U.K. Top Court Says Trans Women Are Not Legally Women Under Equality Act [View all]

Source: NY Times

The Supreme Court in Britain ruled on Wednesday that trans women do not fall within the legal definition of women under the country’s equality legislation.

The landmark judgment, which said that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, is a blow to campaigners for transgender rights. It could have far-reaching consequences for the operation of single-sex services like domestic violence shelters, as well as to equal pay claims and maternity policies. And it comes amid intense public debate over the intersection of transgender rights and women’s rights.

However, the five judges involved in the ruling emphasized that they were not commenting more broadly on whether trans women are women, saying it was not the role of the court to adjudicate on the meaning of gender or sex. Instead, the judgment is limited to the precise meaning of language in the 2010 Equality Act, which aims to prevent discrimination.

The decision will likely be welcome news for Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain. Some legal scholars had theorized that the court might refuse to rule and instead force his government to weigh in on a thorny and divisive issue. The government said in a statement Wednesday that it had always supported the protection of “single-sex spaces based on biological sex” and that the ruling brought “clarity and confidence” around the provision of services in hospitals, domestic violence shelters and sports clubs.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/world/europe/uk-supreme-court-woman-definition-trans.html