The organisation confirmed this week that girls and young women who identify as trans will no longer be allowed to join
Girlguiding is facing criticism locally over its plans to ban trans girls and young women from becoming members.
The organisation confirmed this week that girls and young women who identify as trans will no longer be allowed to join Girlguiding.
The “difficult decision” comes almost eight months after the Supreme Court ruling, which said the words “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
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The Equality Commission has previously said it will be asking the Northern Irish High Court to confirm whether the UK Supreme Court ruling on biological sex applies here as there is “uncertainty” due to Article Two of the Windsor Framework.
Girlguiding said that since the April ruling, it had undertaken “detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members”, its council and board of trustees.
From December 2, trans girls and young women, and others not recorded female at birth, will no longer be able to join Girlguiding as new young members.
Members can range in age from four to 18 and there are currently around 300,000 across the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers groups within Girlguiding, as well as around 80,000 volunteers.
The organisation said it does not collect gender identity information on its members and therefore does not have numbers for how many might be affected by the rule change. it also confirmed that its equality and diversity policy applies to members across all parts of the UK, including Northern Ireland.
But it insisted it remains “committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, particularly those from marginalised groups that have felt the biggest impact of this decision”.
A joint statement was published on Tuesday by Girlguiding’s chairwoman of trustees, Denise Wilson, its chief executive Felicity Oswald and its chief guide Tracy Foster.
It said the Supreme Court ruling meant “many organisations across the country have been facing complex decisions about what it means for girls and women and for the wider communities affected”.
The trio said that now “Girlguiding has reached the difficult decision that going forward membership of Girlguiding will be restricted to girls and young women, as defined in the Equality Act (2010).”
They added: “Girlguiding believes strongly in inclusion, and we will continue to support young people and adults in marginalised groups. Over the next few months, we will explore potential ways to champion this value. A new task force will look at ways to do this, in partnership with members.
“While Girlguiding may feel a little different going forward, our core aims and principles will always endure and we remain committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, particularly those from marginalised groups that have felt the biggest impact of this decision.”
Reacting to the news, Alexa Moore from The Rainbow Project told Belfast Live: “This judgment – and particularly how it is being interpreted – is creating an environment across the UK where trans young people seeking access to support services, friendship and community, are being told that they are no longer welcome.
“In a society that is becoming increasingly hostile towards trans people, having spaces where they feel supported and welcomed is more vital than ever. t’s important to note that no official guidance has been published, either in Britain or Northern Ireland, setting out how this judgment should be interpreted or implemented within organisations and services.
“In Northern Ireland in particular, there are questions around how directly this judgment will apply here, given our different legislative frameworks. As such it’s vital that organisations take a sensible, cautious approach, to avoid causing undue harm to trans individuals within their services by making premature changes to policies and practices.
“Ultimately, this policy change will have an outsized impact on the small number of trans girls and young women within Girlguiding, who will be made to feel like they are no longer wanted within those spaces, while other girls are left wondering why their friends aren’t allowed to attend with them anymore.
“Trans people – particularly trans young people – deserve spaces where they feel welcomed, included, and safe to be themselves, just like everyone else.”
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