The UK Supreme Court ruling that 'woman' in the Equality Act 2010 refers solely to biological sex assigned at birth is highly concerning. This ruling has created a more hostile environment for transgender people across the UK.  

This ruling does not overrule the protection trans people have under the protected characteristics of gender reassignment. However, this ruling, along with the EHRC guidance released, raises serious concerns and has caused a lot of confusion and an increased amount of hate towards the transgender community.  

This ruling, the guidance and the reaction from various organisations has introduced a lot of uncertainty and extra worry for many transgender people, especially regarding single-sex spaces and services. It also ignores intersex people, enforcing a binary gender definition. This ruling risks further marginalising of this community, who are already struggling to be recognised in policy.  

Here at Your SU we are aware this decision has caused a lot of concern, hurt and frustration for the transgender community. The court's decision does not align with the SU and our inclusive values and we stand with and wholeheartedly support the Trans community.

We will continue to facilitate and support trans-inclusive campaigns and initiatives and we also encourage students to stand with the Transgender community in allyship and challenge behaviours that work against Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 

Currently, nothing at the university will change and trans people are still able to use the facilities they are most comfortable with, we are monitoring the situation and are in contact with the university.

There is currently a consultation regarding the EHRC guidance, the consultation ends on 30 June 2025.

The NUS has also released some general guidance for universities

Coventry University has a zero tolerance policy for bullying,hate and discrimination. If you have experienced or witnessed incidents while at University, you can contact Protection Services, or report harassment via the university portal.

If any student has a concern about their wellbeing or they are impacted emotionally we recommend contacting the student wellbeing service and Spectrum life services.

You can find details of their services and how to contact them below if you are a:

Coventry University and CU Coventry Student
Coventry University London Student
CU Scarborough Student
CU London (Dagenham) or  CU London (Greenwich) Student

Supported by LGBTQIA+ Community Engagement Lead. For other support and resources available from external organisations visit the LGBTQIA+ Community page