Dear Rose...
We hope that you are surrounded by good people who are keeping you safe.
We know from our conversations with people who have been through the tribunal process that you are probably very overwhelmed.
We know from our conversations with the public that a great many people care about you and stand with you.
You are always welcome to contact us. We don't have an agenda, we just want you to know the option is there.
With love, Persist
A public statement of support for Rose
The team here at Persist have been following the news in the run up to Bethany Hutchison and others v County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust closely and wish to express our solidarity with Rose Henderson.
There has been a lot of media coverage about her but the publicly available information about her life is relatively scant. We are relieved this is the case and hope that her privacy is maintained as much as possible over the next three weeks.
Rose is not a respondant in this case. The lawyers for County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust will be defending the trust and claims made against someone who is not their client may not be of interest to them, whether they are true or not. Nevertheless, we hope that the facts of the case become clear, that judgement, outside of the court as well as within, is fair and we call for a collective commitment to a peaceful and even handed approach to the proceedings.
The imagery we drew up for this campaign is a reflection of those wishes. Doves are a long standing symbol of peace and hope, both within churches and secular movements. We know that a great many religious people support the LGBTQ+ community and reject the simplified narrative that faith and LGBT+ people must universally be at loggerheads.
We will be following the case closely and are in conversation with LGBTQ+ people in Newcastle and Darlington about what kind of peaceful action best fits their community. Any person or groups that would be interested in participating in or shaping this process are welcome to get in touch through our contact form.