The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court has declared an unanimous view that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act refer to biological sex and not acquired gender.
This is a landmark judgement.
Lord Hodge has emphasized that the law still offers trans people protection against discrimination.
This is the peak of a lengthy legal battle between Scotland’s government and a women’s group over the definition of the word “woman” .
Context? Scottish legislation mandating 50% representation on public boards.
For Women Scotland (FWS) claimed they only apply to people that are born female, thus fighting against the Scottish government.
This holds for England, Scotland and Wales.
“This is a victory for all of the women who faced personal abuse or lost their jobs for stating the obvious”, said Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch.
Chairwoman Baroness adds: “We are pleased that this judgment addresses several of the difficulties we highlighted in our submission to the court, including the challenges faced by those seeking to maintain single-sex spaces, and the rights of same-sex attracted persons to form associations.”
Meanwhile, trans activists are obviously furious, and has condemned it as a far-right move.
“It could remove important protections and will leave many trans people and their loved ones deeply anxious and worried about how their lives will be affected and about what will come next”, said Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland.
“Self identification is dead”, says Maya Forstater, chief executive of Sex Matter.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it is happy with the court’s decision, but needs more time to consider the implications in full.
