A coalition of organizations advocating for transgender rights is pushing Europe’s foremost human rights institution to scrutinize the United Kingdom’s enforcement of the supreme court’s decision on gender. In their collective letter to the Council of Europe, they express deep concern that transgender individuals may be prevented from accessing restrooms corresponding to their identified gender or participating in single-sex groups, which they argue places them in an ambiguous gender category. This, they maintain, infringes upon the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The organizations—Tans+ Solidarity Alliance, TransActual, Equality Network and Scottish Trans, Trans Safety Network, and the Feminist Gender Equality Network—urge the Council to assess the state of trans rights in the UK, emphasizing the urgent nature of their plea and the risk of the situation deteriorating if left unaddressed.
This request stems from April’s significant supreme court decision, which established that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer exclusively to biological women and biological sex. The groups contend that if “sex” in the 2010 legislation does not strictly mean biological sex, service providers of single-sex spaces, such as restrooms and shelters, will encounter logistical challenges.
According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, currently consulting on guidance to follow the court’s ruling, transgender people should not have access to restrooms or changing areas associated with the gender they identify with, and in some cases, not even those associated with their birth sex. The letter asserts that this situation would force reliance on non-gender specific facilities, often unavailable, and could require individuals to reveal their trans status unintentionally.
Furthermore, the preliminary guidance suggests that transgender individuals should not be permitted to join single-sex organizations corresponding to their identified sex, effectively placing them in a liminal space regarding their sex. This they argue is a breach of the right to private life under article 8 of the ECHR.
Jess O’Thompson of Trans+ Solidarity Alliance remarks on the deterioration of rights experienced by the trans community, even before the final guidelines for applying the court ruling are issued. They call for an inquiry into the state of trans human rights in the UK, aiming to press political figures to take heed and act.
Rebecca Don Kennedy, CEO of Equality Network, echoes the sentiment, stating that the recent developments in the wake of the April supreme court decision have left trans individuals and their allies dismayed. She emphasizes the importance of granting trans people their inherent rights to public participation, dignity, safety, and privacy, while also highlighting their right to engage in society as their authentic selves and to partake in groups that fully recognize and celebrate their identity.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/28/transgender-campaigners-council-of-europe-report-on-uk
