Statement on the Supreme Court Ruling on the Equality Act

Pride Progress flag with 6 stripes and black and brown stripes and trans equality flag, on pink background

Following the Supreme Court ruling in April on the definition of the term ‘woman’ in the Equality Act, the Andro and Eve team have taken time to reflect and review the range of responses that have since emerged. 

As an organisation committed to celebrating queer culture, creating spaces of joy and hope for our community, and working towards a more just world for LGBTQ+people, we are appalled and extremely concerned by the lack of fairness, overt exclusion of trans voices, and, in some cases, the cruelty that has since been expressed by the media, parts of the UK Government, as well as some employers and sporting bodies across the UK.

On 16 April 2025 the Supreme Court gave its judgement in the appeal of For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers. It ruled that for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010, the terms ‘woman’, and ‘man’ are defined exclusively based on biological sex. It explicitly excludes trans people with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) from being recognised as their legal sex under the Equality Act.

The Supreme Court ruling represents another significant and alarming step in what is an increasingly aggressive, well-resourced campaign to reduce or restrict the rights and protections afforded to trans+ people in the UK. It is also part of a broader trend, both nationally and internationally, of the erosion of democratic protections, and efforts to roll back the hard-won rights, freedoms and protections afforded to the LGBTQI+ community. Together, these actions align with a growing shift towards the far right.

It also signifies a regressive step towards outdated and essentialist ideas regarding what constitutes a woman. Ideas that feminists have been fighting against for decades*, and which are now being resurrected in the interests of a small minority, as part of well coordinated attempts to restrict bodily autonomy for women including access to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. The Supreme Court Ruling will undoubtedly have negative consequences not only for trans women but for all women, especially those who live their lives in ways that differ from gender or sexuality norms.

Bunting created in May 2025 by the Sheffield community in response to the Supreme Court Ruling and displayed at The Kingdom Come event. Organised by Corvus Coaching

We know that this ruling has understandably created a lot of fear and uncertainty among members of our community and left many trans people not only feeling excluded and unsafe, but already experiencing discrimination and ostracisation during their day to day activities. The range of unknown legal and practical consequences of the ruling is of significant concern, especially regarding trans peoples’ access to essential services and gender segregated spaces.

As existing data shows, trans people, especially trans women from racially minoritised groups, are already at increased risk of violence and abuse, with the rates of hate crimes against the trans community rising dramatically over the last decade. Trans people also face continual struggles regarding healthcare access, housing, and employment. This ruling will have substantial and long-lasting consequences for the safety and well-being of trans, non-binary and gender expansive people living in the UK and the extent to which they are safe from violence and discrimination in their daily lives.

We stand firm in our commitment to stand up for the rights of trans and gender expansive people and share our solidarity, love and rage with our trans siblings. If you are trans and need support, seek help from Mermaids, Switchboard or through a local group, friends or loved ones if you are able.

This is a crucial moment to stand up for the rights of trans people in the UK, and take action to ensure every person, regardless of gender identity or sexuality is respected, protected and can live safely and free from harm. 

Take Action

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is updating the statutory Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations affected by the Supreme Court ruling and are seeking feedback from members of the public through a public consultation.

We urge you to contribute to this public consultation, holding at the forefront of your mind the rights of trans people, and the care and compassion each and every trans person deserves. There is guidance available on how to complete it provided by Scottish Trans, Mermaids and TransActual. Participate by completing the online survey. There is not much time to respond – the consultation closes on Monday 30 June 2025.

If you would like further information about the ruling, and how your workplace can remain trans inclusive, we are also hosting a free webinar on 18 June at 12pm. 

You can also write to your local MP to share your concerns regarding this ruling. Scottish Trans have created a useful tool which enables you to write a letter in minutes – you can adapt the text and follow this link if you are a trans or non-binary person, or this link if you are an ally to our community. For further actions associated with the EHRC consultation and in support of trans rights, the LGBT+ Consortium have created this EHRC Consultation webpage to collate useful resources, including links to planned protests.

As we await further guidance regarding what the legal, political and social implications of this ruling will be for trans people, it is important to remember that the lives of trans people and their right to exist and be protected under the law should NEVER be up for debate. 

Now is the time for allies to visibly support their trans+ peers and demand they are protected. 

If you are looking for further information on the situation for trans and non-binary people in the UK and how to support trans inclusive practices, we offer Gender Awareness Training for organisations. For more  in depth support and advice around trans equity and inclusion in the workplace, or to talk through a specific situation, please reach out about our consultancy services. 

* As the Combahee River Collective stated in their statement of 1977 – ‘As Black women we find any type of biological determinism a particularly dangerous and reactionary basis upon which to build a politic’. 

