British Columbia nurse Amy Hamm, whose 2020 co-sponsorship of a billboard praising J.K. Rowling led to a years-long investigation of her online comments by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives, has been suspended and ordered to pay the College almost $100,000.
B.C. nurse suspended by college, asked to pay $94K in costs for comments about transgender people | CBC News | Canadian Press:
August 16, 2025 - "A B.C. nurse has been suspended and asked to pay nearly $94,000 in costs for making 'discriminatory and derogatory statements' about transgender people. The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives says a disciplinary panel has issued a decision against Amy Hamm, suspending her for one month while also ordering her to pay the college costs and disbursements within two years.
"The panel said in its verdict in March that Hamm committed professional misconduct for making statements across 'various online platforms' between July 2018 and March 2021 that were partly designed 'to elicit fear, contempt and outrage against members of the transgender community.' The college says Hamm has filed an appeal of the discipline order in B.C. Supreme Court, and the decision on penalty and costs is stayed until that appeal has been resolved....
"Hamm has maintained that she is not transphobic, and she takes issue with an 'infringement on women and children's rights,' and was particularly concerned with transgender women having access to women-only spaces like prisons and change rooms. She previously said she completely rejects the concept of gender identity, calling it 'anti-scientific, metaphysical nonsense,' and on social media posts has referred to transgender women as men.
"Hamm has received supportive statements from a wave of online followers, including author J.K. Rowling, and has written several columns for a variety of media outlets on multiple issues, including politics and crime, as well as sex and gender. She helped pay for a billboard in Vancouver supporting Rowling after she shared her views on gender identity online."
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/amy-hamm-discipline-bc-nurse-1.7610933
August 14, 2025 - "Ms. Hamm had worked in healthcare for over 13 years and had been promoted to be a nurse educator. In 2020, she co-sponsored a Vancouver billboard that read, 'I ♥ JK Rowling,' referencing the author’s support for women’s rights and the right of women to access female-only spaces, such as washrooms, crisis centres, sporting events, and prisons. Following complaints from activists and a Vancouver city councillor, the billboard was removed, and two formal complaints were filed with the College accusing Ms. Hamm of transphobia and hate speech.
"The College launched an investigation that led to a 332-page report examining Ms. Hamm’s public statements between 2018 and 2021, including tweets, articles, and podcasts. The College’s Inquiry Committee argued that Ms. Hamm had made discriminatory and derogatory comments about transgender people while identifying as a nurse. After 22 days of hearings spanning a year and a half, the College’s disciplinary panel ruled that four of her statements amounted to unprofessional conduct.
"Ms. Hamm has already appealed the College’s finding of unprofessional conduct to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Her lawyer, Lisa Bildy, noted, 'In our view, the panel made a number of legal and factual errors that make the decision unsound, and we look forward to arguing these points before the BC Supreme Court. We are now considering whether to appeal the penalty decision as well.... This decision effectively penalizes a nurse for expressing mainstream views aligned with science and common sense,' continued Ms. Bildy. 'The Panel’s ruling imposes a chilling effect on free expression for all regulated professionals.'
"Ms. Hamm said, 'The College has chosen to punish me for statements that are not hateful, but truthful. I’m appealing because biological reality matters, and so does freedom of expression. I want to express my thanks to the thousands of Canadians who continue to fund my legal case through donations to the Justice Centre.'"
Read more: https://www.jccf.ca/bc-college-orders-amy-hamm-to-pay-93639-80/
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