Girlguiding has banned transgender girls from joining the organization, restricting new membership to "girls and young women" as defined in the Equality Act 2010. The decision takes effect from Tuesday, December 2nd, for new young members.
The move follows a Supreme Court ruling issued eight months ago in April that clarified the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act refer to biological women and biological sex. This prompted many organizations across the country to reconsider their policies.
Denise Wilson (chairwoman of trustees), Felicity Oswald (chief executive), and Tracy Foster (chief guide) announced the change in a joint statement on Tuesday. They said: «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).»
The statement continued: «From today (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.»
Impact on Current Members
Existing young members will face no immediate changes. The organization will provide more details for current members next week. Some adult volunteer roles designated as female-only will also be affected.
Girlguiding currently has around 300,000 young members aged four to 18 across its Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, and Rangers groups, plus approximately 80,000 volunteers. The organization does not collect gender identity data, so the number of people affected remains unclear.
Response to Legal Ruling
The decision followed extensive internal discussions after the Supreme Court judgment. The three leaders explained they conducted «detailed considerations, expert legal advice and input from senior members, young members» along with input from Girlguiding's council and board of trustees.
They acknowledged the April ruling created «complex decisions» for many organizations about «what it means for girls and women and for the wider communities affected.»
Commitment to Inclusion
Despite the restriction, Girlguiding emphasized its continued commitment to supporting marginalized groups. The organization will establish a task force to explore new ways to champion inclusion in partnership with members over the coming months.
The joint statement concluded: «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.»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