Just launched – Consultancy Services for Trans Inclusion 

Finn is speaking in front of a screen with a session plan projected onto it

We are excited to share that we are now offering consultancy services focused around our Gender Awareness Training.

This service, available for organisations of all sizes, is about sharing our in depth knowledge and lived experience around trans equity and inclusion. 

Since we launched our Gender Awareness Training in 2021 we have worked with businesses, charities, educational establishments and public bodies across the UK, delivering Gender Awareness training to over 900 people. Through working with such a diverse set of organisations, our public advocacy about trans rights, and continued development of our training offer, we have gathered a broad evidence base and examples of best practice to support trans liberation.

The UK is growing increasingly hostile towards trans people, fuelled by media narratives, some politicians and a small minority of well resourced anti-trans voices. Now more than ever, we see the need for bespoke support for organisations as they navigate this complex situation. 

If you are looking for support with a specific area of work around trans equity and inclusion we can offer tailored support and guidance. We are also offering discounts on our consultancy service to charities and not for profit organisations in order to make this service more accessible.

If you are interested in our consultancy services please get in touch via the contact form on our Gender Awareness Training page.

Our response to the Government Draft Guidance for Schools

Transgender Equality flag in blue, pink white on mint background

This is our response to the non-statutory draft guidance for schools & colleges in England and Wales regarding gender-questioning children and young people that was released on 19 December 2023 with a consultation open until 12 March 2024.

We sent our own response as an organisation to that consultation back in March and are sharing our response publicly now to record our opposition to it in its entirety. 

Andro and Eve have been working with the LGBTQ+ community for the last eight years, with LGBTQ+ young people the last 3 years, and we know first hand the impact on trans and gender expansive people when their right to exist is called into question. We are also leading facilitators of Gender Awareness Training, delivering our training to organisations throughout the UK since 2021. Our training enables teams to better serve and meet the needs of clients and customers of all genders, particularly those who fall under the Transgender umbrella. It is continually developed in response to the latest research and is grounded in lived experience and informed by sector best practice principles.

Every child and young person should be safe and respected in school or college and their best interests met in an environment that celebrates learning, inclusivity and diversity. The UK government’s draft guidance for schools in England does not respect or serve the interests of trans and gender-expansive children and young people and is at odds with existing children’s rights and equalities legislation in the UK, including both the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998. The Equality Act and the protected characteristic of gender reassignment applies at any age. 

This guidance harmfully promotes and justifies the active exclusion of trans and gender-expansive children and young people, rather than seeking to support a cohort of young people whom we know already experience elevated risks of harm and bullying in educational settings. (Estyn, 2020, Hudson-Sharp & Metcalf, 2016, Jadva et al, 2023). 

Evidence indicates that 64% of trans young people had been bullied at school (Stonewall, 2017) and there has been an 186% increase in reported transphobic hate crimes in the last 5 years (ONS, 2023). While guidance asserts that bullying should never be tolerated in our schools and colleges, there is a concerning lack of measures to protect, include or advocate for trans and gender-expansive children and young people.

Teachers are often a vital resource for trans children and young people who do not feel safe at home. This guidance not only risks damaging the relationship between young people and teachers by creating additional barriers to disclosure or help-seeking, but could also mean trans and gender-expansive children and young people no longer feel safe at school or college. The risk of harm posed to young people if their parents are informed without their consent is deemed ‘exceptionally rare’ in the guidance. This does not cohere with findings from recent studies which document the lived experiences of trans young people (Just Like Us, 2023, McDermott et al., 2017), including research conducted by this government (Government Equalities Office, 2018).

That children and young people are questioning their gender identity is framed in this guidance as a product of ‘gender ideology’. This language departs from that which is used elsewhere in dominant UK political discourse and legislation, the UK Census, and the NHS, and is unacceptably inflammatory.  

The guidance is written through an unduly narrow ideological lens and perpetuates false narratives concerning sex and gender that have no basis in evidence. This only serves to deepen divides and stigmatise trans children and young people further. Crucially, the guidance inflames what is already an incredibly dangerous ‘culture war’, as it calls into question trans children and young people’s right to exist. This does nothing to mitigate the elevated risks of harm faced by vulnerable transgender young people and goes against the statutory duties of schools to safeguard all young people. The lives of trans and gender-expansive children and young should never be up for debate. 

We join with many other LGBT+ organisations, youth organisations and schools in urging the government to reconsider the position taken in this guidance and instead to view this as a vital opportunity to implement clear guidance that creates genuine inclusivity and safety for all children and young people, including by listening to children and young people themselves.

