EHRC chief says trans groups misrepresent new single-sex service guidance

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s chair, Mary-Ann Stephenson, accused transgender activists of spreading false information about the new single-sex space code that took effect in August. She clarified that the guidance simply requires services to be classified by biological sex in line with an April 2025 Supreme Court decision and does not introduce new law or erase protections for gender-reassignment under the Equality Act.

Critics, including the advocacy group TransActual and the Good Law Project, have described the code as a ban on bathroom access and a rollback of rights. At the Green Party conference in Brighton, Zack Polanski argued that trans people are being legislated against and harassed. Several London borough councils, led by Lambeth’s Martin Abrams and Natalie Kane, signed a letter refusing to apply the guidance, joining five other councils in stating that trans identities are valid and the code is harmful. Stephenson acknowledged that misinformation has heightened anxiety among trans people while also noting concerns from women about access to single-sex facilities.