Dozens of biologists and doctors have told the government to restore transgender people’s access to public spaces after the Supreme Court ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act referred only to a biological woman, The London Economic has learnt.
38 experts have written to the women and equalities minister, Bridget Phillipson, urging her and Keir Starmer to take “action to restore the rights of trans and non-binary people to access toilets and other spaces that are essential to daily life” in an eleventh hour bid to save them from “social exclusion”.
The group has also slammed the Equality and Human Rights Commission for publishing an interim update telling workplaces to provide single-sex spaces and facilities.
The letter reads: “Policy and legislation in general should be informed by accurate, complete evidence and stakeholder engagement. We caution that policy based on scientific misconceptions or oversimplifications, such as the EHRC interim update, could lead to serious harm to real individuals in public spaces, medical contexts, and in many other areas of life.
“Although the government is not directly responsible for EHRC guidance or the recent Supreme Court ruling, we request that you take urgent action to restore the rights of trans and non-binary people to access toilets and other spaces that are essential to daily life.”
Organiser Dr A J Southgate told The London Economic: “Decisions based on the misrepresentation of science can put real lives in danger. Despite the use of scientific-sounding language by the EHRC, MPs, and others, it is clear that understanding of the biology of trans populations is poor. Trans people deserve safety and recognition, not to have the scientific facts of their lives overwritten by disinformation.
“I urge the minister to consult with genuine experts and to take action to restore the rights of trans and non-binary people. Without the input of real experts, these groups are at risk of harm in public spaces, clinical care, and many other areas of life.”
It comes after former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that the lives of transgender people are at risk of becoming “almost unliveable” due to the landmark ruling.
“I would be very concerned if that interim guidance became the final guidance and I hope that is not the case because I think that potentially makes the lives of trans people almost unliveable. It certainly doesn’t make a single woman any safer to do that because the threat to women comes from predatory and abusive men,” she told reporters last week.
A Labour peer has said that trans people are being forced to “seek asylum abroad” over safety concerns.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Cashman said: “Currently, trans people in this country live in fear; they live in fear of their safety and their futures. Indeed, some friends are now looking at seeking asylum in countries where they will not fear for their safety but will receive a welcome.”