CIVICUS discusses a UK court ruling on gender definitions with Keyne Walker, political and strategic director at TransActual, a trans-led civil society organisation that focuses on healthcare and legal protections.
On 16 April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that under the 2010 Equality Act, the terms ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ refer exclusively to biological sex, not gender identity. This means trans women may be excluded from single-sex spaces such as bathrooms and shelters. Trans rights advocates fear this will reinforce stigma and discrimination, erode legal protections and embolden transphobic groups.
