Waltham Forest Council, now under Green Party control, has passed a motion to make 'trans awareness and inclusion' training mandatory for all staff and elected members, explicitly stating that 'trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are valid'. The move comes despite a Supreme Court ruling last April that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer strictly to biological sex assigned at birth.
Council Motion and Training Requirements
At a full council meeting on Thursday, the Greens, who hold a majority of 31 out of 60 seats, passed the motion criticising the potentially 'invasive' nature of asking people their biological sex. The motion commits the council to believing trans identities are valid, asserting this is 'consistent with, and not in conflict with, the council's commitment to equality for all residents'.
Going forward, the corporate director of culture and workforce development will 'ensure that trans awareness and inclusion form part of mandatory equalities training for all staff and elected members'. The council's HR policies, including on name, prefix, and pronoun use, facilities access and dress codes, will also be updated to 'reflect best practice'.
Facilities and Legal Context
All new and refurbished council-owned buildings and leisure centres will include non-gendered toilets and changing rooms 'where practicable'. The motion adds that asking someone 'intrusive questions' about biological sex is a 'potential breach of data protection legislation, their privacy rights, and human dignity, and is unlikely to be necessary and justified in most ordinary circumstances'.
The Supreme Court ruling in April 2024 clarified that while the Equality Act protects transgender people from discrimination, a person born biologically male cannot obtain the same legal protections as women by changing their gender with a Gender Recognition Certificate. This sets a legal backdrop against which the council's motion operates.
Cross-Party Reactions
During the council-wide debate, the Greens described it as a 'very niche issue' and joked that residents would expect the first motion from the party 'to be about nature'. The motion received cross-party support, with Labour councillor Miriam Mirwitch saying she saw trans women as 'my sisters and not a threat to my safety'. However, Conservative group leader Emma Best said the Tories could not support the motion.
Cllr Best stated she was 'unconvinced' it would 'stack up legally' and the motion 'felt like a mish-mash' between the monitoring officer's advice and the Greens. She also pointed to constraints on funding that could lead to 'money being wasted' on ultimately ineffective policies, adding that 'mandatory DEI [diversity, equality and inclusivity] training isn't something we agree with'.
