Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK Supreme Court rules legal definition of woman means biological sex

uk-supreme-court

Susan Smith (L) and Marion Calder, directors of 'For Women Scotland' cheer as they leave the Supreme Court on April 16, 2025 in London.

Getty Images

THE UNITED KINGDOM's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the term "woman" in equality legislation refers to biological sex. However, the court said the ruling would not disadvantage transgender people.

The case centred on whether a transgender woman with a gender recognition certificate is considered a woman under the Equality Act and protected from discrimination on that basis.


Campaign group For Women Scotland brought the case, arguing that rights under the Equality Act should be based on biological sex.

The group had challenged guidance issued by the Scottish government related to a 2018 law aimed at increasing the number of women on public sector boards.

The guidance stated that a transgender woman with a gender recognition certificate is legally a woman.

For Women Scotland initially lost in the Scottish courts. However, the Supreme Court ruled in the group's favour following an appeal last November. Supporters were seen cheering outside the court after the judgment.

"The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms 'women' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex," said deputy president of the Supreme Court Patrick Hodge.

"But we counsel against reading this judgment as a triumph for one or more groups in our society at the expense of another – it is not," he said.

Critics of the Scottish guidance argued that its definition could affect single-sex services for women, including refuges, hospital wards, and sports.

Transgender campaigners warned that a ruling in favour of For Women Scotland could lead to discrimination against those with gender recognition certificates, especially in employment.

"The correct interpretation of the EA (Equality Act) as referring to biological sex does not cause disadvantage to trans people, whether or not they possess a gender recognition certificate," Hodge said.

"Trans people have the rights which attach to the protected characteristic of gender reassignment."

In the United States, legal challenges are underway after president Donald Trump issued executive orders that include a ban on transgender people serving in the military.

(With inputs from Reuters)

More For You

Epping protests

Protesters calling for the closure of The Bell Hotel, which was housing asylum seekers, gather outside the council offices in Epping on August 8, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Over a dozen councils plan legal action despite Home Office court win

Highlights:

  • Court of Appeal has overturned injunction blocking use of Epping hotel for asylum seekers.
  • Judges say human rights obligations outweigh local safety concerns.
  • At least 13 councils preparing legal action despite ruling.
  • Protests outside the Bell Hotel lead to arrests and police injuries.

MORE than a dozen councils are moving ahead with legal challenges against the use of hotels for asylum seekers despite the Home Office winning an appeal in the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
protests-uk-getty
Protesters from the group Save Our Future & Our Kids Future demonstrate against uncontrolled immigration outside the Cladhan Hotel on August 16, 2025 in Falkirk, Scotland. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Government wins appeal over housing asylum seekers in hotel

Highlights:

  • UK appeals court overturns ruling blocking hotel use for asylum seekers
  • Judges call earlier High Court decision “seriously flawed”
  • 138 asylum seekers will not need to be relocated by September 12
  • Full hearing scheduled at the Court of Appeal in October

A UK appeals court has overturned a lower court order that had temporarily blocked the use of a hotel in Epping, northeast of London, to house asylum seekers.

Keep ReadingShow less
chicken-pox-istock

The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

England to introduce free chickenpox vaccine for children from 2026

CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.

GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.

Keep ReadingShow less
London migrant hotel protest
People demonstrate near the Bell Hotel on July 20, 2025 in Epping, England. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Government moves to overturn hotel migrant housing ban

Highlights:

  • Government appeals against injunction blocking asylum housing at Bell Hotel in Epping
  • More than 32,000 asylum seekers currently housed in UK hotels
  • Labour pledges to end hotel use for asylum seekers before 2029 election

THE UK government on Thursday asked the Court of Appeal to lift a ban on housing asylum seekers at a hotel that has faced protests, warning the order could set "a precedent".

Keep ReadingShow less
Labour MPs Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones marry in multicultural wedding

Louise Jones and Jeevun Sandher (Photo: Facebook)

Labour MPs Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones marry in multicultural wedding

TWO of Labour’s newest MPs, Jeevun Sandher and Louise Jones, have announced their marriage after a week-long celebration that combined Sikh and Christian traditions.

Sandher, elected last year as MP for Loughborough, and Jones, MP for North East Derbyshire, tied the knot earlier this month in ceremonies that reflected their different cultural backgrounds. The couple shared photographs on social media, calling the occasion a celebration of “two heritages” as they began their life together.

Keep ReadingShow less