The Supreme Court's ruling endangers women who don't fit the mould

17 April 2025, 11:59

The UK Supreme Court's ruling that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act exclude trans women marks a sad day for human rights.

A lot has been made about safe spaces and services that are designed for women and lesbians. And a frenzy around trans people, and in particular trans women, being a threat to safety has been a topic picked up by the media and certain celebrities, often with little or no evidence to substantiate this.

I am not going to comment on the impact this ruling (and years of unbalanced media coverage) has on trans women, because there are people better qualified to talk about this. But I do want to give my opinion as an open and out lesbian.

I have been running events for LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people for over 10 years, including 5 of those as part of the Board of Pride in London. This includes running Out & Wild Festival, now the biggest event for LGBTQIA+ women in the UK.

I get really, really frustrated when I am told that lesbians feel trans women are a threat and challenging female spaces. If that were the case, there would be a thriving scene of events for those who want to exclude trans women. And I can tell you, as someone heavily involved in queer events, this is not the case.

And if we want to talk data, research from charity Just Like Us highlighted that of all LGBTQ+ identities, lesbians are the most supportive of trans people.

I have been accused of creating unsafe spaces for lesbians because I welcome trans women at my events. Yet in three years, I have not had one issue or complaint about attendees feeling unsafe or uncomfortable about trans and non-binary attendees.

The challenges trans women face around exclusion from spaces are also faced by masc-presenting women. I know lesbians and heterosexual women who have been aggressively confronted at bars for using the toilets, because people think they are trans.

Will these women now fear going to refuges and hospitals?

My overriding issue with this ruling is that it’s not the victory for women and girls claimed by campaigners. Rather than giving clarity, it raises more questions than it answers.

What it will create is more fear and from this abuse, for the trans community and anyone else who does not fit neatly into society’s perception of what a woman is.

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Polly Shute is the founder of Out and Wild, a festival that she created to ensure queer women are free to connect and be themselves.

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