Labour MP urges overhaul of Equality Act to safeguard trans people's access to single-sex spaces

At a national trade-union meeting, Labour MP Nadia Whittome urged Parliament to revise the Equality Act to ensure trans people are fully protected when accessing single-sex toilets and changing rooms. She highlighted the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s current guidance, which ties facility use to a person’s sex at birth, and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that defines sex biologically. Whittome said she is working with trans-led organisations to craft a coordinated proposal for amending the law.

She acknowledged past reluctance to tinker with the Equality Act but argued the court decision makes reform unavoidable. Union representative Julia Georgiou supported the call, pointing out that the Equality Act and the Gender Recognition Act are both outdated. The Conservatives have pledged to define sex biologically in the Act, while Reform UK proposes scrapping it entirely.