The Women’s Institute (WI) has announced that from April 2026, it will no longer accept transgender women as members, following the UK Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman. The decision, described by chief executive Melissa Green as taken with “utmost regret and sadness”, means membership will be restricted to those registered female at birth.
Green stated that the organisation had “no choice” but to implement the change, but emphasised that the WI still believes “transgender women are women”. New and renewing members will be required to confirm they meet the biological sex criteria. The move comes a day after Girlguiding announced a similar policy change.
The WI plans to launch new “sisterhood groups” from April, open to all, which Green said would be “a place where we will recognise transgender women as women and explore what it is to be a woman in the 21st century”. The organisation hopes trans women will remain “part of the WI family” through these groups.
The decision has drawn criticism from trans rights advocates. Jude Guaitamacchi, founder of the Trans+ Solidarity Alliance, blamed the government’s failure to provide clarity, calling the move “cruel” and a failure to protect human rights. The Labour MP Rachel Taylor also criticised the draft Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance, saying it went “far beyond” the Supreme Court judgment.
Green acknowledged the decision would cause “anger, sadness and disappointment” but urged a respectful dialogue. She confirmed the WI had received fewer than 100 communications on the issue, with some “reference to legal challenge”. The organisation, which has around 175,000 members, said it has a “large transgender population” but did not specify numbers affected.
