Two U.K. Women’s Groups Ban Transgender Girls and Women

In December 2025, Girlguiding and the Women's Institute, two major U.K. organizations for women and girls, announced they will no longer accept transgender members. The decision follows an April Supreme Court ruling interpreting the Equality Act 2010 to define "woman" and "sex" as biological. Both organizations stated they were compelled to make the change due to potential legal challenges, despite their stated belief that transgender women are women. The legal action stemmed from concerns that the Equality Act was allowing individuals assigned male at birth access to women-only spaces. The groups had received legal advice warning that accepting members assigned male at birth could violate the Equality Act.

The Women's Institute (WI) will exclude transgender women from membership starting April of next year, citing the UK Supreme Court's ruling on the legal definition of "woman" as biological sex. The decision, made with regret, restricts membership to those registered female at birth, requiring confirmation upon joining or renewing. This follows a similar announcement from Girlguiding. The WI will launch "sisterhood groups" open to all, including transgender women, to foster inclusivity. This reverses the WI's inclusive policy, in place since the 1970s and made official in 2015, which allowed transgender members to join. The organization stated they received some communications referencing potential legal challenges, but the primary reason for the change is the Supreme Court ruling.