharon Davies, JK Rowling, Duncan Bannatyne and Kellie-Jay Keen, had articles about them published in Spiked and by Paul Embery.
It seems to me unlikely that the people mentioned above are unaware of who Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre are - they certainly should be. But who are Christian Concern and what are their aims?
The issues page of their website gives a pretty good idea, and they don't seem to be your ordinary legal firm. The preamble includes "At the heart of the universe sits the creator God. He lovingly created us to know him and to enjoy fullness of life. And even when we rejected him and broke the world he had made, he responded in love, sending his own son, Jesus Christ, to bring forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration and hope. At Christian Concern, we point to the hope for society that is found uniquely in Jesus Christ." They then go on to list the issues which concern them.
Beginning of life : They're against abortion rights, IVF and surrogacy. "Although the likes of abortion, IVF and surrogacy are treated as women's rights, the truth is that they are not only harmful for the lives that are lost; they are also harmful for the women who endure the procedures."
End of life : They're "against all forms of assisted suicide" .
Marriage : They're against equal marriage. "Same-sex marriage, polyamory, civil partnerships and cohabitation are all parodies of marriage. They go against God's plan of a one-man-one-woman union and are consequently harmful for society, for the individuals involved and for any children that are part of those families."
Gender : They seek to "uphold the male-female distinction" stating that the "propaganda that people are born in the wrong body is an insult to God as creator" .
Sexuality : They state "Sexuality is a good gift from God, created and designed to be enjoyed within one man, one woman marriage." . They advocate for "policies which reflect God's good design for sexuality" . They believe the bible condemns homosexuality stating homosexual practice is unacceptable
This issues page continues with articles about Freedom of speech, Secularism, Islam and 'Christian Freedoms'. To me, all of these reflect extremist Christian attitudes which have little place in a modern society.
Is the Darlington Nurses Union a genuine organisation set up to 'defend women in the workplace' or is it just another branch of Christian Concern? If the former, will it distance itself from the anti-choice, anti-equal-marriage and homophobic statements of its 'supporter'. If the latter, do people like JK Rowling and Paul Embery who have promoted the DNU now share the aims of Christian Concern?
Every time I look a little more deeply into Gender Critical campaigners it almost always seems to lead to extremist Christian ideology. You can read more about these organisations on their Wikipedia pages: Christian Concern , Christian Legal Centre . ☝