Co-leaders Carla Denyer MP and Adrian Ramsay MP said:
“This guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is ill-considered and impractical, and leaves many unanswered questions about how services will be provided in a way that meets trans people’s needs (1).
“As it stands the guidance is likely to cause both distress to the trans community and further confusion to employers, businesses and service providers who are trying to understand what the Supreme Court ruling means for them.
“In particular, this guidance could put trans people at risk of discrimination in the workplace, and is overly prescriptive in a way that seems to fly in the face of the tolerance that we value in this country.
“For example, it doesn’t seem right that a lesbian organisation or space that wants to include trans women should be prevented from doing so.
“It’s crucial that a wide diversity of women, trans and not, as well as the wider trans and non-binary community are listened to as this work is done on the detail of how services are provided in a way that meets everyone’s needs and protects everyone’s dignity.
“This guidance should be withdrawn until the EHRC can produce something more thought-through which takes into account the voices of all those affected.”
(1) An interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment | EHRC