References: 

Estyn, 2020, Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion: Good practice in supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) learners in schools and colleges

Hudson-Sharp, Nathan and Metcalf, Hilary, National Institute of Economic and Social Research (commissioned by the Governement’s Equalities Office), 2016, Inequality among lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender groups in the UK: a review of evidence. 

Jadva, J, Guasp, A, Bradlow, JH, Bower-Brown, S, Foley, S, 2023, Predictors of self-harm and suicide in LGBT youth: The role of gender, socio-economic status, bullying and school experience, Journal of Public Health, Volume 45, Issue 1, Pages 102–108.

Government Equalities Office, 2018, National LGBT Survey.

Just Like Us, 2023, Positive Futures: How supporting LGBT+ young people enables them to thrive in adulthood.

McDermott, Elizabeth, Hughes, Elizabeth, Rawlings, Victoria, 2018, The social determinants of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth suicidality in England: a mixed methods study, Journal of Public Health, Volume 40, Issue 3, pages e244–e251.

    Bookable Gender Awareness Training

    Gender Awareness Training

    We’re pleased to announce a new date for our Gender Awareness Training. Booking is now open for 15 March 10am – 1pm. This online session is aimed at freelancers, individuals and organisations where less than 6 people would like to undertake this training. 

    This 3 hour Gender Awareness Training session is designed to pass on knowledge and best practice enabling you to better serve and meet the needs of clients and customers of all genders, particularly those who fall under the Transgender umbrella.

    We cover topics including, language, intersectionality, non binary identities, allyship gender in a global context, feminism, LGBTQ+ herstory and transgender health and equality and the law.

    Learning Outcomes – You will;

    • Feel more confident in your knowledge of the experiences of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+).
    • Understand what gender inclusive language is and when to use it. 
    • Learn about LGBTQ+ histories, rights and current legislation and understand what this might mean for trans and non-binary people living in the UK today. 
    • Explore practical steps to help build gender inclusive practices and spaces, including by being an ‘ally’ to trans, non-binary and gender minoritised people.

    As one past participant said;

    ‘This training was empowering and motivating, and I felt that the trainer created a really safe space for respectful and open discussion’.

    Each participant will take away a resource pack with content covered in the session along with further advice and reading. Places are limited, and priced on a sliding scale. Book via Eventbrite now!

    Access Information – We will take two breaks during this session and each participant receives information on session structure in advance. Closed Captions will be provided via zoom and the training is supported with slides with text and images. 

    GENDER AWARENESS TRAINING – BOOKING NOW!

    a pink square has turquoise squiggles and geometric shapes across it. At the top is Andro and Eve logo of inverted triangle in purple with white writing overlaid. In the centre of the image is the words Gender Awareness Training in purple text.

    New for 2022, we’re taking bookings for our Gender Awareness Training!

    On February 8th we’re delivering an online Gender Awareness Training aimed at freelancers, individuals and smaller organisations. You can book a place here.

    UPDATE – MARCH 2022 – Book a place on this session on Tue 5 April at 6pm here.

    This session is designed to pass on knowledge and best practice enabling your team to better serve and meet the needs of clients, customers and service users of all genders, particularly those who fall under the Transgender umbrella.

    Drawing upon our extensive experience in meeting the needs of the LGBTQIA community in creating safe and inclusive events, this session covers;

    • Context. Where are we at with Trans Rights in the UK?
    • Terminology. Words have impact. We explore definitions and when to use.
    • Best practice. Looking at case studies and practical steps to implement, in order to be inclusive of transgender and gender diverse people.
    • Sharing experiences. Stories help us make sense of the world. We use practical exercises to help develop understanding.

    We cover topics including, language, intersectionality, non binary identities, gender in a global context, feminism, LGBTQ+ herstory and transgender health and equality and the law.

    In doing so you will;

    • Feel more confident in your knowledge of the experiences of people who identify as LGBTQ+.
    • Understand what gender inclusive language is and when to use.
    • Understand the practical steps to help build gender inclusive practices and spaces.
    • Take away your own resource sheet with content covered in the session along with further advice and resources.

    It was an informative, inspiring and thought provoking session with a friendly facilitator! Thanks!

    – Previous Training Participant

    This online training session is designed as 2.5 hour session which is inclusive of a 10 minute break. Places are limited in order to facilitate meaningful group discussions. We are offering places on a sliding scale depending on your individual or organisation’s income level.

    This training is delivered by Andro and Eve’s Artistic Director Finn Warman who has 12 years experience leading CPD sessions and training for education professionals, artists, and higher education students. Found out more about Finn here.

    If you have any questions about this session, please feel free to get in touch. Our Gender Awareness training is still available to book for organisations. Find out more about our bookable Gender Awareness Training here.

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