Girlguiding has announced that transgender girls and young women will no longer be able to join the organisation as new members, following a legal review prompted by a Supreme Court ruling on gender.
The decision, which applies to those not recorded female at birth, was made after seeking expert legal advice, the charity said in a statement on Tuesday. The board of trustees said membership would now be restricted to girls and young women as defined under the Equality Act.
The move comes after a mother threatened legal action over Girlguiding's previous policy allowing transgender girls to join and trans women to volunteer in women-only roles, claiming it exposed girls to harassment, according to The Times.
Girlguiding said it believed strongly in inclusion and would support marginalised groups through a new taskforce. Current members and volunteers will not be affected immediately, and volunteers of any gender can still participate, though some roles remain women-only.
The Supreme Court ruled in April that for the purposes of the Equality Act, the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, with significant implications for women-only services. Many organisations are awaiting updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
