Latest news with #RobinMoiraWhite
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trans women banned from using women's toilets in parliament
Trans women visiting parliament will be barred from using women's toilets under new guidance, The Independent can reveal. Until now visitors to the estate could use toilets most appropriate for their gender, but new guidance advises them to use toilets based on their biological sex, or gender-neutral facilities – prompting accusations of a 'knee-jerk response'. It comes after barrister Robin Moira White, a trans woman, faced complaints from gender critical campaigners for using the women's facilities while attending a meeting in parliament last week. Following the Supreme Court's April ruling, which said that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission issued draft guidance on a range of topics, including trans people's participation in sport and use of toilets. It was previously understood the Commons was waiting for the publication of the EHRC 's full guidance before updating their policy. However, the same rule had already been introduced into the Scottish Parliament. It is understood that there has been no change to the policy for staff who work on the estate, meaning that trans women employed by parliament would be able to use the women's loos. Parliamentary staff have also been given new guidance on how to direct visitors to the toilets, The Independent understands. If an individual asks where the nearest toilet is, a Commons spokesperson said staff will be told to 'signpost visitors to all available toilets, making it clear that a range of facilities are available.' Last week, The Times reported that the Commons apologised to gender critical campaigners from the LGB Alliance after they raised complaints about Ms White using the women's loos. It comes despite the barrister using a bathroom which was in keeping with Parliament's guidance at the time. On Monday, just days after the row unfolded, the Commons added a new clause to the guidance, with a spokesperson telling The Independent: 'Visitors are subject to the provision of services elements of the Equality Act. As the Supreme Court judgment deals directly with interpretation of the Equality Act 2010 this applies to the provision of toilet facilities for visitors. 'Visitors should therefore use toilet facilities which correspond to their biological sex, or use one of the gender-neutral or accessible facilities that are available'. Speaking to The Independent last week, Ms White asked: 'Is this really what we want the state of the law to be? Where a responsible individual who has accessed parliament for decades now can't use gender appropriate facilities. What harm does that do?' The barrister - who is currently engaging with the EHRC as it formulates its guidance - says the body has 'no clear plan of how this will work'. 'They can't reconcile the Supreme Court judgment with our duties under the human rights convention.' Responding to the updated parliamentary guidance, Steph Richards of TransLucent said: "There are trans women out there who are post-op, with vaginas, who will now be forced to use the mens loos in parliament. We consider this a human rights violation. 'Trans people go through the most difficult journey to start off with, and now having this thrown at them is just awful. This knee-jerk response will cause distress and anxiety for trans people visiting Parliament." Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine said: "I respect the fact that the house authorities must comply with the guidance but I feel for all those who will now feel unwelcome visitors in our parliament and the centre of their democracy." "Restaurants, cafes and visitor attractions up and down the country now face similar dilemmas trying to cater for their customers and this just underlines how important it is that the EHRC comes up with clear, workable guidance which protects everyone's rights and privacy', she added. It comes just days after a number of MPs on the women and equalities committee described how 'fearful' trans people had become since the ruling, with claims some feel they might have to quit their jobs in the wake of the guidance, and others saying they had developed UTIs (urinary tract infections) 'because they're scared to use bathrooms without being challenged'. EHRC chief executive John Kirkpatrick said among the things the regulator can do are 'provide some appropriate guidance about how respectfully questions can be asked in the workplace or in services, and so on and so forth, in such a way as to respect privacy and dignity as as far as is possible'. The EHRC guidance consultation period runs until June 30. The final guidance is then expected to be presented to women and equalities minister Bridget Phillipson by summer recess in July.
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Commons forced to apologise after allowing a transgender woman to use female-only toilets despite Supreme Court ruling
The House of Commons has been forced to apologise after allowing a transgender woman to use female-only toilets despite the recent Supreme Court ruling that protects single-sex spaces. Robin Moira White, a trans barrister who is a biological male, was directed to use the ladies' loos in Portcullis House last week after attending a meeting of the women and equalities committee in which the landmark judgment was discussed. White, 61, said parliamentary employees had been told that swift access to the lavatories was required because of a health condition. But the barrister, who was shown to the closest ones to the Thatcher Room, where the committee had met, was challenged outside the facilities by women's rights campaigners, Kate Harris and Heather Binning, who had attended the same hearing. Harris said that a staff member told her 'We don't do that here' in reference to excluding trans women from female loos. She added: 'We were in the mother of all parliaments, and it was not adhering to the law. It was not the fault of staff, who clearly have not been trained in how to deal with these issues.' White accused the two women of 'embarrassing' behaviour and 'shouting' during the confrontation, a claim Harris has denied. She said: 'They rather rudely started to cross-examine me about what my intentions were, and what I was going to do. I had to go [to use the lavatory] so went to use the facilities and they continued shouting [while I was inside].' Just before the confrontation, the committee had heard evidence from Baroness Falkner, the chair of the equality watchdog the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), about the Supreme Court ruling. In April judges ruled that the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex. In an email sent to Harris and Binning on Thursday afternoon, a senior staff member in the House of Commons wrote: 'We acknowledge that it is likely the individual you complained about should have not been directed to the female facilities and we apologise for that.'
Telegraph
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
House of Commons apologises after trans barrister used women's lavatory
The House of Commons has apologised after allowing a trans woman to use female-only lavatories. Robin Moira White, a trans barrister who is a biological male, was told to use the ladies' lavatories in Portcullis House last week before being questioned outside by two women's rights campaigners. It follows a Supreme Court ruling in April that trans women are not women under the Equality Act. The judgment led to the Government saying trans women should use lavatories according to their biological sex. Ms White, who was at Portcullis House to attend a women and equalities committee in which the Supreme Court judgment was discussed, was challenged outside the lavatories by campaigners Kate Harris and Heather Binning. Ms Harris, the co-founder and trustee of the LGB Alliance advocacy group, told The Times: 'We were in the mother of all parliaments and it was not adhering to the law. It was not the fault of staff, who clearly have not been trained in how to deal with these issues.' Commons apologised in email The Commons apologised to Ms Harris and Ms Binning in an email seen by The Times. 'You noted that an individual, understood to be biologically male, had seemingly been directed to the female facilities,' the email said. 'At this point you made it clear that you were uncomfortable, left the facilities, and reported the matter to members of my team. 'We acknowledge that it is likely the individual you complained about should have not been directed to the female facilities and we apologise for that.' The email also drew attention to the parliamentary code of conduct which provides 'clear guidelines as to how we expect all users of the parliamentary [estate] to interact with each other'. The incident raises questions around how the Government is implementing the ruling of the Supreme Court, and whether women's spaces are being actively protected. Authorities 'reviewing facilities' A House of Commons spokesman told The Telegraph: 'We continue to act in full compliance with the law as set out in the Supreme Court's judgment and we remain committed to treating all those who work in or visit Parliament with respect, providing support to colleagues where needed. 'Like many organisations, we are awaiting full guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on this issue and are reviewing the facilities that are available on the estate.' Following the Supreme Court ruling, the EHRC told employers, pubs, shops and hospitals that they must all act in line with the Supreme Court ruling and that women-only spaces such as lavatories should be protected. The EHRC said: 'In workplaces and services that are open to the public, trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women's facilities and trans men (biological women) should not be permitted to use the men's facilities, as this will mean that they are no longer single-sex facilities and must be open to all users of the opposite sex.'
