Gender ruling will not result in 'toilet police'

HERE are no plans for “toilet police” in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on gender, a senior minister has suggested.

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Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, did, however, acknowledge that the UK Government will have to change its practices after the judgement.

Over the Easter period, the Supreme Court declared that the words “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 referred to a biological woman and biological sex.

The ruling has been interpreted to mean that transgender women, who are biologically male but identify as women, can be excluded from women-only spaces such as toilets and changing rooms.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has issued new guidance aimed at clearing up questions about what the judgement will mean in practice.

Transgender women “should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities” in workplaces or public-facing services such as shops and hospitals, the EHRC said.

The same applies to transgender men, who are biologically female, using men’s toilets.

The watchdog also insisted that transgender people “should not be put in a position where there are no facilities for them to use”.