Campaigners celebrate court ruling on sex

A UK court ruling on biological sex has been hailed a victory by confirming "women are women and men are men", but some campaigners have called it "incredibly worrying for the transgender community.

- PRESS ASSOCIATION REPORTERS

Campaigners said the Supreme Court's judgment could have far reaching consequences for sports and single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and hospital wards.

In a long-awaited judgment delivered yesterday, the court confirmed the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act "refer to a biological woman and biological sex".

This means transgender women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces, if "proportionate".

The Government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought "clarity and confidence" for women and service providers.

The LGB Alliance charity said the ruling was a "victory for biology, for common sense, for reality," adding that it made clear lesbian clubs can lawfully exclude trans women who have a GRC.