Understand the LGBTQIA+ news: Supreme Court ruling changes the landscape for Trans+ rights in the UK

This week's ruling changes the landscape entirely.

In an unexpected move that has caught the legal and LGBTQIA+ sector by complete surprise, the UK's Supreme Court has ruled that the Equality Act’s definition of women does not include trans women.

In an instant, this ruling took away some of the rights Trans+ people have. Worse, it writes a blank cheque for anti-trans activists, politicians and the media to further perpetuate a scientific falsehood, because the UK's highest court has further established it as law.

The court's ruling defines sex as binary. It simply is not. Though it isn't new for this falsehood to be stated in law, a court ruling reiterating it at such a high level - is significant.

Intersex variations are naturally occurring biological variations in sexual characteristics that don't fit typical definitions of male or female - there are over 30 medical terms that define these. But critically, every intersex person is different.

There are thousands, if not millions, of different combinations of sex characteristics that determine someone's sex. That is far from binary.

Critically, in just the two days between this ruling coming out and this newsletter landing in your inbox, it has been spun as a victory against Trans+ people - and 'for women'.

But its impact is anything but that. It creates a foundation for the UK to get wrapped up in a debate which will increasingly narrow what any woman can and should look like, wear, act or be able to do.

This ruling is one of the largest victories for the patriarchy I've seen in my lifetime. It's happened thanks to a fringe, radicalised group, fronted by women and delivered thanks to men: the group's lawyers, supporters, and (beyond JK Rowling) its funders too.

In today's newsletter, we bring you some incredible analysis of this watershed moment in our explainer from Jess O'Thomson. We are, as far as we can tell, the only publisher in the UK - queer or mainstream - to work with a Trans+ journalist to provide coverage of this story. 

And while many understandably said 'it would take time' to work out what this meant leaving gender-critical groups to set the narrative, we worked with a legal expert, to get critical, comprehensive and accessible analysis out within just a few hours of the ruling.

We also have insights on the sector response, what the government is saying and what will happen next. Plus, there is a lot of other critical news from elsewhere in the UK we shouldn't miss, some of which builds on our ongoing coverage of NHS England's failures to serve young Trans+ people.

Understand the LGBTQIA+ headlines and keep track of the latest queer content and perspectives. The QueerAF newsletter is written by Jamie Wareham and a different queer creative each week.

💬 This week:

• Supreme Court: An explainer from Jess O'Thomson, with additional analysis and responses from the LGBTQIA+ sector, on a ruling no-one expected in a special focused edition of the newsletter
• Suppressing Data: The Good Law Project has claimed another report of trans suicides is being suppressed. We explore the claims.
• Trans+ History Week: It's nearly here, and comes at the most critical of times. If we don't understand our history, how can we fight for our future? Details on how to grab our fast-selling tickets to this year's official events and a look back to the workbook.

Skip the doomscrolling and support queer creatives instead. We are QueerAF – and so are you.

UK Supreme Court Rules That Trans Women Aren’t Women under the Equality Act 2010

TL;DR: The legal definition of a woman in the UK now excludes trans people after a Supreme Court ruling defined sex as 'biological sex' - sex assigned at birth. The ruling will have a devastating impact on Trans+ rights in the UK, and has already drastically reduced them. Trans people now can't make equal pay claims, and can be excluded from all single-sex spaces under any circumstances.