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On Wednesday, 16th April 2025, it was announced that five judges from the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the terms “woman”, “man”, and “sex” would refer only to biological sex assigned at birth, excluding transgender people, including those with a gender recognition certificate (GRC).
What does this mean for transgender people of the United Kingdom?
This means that trans women could be barred from entering spaces labelled as “women only,” including bathrooms, changing rooms, counselling services, domestic violence shelters, and homeless shelters. This also means that trans women in custody of the British Transport Police will now be strip-searched by male officers instead of female officers.
Although the Supreme Court clarified that the ruling would not erase protections against direct discrimination for trans women, it would mean that certain protections would apply only to cisgender women.
Previously, the definition included trans women, which was challenged by the anti-trans group For Women Scotland (FWS), who launched a petition against the definition in 2018. In March of 2024, the group, backed by other organisations, appealed to the Supreme Court. FWS was also supported by infamous transphobe and British author J.K. Rowling, who donated £70,000 to aid For Women Scotland in their anti-trans crusade.
One TikTok user made a video on the situation, commenting that “JK Rowling donated £70K to strip rights away from trans people in the UK. That is where your money goes when you buy Harry Potter merch, her books, or watch the movies/shows. It’s us today. It’s you tomorrow.”
Victoria McCloud, the UK’s first transgender judge, applied to intervene in the Supreme Court appeal, but was refused.
Naturally, this ruling sparked outrage from trans people and our allies all over the world. Many have pointed out that not only does this ruling put transgender people at risk, but also cisgender women who could be mistaken as being trans. In an era where trans rights are being challenged and our lives are put at risk, trans people must be more united and louder than ever, and allies must continue to stand next to their trans siblings, friends, partners, coworkers, etc.
As Twitter user DewEnjoyer put it, “Regardless of how much we’re suppressed by our government trans people will exist and have existed for the entirety of human history, you cannot erase us no matter how hard you try.”
Written by El Bancroft
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