'Jibe' transsexual wins her case

Staff admitted they had said inappropriate things to Ms Marland

A transsexual ferry crew member has been awarded compensation after a Southampton tribunal found she endured verbal and physical harassment at work.

Drusilla Marland, 48, from Bristol, suffered jibes from her engine room team on P&O ferry, Pride of Bilbao.

She had been forced to resign after two years of torment. The 48-year-old was awarded £64,862 by the tribunal.

P&O had admitted sexual discrimination but claimed Ms Marland was interested only in compensation not work offers.

A tribunal report stated: "For nearly two years prior to her resignation, the claimant was forced to endure at work an atmosphere of intimidation and hostility caused by the fact that she was undergoing gender-reassignment.

"Such culture was tolerated and promoted and sanctioned by the claimant's immediate managers."

Filthy lies were told about my behaviour by the crew Drusilla Marland

The tribunal had heard that staff had insisted Ms Marland use the male changing room and she was referred to as "he, she, it, whatever".

She had also endured remarks from her colleagues such as "when God made man it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve".

Ms Marland said: "I feel completely vindicated.

'Guns blazing'

"Filthy lies were told about my behaviour by the crew, and repeated both at the tribunal and in the national papers, in the cynical expectation that they would be believed. They weren't.

"When I raised my grievance with P&O's management, I was simply looking for an acknowledgement that I had suffered harassment, and some form of recompense.

"They were determined to go down with guns blazing, and now they've gone down. I hope they have learned the value of openness."

A spokesman for P&O said they had no comment on the tribunal result.