The UK’s Supreme Court has ruled that “man”, “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to sex, not self-ID or paperwork (gender-recognition certificates). This agreed with our legal interpretation. We have published new guidance and are in the process of updating our publications to reflect the judgment. We are also working to provide answers to the questions we're hearing from supporters and the media. We will publish these as soon as possible.

Maggie Mellon

Social worker, writer, speaker and campaigner

Maggie is an independent social worker, writer, speaker and campaigner on justice, particularly on women and children’s rights and welfare. She works with mothers separated from or at risk of separation from their children, in care, or in prison or through addiction or victimisation. This forces her to challenge practices that fail women, children and families. She has been writing and speaking out on the obvious dangers of claims about gender identity since 2018 when she realised it was not going away. With others, she has set up EBSWA: Evidence Based Social Work Alliance, which aims to promote evidence-based practice and challenge the capture of practice and teaching, and the failure of professional leadership that has allowed this.

“I was born female and it has mattered. The oppression of women matters in every area of family and working life, in education, in justice, in the commodification of women’s bodies, the existence of prostitution, in the pressures on girls and young women. Gender identity is a role, sex is real.”