The UK Supreme Court has ruled that under the Equality Act 2010, the legal definition of “woman” refers to biological sex, not acquired gender—a landmark decision that could have far-reaching implications for gender identity laws and policies.
Delivering the court’s unanimous judgment, Deputy President Lord Hodge stated that both the terms “woman” and “sex” in the legislation refer specifically to biological women.
“This court’s unanimous decision is that the definition of the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex,” Lord Hodge said.
However, he urged the public not to interpret the decision as a victory for any one group over another. “We counsel against reading this judgment as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another. It is not.”
The ruling comes after a prolonged legal challenge brought by advocacy group For Women Scotland against the Scottish Government, disputing the inclusion of transgender women in the legal definition of women.
In its detailed 88-page judgment, the court further asserted that the Equality Act is based on a binary concept of sex.
Gender-critical campaigners have celebrated the ruling, with some declaring it a blow to gender self-identification policies.
