Overview

• The UK Supreme Court ruled that the Equality Act 2010 defines 'woman' strictly by biological birth sex, not acquired gender.
• In response, British Transport Police implemented an interim policy requiring strip searches to align with detainees' birth sex, replacing prior guidance based on gender recognition certificates.
• The Sex Matters campaign continues its judicial review, arguing that previous policies violated detainee safety and human rights protections.
• The Equality and Human Rights Commission is developing a statutory code of practice, expected by summer, to standardize the ruling's application across public bodies.
• This decision has broader implications for sectors like healthcare, potentially requiring updates to policies on single-sex spaces such as NHS wards.