Trans girls banned from joining Girlguiding

Trans girls will no longer be able to join Girlguiding, the organisation has announced, saying it has made the decision after seeking legal advice in the wake of the supreme court ruling on gender earlier this year.

Girlguiding on Tuesday said: “Trans girls and young women, and others not recorded female at birth, will no longer be able to join Girlguiding as new young members”.

A statement from the organisation’s chair of trustees, Denise Wilson, chief executive, Felicity Oswald, and chief guide, Tracy Foster, said: “Following April’s supreme court ruling relating to sex and gender, many organisations across the country have been facing complex decisions about what it means for girls and women and for the wider communities affected.

“Following detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members and Girlguiding’s Council, the board of trustees for Girlguiding has reached the difficult decision that, going forward, membership of Girlguiding will be restricted to girls and young women, as defined in the Equality Act.”

It added that Girlguiding “believed strongly in inclusion” and would continue to support young people and adults in marginalised groups through a new taskforce.

“While Girlguiding may feel a little different going forward, our core aims and principles will always endure and we remain committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, particularly those from marginalised groups that have felt the biggest impact of this decision,” the statement concluded.

It is understood there will be no immediate changes for current members, and that no volunteers – who can be any gender, although some roles are only open to women – will have to leave the organisation.

Girlguiding had been facing legal action from a parent over its policy allowing transgender girls to join as members and trans women to volunteer in roles reserved for women, claiming it “exposes girls to harassment”, the Times reported.

Its policy allowing trans members was introduced to some criticism in 2018, but Girlguiding defended its decision by saying: “Simply being transgender does not make someone more of a safeguarding risk than any other person.”

In April, the supreme court ruled that for the purposes of the Equality Act, the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex, with significant ramifications for who can now access women-only services and spaces.

Some companies have barred transgender people from using toilets of their lived gender, while others are still in limbo as they navigate a “minefield” of competing legal rights.

Many are still waiting for an updated code of practice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which will offer practical guidance on how to apply the ruling.