UK Supreme Court says legal definition of ‘woman’ excludes trans women

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From CNN

The United Kingdom’s highest court ruled that the legal definition of “woman” excludes trans women, in a case with sweeping consequences for how equality laws are applied.

Britain’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the definition of a woman in equality legislation refers to “a biological woman and biological sex.”

The court was deciding on whether trans women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) – which offers legal recognition of someone’s female sex – are protected from discrimination as a woman under the nation’s Equality Act 2010.

A group of campaigners in Scotland brought the challenge in 2018, arguing that those rights should only safeguard those assigned as women at birth. But the Scottish government said that a trans woman with a GRC is legally a woman and should therefore be afforded the same legal protections.

Even though the case draws from a debate over Scottish laws designed to increase the number of women sitting on boards, the outcome on Wednesday will shape the increasingly fractious and polarizing debate over transgender rights across the UK.

The UK’s ruling Labour party said the ruling brought “clarity” while the opposition Conservatives called it a “clear victory for common sense,” urging the government to clarify existing guidance.

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UK Supreme Court says legal definition of ‘woman’ excludes trans women, in landmark ruling | CNN