Girlguiding and the Women’s Institute stated their decision was prompted by a supreme court ruling concerning biological sex
Girlguiding and the Women’s Institute, two of the UK’s largest organizations for females, announced they would cease admitting transgender individuals as members, referencing a recent court decision on biological sex.
On Tuesday, Girlguiding, the British counterpart to the Girl Scouts, released a statement indicating that “trans girls and young women will no longer be eligible to join” the group. The Women’s Institute, established over 110 years ago, made a similar announcement on Wednesday, stating it would “restrict formal membership exclusively to biological women.”
Both groups clarified that these changes were not their initial preference but were necessitated by potential legal challenges subsequent to the UK Supreme Court’s April judgment. This court had affirmed that the term “woman” denotes biological sex, distinct from gender identity.
This judgment stemmed from a challenge initiated by For Women Scotland against a Scottish Government policy regarding women on public boards, which had encompassed transgender women legally recognized as female. The organization sought court confirmation that “woman” signifies a biological female.
The court declared that “the terms ‘women’ and ‘sex’ within the Equality Act 2010 pertain to a biological woman and biological sex,” further noting that interpreting sex as inclusive of acquired gender “would result in incoherence” within clauses safeguarding women based on pregnancy, maternity, and other sex-specific factors.
An Electoral Calculus poll conducted soon after the decision revealed majority support for the ruling, with 59% concurring that a transgender woman is not legally considered a woman. British author J.K. Rowling, a notable advocate for For Women Scotland, also commended the judgment.
Previously this year, the England Football Association announced a change in its regulations, declaring that “transgender women will no longer be permitted to play in women’s football in England,” with this policy taking effect from June 1, 2025. Similarly, British Rowing has prohibited transgender and non-binary athletes designated male at birth from its women’s racing division, stipulating that only athletes “assigned female at birth” are eligible to compete, with others able to participate in an Open category.
Current reports suggest the IOC is nearing a decision to exclude transgender women from female Olympic competitions.