A mother who successfully campaigned for Girlguiding to ban transgender members has accused the organisation of prioritising boys over girls for the last eight years. The woman, who spoke anonymously, told the Daily Mail the inclusion policy created safeguarding risks and deterred families.
The Legal Challenge That Forced a Policy Reversal
The claimant's victory came this week when Girlguiding announced it would no longer accept trans girls and women. This followed a pre-action legal letter she sent in September, threatening to sue. The letter argued the policy, in place since 2017, exposed girls to harassment and created a humiliating environment. It specifically cited concerns about her seven-year-old daughter sharing toilets, showers, and changing rooms with male-born individuals without consent.
"The charter for Guides says it is for girls and young women," the mother stated. "And no matter how much they grow their hair, wear a dress, do whatever – boys can never be girls. We are human beings, mammals. Sex is binary and immutable." She accused the organisation of choosing a "vanishingly tiny number of boys and men who identify as female" over the interests of its core members.
Impact on the 'Sisterhood' and Safeguarding Fears
The mother said she had loved being a Guide but had not allowed her own daughter to join due to the trans-inclusive policy. She argued that the presence of male-born guides would fundamentally alter the dynamic, making girls less willing to be adventurous or talk openly about female experiences like puberty. She estimated that 'hundreds, possibly thousands' of girls had missed out on the Girlguiding experience because parents were wary of the safeguarding risk.
"If a boy says, 'I feel like a girl' the other parents in the Guide company aren't told, and that boy is OK to sleep with the girls and wash with the girls and toilet with the girls," she claimed. She expressed hope that with the policy reversed, the traditional 'sisterhood' mentoring between older and younger girls could return.
A Call for Others to Speak Out
The claimant said her action was inspired by this year's Supreme Court ruling, which stated the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex. After Girlguiding failed to reply to her initial query, she escalated to a legal threat. She now hopes her stance will encourage other "normal people" and "gender-critical guiders" who have "kept their heads down" to speak out in defence of single-sex spaces.
"People are being bullied and harassed for saying they believe girls should have a space without boys," she said. "There are other women and girls out there who feel this way, and they shouldn't feel afraid to speak out." She confirmed that if Girlguiding keeps its word, she plans to finally sign her daughter up as a Brownie and volunteer as a leader herself.
