Rape Crisis Centre, Theatres, Museums and Ladies Pond in London continue to make men who identify men access the women’s space despite legal clarity.
Businesses and public services, including Rape Crisis Centres, have ignored the Supreme Court’s decision on the legal definition of women, vowing to continue to recognize men who identify transgender people in a unity space for women.
The CEOs of Tyneside and Northumberland Rape Crisis Centre, which receive government funds, were warned that the charity would be open to lawsuits after the charity issued a statement declaring support for men identifying men to continue accessing the facility.
“In Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, we continue to support all women, including trans women and women we identify as non-binary,” she said, adding that the full impact of the ruling is “still unfolding.”
Traynor said the charity had been serving men who identify men for 20 years, and appears to suggest that even after clarification from the Supreme Court, the charity would ignore the law on unity space.
“Expensive Legal Issues”
Her post elicited immediate objections, including Sarah Fillmore, a family law barrister who told Trainer: “You need to be clear to female users of your service that you are not a single sex service. You need to provide services to men and women as well, so they need to make an informed decision about whether to use your service or not.
“The Supreme Court was very clear. If you invite a man, you can’t pretend to be a single sex service,” warns the centre will open up to “expensive legal challenges.”
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Traynor has issued a follow-up statement, reflecting on her “somewhat naive” post, saying that the charity website is revealing that it supports people who identify trans.
She said: “We offer single sex spaces and mixed spaces too. It’s not either or situations. You can do both!”
The ruling, made two weeks ago by the UK Supreme Court, found that the terms “women” and “sex” refer only to biological women and biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act of 2010.
Private companies are not obligated to provide unitary toilets, so while it is legal, for example, to have one or two gender neutral facilities in a cafe or small office, for example, is legal, like a train, if there is unitary facilities, you have an obligation to make it clear to customers and employees that they need to use in line with their biological sex.
“Clearness” or confusion?
The verdict says people identifying transgenders can exclude them from using facilities intended for the opposite sex “in proportional.” The government has accepted the unanimous verdict of justice of the five Supreme Court and says it welcomes the “clearness” it brings.
However, there appears to be a considerable amount of confusion among companies.
Susan Smith (L) and Marion Calder outside the Supreme Court in London on April 16, 2025. Lucy North/Pennsylvania
Large companies, including financial institutions such as Barclays, have made it clear that they will quickly comply with existing laws by moving quickly and telling employees to use the toilet along with birth sex, but some smaller organizations appeared confused.
While some say that despite the rapid control of interim guidance, they are waiting for the new government guidelines to be released, the head of Bridget Phillipson and Baroness Kishwer Falkner gave a clear direction that the provision of a unity space must be based on biology.
Despite the verdict, organizers of the London Marathon allowed trans-specific men to participate in a female mass participation event last Sunday. According to the rules of athletics around the world, biological men were not permitted in female elite races.
Many arts and culture venues have announced their intention to ignore laws regarding the use of unitary facilities, including the famous Bristol Old Vic Theatre.
“In light of the recent Supreme Court decision… we want to reassure you that we are welcoming trans and non-binary visitors, staff and artists here.
The Vaginal Museum challenges “normative assumptions”
The Sackley Medical Museum in Leeds issued a statement that it does not intend to support the law as it believes sex and gender are on the “spectrum” and believes people can choose the toilets they use.
“As a museum family, we believe that gender and gender are the spectrum. This is a position supported by science. It is for people to choose to sit on it, and that should be respected.
“The trans community has been excluded from consultations on Supreme Court decisions that have increased ambiguity and no clarity in our eyes. The trans community, buildings and facilities remain open to everyone.”
Justice of the Supreme Court made it clear that people identifying transgenders have the same human rights as everyone else, and did not suggest that they are protected from discrimination as an equal group, and that trans people should be excluded from outside of unity facilities designed for the opposite sex.
Other small museums appeared to show support for trans-identifying men to continue using women’s looseness regardless of law, but several issued statements showing support for trans customers.
Although it did not mention toilets, the statement said that part of the museum’s mission was to “expand knowledge, raise awareness of gynecological anatomy and health, challenging normative assumptions about our bodies, and how it could lead to gender, gender representation, and broader sexual experiences.
“Their ruling focused on the term “biology,” and the judge said that biological sex was “assumed to be trivial and does not require further explanation.” Speaking with professional capabilities as a biological museum: This is not how biology works.
“There is essentially no binary. Like all science, biology should never be taken for granted as “trivial.” Worse, it should not be used to justify the issue of culture wars. This verdict is science abuse. ”
Underwater swimmers from Hampstead Heathpond in London paddle the paddle on March 30, 2021. Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
Hampstead Ladies Pond
The historic Kenwood Women’s Pond in the vast Hampstead Heath in North London was a flashpoint when the owner, the City of London (COL) owner, announced its self-identification policy in 2019.
Controversial policies allowed men to enter the bathing pool for women. It also meant that women could enter the men’s pond, but this has not proven to be a problem.
A series of protests have been launched, led by Lett Women Swim Group, which is opposed to transgender activists, including television host India Willoughby.
On Wednesday, C0L confirmed that self-ID policies “continue to be effective at this time” while taking into account the implications of the Supreme Court decision.
In an internal note to staff working at the pond, sent on the day of sentencing and seen during the Epoch era, the manager wrote:
“If asked, we must respond as follows:
The memo tells staff to refer swimmers involved in COL’s email address, saying, “We understand that this verdict will be painful for many on our team. Please ask our colleagues and team leaders for support.”
An employee who wanted to remain anonymous told The Epoch Times: “I don’t know what (the manager) is doing. Judgment is not painful for anyone. I think it’s ridiculous that men use women’s ponds, but we feel sad from the public.
“What should we do about it? Do we go to fight a guy who says he’s a woman? We’re not security guards. Honestly, we’re not paid enough for the hassle. We shouldn’t have been allowed to begin with.
A gender neutral toilet in an office building in London on January 11th, 2024. Yui Mok/Pa
A Col spokesman told the Epoch Times: “Along with many other affected organizations, we are carefully considering the judgment and awaiting statutory guidance from the EHRC that service providers must take into consideration by law.
“It is totally false to suggest that city businesses are not complying with existing UK laws. We take our obligations very seriously, and decisions carefully considered on this complex issue will soon be made.
“We remain committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for everyone.”
“Not an option”
Many key lawyers, including KCS, point out that while the EHRC has issued interim guidance, the Supreme Court’s decision clarifies existing laws. This means that companies that describe themselves as a unity space are breaking the law by deliberately allowing self-identification policies.
Following the Football Association’s announcement on Thursday that trans-identifying men will no longer be allowed to play girls and girls’ soccer, lobby group Stonewall issued a false post on social media platform BlueSky saying, “The ruling is not yet a law and organizations should remember how it will be changed before making policy changes.”
Akua Reindorf, KC, told Stonewall:
Stonewall deleted the post.
