Overview

• The UK Supreme Court ruled that only individuals born biologically female are legally recognized as women under the Equalities Act 2010.
• The decision marks a victory for the women’s advocacy group For Women Scotland, supported by J.K. Rowling, and overturns Scottish policies that included transgender women in women’s quotas.
• The ruling asserts a binary, biologically-based definition of gender, impacting access to women-only spaces and participation in gender-specific policies like quotas.
• While limiting the legal definition of 'woman,' the court emphasized that transgender individuals remain protected against discrimination under separate provisions of the law.
• Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, criticized the decision for undermining transgender rights and potentially violating human rights norms.