Emotions were running high after the Supreme Court delivered a ruling that’s already dividing the nation. In a landmark judgment, the UK’s highest court confirmed that under the Equality Act, the words “woman” and “sex” refer specifically to biological s*x, not gender identity.
The ruling means that, legally, trans women are not considered women under the act when it comes to sex-based rights and protections. While the court stressed that transgender people are still protected from discrimination through the characteristic of “gender reassignment,” the message for many was loud and clear — and painful.
GB News presenter Michelle Dewberry read out a message from a viewer who said they felt “very emotional” about the verdict. “The very fact… we needed the Supreme Court to tell us what most of us already knew in the first place is unbelievable and sad,” the viewer wrote, reported GB News.
Michelle echoed their frustration, calling it a damning reflection of the political class and the wider media. “If I see one more time an actual male criminal that is pictured in a newspaper… and the headline says a woman has been charged, you scream at the telly — that is not a woman,” she said.
Helen Joyce from campaign group Sex Matters said the ruling corrects a long-standing issue, claiming the Gender Recognition Act had “destroyed” the protections of the original Sex Discrimination Act. “Now that has been fixed,” she said.
But not everyone felt relief. For many in the trans community, the ruling felt like a gut punch. Jane Fae from TransActual described the mood as “devastated,” saying: “The entire trans community is devastated. Irrespective of the small print on this ruling, the intent seems clear: to exclude trans people wholesale from participating in UK society.”
Another rights group, TransLucent, warned that the judgment could fuel fear within the trans community, adding: “Many in the trans community will be extremely worried by this decision and its implications.” They reminded trans people that legal protections remain in place for gender reassignment.
The case itself stemmed from a legal challenge in Scotland. The Scottish Government had argued that trans women with Gender Recognition Certificates should be counted as women under equality rules — particularly in efforts to increase female representation on public boards. But the Supreme Court disagreed, with five judges ruling unanimously that biological sex is what counts in this context.
As the country digests the ruling, it’s clear this decision will spark debate for weeks to come — and for some, it’s already reopened deep emotional wounds.
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