Councillor Paul Perkins joined Green council leaders from Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark in telling the government today’s single sex guidance “will feel like an attack” on trans people, reports Marco Marcelline
Waltham Forest Council leader Paul Perkins has joined his Green counterparts from five other London boroughs in describing today’s (5th August) single-sex space guidance as an “attack on trans people”.
The guidance, published by Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), says trans people should use either gender-neutral facilities or the ones that match their biological sex, in places such as gym changing rooms or rape crisis centres.
The EHRC published the code following a Supreme Court judgment last year ruling that “sex” in the Equality Act refers to sex assigned at birth.
Today (5th August) Cllr Perkins joined council leaders from Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark in telling the government the move “will feel like an attack” on trans+ people”, and demanded that Phillipson clarify that the code “must not be used to exclude trans people from services”.
The Green council leaders also warned that their staff could be placed at risk of “inadvertent discrimination” where no third spaces are available to trans residents.
In an open letter to Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson, the leaders wrote: “We say this to you in no uncertain terms: Trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are fundamentally valid.
“It is simply unacceptable that the code of practice introduced today is harmful to the rights of trans people and will make their exclusion from public life more likely, not less. This will feel like an attack to the countless trans people in our communities who are simply trying to live their lives in safety and wish to be treated with respect.
“As councils who are proud to be boroughs of sanctuary, with significant LGBTQ+ communities, we are committed to being safe, welcoming and inclusive places for all residents, regardless of their background or identity. We have an unshakeable commitment to ensuring that Trans+ residents can access services safely, with dignity and free from discrimination or harassment.”
The letter adds: “The government’s own equalities impact assessment acknowledges that there is a real risk trans+ people could face exclusion, discrimination, or difficulties accessing services if organisations misinterpret the ruling, based on appearance alone.
“Overly broad enforcement can, and will, lead to trans and non-trans people alike being challenged and excluded from services and facilities.”
The government has stated the new code “gives organisations clear, workable guidance which will enable them to take a pragmatic approach to protecting and serving the needs of our society” and supports service providers “in ensuring they can make practical, and ultimately sensible decisions for every day scenarios, such as toilet provision”.
However, trans organisations have labelled the advice as “chaotic and cruel”, while earlier this summer over 100 parliamentarians, including Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy, called for the updated EHRC code to be disapproved as it would “exclude trans people” and was “unworkable”.
Waltham Forest’s stance aligns with a motion passed at full council on Thursday, 16th July, in which the Green‑run administration declared “trans women are women and trans men are men” and committed to expanding trans‑inclusive policies across the borough.
The motion criticised the potentially “invasive” nature of asking people their biological sex and stated that believing “trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are valid” is “consistent with, and not in conflict with, the council’s commitment to equality for all residents”.
Mandatory equalities training for staff and councillors will now be introduced, with the corporate director of culture and workforce development instructed to “ensure that trans awareness and inclusion form part of mandatory equalities training for all staff and elected members”.
You can read the full letter to Bridget Phillipson here
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