A heated argument over access to female-only facilities broke out at an awards ceremony in central London, after two transgender women were filmed using the venue's women's toilets. The incident, which has since circulated widely on social media, has reignited the complex debate surrounding single-sex spaces and transgender rights in the UK.
Confrontation in the Casino Toilets
The confrontation took place on Friday night inside the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square, during the annual awards for the group Not All Gays. According to Annaïg Birdy, the president and co-founder of the lesbian, gay and bisexual rights group, the argument began when a young woman named Octavia Evans spotted the two transgender women in the female toilets as the event was concluding.
Annaïg told the Daily Mail that the pair were not just using the facilities briefly but were "sitting at the mirrors and talking for an extended period." Feeling uncomfortable, Octavia Evans alerted security but was reportedly told that "nothing could be done" because the individuals were "dressed like women." This response prompted a group of approximately six women, including Annaïg, to enter the toilets together to ask the transgender women to leave.
Legal Rights and Threats of Violence
Annaïg Birdy stated that the group entered "not to argue, but to assert our lawful right to single-sex spaces" under the Equality Act 2010. She emphasised that they acted as a group because confronting "two adult males alone in a confined space is plainly unsafe, regardless of how those males personally identify." The venue provides clearly signposted gender-neutral toilets on every floor.
Footage of the incident shows a security guard attempting to mediate as the women express discomfort, with some heard stating the pair were "men in the women's toilets." Eventually, the two transgender women agreed to leave and were escorted out by security staff. During the escort, one was heard threatening to 'smack the s*** out of' a woman, while the other added: 'I'll show you what a man is.'
Annaïg said these threats demonstrated precisely why women feel unsafe when male people are permitted into female-only spaces based on self-identification alone. She argued that the availability of gender-neutral facilities did not resolve the situation, as the individuals involved "disregarded the law" and responded with intimidation.
Ongoing Legal Uncertainty and Venue Response
The incident highlights the ongoing legal ambiguity following a Supreme Court ruling last year. The ruling clarified that the definition of a woman in equality law is based on biological sex, meaning trans women with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces where it is "proportionate." However, businesses are still awaiting detailed guidance on implementing this in practice for services like toilets and changing rooms.
Annaïg criticised "ongoing delays" in issuing updated guidance, which she said leaves service providers and staff "uncertain and unsupported" in enforcing lawful single-sex provisions. The Hippodrome Casino confirmed in a statement that it is an inclusive venue which takes guest safety and privacy seriously, providing women's, men's and gender-neutral toilets. It acknowledged its team intervened after concerns were raised but declined to comment on specific identities, citing the sensitivity of the incident involving private individuals.
Annaïg Birdy concluded that women and gay people should not be expected to remain silent when their boundaries are crossed for the comfort of others, asserting that the discomfort of trans-identifying men using men's facilities does not override women's legal rights to their own spaces.
