A church allowing transgender women to use female toilets is 'brazenly encouraging people to break the law,' according to campaigners. Staff at Sunderland Minster placed a sign with the trans flag as a background outside the lavatories announcing that 'all women are welcome' in response to the Supreme Court ruling of April 2025.
Judges decided access to private areas such as lavatories should be based on gender, which is a matter of biological fact and not choice. Despite the finding, welcomed by women's rights activists, the church in Tyne and Wear is still allowing transgender women to use female toilets.
According to the church, any woman who feels uncomfortable about sharing the loos with a transgender female can ask for a chaperone. However, campaigner Maya Forstater, chief executive of Sex Matters, told the Telegraph the decision by the church amounts to a disregarding of the Supreme Court and the law.
She said: 'Sunderland Minster is brazenly and foolishly encouraging people to break the law with this sign, and offering a patronising compromise to women who want the law upheld for the sake of privacy, dignity and safety. Instead of offering chaperones to women who don't want to be confronted with men in the ladies' toilets in accordance with the law, why not offer that service to trans-identifying males who may be uncomfortable using the men's toilets?'
The sign at Sunderland Minster has provoked concern amongst women's rights activists. But in a Facebook post of the sign, a member of staff argued the ruling was 'narrow', adding the 'implication' for 'transgender sisters and brothers was not tolerable'. The post was deleted, but the Reverend Canon Clare MacLaren, who preaches at the church, has defended the sign and argues it does not break the law.
Last Thursday, the Supreme Court ruling was placed before parliament to be scrutinised for 40 days. After this point, the ruling can become law, and Rev MacLaren said she would seek guidance on how to proceed. She said: 'We believe that transgender men and women have as much right to privacy, dignity and safety as cis-gender men and women. As a Church we take our safeguarding responsibilities to all vulnerable adults and children extremely seriously. Our transgender and gender non-binary worshippers and friends at the Minster are very vulnerable and fearful of abuse. I am sorry that some people feel that cis-gender women have anything to fear from them.'
