Term 'woman' based on sex at birth: court

UK ruling a blow to transgender rights

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LONDON: Britain's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the legal definition of a "woman" is based on a person's sex at birth, a landmark decision with far-reaching implications for the bitter debate over trans rights.

In a win for Scottish campaigners who brought the case to the UK's highest court, five London judges unanimously ruled that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman, and biological sex.

However, the decision also "gives transgender people protection" against discrimination in their acquired gender, Justice Patrick Hodge said in handing down the verdict.

The UK government welcomed the ruling for bringing "clarity" to the debate.

It is the culmination of a years-long battle between the Scottish government and the non-partisan group For Women Scotland (FWS) — which launched an appeal to the Supreme Court after losing pleas in Scottish courts over an obscure legalisation aimed at hiring more women in public and board bodies.