POOLE council has warned a stadium company about its tourism role after a transsexual was left ‘humiliated’ because she could not use the female toilets.

Victoria Saxe-Coburg from Springbourne, Bournemouth said she was left in floods of tears by a security guard during a Poole Pirates speedway match.

The 55-year-old, who had a gender reassignment operation more than 20 years ago, said she was told to use the disabled toilet after another spectator made a complaint.

Poole Stadium declined to comment on the matter and stuck by its decision when she complained.

However Cllr Judy Butt, cabinet member for public participation, said: “Poole Stadium is a member of the Poole Tourism Partnership.

“This is a partnership between the council and more than 200 businesses. “This year the partnership agreed its own equalities statement and for 2012 members will need to sign up to the statement in order to be a member.

“We have contacted Poole Stadium and offered various forms of support, including access to specific trans awareness training, reminding them of the commitment of partners to the partnership equalities statement, and have asked that they keep us informed.”

No one from the club was available for comment on the incident.

Poole Pirates lease the stadium and the team’s staff were not involved.

Miss Saxe-Coburg told the Echo after the incident: “There were quite a few people nearby. I felt so humiliated and angry that I felt as if I had to go to the opposite side of the stadium.”

Jane Fae, a writer and sexual rights activist who took up the case and contacted Poole council, said: “I can well understand how such incidents are difficult for small businesses to deal with.”

But she added: “Organisat- ions must learn to deal with these issues sensitively, without making life even harder than it is for a frequently abused minority.”