U.K. Supreme Court rules that trans people are not legally women

Legal bombshell in the UK. The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday morning that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. Therefore, trans women, men from birth who identify as women, are not women in the eyes of the law.

The ruling by Britain's highest court comes in response to an appeal by the group For Women Scotland against the Scottish Government. The question to be answered by the court was whether the word "woman" in the existing Equality Act included biological men with so-called "gender recognition" certificates.

"The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex," revealed the Supreme Court's response by Justice Lord Hodge, who was charged with reading the judgment.

"But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not" he added, noting that the aforementioned rule also protects transgender people "whether or not they possess a gender recognition certificate." "The definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 makes clear that the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man."

First reactions

"Absolutely jubilant here, tears!" was wrote from the official account of For Women Scotland. In words picked up by local media Sky News, its president, Trina Budge, said the decision cleared up any legal doubt "in law regarding what a woman is."

"We know for sure now that we are referring to the biological sex class of women and that when we say a woman-only space it means exactly that: Just women, no men, not even if they have a gender recognition certificate," she added.

The group he heads filed a lawsuit against the Scottish government in 2018, protesting its interpretation of the Equality Act. The latter held that if, after undergoing surgery, a person obtained a "gender recognition certificate" (GRC), he or she should have the same protections as a biological woman.

The Conservative Party also celebrated the ruling, with its Scottish leader, Russell Findlay MP, posting on X that "a victory for woman across the United Kingdom and a victory for common sense."

Also a Scottish MP, Maggie Chapman, of the Green Party, called the ruling "deeply concerning," "a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society."

A central government spokesman said to british media that "this ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs."

A central government spokesman said. "Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government."

*Developing news.